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File 133400430018.png - (35.11KB , 700x700 , chap2title.png )
399781 No. 399781 ID: 13dce2

Previous thread: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/res/88264.html
Quest discussion thread: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/318207.html
Wiki page/Stats (not author-made): http://tgchan.org/wiki/Lunar_Quest

>Please try to restrain arguments and discussion to the discussion thread.
Expand all images
>>
No. 399782 ID: 13dce2
File 133400433363.png - (39.46KB , 700x600 , outsidethemanse.png )
399782

Once more we return to a SHADOWY LAND, bathing under the light of the FULL MOON. On the heights of a hill overlooking a darkened town, in a large strange house, in an unlit room, a newborn champion of that silvered eye slumbers.

In that room, an unborn Titan sleeps.
>>
No. 399783 ID: 13dce2
File 133400435223.png - (67.17KB , 600x600 , saulannasleeping.png )
399783

But not for much longer.
>>
No. 399784 ID: 13dce2
File 133400439181.png - (76.95KB , 600x600 , saulannawakes.png )
399784

Again, you are SAULANNA RICANYA ROCKBLOSSOM: amnesiac genius, a MOON HERO endowed with the spirit of the noble RACCOON, and a number of OTHER THINGS BESIDES. You find yourself awakened by a knocking at the door; the sound rouses more than your own senses.

>"Welcome back to the waking world, my lady. I hope you feel well rested?"
>>
No. 399785 ID: 97bd86

Hiya.

What were we up to again?
>>
No. 399786 ID: fa9f7e

We were trying to find out how shit worked. Found out how shit works yet, Saulanna?

Also, fuck yes this is back
>>
No. 399787 ID: a2fa74

>>399784
Get up and get dressed. Stunt turning the sheets into a kimono for the fun of it.
>>
No. 399789 ID: ed57e8

if clothes are far away just use blanket as toga.
>>
No. 399791 ID: cf49fc

>>399787
Great plan. Then pace back and forth while wondering what to do next.

When someone comes to the door to speak with you, hit them in the face with a pillow from across the room.
>>
No. 399792 ID: c2c011

>>399784
Check if there is any partner there in the bed with you.
>>
No. 399794 ID: fcf88e

Might want to get dressed. People tend to actually hold conversations when they are not looking at your cleavage.
>>
No. 399796 ID: 1da170

If there isn't one, finding one is clearly our next adventure.
>>
No. 399798 ID: 6e43b1

FIND PEREGRINE.
>>
No. 399799 ID: 6e43b1

His name is actually Shadow In The Wings now.
>>
No. 399801 ID: e73349

Clothing, then answering the door, seems like a good plan.
>>
No. 399802 ID: fcc78d

also inquire if wordblood has a sex drive, because if so, creepy.
>>
No. 399803 ID: fa9f7e

>>399802
I assumed that was what the digested souls were for.
>>
No. 399805 ID: e73349

>>399803

For boning? That's... also creepy. Wordblood sex drive is worth determining.
>>
No. 399806 ID: 61e7f9

No clothing, answer the door.
>>
No. 399809 ID: fcc78d

>>399805
>>399802
Wait, Wordblood joined up with us, right? That says to me that he has our sex drive. He isn't perving on us, because WE don't perv on us.

On the other hand, that delicious ghost we ran into before may be having an interesting night, not to mention Shadow.
>>
No. 399811 ID: b85f8c

>>399784
Get partially dressed then answer the door.
>>
No. 399812 ID: 2153a4

>>399811
>>
No. 399813 ID: b6edd6

>>399799
If we go around saying people's true names then somebody will overhear us sooner or later, and we wouldn't want that. He remains Peregrine in conversation.
>>
No. 399814 ID: 800ce6

>>399794

boring conversations.
>>
No. 399820 ID: 431fa8

>>399799
Which is something that we really shouldn't be saying to anyone ever. He knows his Name, we know his Name, anyone beyond that is only showing others a weakness to exploit.

So what's our first order of business? Learning sorcery? Devouring souls? Figuring out how to travel beneath the bottom of the Underworld to claim the tortured spirits of the Titans within the Labyrinth as our own? Or just breakfast?
>>
No. 399822 ID: 282655

>>399820

Pants
>>
No. 399824 ID: a0ab04

Hey, aren't the Shadowlands retarding our mote recharge? I vote leave Shadowlands. That's just in the midterm though but I don't their is any reason for us to stay for very long.
>>
No. 399827 ID: 13dce2
File 133401336046.png - (113.51KB , 1000x500 , saulannayawn.png )
399827

>>399785
Last thing Saulanna remembers, she was forcing the person responsible for her condition, a DEATH HERO called PEREGRIN KAAN, into a magical oath of fealty. Her memory on the subject seems very clear, as if she could easily read through it again in her head, somehow. Almost as if it were mentally ARCHIVED in some manner!

Clearly, however, things have advanced a bit from there.

>"Apologies; I've been trying to categorize the memories we've accumulated, and some seem to have slipped into the cracks. I could retrieve them easily enough."

>>399786

Not yet!

>>399799
>>399813
>"Peregrin Kaan is his mortal name. Shadow In The Wings is his True Name. Generally speaking, it is... polite... to refrain from using the true name, save for specific purposes."
>>
No. 399829 ID: 13dce2
File 133401347998.png - (95.67KB , 1000x500 , saulannawrapsup.png )
399829

>>399820
>What's our first order of business?

Isn't that up to you? Although, perhaps Saulanna could mentally review a list of TASKS she's accepted...

>>399802
>"Sexuality is a complex subject for spiritual entities such as myself. Currently, I have no particular interests that I can identify."

Another knock. While Wordblood talks, Saulanna moves to answer the door.
>>
No. 399831 ID: 13dce2
File 133401370530.png - (83.54KB , 600x600 , maidintro.png )
399831

>"Ah, oh. Hello! I hope I'm not disturbing you, uh, mistress. Lord Kaan sent me to see if you needed anything. A lamp, perhaps? It looks awfully dark in there..."
>>
No. 399833 ID: b85f8c

>>399827
Memory retrieval, hmm? Yes, just a brief summary of our activities since the last clear memory, please.

>>399829
Oh yes, reviewing our TASKS would be nice too, but I believe I can remember at least one- we were trying to find the music box's owner, weren't we? To reunite our ghost friend with her?

>>399831
It seems like we can see well enough, so tell her no thanks. Speaking of seeing, there's something on the bedstand- what is it?
>>
No. 399834 ID: 944e41

Grab her and kiss her

Tell her you're fine.
>>
No. 399835 ID: 7c31d2

Ask for some food
>>
No. 399836 ID: fa9f7e

>>399831
She's cute. Seduce her.
>>
No. 399837 ID: 431fa8

>>399827
>"Apologies; I've been trying to categorize the memories we've accumulated, and some seem to have slipped into the cracks. I could retrieve them easily enough."
Please do, or at least the highlights. Amnesia is a terrible thing and we've had more than enough of it already.

>>399831
We don't seem to have any trouble seeing in the dark, so a lamp is unnecessary... although honestly, we're not doing anything useful in here so let's get going... though, clothes first.

"I should get dressed... help me select something, please."

Wordblood, do we know who this is and we've forgotten her name? That would be embarrassing. If not, we should get her name.
>>
No. 399838 ID: 2153a4

>>399836
AGREED.
>>
No. 399840 ID: 61e7f9

+ "I can see fine."
>>
No. 399841 ID: ed57e8

let's NOT seduce everything we meet. being a friend is nice though. but JUST friends. and yeah, if we know her name would be best to use that. if not then get it. seem fine with the light lvl. food maybe?
>>
No. 399843 ID: fa9f7e

>>399841
But we're a Lunar :c
>>
No. 399846 ID: fcf88e

No seducing. We are a classy lady and we will not sully ourselves with the help.

But yes, we are fine and clothing would be nice. A list of TASKS would help along with a bit of those recent memories.
>>
No. 399848 ID: b6edd6

Strange, she looks like a living mortal. I had thought all of Peregrine's subjects were ghosts.
>>
No. 399853 ID: b0d466

Nah you can see fine. Classy clothing would be nice, if you would be so kind, maid.
>>
No. 399856 ID: a2fa74

>>399831
Ok, first rule of living in a castle: Be nice to the staff. They can go anywhere, and people care little about what they hear. If they like you enough they can give you a heads up when skullduggery is afoot, hide you from trouble, and get you things you need when official channels won't do.
"Mmm... I think a lamp would be nice. Although I could use your help with something else for now. Give me a moment to get dressed. You can put that down."

Gently close the door, then quickly get dressed.
We're going to ask her for the unofficial tour, and ask her questions about the power players here while we're on it. We want to find out what the staff knows about them and ourselves.

Oh, and wordblood? We saw that. You can be subsumed into Saulanna if you want, but you aren't going to be taking over. Got that?
>>
No. 399860 ID: fa9f7e

>>399856
Saw what?
>>
No. 399866 ID: 59c014

"A lamp, yes. And some food. And... do you have any good clothes I could try?"
>>
No. 399867 ID: fcc78d

>>399831
Ask her to inform him that we're fine.

If pressed, do the glowy thing.
>>
No. 399868 ID: fcc78d

>>399866
> food

Yeah, changing vote. FOOOOOOD.
>>
No. 399869 ID: a2fa74

>>399860
Look CLOSELY at the title image. "TITAN QUEST"
>>
No. 399872 ID: 431fa8

>>399869
That seems far more likely to be an accurate representation of the current state of affairs- that is, a Lunar with a Titan hidden inside her- than of any kind of sinister plot on Wordblood's part.
>>
No. 399873 ID: fa9f7e

>>399872
Yeah, unborn Titan and all that.
>>
No. 399878 ID: d5ee6f

>>399831
No, but thank you for your concern. Ask her name and if she'll be your maid for the duration of your stay.
>>
No. 399881 ID: e73349

>>399866

Clothes. Blanket-toga will be problematic in event of needing to do move around quickly.

Also food, because food is important.
>>
No. 399884 ID: 1417a1

Ask Wordblood how much time has passed since the battle and if we've met the maid already. Otherwise, inquire about food, lamps and her name.
>>
No. 399887 ID: 1da170

Let's check out that LIST of TASKS.
>>
No. 399900 ID: ce4a4d

Get LIST of TASKS.

Request FOOD and CLOTHING, on the assumption that nudity is taboo around here.
>>
No. 399902 ID: 369d34

Get LIST OF TASKS, and MEMORY CLIFF NOTES from Wordblood.

Request FOOD and DRINK, COMFORTABLE CLOTHES, and an OIL LAMP. Just 'cause you can see in the dark doesn't mean everyone else that comes in here can.
>>
No. 399907 ID: a8e898

I vote Task list and recent memory location.
>>
No. 399914 ID: 2eac65

Looks like our new slave host has been quite accomodating to us. Must remember to thank him for his hospitality. So what can we do today?

When we've got a moment, offer a prayer of gratitude to Luna, for the strength to protect her loved ones and find happiness. Because people usually pray when they need help, but don't think too often about how the big rock in the sky is feeling. Or so I'd assume.

Thank the maid for her concern and ask how she's doing. After all, it always pays to show others a little kindness.

Then we ought to take care of our appearance. For clothing, I'd recommend something simple and modest that allows freedom of movement; while we're picking those out, check ourself for any identifying marks. Old scars, tattoos, piercings, missing pieces, that sort of thing.

After we're presentable, we can see about getting some food.
>>
No. 399916 ID: b9d767

>>399914
This. She did exalt us, after all. And if not for that, we likely wouldn't have Wordblood.
Speaking of Wordblood, what're his opinions on Luna?
>>
No. 399918 ID: 673411

>>399914
I think we should ask the big sky rock how she's doing. Don't ask her for stuff. We have stuff. We're working on stuff.

Just check in to see how she's doing.
>>
No. 399919 ID: 46d846
File 133402757335.png - (96.91KB , 800x500 , saulannaremembers.png )
399919

>Task List

- Discover the reason for her situation - Complete
- Escape pursuit - Annulled
- Help GEVIN deliver the MUSIC BOX to RUIVE
- Teach Peregrin how to use POWER WORDS
- Acquire TITAN'S WILL by:
--- Absorbing souls
--- Absorbing Titan Fragments
--- ????


>Retrieve memories

Saulanna takes a moment to concentrate as she feels Wordblood return the missing memories to her mind.

After taking Peregrin's oath, Saulanna revealed her existing goals and obligations. Peregrin, in turn, explained that anything requiring departure from this SHADOWY LAND would have to wait until morning. Such places as this are where the LAND OF THE DEAD meets the LAND OF THE LIVING, and attempting to leave at night, when the land is furthest from the sunlit world, would lead into the dark realm of the Dragon's Shadow. To demonstrate the truth of this, he escorted her to the border of the land, where she was able to behold for herself the BLACK VEIL of the lightless underworld. Once, Peregrin had said, it had been possible to force one's way into the correct paths by magic, but the Dragon's dominion had reinforced the walls between worlds, barring against all but the mightiest sorcery. Shortly after, you decided to revert to human form, whereupon the accumulated exhaustion of the day hit you fully, and Peregrin brought you back to his home.

Strangely, though Saulanna feels that she's rested a full night, and feels certain that about eight or nine hours have passed, it's still dark outside! What's more, although Wordblood agrees with her time assessment, her innate link to the moon insists that hardly any time has passed at all... reckoning by the motion of the heavens.
>>
No. 399920 ID: 46d846
File 133402768349.png - (117.79KB , 1000x500 , saulannatieshair.png )
399920

>Seduction

Saulanna's AROUSAL is too low to accept sexual commands!

>Saulanna can see fine

Saulanna reckons that the maid's ACUITY is nowhere near as ASTONISHING as her own is. If she wanted to create light, she could just illuminate the DIVINE BRAND on her forehead, but it would not be easy to turn off. She decides to ask for a lamp, after a few other inquiries.

>>399833
>Speaking of seeing, there's something on the bedstand- what is it?

It's Saulanna's hairband! Thanks for the reminder!

>Food

>"Well, I could bring you something, if you like, certainly! I suppose I should have brought something, but Lord Kaan usually takes his meals in the dining room, or while he's working... I think he might be eating now, actually. I was told to ask if you'd like to join him."

>>399853
>>399866
>Do you have any good clothes I could try?

>"Ah, now that I'm ready for! I gathered up a bunch of things that I thought would fit in this basket, along with some things Lord Kaan said belonged to you before?"
>>
No. 399921 ID: 46d846
File 133402777105.png - (99.79KB , 600x800 , saulannadressup.png )
399921

>"We have plenty to work with, and I can probably work up something quickly myself if we're missing anything you really want. So what would you like to wear?"

Saulanna pictures herself, activating PAPER DOLL MODE!
>>
No. 399923 ID: affb00
File 133402826328.png - (96.49KB , 600x800 , saulannasteve.png )
399923

I think this will pretty much rocket us straight up to MAXIMUM AROUSAL
>>
No. 399927 ID: a2fa74

>>399921
Ask Wordblood to take a look at the merging process and see how things are going there. We want to make sure Saulanna is the dominant persona, and that there is as little cross-contamination as possible.

After the paper doll, lets find out the name of the maid and ask her for a tour. We'll eat with her while we find out more about the area and its people.
>>
No. 399929 ID: fcc78d

How long do we have? I won't be back to something with paint till tomorrow morning
>>
No. 399930 ID: 19e436

>>399923
>>
No. 399931 ID: 46d846

>>399929

[I'm going off for the night, now, so at least a day.]
>>
No. 399932 ID: b6edd6

It would not be that surprising for a shadow realm to have a weird day/night cycle, though we should still ask about it.

>>399916
Actually, Wordblood was lodged in our head from Perigrines experiments, which were before and (as far as we know) entirely unrelated to our exaltation.

A quick recap of Wordblood and the gods:
Titans (one of which Wordblood was a part of) created the world and the gods, but eventually the gods rebelled against and deposed the titans, killing/mutilating/imprisoning them in a variety of unpleasant ways (which may or may not have been necessary to stop the titans from returning the favor).
Because of this, Wordblood feels betrayed by the gods and has the (fairly reasonable) concern that the gods' animosity towards the titans will extend to us if they find out about our nature.

(It might be possible to get along with the gods, but before revealing our nature we should first be prepared for the scenario where they react by sending armies and/or groups of epic exalts after us. After all, a new titan could easily be interpreted as a growing threat to stamp out before it gets out of hand.)
>>
No. 399948 ID: b0d466
File 133403101532.png - (159.54KB , 600x800 , DressUpTime.png )
399948

Wheeee~
>>
No. 399951 ID: b85f8c
File 133403207964.png - (67.12KB , 600x800 , pompasaulanna.png )
399951

>>399921
This'll make you look cool and tough.
>>
No. 399953 ID: 784dcc
File 133403227735.png - (96.91KB , 600x800 , 133402777105.png )
399953

>>399923
I believe this is the other traditional offering?
>>
No. 399954 ID: a21b1b

>>399948
Voting for this.
Also, say we would like to eat with Peregrine, and ask the maid her name on the way down.
>>
No. 399955 ID: a8e898

This particular disembodied voice is not good at art, but would like to vote for trying on a Gothic Lolita dress.
>>
No. 399956 ID: fcc78d

Can we get the hair back down? Please? Or at least in the old hairstyle. The giant poof doesn't work.
>>
No. 399958 ID: d5ee6f
File 133403279888.png - (154.38KB , 600x800 , Ichi.png )
399958

>>
No. 399959 ID: d5ee6f
File 133403284041.png - (66.05KB , 500x667 , Junko.png )
399959

>>
No. 399963 ID: 117433

>>399956
But the giant poof is the best part of her design. If anything, it should be made larger. Saulanna is a Lun- Moon Hero. Not only can she have hair that drags along the ground and extend two feet above her head, and not only will it not weigh her down, but she could attack people with prehensile hair if she wanted to and had the right Moon Powers.
>>
No. 399968 ID: a21b1b

Also think we should look through the vanity drawers, see what the cloth on the couch and the little thing next to it are, and see what's behind the door other than the one the maid came through.
>>
No. 399970 ID: 431fa8

>>399956
I'm thinking we should braid it. That should keep it firmly under control so as to avoid the horrible fate that is >>399963. The servant girl can help, though with the horrible swarm of hair that we currently possess bringing it all under direct control might take a while.

>>399968
Please restrain the RPG-hero impulse to open every chest and explore every room so that we can get all the treasure. Peregrin owns this place and works for us; we can get whatever it has to offer from him without wandering around looking for it ourselves.

Speaking of what it has to offer, perhaps he has a library. Wordblood would probably appreciate that, and if we can still absorb the knowledge from books near-instantly thanks to his abilities then a trip there could be a very productive experience.
>>
No. 399974 ID: a21b1b

>>399970
Fair enough. Still would prefer to either keep pouf or have hair down.
>>399948
For shoes, voting for either wooden sandals or sturdy leather boots. Former for cool factor, latter for practicality(plus boots seem to go well with jackets).
>>
No. 399977 ID: b85f8c

Oh and before we forget, can you get Wordblood to check to see if he's growing stronger compared to you, and if that's a problem? Would he start to take over control? If so, would applying TW directly to saulanna fix that issue?
>>
No. 399979 ID: ee834a

>>399977
Yes, I do believe one of our next uses of TW should be into Saulanna's Soul Force. But that can wait for a more appropriate time.

>>399948
I like this, out of the current choices, but I'd like to see some more serious submissions first. Curses being bad at art! Then again, if I was good at art, I would do my own quest.
>>
No. 399981 ID: 784dcc
File 133403635049.png - (82.70KB , 600x800 , saulannadressup.png )
399981

In case it's useful
>>
No. 399992 ID: b0d1a8
File 133403776329.png - (138.95KB , 600x800 , paperdoll.png )
399992

This is the right setting for this right?
>>
No. 399993 ID: 673411
File 133403801096.jpg - (100.01KB , 600x800 , ErrybodyLovesLayers!.jpg )
399993

>>
No. 399994 ID: 784dcc
File 133403819502.png - (79.66KB , 600x800 , saulannadressup.png )
399994

>>399993
Layers are so useful for the graphically challenged, I admit.
>>399958
You did it faster, I guess. A good option.
>>
No. 399996 ID: 673411

>>399994
I meant layered clothing. I really like layered clothing.
>>
No. 399998 ID: e73349

>>399993

Really like this one.
>>
No. 400006 ID: 2153a4

>>399993
I love it! And if you need mobility, it looks so easy to get out of!
>>
No. 400007 ID: 784dcc
File 133403883098.gif - (59.49KB , 600x800 , saulannalayers.gif )
400007

>>399996
Oh. Well, I like layers because it helps conceptually and lets you mess up without messing up what you're drawing over. And do things like this.
>>
No. 400009 ID: 9d1d2b
File 133403901784.png - (106.03KB , 600x800 , saulanna.png )
400009

... I may have to do more of these. This was ridiculously fun and easy.
>>
No. 400014 ID: 673411
File 133403932691.gif - (97.29KB , 600x800 , I\'mSoGladILearnedHowToAnimateInPhotoshop.gif )
400014

>>400007
Yes, that is handy too.

I was just talking about the clothing, but indeed, my own drawing uses 3 layers for clothing, and a layer mask for the whites in the clothing.
>>
No. 400016 ID: 57b09c

>>400009
"But I never met a gypsy!"
>>
No. 400019 ID: 9d1d2b

>>400016
"Yes you did. She's probably looking for you."
>>
No. 400029 ID: 6dddd5

>>399953

Can't go wrong with this
>>
No. 400032 ID: 61e7f9

>>399953
with some pockets and stuff on the outside. Combat harness or something.
>>
No. 400033 ID: c26f5d

>>399993
This seems to be the nicest.
>>
No. 400035 ID: 063c28

>>399993
I'm a fan.
>>
No. 400049 ID: 70591e

really fancy designs there you guys, but how about something more practical for a shapeshifter?
>>
No. 400055 ID: c48ca8

>>399993
I wholeheartedly endorse this.
>>
No. 400058 ID: 431fa8

>>400049
While on the one hand shapeshifting, on the other hand, we are a physical-tertiary character in the center of our vassal's power with no expectation of immediate danger. If we're shapeshifting something has probably gone very wrong in our day.
>>
No. 400074 ID: 0ee065

Holy shit yesssss

>>399993
This.

>>399992
JUST KIDDING THIS THIS THIS
>>
No. 400075 ID: 117433

>>400049
"Practical" is the exact opposite of how you design clothes for lunars, or an Exalts in general.
>>
No. 400083 ID: 1417a1

>>399993
This!
>>400006
Exactly. Useful for a shapeshifter.
>>
No. 400085 ID: 117433
File 133406752826.png - (120.32KB , 600x800 , Saulanna Costume 1.png )
400085

You can't see it from this angle, but the shirt is backless, and connects at the neck and mid-back, and the sides of the pants will stretch somewhat to accommodate anyone who just so happens to turn into an eight foot tall raccoon monster while wearing them. No sense in being a nude eight foot tall raccoon monster if you can help it. The arm-warmers warm her arms (what is the climate like, anyway?) and the lack of shoes are because shoes prevent you from communing with Mother Luna (and are also hard to draw with no artistic talent).
>>
No. 400088 ID: 9d1d2b

>>400049
My design is actually intended to be relatively practical. might want to loosen the sash a bit first, but a large full-circle skirt with say a drawstring waist and top designed after a kimono has enough fabric that a sudden transformation won't rip everything, will allow for some good mobility in eight-foot-tall racoon monster form and one could remove the skirt or just hike it up into the waistband for further mobility in human form.

... Why no I haven't had to figure out why a gypsy smith wears this getup [besides it being easy to draw].

But discussion is for the discussion thread so I will shoosh now.
>>
No. 400090 ID: 0a7fcc

YES!! finally lunar quest is back!
>>
No. 400091 ID: 38774f

>>399993
There are many great options here, but this one is the best. Totally.
>>
No. 400098 ID: 1da170

>>399993
Another vote for this.
>>
No. 400101 ID: f25549

So, is it the Shadowland the reason their is no color or this the stylistic choice?
>>
No. 400112 ID: fcc78d

>>399919
> Barrier between worlds
MEANWHILE, IN TWILIGHT PRINCESS
>>
No. 400116 ID: a21b1b

>>399993
Changing my vote to this, with this
>>399992
as my second choice.
>>
No. 400117 ID: c35ddc
File 133408054825.jpg - (119.89KB , 600x800 , SomethingSimple.jpg )
400117

Something simple and easy to draw. Plenty of room to move in, simple and loose enough to accomidate for larger shapeshifted forms... and one piece, so enough for a little raccoon to drag along as a bundle or something I guess
>>
No. 400120 ID: 2563d4
File 133408153881.png - (54.00KB , 600x800 , saulanna-paperdoll-dejavu.png )
400120

>>399921
Waking up with an ethereal power-boosting wormy thing inside you, having to assemble clothing from assorted fabrics?

There's an app for that.
>>
No. 400123 ID: 4912c2

>>399993
This one, this one!
>>
No. 400129 ID: 3cc04d

Hooray, it's back!

>>399992

Seems good. Even has pockets! Pockets to stuff full of STUFF.
>>
No. 400134 ID: fcc78d

>>400117
> applying logic to exalted clothes
stop that.
>>
No. 400135 ID: 3947e9

>>400117
>>400120
My two favorites thus far
>>
No. 400138 ID: bb3991
File 133409299810.png - (110.60KB , 600x800 , 133402777105.png )
400138

Lunar fighting exalt
ROCKBLOSSOM!
>>
No. 400140 ID: fcc78d

>>400138
This is getting silly!
>>
No. 400147 ID: 2563d4
File 133409782370.png - (52.25KB , 600x800 , saulanna-paperdoll-RAWK.png )
400147

>>399921
THE ANSWER'S PLAIN AS BLACK AND WHITE, AND I CAN SEE THE PICTURE VERY CLEAR
>>
No. 400198 ID: 46d846
File 133411099465.png - (160.87KB , 1000x700 , SaulannaStatschapt2.png )
400198

So many possibilities! For now, Saulanna asks the maid to put together one of the most appealing designs, and adds a few extras as well to see how they look. She gains +5 PRETTINESS.

Saulanna also takes a moment to reflect on her current STATISTICS, though not including her array of specific powers. In particular, she notes that she and Wordblood are currently measured equally in terms of SOUL FORCE, rating at 2 each. She possesses just enough TITAN'S WILL to increase one of them to 3.

>"I would recommend adopting your rightful position of dominance, my lady, if you feel it wise to expend this little we have now. There are, of course, many other possibilities to consider."
>>
No. 400201 ID: 46d846
File 133411118731.png - (142.53KB , 1000x500 , saulannaconsidersclothes.png )
400201

After a moment, Saulanna decides she can do without the circlet and jacket for now - no need to layer on too much when it's not necessary, she'll save them for when she needs them. She also asks the maid to put together a few of her other ideas as well, in case she find she wants those later on too. And speaking of the maid...

>"Oh, my name? Um, right, of course. Just a moment..."
>>
No. 400202 ID: 46d846
File 133411126989.png - (95.79KB , 600x600 , alicenote.png )
400202

>"My name is... a... ah-li... Alice. I think that's how you say it."

What a strange name.
>>
No. 400203 ID: 5bec67

>>400198
Aww yeah gurl, be dominant~

Does she have to write her name down? Why is that?
>>
No. 400205 ID: 46d846

((Feel free to post more costume designs in questdis if you like; they can still become part of Saulanna's wardrobe in the future.))
>>
No. 400206 ID: fcc78d

PUT YOUR DAMN HAIR DOWN! Or do something with it that makes it look less ridiculous.
>>400203
Blame Shadow, probably.
>>
No. 400207 ID: 61e7f9

That's....odd.

Head down to the dining room and EAT.
>>
No. 400209 ID: ed57e8

ask her why she needed to read it. could be she just wanted to not say her real name , maybe warned about true names?
>>
No. 400210 ID: 431fa8

>>400198
Let's meet with Peregrin before expending any Titan's Will. He will be able to give us a better idea of what resources are now available to us, which strongly influences how carefully we need to husband our resources.

>>400202
She has a note! It is full of delicious words and we must read it!

Then we'll read the library. When we see Peregrin, we must inquire after his books, and read them all!
>>
No. 400213 ID: f70e5e

whats up with alice needing to keep her name on a note?
>>
No. 400214 ID: a2fa74

>>400198
Do it.

>>400202
"Who gave you that alias, and why?"
>>
No. 400215 ID: b6edd6

I think we are better off saving our TW for now.

>>400203
Peregrine mentioned that he tried the mindwipe thing before with only partial success. It is best not to mention it to her, since I don't think we currently have the magic to do something about her condition.
>>
No. 400216 ID: a05d5a

>>399993
If it won't interfere with shapeshifting to much i like this one
>>
No. 400218 ID: fcc78d

>>400214
Do you really think Saulanna is the sort of girl to use the term 'alias'? Consider what we've seen of her so far.
>>
No. 400219 ID: 117433

>>400201
Yeah, let's just head down to dinner. When was the last time you ate? Can you even remember?

Oh, and buff up Soul Force. You'll need it if you ever want to properly master the art of USING TREES AS PROJECTILE WEAPONS. Plus, who knows what will happen if Wordblood gets more than you have.

And do nothing about the hair. It is a mane that perfectly suits a member of Luna's Chosen.
>>
No. 400220 ID: a05d5a

>>400216
damnit to slow
>>400215
I agree seems the most likely cause and i think we should wait till we have more TW never no what might pop up
>>
No. 400221 ID: 29435f

One gets the feeling this has something to do with... Peculiarities of the past. Not the direct past, The Past past.

... Hm, no use not chatting with her, at any rate.
>>
No. 400222 ID: a21b1b

Since she seems unsure of the pronunciation, politely ask if we could see the note.
>>
No. 400226 ID: af25e0

If we're going to spend TW, it should be on soul force. Giving Wordblood power beyond our SF rating seems like a bad idea.

>>400202

"You don't seem too sure of that. Is something wrong?"
>>
No. 400229 ID: 369d34

Bank your TITAN'S WILL for now. There could eventually be other, better uses for it, and there's no urgent reason to expend it now.

Say that you're very good with speech and languages and ask if you could look at her note to check her pronunciation. Whether she agrees or not, head on down to meet Peregrine for a meal. On the way ask Alice to point out the way to the important locations in this place, especially the library.
>>
No. 400231 ID: b9d767

>>400198
Let's conserve what TITAN'S WILL we have for now, as there might be alternate channels for us to apply it in. Until we know of these, assuming they exist, we should wait before spending it.

Go to the dining room and eat, then proceed to the Library for a second course. Also, inquire as to the status of our ghostly friend.
>>
No. 400239 ID: 1da170

If there's a mirror about, check clothing and admire self.

The do a little dance.
>>
No. 400240 ID: c4a1fc

Sex isn't chatting, by the way :v
>>
No. 400242 ID: 673411

I say we should increase our Soul force.
>>
No. 400254 ID: 44d0de

If there's nothing else that Titan's Will can be spent on besides your soulforce and your wordblood, ramp up your soulforce so you can do more crazy moon shenanigans.

Why does she need to look up her own name? That's worth asking. (Hint: I suspect she is FIBBING and that is NOT her real name in which case WHY IS SHE BOTHERING because we DON'T REALLY CARE THAT MUCH)
>>
No. 400255 ID: b85f8c

Use that TW on yourself!

Also let's go eat with mister fancy.
>>
No. 400267 ID: 3947e9

Don't we still have several unabsorbed souls in our head? And several more on our lands?

Last time we got into a bit of a tiff about the absorbing souls thing... In this world a soul who "passes on" is naturally "recycled" into its component soul energy, destroying all memories of its life, and then the energy used for creating a new being.

Saulina can absorb those memories (the useful ones, filtered through word-blood) and merge with the raw soul to increase her own... and for some reason that got us freaking out. So how about we just sidestep this entirely trumped up moral issue (Caused by misnaming abilities and incorrect assumptions about how the world works (immortal souls? afterlife? psha!)

Basically, sidestep the whole shebang by upgrading wordblood in a very specific manner, namely, the ability to extract all memories, merge with the soul force, copy the useful memories, and then reassemble the persona inside you in a segmented manner such that it lives in a heaven of sorts inside you but does bleed over into your personality. We would have to break a few eggs to make that omlet but its not like they have better prospect.

Also, Saulina has a titan soul, Wordblood, and the exaltation soul. So far saulina can upgrade the first two with her will, but she should be able to upgrade and modify the last one as well (perhaps even augment it with other captured exaltations taken from her enemies)
>>
No. 400270 ID: b6edd6

>>400254
TITAN'S WILL can also be used to make new WORDS OF POWER or to DIRECTLY EFFECT REALITY (which I guess would be like a more powerful one-use spell).
>>
No. 400289 ID: 2eac65

For self-buffing, don't use any Will now. There's no immediate need and there are more directly useful things we can get.

The maid's pretty cute. Ask her a bit about herself, but be subtle about it. Being too direct could clue her in about how suspicious we are. Let's start with "That's a nice name. So what's your life like here?"

After we're done chatting, we can thank her for her time and go to meet Peregrin.
>>
No. 400296 ID: affb00

>>400202

Well that's pretty fucking weird. Call her Ali for now that sounds more normal.
>>
No. 400304 ID: 3947e9

I think that was a 4th wall breaking joke where she was a nameless throwaway character until we explicitly asked her name

>>400270
Also upgrade specific sub stats of Saulina or Wordblood (ex: efficiency of consumption) as well as inventing new abilities (ex: the ability to carry/imprison a ghost inside her without absorbing it)
Read the first thread to see what can be done with it.
>>
No. 400312 ID: ce4a4d

We know for a fact that souls attached to ours have bleed-over which can exert an as yet unknown amount of influence over us. Wordblood is a nice guy, but there still might be some side effects of being no stronger than he is. Permanent side effects.

Not just from Wordblood, either. That Ghost Boss nearly took over your body, and he was just a ghost!

Expend both TW immediately to upgrade your SOUL FORCE by one.
>>
No. 400324 ID: c2c011

>>400202
Yeah, quite a weird name. Either way, it's time for some food! Lets go get some, we might see something interesting on the way.
>>
No. 400331 ID: 70591e

Alice is a beautiful name and fuck anyone who thinks otherwise.

ask Wordblood about how the hell you'd be able to teach P-Diddy how to use powerwords.
>>
No. 400352 ID: 444673

Let's thank her for her help, and see about the food. Most likely she doesn't remember her name because...well...she's like you...one of PK's previous test subjects...that didn't work out so well.
>>
No. 400359 ID: 2f8df8

>>400207

Ask for vegetables
>>
No. 400361 ID: fcf88e

Veggies and fish. Raccoons do eat fish after all.
>>
No. 400385 ID: ddf2ca

>>400304

Na Jukashi has enough experience with quests to know not to put in throw away characters unless he plans to kill them right off the bat i think
>>
No. 400392 ID: 8124f3
File 133418177512.png - (83.28KB , 600x500 , throughhall.png )
400392

After weighing the issue, Saulanna decides to hold off on spending more Titan's Will for now. There's no immediate need, Peregrin may have advice for her, and there is the question of when she'll get the opportunity for more. On that subject, what did happen to the ghosts she had in her head?

>"Ah, I took the liberty of releasing them when you were going to sleep, my lady. Gevin was only with us for his safety, and the other should now technically be one of our underlings, under Peregrin's oath. I'm certain we could locate them again, if that was too presumptuous of me."

>>400222
>>400289
After briefly suspecting some form of amusing misread wordplay, Saulanna alas finds that the note does, in fact, read "Alice". No family name. Why then would she have such trouble with it? She decides to simply ask about it as the two of them move out into the hallway.

>"Oh, that's just... well, I can't remember my own name, or... Long story, Lord Kaan tells it better. You want to see him anyway, right?"

Saulanna specifies that she was intending to go to the dining room. Isn't that where he is?

>"Where... oh, sorry! I think I misspoke. When I said I thought he was eating now, I meant he was eating while he works, not in the dining room. That would put him in the study, just over here. The dining room is actually on the far side of the house. I mean, we can still go there, of course! But I could just as easily fetch you something from the kitchen."

Hm. Should Saulanna go talk to Peregrin and let the food come to her, or put him on hold?
>>
No. 400393 ID: 2541da

Supporting saving Titan's Will. The process is instant anyway, right? No use cutting options.

Also, ask Alice about why she can't remember her own name while finishing getting dressed and going off talking to Peregrin.
>>
No. 400395 ID: e53cbc

>>400392
Let's talk to Peregin. It'll give us something to do.
>>
No. 400396 ID: 2541da

Sidereal'd by author. :<

There's currently no real reason to go to the dining room. On the other hand, Peregrin will still be around, we'd get a chance to talk more with Alice and we'd get to see a new part of the castle, exploration yay. On the OTHER hand, the information we are most curious about regarding Alice is something that she herself refers to Peregrin about.

I'm voting for asking her to please bring us a snack and go to talk with Peregrin.
>>
No. 400397 ID: b85f8c

>>400392
Talk to Peregrin.
>>
No. 400398 ID: 117433

Talk to Perry and get some food sent to his study for you.
>>
No. 400402 ID: 431fa8

>>400392
Talk to Peregrin and have minions bring food. Fetching things is one of the things minions are for, after all. There's really no reason to go exploring on our own when a simple request to Peregrin can have him personally give us a guided tour and answer the incessant questions we will doubtless have.
>>
No. 400405 ID: 1417a1

Go talk with him.
>>
No. 400409 ID: 44d0de

I don't think we want to watch Peregin eat... ever.
>>
No. 400410 ID: 5e703e

go and talk to kaan
>>
No. 400414 ID: 29435f

>>400409
Nah, Death Heroes probably eat just fine in SHADOWY LANDS.

But you don't want to have their pomegranates.
>>
No. 400416 ID: a2fa74

>>400392
We should get Gevin back since IIRC we were going to help him resolve some things.

Ask if Alice would mind eating with you, since you'd like to hear what she knows of the area. Eating together would help make her not quite so afraid of us, at least.
>>
No. 400417 ID: 2eac65

>releasing Gevin
That's inconvenient. There were things I'd have wanted to ask him; namely, the year in which he died. No big loss, though; it's not like there's anything urgent we need with him.

Out of curiosity, did Gevin ask you to let him out, or did you offer it to him?

That aside, we're certainly going to want to meet with Peregrin. He's probably spent all night worrying about what we were going to do with him; we should put his mind at ease.
>>
No. 400418 ID: 3947e9

>>400393
>Instant
Good point

I also say we meet him in the study and have food fetched for us. And saulina is not a raccoon, she is a human turned into a titan who can transform into a divinely empowered were raccoon. So there is no reason she can't eat human food. Oooh, I wonder if we could use titan will to make it so we don't need to eat at all. (probably could but lets not waste it on this)
>>
No. 400421 ID: 70591e

>>400398

and make sure to call him Perry.
>>
No. 400422 ID: 6868bc

Nah, you know what? Eat some bacon and eggs in the dining room, with a tall glass of orange juice and buttered toast, let P. Kaan come see you. Make yourself at home, right?
>>
No. 400426 ID: 369d34

Yeah, go meet with Peregrin, and have a meal sent up. Then you could ask what's the deal with Alice.

Would Gevin be just wandering around Peregrin's place after being released? Maybe Saulanna could ask Alice to find and bring him up to the study while she delivers your meal.
>>
No. 400433 ID: 6d52a8

Only increase our power in sync with Wordblood.

We don't want to start some shit with our bro, and we don't want to be outed as a Titanic Host until we are powerful enough to take on the Dragon's Shadow and win.
>>
No. 400440 ID: 1da170

Hmm, amnesia? Where have we heard of that before?

Isn't it a side effect of attempting to implant Wordblood? Get Alice's story!

Tell her that you don't mind if she's not the greatest storyteller, a tale should come from the heart.
>>
No. 400441 ID: 431fa8

>>400440
>get an amnesiac to tell us her story
There may be a flaw in this cunning plan.
>>
No. 400444 ID: 673411

>>400441
I'm betting it's not that she's simply amnesiac, but that she actively and continually forgets her name.
>>
No. 400446 ID: 1417a1

>>400444
Gasp! Perhaps Wordblood ate it!
>>
No. 400447 ID: 61e7f9

Talk to Perigrin.

Maybe hit on him a bit.
>>
No. 400449 ID: 3947e9

>>400446
It is the only explanation for her having to read it off a piece of paper she carries with her.
1. She would have memorized it otherwise.
2. She would have thought to look it up otherwise.
3. She would not have it written down on a piece of paper she carriers otherwise.
>>
No. 400452 ID: fcc78d

> Releasing Gevin

Wordblood, you have a lot to learn about maintaining Saulanna's AROUSAL RATING.
>>
No. 400453 ID: b4798d

I'm guessing that Alice was one of the previous candidates for Wordblood, as mentioned by Peregrine.

You should go talk to him about it.
>>
No. 400464 ID: ce4a4d

Introspectively look in mirror.
>>
No. 400485 ID: 0a3290
File 133420923366.png - (159.41KB , 1000x500 , peregrinagain.png )
400485

Saulanna decides to go to Peregrin. The door to the study is not far at all; she steps through to see him look up from his desk with a quiet smile. The man responsible for almost everything she is now, save her bond to the moon. And perhaps that, as well?

>"Mistress Rockblossom to see you, milord."
>"Ah! Thank you, Alice."
>"Who?"
>"You."
>"Oh. With your permission, milord, I'll fetch something for her to eat."
>"Whatever she wants, dear."

Saulanna gives Alice a few suggestions as she goes; fish occurs to her, but the only thing she remembers ever eating is a whole raw salmon, which was filling but did not otherwise leave a good impression.

>"Forgive her; she's one of your predecessors, partly. Can't remember anything from before the procedure, but a good and pleasant servant. Ah; but I'm not behaving properly, am I?"
>>
No. 400486 ID: 0a3290
File 133420930789.png - (104.78KB , 600x700 , peregrinkneels.png )
400486

Peregrin calmly gets up, steps forward and goes to one knee at Saulanna's feet. There's a faint gleam of amusement in his eyes as he places a hand over his heart.

>"Your oathsman is ready to serve, my liege lady; and may he venture to remark on how lovely you look in your new garb? Allow me to formally welcome you my home, and your house, a building known to locals as the Needles. Everything here is mine, and everything of mine is yours; I've not fully informed everyone of this new arrangement, only to obey you as they would me, but I await your command."

Ooh. Everything belongs to her? That is true, effectively, now she thinks of it. Feels... nice.

>"Perhaps you'd like to go over what territory and resources you hold, now? There would be a few notes as well on things like politics, the economic situation... rather tedious, and not going anywhere quickly. A discussion of your Titanic nature and where you plan to go with it would take time as well, but I'm sure it'd be very interesting. I have a few options to present along that line that may appeal to you."

It sounds like either of those options will take some time to go over, and involve quite a bit of back-and-forth. Should Saulanna engage Peregrin regarding her holdings, her magic, or something else?
>>
No. 400488 ID: fcc78d

>>400486
Holdings.

Also, test willingness to act as servant v. love of theater by demanding backrubs. If only because I want one myself.
>>
No. 400489 ID: b0d466

HOLDINGS
>>
No. 400493 ID: 431fa8

>>400486
Have him speak about our holdings first.

Also comment that while the bit with the kneeling is nice, it's not really necessary. Both of us know what our relationship is; there's no need to belabor the point with ornamental actions when we're alone.

Not informing everyone that we're in charge here is probably the right move, really; we don't particularly want a bunch of Sun or Moon heroes hearing about us setting up shop here and deciding to investigate, or other Death Heroes coming to oust us from the Shadowy Lands, so having us keep a relatively low profile while Peregrin carries out our will would be best.

Also, Wordblood- look at that shelf of books! Can you help us instantly read through them all and learn everything inside them, as with that tome in the hut?
>>
No. 400497 ID: 117433

Holdings. As a Moon Hero, we must know the lay of the land. Besides, Wordblood can fill us in on any immediately important magic things.

Plus Perry might have a Swift Rider or something for you to ride around on. Haven't you always wanted a magic-powered hoverbike?
>>
No. 400499 ID: 70591e

holdinations.
>>
No. 400505 ID: 673411

Holdings, then titanic nature.
>>
No. 400510 ID: 3947e9

Oh smooth. He bows but clearing he is trying to charm (in the non magical sense), I like it :P.

As for what to go over, both.
>>
No. 400521 ID: 2eac65

>>400486
Feel that, Ricanya? That's the thrill of dominance. Nurture it carefully, and it will serve you well. Just don't let it overpower you; that would be both paradoxical and self-destructive.

"You seem to be taking this rather well. I'm glad. I like the time dilation, by the way; was that your doing, or did it occur naturally?"

"The political situation interests us, but I'm afraid we won't have the background knowledge to understand it. We know little about the major powers of the world, or even the principles on which it operates. First, I should learn about the various beings who inhabit the world, and their relations."
>>
No. 400522 ID: a2fa74

>>400486
Find out more about WHY he did this to people, and how much he actually knows about who Alice was before he experimented on her.
>>
No. 400525 ID: 369d34

Go over the holdings. If Peregrin has written documentation handy that relates to the holdings, ask to have them placed out so Wordblood can absorb all the details while Peregrin talks. A map would be a good place to start from.
>>
No. 400528 ID: c2c011

>>400486
Lets hear about Holdings and Magic.
>>
No. 400538 ID: 8ba020

Holdings and assets, I'd say.
>>
No. 400541 ID: b85f8c

>>400486
MAJICKS. Specifically, Wordblood's growth vs yours. Any disadvantages, theorized or otherwise, about putting most TW into wordblood's soul power?
>>
No. 400542 ID: e3f578

>>400486
Ask who his hair stylist is
It's just too much of a concern to ignore!
And personal trainer, you can detect he has some sweet pecks under those fancy garbs
>>
No. 400557 ID: 383cda

Let's discuss holdings, then people under our new employ. For example, how many other 'Alices' are there?
>>
No. 400562 ID: a8e898

I vote holdings, then ask him what's up with the time thing. I mean, you slept for 8 hours, but it's only been five minutes? How does that work?
>>
No. 400568 ID: a21b1b

Yes, the time dilation is something we need to find out about. After we discuss our holdings.
>>
No. 400571 ID: c93031

Actuality I'd rather ask about the time thing first i imagine it won't take to long then holdings
>>
No. 400573 ID: f25549

>>400488
I also second back rub.

Now I want one.
>>
No. 400575 ID: e3f578

>>400486
I just noticed that you have a very nice thong on.
Ask Peregrin's opinion about your ensemble. Is it to die for?
>>
No. 400579 ID: 117433

>>400575
It's not a thong. It's just a black skirt with a waistline slightly higher to the white one.
>>
No. 400581 ID: e3f578

>>400579
huh
I see it now
that took forever to see though, I thought it looked weird in this fancy setting.
>>
No. 400608 ID: 1da170

Go mad with power!

Which is to say, a third vote for backrubs while you get the lowdown on your holdings.
>>
No. 400610 ID: d4f98d

>>400486
Holdings and Time dilation.
>>
No. 400612 ID: 5726ae

Time dilation is a very specific science thing. Let's call is "time lapse" instead, kay? :3
>>
No. 400620 ID: d5ee6f

>>400486
Anything urgent?
>>
No. 400627 ID: 8247d0

You could give him a hug...
and say his hair looks nice too.

Those would both be very nice.
>>
No. 400630 ID: 5e703e

holdings
>>
No. 400665 ID: 784dcc

Backrubs and...uh...holdings, sure.
>>
No. 400731 ID: 7ea3a9

Magic. Hit on him as subtly as you can (the sexy kind, not smacking him).
>>
No. 400744 ID: df49f6
File 133429833949.png - (616.79KB , 700x600 , map1.png )
400744

>"Material concerns first? If you prefer."

Peregrin's dominion - now yours - essentially encompasses the entirety of this SHADOWY LAND, he explains. It lies relatively far into the East (and somewhat North) of the world, not too close to anywhere else of great importance. There are modest mountains to the south, and it is in the foothills of same that there reside three PLACES OF POWER, tapped for magic by Peregrin with, he admits, not great expertise. It is the greatest of these on which this house and its surrounding town are built; that and, not coincidentally, the shattered remnants of some ancient ruins, buried in the earth. The land is mostly settled by ghosts; of the two villages here, only one still maintains a decent number of living humans, who owe fealty to the ruling council of a nearby larger town in the lands of the living; there is some significant tension, there, but manageable. Most of the land is forest, but there is some farmland dedicated to the strange or hardy plants that can grow here.

The economic success of this region depends chiefly on three sources of income: trade in magical scrap (carefully) dug up from the ruins, trade in valuables from the underworld to the living (and in the other direction), and the expertise of the restless dead who reside here. Peregrin, as a DEATH HERO, acts as representative and protector for them, and in return they listen to his advice. With some prodding.
>>
No. 400745 ID: df49f6
File 133429847505.png - (66.82KB , 600x500 , talkinboutghosts.png )
400745

>"All the ghosts who dwell here are effectively refugees - as am I. The underworld became a different place when the Dragon's Shadow took over; a land of darkness, filled with his demonic children. It's a more, ah, lively place than it was, paradoxically, nor is it exactly hellish, but... Well, aside the possibility of being made the plaything of a bored Titan's souls, remaining too long in the Shadow will... change you. Those of the dead who can't pass on but don't want to remain in the Dragon's domain are forced to come to lands such as this."

>"I have to say I took advantage of that, to build myself a position of relative comfort and resource, but I fancy it's been a mutually beneficial arrangement. Through me you have command over a kingdom's worth of the dead, some of them quite ancient and powerful, others possessed of valuable knowledge and skills. They're not so much use during the day, of course, but that's life. Or, rather... well."

Saulanna inquires about the time lapse.

>"Ah, that's our friend the Dragon again. He destroyed the Calander that moved the days of the dead, so now time flows according to his will. An hour in a day here, a decade in a month there. Some say he can even undo events that have already happened, though there's no evidence beyond vague rumour. The effect is much reduced here, and we're only part of the lands of the dead when the sun's gone down; but still, we've had nights that lasted anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks. That's rare, though, don't worry. I can exert a little control over it, as well, but it's strenuous, and the neighbors don't approve."

Peregrin seems about to start talking about his - your - nation's relationships. Does Saulanna have anything to add before he goes on?

>>400493
>>400525

>"I'd like to remind you, my lady, that while I can instantly absorb any source of written knowledge, it will be consumed in the process."
>>
No. 400747 ID: a2fa74

>>400745
"You have libraries and archives of newspapers going over all of this, correct? Giving me duplicates of all this general information would be faster.

From what I am hearing, you intended to create a benign or benevolent Titan to counter the Dragon Shadow. Can you elaborate on or correct that impression?"
>>
No. 400748 ID: a21b1b

Ask what year it is. If Gevin knows the year he died, we can determine the likelihood of Ruive being alive based on Beastman life span.
>>
No. 400754 ID: a8e898

You might consider asking Wordblood if he can give back Alice her ability to form memories again.
>>
No. 400758 ID: 431fa8

>>400745
Can he tell us more of these three places of power? We only have modest skills with them at the moment, but we're pretty sharp, perhaps enough to have some insight into potential uses. Likewise I'd be interested in what sort of magical scrap is generally unearthed around here; if there are broken ancient machines, for example, I'd bet that with a bit of practice we could become quite skilled at repairing or replicating them, which could be a first step on the road towards works of truly great artifice.

It's a somewhat awkward topic that definitely touches on our magic quite a bit, but if the economics and politics of the region could support it, making efforts to acquire more souls for us to consume would be highly desirable. Not saying that we should go around devouring villages here, but something on a small scale to ensure a regular supply of additional Titan's Will without attracting much attention is worth putting a bit of thought into.

Aside from that, learning more about adjacent lands, particularly those we deal with regularly, seems the next important item- and I believe it's up next, so Peregrin can continue.

>"I'd like to remind you, my lady, that while I can instantly absorb any source of written knowledge, it will be consumed in the process."
That's quite inconvenient if we want our minions to be able to reference them... but you said it was totally alien to you to destroy knowledge, so one would think that preserving it would be relatively easy. Could you improve our ability to rapidly learn with a small amount of Titan's Will so that it would become non-destructive? While we are rather low on Titan's Will at the moment, being able to rapidly learn things more freely is likely useful enough to warrant an expenditure.
>>
No. 400771 ID: 252e1b

>>400758

A way to re-write or re-print what was consumed might be useful.
>>
No. 400774 ID: ed57e8

pulling a few souls from other places would be good. but you have to balence, evil souls and good ones, otherwise they could influence her desision making.
>>
No. 400782 ID: 3947e9

You have a domain with servants...
Order a LARGE GROUP of them to start making copies of all books in the libraries, starting from the most valuable ones (appoint a project manager whom you will discuss the definition of "valuable" with). Consume the copies.
PS. for restricted knowledge we would need to find trustworthy minions or come up with other solutions.

Also, make a todo list.

>>400758
The only feasible way I can see is:
1. Taking souls of enemies in a fight
2. Taking souls of subjects who earn the death penalty for a crime (rebels, renegades, or just major criminals).
3. Taking souls in secret.

Generally speaking we should avoid 3 since there is always the danger of it getting exposed.

>>400758
We don't need to try to convince him that way.
Just put on the todo list to have him teach us all he knows about tapping power places and work with him to improve the design and allowing both of you to tap those specific ones.
>>
No. 400783 ID: 2eac65

Foreign relations are important, so let him keep talking. There are a few things that piqued my interest, but they can wait until he's done.

First, the mechanics of the world. For example, he said that we were in the eastern part of the world. Does that mean that the world has a center? What shape is it?

Also, ghost magic. We've got powerful ghosts in our domain; what specific sort of feats are they capable of? On that subject, we should ask about his own powers and whatever other quirks come with being a Death Hero. Or, for that matter, a Moon Hero; we really only know the basics of our own abilities.

There's also his existing plans, such as other projects he's currently working on, and what he was planning to do with our magic once he obtained it; did he simply wish to learn them out of curiosity, or did he have some further reaching plan in mind?
>>
No. 400794 ID: b85f8c

>>400747
Good idea. Ask if there are any expendable copies of books we can consume.

And let's talk about MAJICKS now!
>>
No. 400798 ID: 404f8a
File 133431329785.jpg - (663.44KB , 2600x1559 , creation-map.jpg )
400798

>>400783
>For example, he said that we were in the eastern part of the world. Does that mean that the world has a center? What shape is it?

It's flat.

I couldn't find a map of the world with only topography, but even with having The Shadow of All Things taking over the Underworld, it's pretty likely to still look mostly like this.

For frame of reference: that island in the center is the size of Russia.
>>
No. 400802 ID: fcc78d

Well, he seems on the up and up about being our boy right now. Reward him with a kiss to the cheek and let him continue.
>>
No. 400804 ID: 3947e9

>>400802
no on kissing him
>>
No. 400806 ID: 70591e

let him continue. I'm interested in the majjyykz as well, especially those places of power he mentioned, but one thing at a time.
>>
No. 400847 ID: 6e44d2

Where are we on that map? What's going on at the edges?

Also, this guy is totally being a bro.
>>
No. 400860 ID: a2853b

>>400847
>Where are we on that map? What's going on at the edges?
IIRC, the world of Exalted, known as Creation, is less of a 'planet' and more of a 'plane'. The further you go from the center, the less defined the world is, until you hit the Wyld Lands, or something, which is where the Fae live and the laws of physics stop working.
>>
No. 400864 ID: ed57e8

>>400860
and the titans built this place. meaning once we are strong enough we would be able to enter the wyld without horrible things happening.
>>
No. 400873 ID: 117433

>>400847
I described it in the disc thread. Just search for your post number and it should be there.
>>
No. 401118 ID: b49075
File 133444044544.png - (152.69KB , 1000x500 , study2.png )
401118

Saulanna decides to let Peregrin keep speaking, holding her questions until he's done.

He tells her that the inhabitants of the Land of the Dead - the demons descended from the Dragon's Shadow, or ghosts who stay and eventually become SHADES - come here sometimes to buy or sell, and that in support of this, one of the Shadow's own Heroes will come by once every few months make sure things are acceptable. They do tend more toward the stick than the carrot during negotiations, but he's managed to keep things civil enough.

Relations with the Land of the Living are not quite so amicable - the small kingdoms and protectorates nearby are close to open hostility. They have good reason; this SHADOWY LAND spreads over time, having more than doubled in size over the last several decades. It's unfortunate, Peregrin admits, but at the same time, the amount of ghosts here makes it very crowded as it is, at least at night. They've probably only refrained from open hostility for fear of opening themselves to more pressing troubles, there being turmoil enough already in this AGE OF STRIFE. Instead, trade with the living world is conducted mainly through the GUILD, who come by once or twice a season, and a number of independent traveling merchants.

There are also occasionally sightings of WYLD THINGS nearby, but they seem to fear the lands touched by the Shadow.

>>400747
>>400794
>>400782

>"Newspapers? Well, never mind. So you can absorb written information instantly? How fascinating! There are always some ghosts who need something to do, and in the meantime I'll see if I can find any duplicate texts in my collection. I'd love to see how far this ability goes."

>>400748

>"What year is it? Hoo, I'm not sure, actually! We're a little of touch here, but I could find out. What calendar were you thinking of? The Empire's years are somewhat out of favour since the civil war. Measure from the appearance of the Red Sun has been gaining popularity, but a lot of kingdoms run by their own standards. Dynasties and year-of-our-lord-so-and-so and such. It'll take a little time to line things up."

>"The souls we've already absorbed had little more than local notions of time, my lady. It seems that precise measurement is a matter for historians and astrologers."

>>400783
>>400747
Saulanna asks him about his plans. What else has he got going on? What did he intend her to do - supplant the Dragon's Shadow?

>"Ah... ha. I suppose you do expect big plans with that sort of thing, don't you? I feel somewhat inadequate saying that I didn't have anything like that in mind. At the same time, I'd have been rather an idiot if I had, wouldn't I? Deliberately create a being infinitely more powerful than myself, and imagine I could control it? No. For the most part, I just wanted a way to learn more magic. I've always wanted that.

>"But, on reflection, I think there was more to it. You see... this world was created by the Titans, who are worlds in themselves. They created the gods, again on a level of their own higher souls. The gods, in turn, created their Heroes, endowing mortal humans with a reflection of their own powers. But neither the gods nor the Titans ever dared create anything that was greater than themselves. Only humans do that... and now, I've done it to greater extent than anyone."

>"Speaking of which... I have something for you."
>>
No. 401121 ID: b49075
File 133444050448.png - (90.50KB , 500x600 , peregrinoffers.png )
401121

Peregrin holds up a strange metal cage, inscribed with wet-looking red symbols. A yellowish crystal sits inside, faintly glowing with a pale white light.

>"There are crimes among the dead, just as much as among the living; some worse than others, and some worse than what the living can manage. Crystals such as this will imprison weaker spirits, and a temporary stay serves well enough as a deterrent for spectral thieves, con artists and other petty criminals; we have a few of these down in the dungeon. In here, though, we have a ghost somewhat more powerful than usual. And a troublesome convict he's been; I have to maintain this particular prison myself, to keep him restrained, and had no other way to deal with him... until now."

>"Before the Dragon's Shadow came, you see, there was a substance known as soulsteel. A horrific thing it was, as I'm sure the name tells you; created from ore mined from the mouth of the Void, and worked with human souls. In torturous forging, breaking their wills to force submission, the spirits of the restless dead were doomed to eternal torment, caught and bound in cold steel. And those who served Oblivion - who planned to slay the existence itself, and bring the End of All Things - did this to hundreds, thousands, perhaps even millions of helpless ghosts, that their war machines could be built.

>"Fortunately, when the Dragon banished the servants of the Abyss into the Labyrinth and sealed the Neverborn away beyond the the Black Door, he took the land of the dead for his own. Something about his essence altered the nature of death; just as Death Heroes like me were unable to maintain our old powers, all the soulsteel that had ever been forged in the underworld became undone. And yet... some of those that had served the cause of the Void, those who were not directly touched by Oblivion but had worked to support it, they escaped. Even some of the cruelest souls you might ever find... souls like this fine spirit-craftsman, here."

>"What do you think should be done with him?"
>>
No. 401126 ID: 3947e9

on nom nom.

Also, wow is he a sweet talking seducer. He saw your reluctance to consume nice souls and found the most vile one to ease you into it. And his smoothness in the bow and introduction... damn that guy has got it going on
>>
No. 401127 ID: f70e5e

if there ever was a soul who deserved to be eaten it would be someone who worked soul steel. though before we eat him we should make sure we have the right guy, when your devouring souls of the wicked you take extreme care to make sure they are actually wicked.
>>
No. 401130 ID: ed57e8

would need to to maintain power over a soul with such strong negativity. ether upgrade that soulforce now, or we will need a goodly soul to balance, a shoulder devil and angel sort of deal, otherwise it could influence our actions.
>>
No. 401131 ID: 2fe09b

OMNOMNOM
>>
No. 401133 ID: 431fa8

>>401121
Consume him, definitely- not only for the power that it offers, but also the knowledge and skill that such an expert craftsman certainly possesses.

If Wordblood can guarantee that he'd be able to adequately strip him of ability to influence our personality when we do so, upgrade Efficiency of Consumption again beforehand so that we can maximize our gains in Titan's Will. Otherwise, we can afford to be stunned a while or have a bit of a battle while we beat down the absorbed soul, but more Ease of Consumption would reduce that as a problem if the craftsman is powerful enough to put up a real fight or affect our personality after we deal with him.
>>
No. 401146 ID: 57b09c

>>401130
Objective good and evil in this world? Adorable!

But yes, improving your SOUL FORCE is the best way to keep troubled voices down where they belong.
>>
No. 401158 ID: 4ae5fd

Consume him.
>>
No. 401160 ID: 2eac65

If he really is that bad, then consuming him seems like the best option. The other options would be reincarnation (essentially the same thing), freeing him (he might harm someone again), keeping him locked up forever (not much point to that), or destroying him entirely (not worth considering).

But then again, we know very little about him. Why did he choose to serve the cause of destruction? What, specifically, has he done? I'd like to learn at least a little more before choosing to end a soul's life.

I'm also unsure as to whether we could consume him. If he's powerful enough to be dangerous, he might be powerful enough to resist, and may cause some damage if we try. We could use some details on his abilities and general power level.
>>
No. 401164 ID: b85f8c

I agree on upgrading soul force before we eat it. We will get some TW from the soul anyway, so it's no biggie.
>>
No. 401175 ID: 369d34

Would it be possible to burn some Titan's Will before consuming the soul so you'd have the ability to carefully examine it first? Like being able to look in its memories, or judge its "composition?" There was also talk elsewhere that a soul could contain elements that would be damaging or undesirable to you. So a way to eject an undesirable soul would be good.
>>
No. 401178 ID: e3f578

>>401121
Ahhh, Justice, I love the smell of it in the morning. Can you taste the scent Saulanna? It is palpable. And in your reach.

FOR GREAT JUSTICE WE WILL CONSUME THIS SOUL!
>>
No. 401182 ID: a2fa74

>>401121
Eating souls gives you TW.
Get a point of Soul Force for yourself, since we want to be able to subdue even a powerful spirit that resists containment, then let Wordblood start chewing on this one.
>>
No. 401189 ID: 431fa8

>>401182
>>401146
>>401130
I'm pretty sure that Ease of Consumption is what makes us better able to digest powerful souls, not Soul Force. See >>/questdis/328122:
>Giving him increased Ease of Consumption would help him absorb powerful souls with less difficulty, and reduce the "stun" that comes with the absorption; or Efficiency of Consumption would reduce the lightshow that comes with it, and provide an additional measure of Titan's Will each time a soul is absorbed.

Soul Force has a host of benefits, but it is not the best way to improve Saulanna/Wordblood's ability to consume souls.
>>
No. 401193 ID: 3947e9

>>401189
Only sane thing to do is max out efficiency ASAP on weak souls, then improve ease of for strong souls. Then improve everything else.
Bleedover effect only happen when a soul willingly merges with us to be a whole within us like wordblood is. It does not apply when a soul is "consumed" (aka, wordblood disassembles it before absorbing the parts we want)

>before we eat him we should make sure we have the right guy
1. How would you do that?
2. Asking would be calling Par a liar.
3. You think the word of a person who is bound to be unable to lie to us OR even attempt to deceive us in any way is not enough?
>>
No. 401194 ID: a59923

eat him. If wordblood thinks we would be at risk doing so, increase consumption ability first.

Else,incread Soul Force for yourself.
>>
No. 401196 ID: 3dd384

I'll abstain from this vote, but remind people that the souls Saulanna incorporates into herself probably still have a backwash effect on her mind. A strict diet of the worst bad guys might be more morally comfortable, but I have my doubts about it being healthy in the long term.
>>
No. 401207 ID: a59923

>>401196
Hence the benefit of improving our consumption.
>>
No. 401208 ID: ed57e8

>>401189
well then let's get both. would maximize the returns on this guy.
>>
No. 401209 ID: b87807

>>401121
All things considered we are currently rather under powered as far as exalted are concerned and think of the possible skill we might get from him. I say take it
>>
No. 401210 ID: 70591e

we'll be taking him off your hands, and he may feel free to give us similar beings who clearly deserve nonexistence.

now, on to magics. uh, I mean majuygz.
>>
No. 401212 ID: 6e44d2

>>401210
It's not quite nonexistence, though. They're becoming a part of us. In many ways, this is a great gift to him. Keep that in mind, guys.

Anyway, eat him.
>>
No. 401215 ID: b6edd6

Consult Wordblood on the possibility of leakage, upgrade something to prevent that if it is indeed a risk, then chomp the spirit.

...Out of curiosity, lets ask if there is something Peregrin actually wants to do with that magic, or if it is just something he wants for its own sake.
>>
No. 401220 ID: 7d7f79

"I take it you wish to study this consumption process because you find it likely there are things to be learned from it as much as it may help me find new things to teach you?
"One caution: Such souls do not return to rebirth and their knowledge becomes my own. You intuit correctly that this is something I consider a very harsh punishment. I am reluctant to do it to any but those who require me to defend myself and those that creation is better off without. I also would know if I was deceived about the nature of the being consumed thanks to learning all that it knew."

I don't trust this smooth operator at all despite his oath of loyalty, is there any way he can make eating a soul bite us on the ass or become a way to control us?
>>
No. 401222 ID: d5ee6f

>>401193
You say that like we'll have plenty of time to maximize our benefits and won't need power in the shortterm.

>>401121
Ask Wordblood if there are any ways to artificially boost our efficiency with spell circles and the like. Then compliment Peregrin on his excellent seduction.
>>
No. 401228 ID: fcf88e

Now, while I am all for devouring the soul of such a man, we need a way to 'spit out' the very bad bits. When people go this bad, they tend to have corrupted souls. Being able to remove the bad parts and destroy them so they cannot corrupt us should be top priority. We will likely be eating a lot of evil people so the ability to remove the worse parts may e a boon so we don't become corrupt ourselves.
>>
No. 401230 ID: 431fa8

>>401222
If we need power in the short term, we can devour some random ghosts from in the dungeons.

Two points in Efficiency of Consumption gets us 4 Titan's Will per ghost we devour, assuming strength relatively on par with those we've consumed so far. Then 5 more points boosts Wordblood's Soul Force to 3 and Efficiency again, giving us 5 points per ghost. Once we've done that, one more ghost gets Saulanna's Soul Force to 4, three after that get her Toughness, Agility, Might, and Beauty to 5.

At that point we'd be much, much stronger than we are right now- and it would take a mere six ghosts to get there. Add another six ghosts, and we could do all kinds of things- craft a handful of Power Words, gain some very useful Titanic abilities, or simply pump our and Wordblood's raw soul power up to incredibly impressive levels. Power in the short term is at our fingertips- we could have it in less than an hour, if we but reach out and take it.

That said, while I support doing so that can probably wait until after our briefing with Peregrin is over.
>>
No. 401254 ID: fcc78d

EATING HIM INVITES THAT DARKNESS INTO OURSELF

REPEAT

EATING HIM INVITES THAT DARKNESS INTO OURSELF
>>
No. 401258 ID: ed57e8

>>401254
no it doesn't. absorbing him would, eating doesn't.
>>
No. 401261 ID: 3947e9

>>401254
There are two ways to merge with a soul.
1. Have WB disassemble it, discard the personality, give us the skills, and merge with pure soulstuff to gain TW
2. Tether it to us whole and undamaged causing it to live on inside us the way wordblood does and cause our personalities to bleed into each other over time (unless we grow significantly more powerful).

When we say "eat him" we are clearly referring to option 1 which will in no way shape or form alter our personality.
>>
No. 401278 ID: 256d52

This is a very old ghost and the information he contains could be very useful.

Double check with Wordblood about contamination and if it'll be any trouble, but otherwise OM NOM NOM that sucker.

Interrogate him in your mind first though.
>>
No. 401327 ID: fcf88e

Hang on. I don't think we should interrogate this guy. IF this guy made soul steel, it means he made it through basically torturing souls and the like and making it into workable material. This requires HIGH will and mental power.

We will be fighting him in our mind. While it would be two on one with us being much stronger, it's two on one against a veteran in his home terrain. If what Perry says is true, interrogating him may be a horrible idea and cause unneeded trouble.

Besides, we can sort through the scraps before throwing them away just to make sure he isn't throwing us a puppy. One life is better than the untold thousands if this guy manages to possess US.
>>
No. 401330 ID: b6edd6

>>401327
Yeah, I was kind of thinking that too.
>>
No. 401334 ID: b85f8c

Oh. Yes, this could be a strong soul, and iirc the last guy we took into our mind we had trouble grappling to interrogate.
>>
No. 401351 ID: fcf88e

Well, with that I think we can agree that eating the guy would be best. If he was innocent, he'd still be harmful to Perry who is our servant under our protection.

HOWEVER. We should put some thought into the eating process. He might pop in ready for a mental show down. Having Wordsblood at the ready and being mentally ready to jump on him the moment he pops in can save our ass. We can also strengthen wordsblood or ourselves so that we can take on the ghost with better skill and gusto. In this situation, giving us more power would mean he cannot possess us as easily if not make us a brick wall against his attempts.
>>
No. 401354 ID: 4fbf49

I would just like to point out that however evil this guy is it's still fairly morally reprehensible to scrub his soul for our personal gain.

Also, I have this nagging suspicion that it wouldn't be quite a snap to do, either, if he's as wily and powerful and evil as Peregrin suggests. Best not risk accidentally releasing him right now.

I really would be a lot more comfortable if we settled down to hunt Titan shards, and anyway Saulanna should definitely try becoming more comfortable with her powers (AND her own identity) before attempting something like that. A lowly -thug- almost out-wrestled us in the mind-games and mind-strength not too long ago, remember?
>>
No. 401358 ID: 673411

>>401354
By cleaning his soul of memories and recycling him, we're doing nothing worse than killing him. His current prison is actively worse. At least by eating him he can be of benefit to the world, in an even more meaningful way then he'd ever accomplish through reincarnation.
>>
No. 401359 ID: 2fe09b

>>401354
>I would just like to point out that however evil this guy is it's still fairly morally reprehensible to scrub his soul for our personal gain.

But... isn't that what happens ANYWAY? Even if we just sent him to reincarnate or whatever, he'd get dragged through that river and 'scrubbed clean'? Where's the evil, here? Just that we profit?
>>
No. 401360 ID: 97bd86

Okay sure whatever.
>>
No. 401362 ID: ce4a4d

Tell him you're receptive to his implications, but admit you don't actually understand how this differs from a person dying in such a way that doesn't leave a ghost behind, or a ghost being destroyed or otherwise passing on.

Since people are worried about the forces at play overpowering your personality, you should also spend 2 TW to upgrade your Soul Force.
>>
No. 401364 ID: b9d767

>>401121
Lick crystal, comment on taste.
Does it taste like horrible destructive nihlism? If not, eat.
>>
No. 401366 ID: cf9045

>>401354
We've also come a long, long way since then. We've gotten a strong purpose, emotional attachments, and willpower. We've also got Titan's Will and Power Word: Stop which could be used to either incapacitate the ghost if it proves overpowering, stop the process of absorption, stop his struggling (maybe), etc.

Also, regardless of morals, (which caused a lot of discussion last time the issue came up,) it would be a waste just to leave him there. He's either going to reincarnate and lose everything we take from him, even worse, suffer in the box for all of eternity. By eating him, we end his suffering, we gain resources which can be used to help others, and prevent him from ever getting free. I don't see a problem with this course of action at all.
>>
No. 401370 ID: fcf88e

Morally wrong or not, you seem to forget that whatever we do, he's done far, far worse. We are basically doing reincarnation's job. What he did to those souls was turning them into tools of destruction and made their existence pain and suffering. We leave him there and he might escape. We eat him, he can never hurt anyone again.

Strengthen saul's soul. Moon boost mental powers if we go in and he seems tough and basically go to town on him if it goes into a mental fight. I suggest against licking the crystal though.. don't know where it's been.
>>
No. 401373 ID: f398a9

It is right and proper that we integrate this soul into ourselves. This being has forged unwilling souls into tools of pain and terror, something that is immiscible with our intent to integrate souls into our glorious being so that we can punch the Dragon' Shadow in the snozz. In dealing with this soul we aid our servant, heighten our power, and gain valuable knowledge.
Have Wordblood to prepare to eat this soul, then eat it.
>>
No. 401376 ID: a21b1b

After we determine the fate of the soul, show Peregrin the music box and ask what he can deduce about its function.
>>
No. 401379 ID: 61e7f9

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM
>>
No. 401382 ID: 784dcc

More souls.
Need more souls.
>Eat souls!
>>
No. 401402 ID: a8e898

For the record, the various HEROES created by the GODS (i.e. the Exalted) are technically more powerful than Gods. Experienced ones can be more powerful than even the most powerful of all gods.

Anyway, it appears we shall be chowing down on the Ghost, but be careful. We have a fairly high compassion, let's not screw that up by improperly absorbing a psychopath.
>>
No. 401403 ID: af25e0

I vote for interrogation unless there's an extreme risk, more out of curiosity than distrust for Peregrin.
>>
No. 401404 ID: a8e898

Oh yes, I vote for increasing Efficiency of Consumption. I mean, it's a shame to let spiritual energy go to waste.
>>
No. 401406 ID: 1417a1

Double check with Wordblood to make sure we can consume without it influencing us (or if we need to increase our SOUL FORCE first). If we can, then consume away!
>>
No. 401470 ID: 5e703e

OM NOM NOM NOM
>>
No. 401692 ID: e73349

>>401406

This
>>
No. 401751 ID: d4f98d

I will laugh if being all "MMMH DELICIOUS SOULS" backfires horribly on us.

However, as the power hungery posters have a pretty overwhelming majority, I would like to suggest that we first interrogate the ghost. It's always best to get the measure of a man yourself before making decisions that can't be reversed.
>>
No. 401752 ID: ed57e8

>>401751
theoretically we can spit him back out later. just put all his bits back together with enough soul juice.
>>
No. 401753 ID: b9e291

Forge him into a... soulsteel blade? Oh wait that doesn't work anymore. I know! Force him to watch days of brainwashing material which tricks him into believing a false reality. Then release the soul to roam the earth aimlessly in a fog of confusion. At the dawn of man he can finally find a body which he can wait wrong story sorry.

Wordblood eating him is too obvious. Plus that would make us like, totally evil and stuff. I mean, just by association. To consume a soul is to, in some ways, become it, and if we don't watch his diet, Wordblood could easily become a planet eating titan as much as a planet saving one.
>>
No. 401773 ID: a0ab04

>>401753
What cruel fate. We devour deservingly evil souls and become evil ourselves. The only way to become good is to eat good souls. It seems then that no matter what, we lose and the only way to win is not to play the game.

Let's not eat souls. I know we already have but let's avoid doing it amap.
>>
No. 401778 ID: ed57e8

>>401753
>>401773
you could also look in the discussion thread and see that is not the case.
>>
No. 401816 ID: 4a8986

wow almost 300 posts in less than a week guess i'm not the only one glad your back
>>
No. 401828 ID: cd9cc2

>>401816

Yeah. Keychain of creation is what introduced me to Exalted and I'd love to see it continued.

[spolier]Evin If every female character bar one has a bared midriff for some reason. :P[/spoiler]
>>
No. 401829 ID: cd9cc2

>>401828

What a shit post. That'll teach me to try and spell properly at 01:30.
>>
No. 401830 ID: b6edd6

>>401829
It is possible to delete posts you know.
>>
No. 401877 ID: 68cd64

>Please try to restrain arguments and discussion to the discussion thread.
Please stop talking about metaphysics in this thread. Thank you, that is all.
>>
No. 401935 ID: 9beecc

>>401828
>Some reason
You mean universal law of pure awesomeness!
>>
No. 401943 ID: c3ec0a

Get the full force!
>>
No. 401993 ID: 1da170

Nom that thing like the old school cookie monster. Souls are -not- a 'sometimes' food!
>>
No. 402034 ID: 2eac65

I have a feeling that Shadow in the Wings isn't just making this offer for our sake; he's trying to see how much he can manipulate us. He wants to find out if he can lead us to do things without questioning them. And we aren't going to just kill a soul we know almost nothing about, are we? We are the master of our nature, not a slave to it; we won't be an out-of-control soul junkie.

Now, to decide this soul's fate, we need to know a few things first.

What did he do? We've heard some vague references to him making soulsteel, which is certainly a horrible crime if what Shadow says is accurate. But we don't know any details. For instance, how did Shadow find all this out? How did he come across this person, and why go through the trouble of imprisoning him? And under what circumstances did the soul do what he did, and to whom?

Why did he do it? People don't just do horrible things for no reason; I highly doubt that someone just came and asked him "Hey, wanna help me make magic items out of people?" and he just went "Sure, why not?". He must have a reason for it, hard as it is to imagine. At the least, it couldn't hurt to investigate first.

What options are there? Eating him might be the most beneficial to us, but it's not necessarily the best. Maybe we can rehabilitate him. Maybe we can convince him to join with us willingly. Maybe we can do something else.

And once the issue with this soul is settled, recall that Shadow mentioned quite a few things in that little explanation that warrant looking into. For example, the nature of the universe being changed.
>>
No. 402111 ID: fcc78d

>>402034
> People don't just do horrible things for no reason

You don't know a lot of people, do you? That's basically the most common cause of horrible things - "Because I can".
>>
No. 402119 ID: c71597

>>401121
Eat the soul, you become more powerful and that guy sounds like a massive bastard anyway. Don't think we would want him working for us or let him free.
>>
No. 402122 ID: f73bbf

>>402034
We can find all that out, after we eat him but before we devour him.
At least I think we can?

Also, yes, he's kind of manipulative. But he's so adorable about it! *squee*
>>
No. 402136 ID: 3bad4c

Say you'll eat him later. You've only overpowered weak souls so far, you have no idea how much of a fight this one might put up.
>>
No. 402199 ID: 1da170

>>402034
Oh FSM, are we doing this again?

If we want to be all shiny clean moral about it, it's pretty easy. Peregrin's incapable of directly deceiving us: ask point-blank if the ghost in question was forced to soulforge his fellows.

If no, nom him like a BAUSS.

If yes, life gets more interesting, but since (iirc) it took an accomplished expert specifically dedicated to forging soulsteel, he's almost definitely a scumbag.
>>
No. 402304 ID: 256d52

Oh come on people, Saulanna is a titan killing weapon with a titan soul glued on for good measure. If that ghost wants to wrassle, she'll show him who's boss.
>>
No. 402588 ID: fcc78d

>>402304
The ability to overpower him isn't the concern, I believe. Rather, the morality of same.
>>
No. 402679 ID: c1692f

>>402588
Well, the concern was raised that the ghost might overpower her.
>>
No. 402680 ID: b85f8c

>>402588
There is no morality issue. Eating them is actually better than having them "reincarnate" because by "reincarnating" they lose ALL trace of who they were. The soul has no attachment to the person who died; it is merely a source of power by which a body works. By eating them, they contribute to our cause AND part of them lives on forever in us, as we can remember their experiences and skills.

It's like saying it's worse to absorb someone's corpse and take in some of their memories and power rather than let it rot and feed the circle of life.

There are three real concerns here:
A) Will the ghost be too powerful for Saulanna to eat?
B) Will the ghost's evil influence Saulanna?
C) Would interrogating the ghost give us more information than eating it?
If the answer to all 3 is no, then we can just eat it.
If it's no/no/yes, then we should interrogate it first, assuming we can overpower it during the interrogation just as well as by attempting to eat it.
>>
No. 402685 ID: 3c0688
File 133499110666.png - (122.52KB , 500x600 , contemplatingsoul.png )
402685

Take him. Overwhelm, suppress, render, internalize and grow. Saulanna's thoughts focus inevitably on the need for more power. How unsafe this world is, the threats that her stolen memories suggest, the dangers that her experiences have implied. How little she knows, and how helpless and empty she was before she first tasted the strength of her Titanic Will. How right and how wholesome it is for her to have this power inside her, and how urgent is the need for more. Need, need, need.

Other thoughts circle on the edges her mind.

>How do we know he's as bad as Peregrin says he is?
>"Kaan swore a true name oath to neither lie to you, my lady, nor deceive by omission. If he says something is so, he must have what he holds reasonable cause to believe it himself."

>Might he be too strong to consume?
>"It's possible, but if we have the element of surprise and focus our full attentions, I doubt it. Human souls are designed for mortal concerns; though they can repurpose themselves to an extent, I as a native spiritual entity would hold an overwhelming advantage, particularly if you allow me to draw a little from your MOON POWER. If you wish to be certain, you could permit me to enhance my Soul Force, though it would make me uncomfortable to be given more power than you, even temporarily. Increasing Ease of Consumption once more, to my current maximum, would assist as well; both of these options would use all our remaining Titan's Will, however, so we would not be able to increase Efficiency as well. Alternately, I could use a single measure of Titan's Will for this one task, and so ensure perfect success."

>Would his personality infect ours?
>"A soul which is absorbed whole and intact, as we contemplated doing with Kaan, would bring with it some seepage. A soul appropriately divided and digested will not influence you any more than, for example, reading a person's biography."

>Is this morally right?
Saulanna wonders what morality is. She knows the strict definition: good and evil, codes and laws and so on. But what makes something right? Adherence to an arbitrary set of rules seems... illogical. Perhaps because she remembers no such things of her own. Instead, she thinks, there must be reasons. Causes and consequences. Devouring this soul will ensure he does no harm in the future; if it is revealed that she devoured him for those reasons, it will help prevent others doing such harm in the future. Perhaps she does not want to be feared. But fear can be useful, if it is managed well. Yet, perhaps her knowledge is flawed; perhaps there are other reasons she does not know. Any of her assumptions could be wrong. But then, if she mistrusts what she does know, on what basis does she do anything?

Part of her wants to be sympathetic to others, understand them and care for them, if needed. Another part of her urges her to keep her determination, and shrug off distractions on her path. Her passions, such as they are, urge her onwards; her sense of discipline suggests she moderate her decisions with reason.

But mostly, she hungers for the power to exert her will.
>>
No. 402686 ID: 61e7f9

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM
>>
No. 402687 ID: 2eac65

>>402685
Saulanna, stop and think about this. Not just for his sake, but for your own. You are succumbing to your addiction. You're thinking about how much you need this, how good it would feel to have him inside you. That's the sound of an urge you can't control. It is not your will. You are losing control of yourself. You must control yourself. If you cannot control yourself, you control nothing.

No matter what, you must keep this urge under control. If you give into it, it will only degrade you. You'll be reduced to little more than a slavering monster, crawling through the gutters of the world, desperate for the next hit of SOUL FORCE and the fleeting thrill it brings. You're worth far more than that. Don't throw yourself away.

>Peregrin Kaan's trustworthiness
We can safely rule out that he's intentionally decieving us, but any faith we put in his insinuation is based on the assumption that he cares. His standards for "convincing" aren't necessarily very high. We already know how callous he can be when it comes to his pet projects. What he told us about this soul was rather vague. And this is an immortal soul we're talking about; it couldn't hurt to make sure before we eat it.

Regardless I think that consuming him (not "it", him really would be for the best. Your logic about preventing future harm is completely sound. But you need to make absolutely sure that you can control yourself. and do it for the right reasons.
>>
No. 402688 ID: c71597

>>402686
I second this fine gentleman's suggestion.
>>
No. 402689 ID: fa9f7e

>>402686
Downvoting

>>402687
Seriously, this. And Peregrin is more than capable of using the truth to manipulate you. Even if he's not hiding anything at all, his diction could "accidentally" imply misleading things. And if he can pull off doublethink, he can convince himself that it really is accidental and thus mislead us.
>>
No. 402694 ID: a2fa74

>>402685
Increase Efficiency, then eat it. Burn some MOON POWER to do this right.
>>
No. 402695 ID: b85f8c

>>402685
Above all else you must be disciplined. Control over the inner world means you can exert finer control over the outside world, and prevent outside influences from controlling you.

I would rank the others from greatest to least priority: Sympathy, will, determination/passion.

Also eat dat soul. Let's raise Efficiency of Consumption again! It will only pay off in the future, though I think 2 ranks is quite enough. We could discuss this in questdis.
>>
No. 402699 ID: 61e7f9

You wimps don't eat enough souls to justify an increase in efficiency. You'd never use it enough to get worth out of it. You'd be better off spending your point of titan's will on the moral high ground power. Which does nothing. And you use that all the time.
>>
No. 402717 ID: 0b5ff2

OM NON NOM NOM
>>
No. 402754 ID: 3734f6

1. Increase efficiency at the cost of 2 TW to give a permanent +1 TW gained per soul.
2. Use moon power (its free and regenerate; albeit totally unnecessary to deal with a human soul).
3. Om nom nom.
>>
No. 402756 ID: cac374

Consume him.
>>
No. 402757 ID: 12f270

>>402687
This is well said. Saulanna desperately needs discipline in her actions. It is right for her to exert her will upon the world, but that will is to be exerted with careful and deliberate intent rather than as a reflexive result of wild urges.

>>402685
Increase Efficiency before consuming the soul. Allow Wordblood to draw on our MOON POWER to digest it properly.

Once the decision is made, do not doubt or second-guess it. At this point believing in your own choices is more important than carefully examining their moral implications after the fact.
>>
No. 402774 ID: 49ff09

get some motherfucking efficiency up in this bitch, you're about to regain the TW you'll be spending anyway.
>>
No. 402777 ID: 7d7f79

Consideration: Perhaps the reason this particular person was so criminal is because they resisted our minion's reign actively and violently. If so they may be innocent of anything beyond self-defense, theft and sabotage against someone trying to kill them.
>>
No. 402781 ID: ed57e8

>>402777
uhhh, no. peregrin said he worked soulsteel. pere is literally incapable of lying to us. if he says this guy touched soulsteel, he touched soulsteel.
>>
No. 402792 ID: e80720

>>402685
Consume the soul, but with discipline.
Afterwards, explain that you had some misgivings, but that Kaan is due some trust as your vassal.
>>
No. 402793 ID: 3734f6

>>402792
>Explain you had misgivings but did it anyways
No, don't do that
>>
No. 402798 ID: 04b86a

>>402687
>immortal soul
While the soul may be immortal, the person that inhabits the soul is not. It is, in fact, part of the natural order of things for that person to be purged from the soul so that it can reincarnate. Is that fair, given that he can exist forever in the Land of the Dead? Perhaps not, but given that the number of souls in existence is finite, that's a necessary unfairness.

But this isn't some common soul. This is a soul that had, in its time, tortured and imprisoned souls so that he could usher in the destruction of the world and everything in it... which, in turn, includes the souls that dwell therein. This is something he did by choice. As such, should we choose to do nothing, he shall remain imprisoned, forced to exist deprived of all freedom until such time that his seals are no longer maintained and he breaks free, at which point he shall commit further atrocities. This choice is, in my opinion, the height if immorality.

If we wish to attempt to be moral, we could, instead, send him off to reincarnate. But that takes time, and this is a powerful soul. He may well be able to find some way of escaping before his time to be reborn arrives. Given that Peregrin chose imprisonment over this, that's probably the case, which makes this option reckless.

Or, we can consume the soul. Should we do this, the end result, for him, shall be the same as of reincarnation. However, unlike reincarnation the knowledge he possesses will continue to exist, in us. What's more, the odds of him possessing us is very slim, so this option bears the fewest risks.

Sympathy dictates we not leave him imprisoned, for the sake of the people he would hurt and, to a lesser extent, because of his own suffering. Discipline dictates that while reincarnation is the proper choice, the risk of escape makes it a poor choice. Everything else says to eat the soul, which has the greatest personal gains and which happens to bear the fewest risks.

>>402754
This is clearly the best option.
>>
No. 402799 ID: 3734f6

>If we wish to attempt to be moral, we could, instead, send him off to reincarnate.
Reincarnation is not more moral, its less.
The universe utterly purges the soul of all personality and recycles the energy. It is not in any way better and arguably worse.
>>
No. 402800 ID: fa9f7e

Shit, you know what? Fuck. Eat him. Eat Shadow in the Wings, too. Useful? Fuck useful. We're a goddamn titan. We don't need him for jack shit, we can just eat books if we need to know shit.

Then run out and eat every damn soul there is. Fuck morals. Fuck logic. This is Exalted, neither of the two apply. Logic certainly doesn't, and we apparently don't want morals to.

Why don't we just eat every damn soul there is, become a massive soul-raping abomination, eat the other Titans/Primordials/whatever the fuck they are now, eat the Wyld, Yu-Shan, and everything that exists, and then shit it all out? Shit, let's do it.

Let's rape the world and twist it to our liking.

It'll be fun.
>>
No. 402803 ID: 7a2b2e

Passion, sympathy, determination, and discipline. Hmm, our Virtues perhaps?

Lets go with Passion and Sympathy, as that fits with our previous actions the best. (We were unafraid to challenge a being possibly more dangerous than us because we didn't like what he was doing, and we helped out a poor spirit who had little to offer us)

In this case, I say we go ahead, follow our Passion, and consume the soul. I can't imagine there are a lot more instances we'll get where the decision of doing consuming a soul comes with so little regret, and we'll need the power to make a difference in this harsh world.
>>
No. 402816 ID: b9e291

Do you really want to read the biography of a mass murdering torturer who probably enjoyed forging souls into his eldritch blades for ages? To devour him is the same thing anyway, just instead of being bound to a sword he's bound to your body. Do you want to be the same as him, Saulanna?
>>
No. 402818 ID: 7d7f79

>>402816
Well no, but if such people exist in this world clearly we need to know the most about them because they are the most threatening.
>>
No. 402829 ID: 6e44d2

Wow, you guys are being so prissy about this. Increase efficiency, eat the soul. Please, don't let the moral highgrounders ruin this quest.
>>
No. 402850 ID: 4cefdf

I would say spend the Titan's will on increasing efficiency of consumption before deciding to consume the soul using a point of moon power to enhance Wordblood.

Morality is subjective, but you have goals you want to accomplish. Like the Yin and the Yang there can be light in darkness and darkness in light. We can choose to do good deeds even if we choose to rely on power gained through questionable means.
>>
No. 402888 ID: da98fb

> Do you really want to read the biography of a mass murdering torturer who probably enjoyed forging souls into his eldritch blades for ages? TDo you really want to read the biography of a mass murdering torturer who probably enjoyed forging souls into his eldritch blades for ages?

Its not something you do for happy-happy-fun-time no, but it might be really useful, and interesting.
>>
No. 402929 ID: fd42fe

Consume him. We can understand the full extent of his crimes that way and, if it was a bad move, it's likely possible to extrude him later (whether with developing Titan powers or even a Power Word).

As for the developing "need", that's likely a part of our development. It should be controlled carefully (rampages to consume all the souls in an area would be unwise, moral and social reasons aside), but ignoring it outright is likely to make it far worse, forcing us to indulge more than desired. "A monster I am, lest a monster I become" and all that.

Wordblood's suggestion that we not boost him beyond ourselves is good. He's been helpful so far, but putting a former third circle in a position of too much control would be...unwise.
>>
No. 402932 ID: 5e703e

Increase efficiency! Eat it!
>>
No. 402941 ID: 5e703e

Eat it, Eat it!
Get Yourself an Egg
and Beat it!
>>
No. 403002 ID: 1da170

>>402757
I like this gentleman's notions. Delicious Souls and Discipline are key!

Even if it means we are probably not having sex with everything (boo), not succumbing to our wild passions is good re: not becoming a slavering monster (yay!).
>>
No. 403046 ID: b9e291

Masturbate with the soul crystal.
>>
No. 403047 ID: fa9f7e

>>403046
Best option so far.
>>
No. 403084 ID: fcc78d

>>402685
An idle thought: Wordblood? Any clue how it actually feels for the soul in question to be disassembled?

Also, Saulanna: PUT YOUR HAIR DOWN. Play to your strengths, looks-wise.
>>
No. 403109 ID: d5ee6f

>>402685
WILL and DISCIPLINE are key. He has forfeited his right to sympathy.
>>402687
You, sir, are illogical.
>>
No. 403143 ID: 511f07

Gah, there's no reason to consume it immediately at all. That includes everyone here's knee-jerk need for more power. The best way to gain the power we need is to make sure we don't let Peregrin Kaan gain unneeded influence over us. Delay consuming the soul, if only for a few minutes, and get Kaan to tell us more stuff. That way we not only get to eat the soul, but we show Kaan that he cannot so easily manipulate us. To immediately indulge in undisciplined desire right now is a sign of weakness, and it weakens Saulanna to do so.

It's not too late to turn this around and do the smart thing. A DETERMINATION for DISCIPLINE would serve us the best right now.
>>
No. 403181 ID: 9d1d2b

>>403143
Agreed. Though I will argue in favor of eating the soul in our own time, right now I believe Saulanna is hungry, making the best choice to fill her physical belly. Making big decisions in a rush on an empty stomach does not make for good outcomes. 8)

So Saulanna, here's the best course of action as I see it: Eat some physical food first and get Kaan to tell you more. He's holding the soul just fine for now, so he can take care of that while you take the time to put yourself in the best possible condition to make the best choice. A good night's sleep is an excellent start, not making a decision on an empty stomach is even better.
>>
No. 403182 ID: ce4a4d

Using reason only works given already established goals, principles, and moral framework. Since you don't have any memory or strongly established personality that's not going to get you very far on its own. At this point, we're going to have to be a bit arbitrary.

Still, you know you want to be stronger, so whatever you do decide to do, you can do more effectively, and have a smaller chance of being killed.

1) Increase Efficiency of Consumption
2) Om nom nom
>>
No. 403183 ID: fa9f7e

Cutscene coming, so the next update's been planned. I doubt new suggestions will have much of an impact on it.
>>
No. 403292 ID: 386c7b

If he's a Shade, we kill it without eating. Don't want to get any Dragon's Shadow on/in us.
If he's a dick, we eat him for his DEATHLORE.

If he's been Broken Heart Triumph'd, then we eat him anyway because there's no permanence of the soul in Exalted and we'll eventually figure out how to harness Titan's Will without relying on things created BY TW.
>>
No. 403318 ID: 404f8a

>>402798
More setting infodump that might be changed by our wonderful author:

The number of souls IS technically finite, but the mechanism of reincarnation can make brand souls as well as recycle them, and there are other ways to go about it too.
>>
No. 403338 ID: 511f07

>>403183
Whelp, someone's very hungry. I bet she's gonna be disappointed at the taste and the fact that she'll still be physically hungry.
>>
No. 403541 ID: b9d767

It seems to me that the current delima is the prioritizing of Saulanna's VIRTUES. This is likely going to be vital in determining her personality. In short, what she will and won't do.
>>
No. 403695 ID: 1417a1

Increase Efficiency of Consumption and give Wordblood a bit of MOON POWER if he seems to need it.

SYMPATHETIC: Absorb the soul into our mindscape and examine it. There we will be able to tell if Peregrin was mistaken or too harsh in his judgment.

If not, let WILL and PASSION reign. Consume it!
>>
No. 403792 ID: 5e703e

WILL
PASSION
GO
>>
No. 403797 ID: f70e5e

1. eat the soul. what happens when we eat a soul really isn't that different then when it reincarnates.

2. the two most important virtues are sympathy and discipline. we are a titan in the making, sympathy will keep us morally grounded and discipline will make sure we do not fall to addiction or madness like so many other great powers have.
>>
No. 403813 ID: fcc78d

> Have a shard of a titan in our head
> Faced with a moral decision
> Make the titan stronger, feed it our power!

There's absolutely no way this can go wrong!
>>
No. 403816 ID: 2fe09b

EAT IT FOR GODS SAKES
>>
No. 403866 ID: 5639b1

THIS THREAD IS THE IC THREAD> ORDERS GO HERE. DEBATE AND DISCUSSION GO IN THE OOC THREAD.
>>
No. 404422 ID: 594ab3

SYMPATHETIC > PASSION > DETERMINATION > DISCIPLINE > WILL.

Is this how it works? I might be confused. Either way, Saulanna has shown herself sympathetic, passionate and determined in her past actions. It stands to reason any of those would be her strongest virtues.
>>
No. 404557 ID: a2853b

>>403866
I don't know about that, I'd say this sort of internal strife is mostly in character.
I do forget, though: is it the Moon or Sidereal exalts who are naturally paranoid?
>>
No. 404559 ID: fa9f7e

>>404557
Sidereals.
>>
No. 405260 ID: 0c1adb
File 133557156824.png - (126.53KB , 600x600 , releasesoul1.png )
405260

Discipline. Self-control. Yes. Saulanna should not take pleasure in such acts as this. Perhaps it is just, even right, to punish this soul for his transgressions this way. Likely not. But even if so, and although it needs to be done, Saulanna should keep her desires firmly under her own command. She should not be seeking satisfaction.

But it does need to be done.
>>
No. 405261 ID: 0c1adb
File 133557159734.png - (141.66KB , 700x600 , releasesoul2.png )
405261

And though this soul may or may not deserve sympathy, she will make it quick.

>TW 2 -> 0
>Efficiency of Consumption +1
>>
No. 405262 ID: 0c1adb
File 133557163012.png - (93.93KB , 600x600 , peregrinobserves.png )
405262

As it happens, the ghost is dry of his own spectral power. There is a struggle, but it does not last.

Digestion is equally swift.
>>
No. 405263 ID: 0c1adb
File 133557167004.png - (265.60KB , 750x600 , saulannapowerrr.png )
405263

It feels so good.

>Saulanna's Moon Power is refilled!
>Saulanna's SOUL FIRE is burning! It resonates with the FULL MOON!

>Saulanna gains eight measures of Titan's Will.

>Saulanna gains COMPETENCIES:
> Master Repair
> Master Smithing
> Expert Alchemy
> Expert Enchanting
> Expert Knifework
> Expert Metallurgy
> Advanced Abjuration
> Advanced Clubbing
> Advanced History
> Advanced Jewelry
> Advanced Leatherworking
> Advanced Magelearning
> Advanced Physiciancy
> Average Ecomonics
> Average Logistics
> Average Salesmanship
> Average Tutoring
> Average Theurgy
> Average Worldliness
> Average Woodwork
> Basic Theatre

>>
No. 405264 ID: 0c1adb
File 133557170533.png - (110.67KB , 600x500 , saulannasoulreact.png )
405264

> Expert Deathlore
> Expert Deception
> Expert Intimidation

>>
No. 405265 ID: 0c1adb
File 133557173387.png - (108.09KB , 600x500 , saulannasoulreact2.png )
405265

> Master Torture
> Advanced Necrosurgery


> Saulanna gains NAUSEA.
>>
No. 405266 ID: 0c1adb
File 133557176089.png - (77.96KB , 600x500 , saulannasoulreact3.png )
405266

> Expert Soulcrafting

> Saulanna gains +20 NIGHTMARES.
>>
No. 405267 ID: 0c1adb
File 133557190418.png - (117.46KB , 600x500 , saulannaperegrinconc.png )
405267

>"I, ah... I'll see that gets cleaned up. Any other side-effects? Or... Perhaps I should give you a proper examination."
>>
No. 405268 ID: c71597

>>405266
Wow, that was quite a rush of awesome and possibly useful skills. It seems like consumption of despicable souls has some side effects though. Some more research and experimentation needs to be conducted with it to see if there are any long term ill effects or just short term ones.
>>
No. 405270 ID: c4a1fc

>>405268
As far as I can tell, you remember how the soul learned it, hence the nausea from learning torture and necrosurgery.
>>
No. 405271 ID: 2fe09b

Oh man we are the best at building things now

The best
>>
No. 405273 ID: 2fe09b

Actually, ask what the full examination entails.
>>
No. 405275 ID: 6f4add

>>405267

okay. but no colonoscopy.

man, you should try some of those competencies out. like, make some majuyg shapeshifter armor for yourself or something.
>>
No. 405276 ID: 61e7f9

"Oh, yes, doctor Naughtyman. "Examine" me~"
>>
No. 405278 ID: ed57e8

just explain the soul was as bad as he said. and it really didn't mesh well with you, since you are a pretty nice person.

let's spend some of that TW. soul force up for us. should give us a bit more emotional fortitude.
>>
No. 405279 ID: 431fa8

>>405267
Urk. Well.

Explain that the soul was both as vile and as learned as he said, and that as our mind is still close to blank we don't have a lot of mental defenses against exposure to that sort of thing. We'll grow strong enough to withstand it eventually... though in the meantime we'll probably have a lot of nightmares.

An examination can wait for later. What we need right now is something to focus on other than those nasty memories- perhaps Peregrin could continue his briefing with the next topic, and we'll see if we can successfully use it to distract ourselves while we get used to the integrated memories.
>>
No. 405282 ID: 7d7f79

"This was a fairly powerful soul, although very low on energy and mostly unable to resist. I, uh, I was not prepared to suddenly remember all of the crimes this particular soul was guilty of. Some of the... knowledge... I hope I'll never need or use and likely will be giving me nightmares for some time.
"I seem to have gained some significant magic and craft skills through this. Also combat skill with knife and club, in addition to some more general abilities.
"Too bad we don't have a personality test baseline to compare with, I'd probably make a very interesting case study for post traumatic stress disorder research right now."
>>
No. 405285 ID: 2eac65

I'm proud of you, Saulanna. That temptation was almost too much to bear, but you managed to clear your head and make the right decision based on your reasoning and choice. That's a very valuable skill, and will serve you well in the future.

Although, there's nothing wrong with enjoying yourself, as long as you choose to do so instead of being driven by an urge you can't control. Likewise, there's nothing wrong with seeking personal satisfaction, as long as you don't cause too much harm to others in the process. So don't worry about having fun; you owe that to yourself, too.

Now, our next order of business: hide. If anyone saw you like this, they'd know you were a MOON HERO. We might want to keep it a secret from the hired help, and if we change our mind later, there's still no harm in doing so for now.

>>405262
"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the light show. The last time, you were so excited you went cross-eyed!"

"Speaking of which, what was that ability you used to examine me while you were taking notes?"

Might as well ask about his other abilities, too. After all, if he's going to be our tool, we'll want to know how he functions. (don't phrase it like that)
>>
No. 405288 ID: ed57e8

>>405285
think the only one around who will see us is the memory case.
>>
No. 405292 ID: a3b384

Err... hopefully we can shelve some of the unpleasant knowledge away from our conscious mind. Or something. Even if we could truly forget we probably shouldn't, even knowledge such as this could have a positive use.

None of that helps with the trauma of the moment though. For that I recommend... uh... crying. Yep.
>>
No. 405293 ID: ce4a4d

Say "I didn't what in the what was why did the candy was bad candy."

Run away frantically in a completely random direction.

Burn 2 TW on Soul Force in a desperate and panicky attempt to strengthen and solidify yourself against this.
>>
No. 405299 ID: a04e35

We should raise our WILL. So we have the strength of character to face bad things like this, accept them as wrong, but stand strong before them.

Also, raise soul power.

and our appearance and Agility
>>
No. 405311 ID: 25c971

Cry and try to explain how horrible your second hand Soulcrafting experience is. Peregrin might have some skill in consoling to help reduce our nightmares stat.
>>
No. 405316 ID: b6edd6

>>405273
Seconding this, but unless it is something really unpleasant we should go for the examination at some point soonish. Knowing the extent of any effects from that is vital to our future decision making.
>>
No. 405317 ID: 1417a1

>>405311
This

*initiate weak attempt at humor*
"Pe...perhaps that was a bit too much... viscous evil for one bite?"
>>
No. 405323 ID: 5e703e

Raise soul force
>>
No. 405324 ID: b9d767

With all these truamatic things running about our head, we ought to find something to do to distract ourselves. Immursing ourselves in some crafting, and writing a ivory narrative upon the forge.

In other words, BUILD ALL THE THINGS
(expect the necro-crap)
>>
No. 405332 ID: 3734f6

The fact you are so disgusted shows you did the right thing.

>What spend TW?
1. Spend TW on gaining the ability to lucid dream so as to turn nightmares into cathartic experiences where you "make things right".
2. Upgrade own soul to level 3.
3. Upgrade WILL once
4. If any TW is left upgrade wordblood
5. If any TW is left upgrade efficiency again

>What say?
Don't want Peregrin to think there is something wrong with us, appreciate his concern, say "not a side effect, just really vile memories in this one; perhaps I should work my way up starting with some of the less vile prisoners". Let Peregrin comfort you.
>>
No. 405339 ID: a04e35

>>405332
What if that WAS the less vile prisoner?

Also, why people think soul force would let us handle bad memories better? It's not that it's corrupting us, it's that we don't have the Willpower to stomach such heinous acts.
>>
No. 405340 ID: f70e5e

>>405282
this

also an examination would be a good idea, I doubt there are any long term effects but we want to make sure. it also might revel something important, such as consuming multiple strong souls in short order being dangerous.
>>
No. 405342 ID: d4f98d

Hahaha, looks like we forgot that we get some of the memories and experiences of the souls we eat. Memories of the deeds second-hand are just as bad as watching it yourself.
>>
No. 405345 ID: 3734f6

>>405339
I want the soul force because it makes us more awesome and we should remain dominant as we upgrade WB and his consumption efficiency. Not because I think it will help with nightmares. In fact I think it will do nothing for nightmares or personality.

>>405342
no, we remembered. It needed to be done and we will get over it. Especially with the lucid dreaming thing and some sexual healing therapy. It will also make us stronger (and more jaded)
>>
No. 405346 ID: 511f07

How about not spending TW right now, since it works instantly and can be used on super-powerful stuff if we need it? If we spend it now we won't have the opportunity to use it later.
>>
No. 405347 ID: 4cefdf

Upgrade your own soulforce and then see if Wordblood can partition your mind so the evil memories are sealed away. I don't think you need torturing and soulforging. This may help with the nausea and nightmares.
>>
No. 405349 ID: a04e35

>>405345
I agree with everything you say. It's not you who I am talking about. It's people like this:

>Burn 2 TW on Soul Force in a desperate and panicky attempt to strengthen and solidify yourself against this.

or this

>let's spend some of that TW. soul force up for us. should give us a bit more emotional fortitude.
>>
No. 405352 ID: 511f07

Spontaneously remember manses and question inevitable spreading of the Shadowland.
>>
No. 405353 ID: 9d1d2b

Bawling seems the appropriate reaction here. Getting some of the horror out now might save some of the trauma later.

Then let Peregrin examine you.

... It occurs to me that it's probably a good thing you hadn't eaten yet...
>>
No. 405354 ID: a2fa74

>>405267
Increase your own Soul Force by one. Ask Wordblood if he can turn this extra moon power into a mental box in which to hide these disgusting memories when you don't need them.

Terrible skills can be used to accomplish good things. Master Torture will help you tell if somebody had been subjected to torture or abuse, for example.

This is why you should ask Peregrin if there is any possible use for Soulcrafting now that soulsteel can no longer exist. It is an absolutely vile skill, which is why you need to find out if it could be used to help people.

>>405346
Because there's signs of bleed-through between Wordblood and Saulanna. We need to upgrade her Soul Force to resist that.
>>
No. 405359 ID: 0d0533

Say hello to the downside of getting TW and competencies the easy way, Saulanna! Either they're evil and horrible (and thus may deserve you eating them according to some lines of thinking), and will give you some equally evil and horrible competencies to live with, or they aren't, in which case eating them would carry a few of the same moral issues as the soulforging you're now so disgusted about...

Another thought strikes, too. If you're essentially removing souls from the cycle of reincarnation, aren't you contributing to a less lively world? You might think, "What's a Titan's Will here and there?", but... over the course of time, a piece of Titan's Will would certainly be born and reborn an unaccountable number of times. You're not only robbing a present identity of its very existence, but untold future destinies of theirs, as well.

Food for thought, no? Maybe it really is better not to eat souls at all...

Anyway! Take a moment to rest and recover while letting Peregrin look you over... he's eager for his knowledge, that one. You've got time to regain your cool and your appetite. You've got some Advanced Phycisianship right there, so hell, you could help do the examination of yourself.

Spending your new Titan's Will should be relegated to after you've recovered and we've had more time to consider the potential uses for it. I could reluctantly see sense in spending enough to upgrade your Soul Force, if the rest of your advisors think it necessary, but it's not like we're in a rush, eh?
>>
No. 405360 ID: aa8dbe

Not really considering it's not so much destroying a soul as it is recombining them. Titans were made up of lots of souls and the like. Hell, they used to sprout souls off of themselves. We eat enough bad souls and titan bits and we can simply pop out new beings from us due to our titan powers.

Besides, souls tend to either be eaten, destroyed, or turned into weaponry rather often. Pretty sure souls appear and grow too. Other wise there can only be a set number of creatures at one time and the population would dwindle instead of grow(the more souls trapped or in ghost form, the less souls for new born life.)

Besides, we don't need to use those horrible abilities and we sure as hell don't want to do what he did. If anything, this is a good reminder to be good.
>>
No. 405361 ID: 3734f6

>>405360
as I understand it, once powerful enough a titan can create souls without actually losing the equivalent amount of power.
We only need to eat them now because we are a "not even a fetus yet"
>>
No. 405365 ID: ed57e8

>>405361
that is correct. the dead titans created all the souls in the world. the reincarnation cycle may take away the memories but it is still putting adult souls into babies. titans can make baby souls that with the lifetime of experience grow stronger and those are eaten by titans. a adult soul can make 2~3 baby souls. thus a full power titan regularly consuming souls and making more causes a net GAIN in souls.

oh and since we got
> Master Repair
we may be able to fix gevin's music box.
>>
No. 405407 ID: 0d0533

>>405365

He'd already fixed the music box, though. That was the reason why he wanted to give it back to Ruive.

As for the stuff about baby souls, we're still taking soul-stuff out of the existing system's circulation for a time, as it were, and I'm sure there is some downside to that. Also, while we're pretty chill about it, most living people, not to mention ghost-people, will -not- like the whole soul-eating thing. We gotta actually become a titan to start producing more souls, and that path is a long 'un. If we eat souls willy-nilly, we're gonna earn a reputation (and enemies) fast. Something to keep in mind, at least.

>Besides, souls tend to either be eaten, destroyed, or turned into weaponry rather often

Even if that's true ('rather often' is a subjective term), it doesn't make soulcrafting any less terrible, and I'm still struggling to see the essential difference between some aspects of soulcrafting and the 'scouring souls clean to use them for learning and fuel' deal. Oh, it's definitely a worse fate than what Saulanna does, no ifs or buts about that, but as one of those gosh-darned moralists I have to say it still pings on my 'bad mojo radar' to consider 'fueling up' on opponents and criminals as a legitimate strategy.

Anyway, I'm not gonna go into more discussion on that topic. What I do want to bring up is... Quests! I love quests. Don't you guys love quests? Let's try adding one to our repertoire.

In this castle are several women who Peregrin attempted to scour clean of their previous identities so he could 'attach' a titan shard to it, but his experiments failed and they've been kept here ever since. The amnesiac girl we saw was one of them, and she seemed a likely sort even if she couldn't remember he name. Maybe we could see about fixing 'em up! Even if we can't return their old memories, maybe we can give them back a sense of identity. Do a little good deed, y'know?
>>
No. 405409 ID: c4a1fc

>>405407
Hey! That's a great idea! If the titan shards attached but couldn't communicate with them properly/took them over/whatever, we could probably eat their souls to make ourselves and Wordblood stronger! Genius!
>>
No. 405440 ID: 0d0533

>>405409

I'm afraid Peregrin said the shard he had didn't attach to them, and presumably he only had one, or else he'd probably have turned any others over by now. They're just semi-blank slates, stepping stones paving the way to Saulanna and Wordblood's fusing.
>>
No. 405441 ID: c4a1fc

>>405440
Aw, damn it. Oh well, we can train them into a legion of amazons. Like the Brides of Ahlat or whatever that douchefuck's name was.
>>
No. 405494 ID: 3734f6

>>405407
Go to questdis for this.
Also, specifically as a reply to you see >>/questdis/361730
>>
No. 405495 ID: ed57e8

he THINKS he fixed it. it's solar made so the regular human replacement part may not work right.
>>
No. 405516 ID: aa8dbe

>>405407

Time and time again, the process of 'cleaning' the souls is about equal to reincarnation. No more or less pleasant than them doing it naturally. However, strong spirits have this little thing they like to do called 'linger'. You know, unfinished business? They won't go back to the cycle of life and chances are the reason they linger are usually not nice. Those evil souls are not going back into circulation and if there is a limited pool, then they would build up. The only way those spirits could be dealt with is either destroy them(which might destroy the soul), make them reincarnate(which they will not do naturally) or eat them now and pop out fresh souls later. Besides, if I recall, this plain.. Gaia IS a titan. The breaking up of souls is likely naturally done anyways.

As for giving the cleansed girls their memories back? I suggest NO.See, when you have a new personality forming and you reintroduce the old one, bad things happen very often. Either they develope split personalities, freak out, or get very violent. We don't want any of that. Heck, we don't know who they were originally. They could be murderers, thieves, killers and the like. If you want to help them,make their new slates good. Help them develop into nice people.

You may want to help and do good, but sadly there is no such thing as power without cost. With what we are and what may come, we WILL need power, so we need to make sure the cost is something small compared to something big when we absolutely need it. I'd rather eat a monster now and have a few nightmares from his cruel past than need to eat innocent souls later to fight a powerful foe and have nightmares from what we have done.
>>
No. 405654 ID: f548f1

Check on the ghosts still floating around in our head.
>>
No. 405663 ID: 1da170

Raise Soul Force! It's cheap and effective.

If we can raise our Will, that's a good plan also. These two traits are broadly useful, and it should leave us enough TW to get neat things that we need.
>>
No. 405746 ID: f69daa
File 133574266110.png - (89.17KB , 500x500 , wordbloodfreakingout.png )
405746

>>405654
>check ghosts

Wordblood released them! He's the only one in Saulanna's head now. And on that subject...

>partition knowledge away
>questions about souls
>spending TW

If Saulanna recalls, increasing Soul force requires a measure of Titans Will equal to the current rating, so increasing her own would cost 2, then the next level 3, and so on. There are lots of options, though, so with some other questions as well, Saulanna thinks she should have a talk with Wordblood abou-

>"WHAT GAIA
>AUTOCHTHON HEROES WHAT
>WHAT
>GODS WHAT
>WHAT
"

... Seems he's been disturbed by some new knowledge as well. Maybe she should let him calm down.
>>
No. 405749 ID: f69daa
File 133574290163.png - (126.67KB , 600x500 , saulannaperegrinconc2.png )
405749

Instead, Saulanna focuses back on Peregrin. She tells him that the knowledge associated with that ghost's... skills... disturbed her. She didn't even get direct memories of events; the knowledge of... methods... was stomach-turning, by itself. Her IMAGINATION was also not helpful in this case. Being a little more centered now, she suppresses another twisting of her stomach. Peregrin begins giving her an inspection, in any case.

>"Everything will likely feel new to you. In a way, after all, it is. That will make everything a little more intense, but as time goes by and you accumulate your own experiences, you should be less affected by things. We have some lesser criminals you can try when you feel up to it; the slavers would be the next logical step."

>Titan Fragments/other women
>"Wome-? I don't know what sort of man you're taking me for, Sau- I mean, my lady. You and Alice were the only two women I used in this project, and she, for one, came to me herself. Of the other subjects, we have one still around. Not much use to anyone, but he's being taken care of. As for other Titan pieces, yours is the only one I had, and the only one I knew where to find."

>What was that ability he was using?
>"It lets me observe the flow of magical energy in the environment. You know you're giving off a lot of excess when you consume a soul, I assume? Otherwise, you seem as healthy as far as I can tell. I'll have to give you a full summary of what I can do, I suppose..."

Saulanna's ACUITY picks up the sound of unfamiliar footsteps approaching in the hall outside.
>>
No. 405753 ID: 61e7f9

"Someone is here. It's not whatshername."
>>
No. 405754 ID: ed57e8

"someone not alice is behind the door."
if it's that other subject then let's test putting his mind back together. if it's someone completely new then be ready for anything.
>>
No. 405757 ID: a2fa74

>>405749
"Company. Not Alice."
Wordblood! Focus!

Wait, wordblood, you didn't know that Luna is completely in love with Gaia? She spends like half her time creating signposts outside the borders of reality in hopes that Gaia will see them and return to her.
Wait, you didn't know Gaia abandoned this world?

Ugh, look, Wordblood. We can answer a lot of questions and help you sort this out, but you need to use verbs and nouns together. Sentences would be nice, but baby steps here.
>>
No. 405763 ID: 6f4add

calm down. concentrate. you're having a visitor. prepare yourself for a conversation.
>>
No. 405765 ID: ed57e8

>>405757
OOC knowledge, dude.
>>
No. 405767 ID: 1bb360

Welp, let Wordblood some time to properly absorb the knowledge he's gained, while trying not to let his distress affect you.

You should inform Peregrin that someone unfamiliar to you is coming, though you'd love to get the rundown on his own abilities.
>>
No. 405771 ID: 369d34

"Unknown footsteps coming in the hall. Should I be concerned?"
Peregrin should check on that, since Saulanna is wearing a look-at-me-I'm-A-moon-hero beacon at the moment.

Is Saulanna's soul fire flaring so intensely, not just because it's the full moon, but because she consumed that soul when when her moon power was full? That extra moon power had to go somewhere, right?
Perhaps with Peregrin's help and her new skills, Saulanna could construct a means to syphon and store that surplus moon power to prevent soul flares. I don't know much about this, so probably not.
>>
No. 405774 ID: 3734f6

Don't freak out, he has more then one servant.
"Really? I thought a man as smooth and charming as you would have to beat back the women with a stick"
>>
No. 405812 ID: a2fa74

>>405765
Not everybody is familiar with Exalted. It looked like a good spot to drop some exposition about Gaia and Luna for people while also giving an easy hook for Wordblood's starting place.
>>
No. 405823 ID: 9d1d2b

Ask Peregrin if he's expecting someone else, then see if you can't get Wordblood to calm down.

Wordblood seems to be saying "Were you really treated so badly ??? betrayal ??? the/m? ---- tell" which makes it seem like he was unaware of Gaia and Autochthon's betrayal previously?

If you get a chance, you should ask Peregrin what sort of things he thinks might surprise Wordblood to know - he doesn't need to know how badly Wordy's flipping out.
>>
No. 405825 ID: e3f578

>>405749
Look dramatically toward the footsteps!
>>
No. 405924 ID: 256d52

Better check on those footsteps.

Give Wordblood a minute to start speaking in whole sentences and then see if he's alright and find out what has him so frazzled.
>>
No. 405984 ID: 6e44d2

"Yarr, a stranger be approachin', lad."
>>
No. 406002 ID: 1417a1

>>405774
This.

>>405749
Peregrin is awfully close. Consult AFFECTION/ATTRACTION axis. Is this cause for embarrassment, especially when/if whomever's outside disturbs you?
>>
No. 406017 ID: fcc78d

>>405749
Hug Peregrine in thanks. Whisper warning about someone coming.
>>
No. 406065 ID: a25416

If we do not solve some conundrum through application of Basic Theatre, I will be most displeased.

For now though, I second hugging and whispering.
>>
No. 406067 ID: feed1e

seconding all of it.
>>
No. 406102 ID: 9d6f33

>>405746
why are we not calming Wordblood down again? this seems important.
>>
No. 406162 ID: 1417a1

>>406017
This (in addition to earlier suggestion)
>>
No. 406188 ID: 66ccd5

Saulanna has just hocked whatever remnants of salmon she had left in her all over Peregrin's floor in horrified shock over the techniques involved in torture, necrosurgery and soulcrafting.

I wouldn't claim this to be a good hug moment, really. Awkward hug moment? Certainly.
>>
No. 406213 ID: 1da170

Yeah, what isn't sexy about horrific trauma at second-hand memories derived from eating a nice, delicious soul?

(Oh wait everything)

Mention it to Peregrin but don't make a big thang about it, try and calm down Wordblood, and... it only costs -two- TW? Upgrade that Soul Force!
>>
No. 406435 ID: 86d958

Saulanna's soulforce could use a bump or two. Better to do so now than later.

Perhaps ease of consumption as well.

...

and just because it's nice to be the prettiest raccoon, something to nudge that up as well? But that bit's totally not as important.
>>
No. 406486 ID: 2eac65

"Who's that?"

He's also got magical super-senses. If we can recognize someone walking down the corridors, he probably can too. If he doesn't understand, we can clarify it for him afterwards.

Whoever it is, now is probably a good time to hide. Possibly in that small cabinet by the door, if there's nothing too fragile inside. We should be able to fit if we assume our beast form.
>>
No. 406496 ID: c1ce3a

>>406486

Still gonna be glowin' it up, so eh. Why hide? Though the footsteps may be unfamiliar, that doesn't mean it's someone who means us harm.
>>
No. 406655 ID: 7ffee8

Hiding will be useless. Also, we shouldn't do any mushy stuff until we know Peregrine's... situation.

After all, he might not be a bachelor.
>>
No. 407093 ID: 29435f

>>406655
Heh. Like that's ever stopped a Lunar before.
>>
No. 407168 ID: 5bf190
File 133600072744.png - (185.10KB , 1000x500 , study3.png )
407168

Saulanna tells Peregrin that there's someone coming, someone she doesn't know. After redirecting his own attentions, he frowns slightly and waves her over towards the desk while he makes the room look slightly more presentable.

>"That sounds like the Captain's tread. I've not managed to settle him about losing one of his men yet, so it would be best if you hung back and tried not to... to... well, something. Let me take care of this, in other words."

The steps stop and are swiftly followed by a sharp knock on the door.

>>406002
>Consult AFFECTION/ATTRACTION axis.

Does Saulanna have one of those? Maybe she has some sort of social status screen...
>>
No. 407169 ID: 5bf190
File 133600077203.png - (81.93KB , 600x500 , socialstatswhat.png )
407169

Turns out she does! Let's see heoh gods what is this nonsense

There is some sort of tutorial or something associated with this, Saulanna can just smell it! She'd better wait until the OPPORTUNE MOMENT when all of this will be explained to her.
>>
No. 407171 ID: 5bf190
File 133600084686.png - (178.74KB , 1000x500 , study4.png )
407171

A ghost in solid-looking armour and cloak is outside the door.

>"Lord Kaan, there are messages in from the Riders. The Dragon's Emissary has arrived out of the northwest Veil, all signs suggesting they mean to get here quickly."

Peregrin does not seem to welcome this.

>"Th... They aren't supposed to be here for two weeks, at least! How- The Dragon. Damnation, he must have sensed something and twisted the timestream to get them here so soon. No, wait... Just the Emissary?"
>"The normal group. One champion, a few shades for attendants."
>"Then he doesn't know... Hm. But he wants to find out. Thank you, Captain, we'll need to arrange ever-"
>"There was another report sir, one of the air Riders out east, over the high lake valley. Two strange men in the woods, both living, but she didn't get a good look at them."
>"Send out some proper reconnaissance. No, actually, I'll tell them to send it, you stay here and look after m- Miss Rockblossom. I need to get everything sorted before the Dragon's people arrive."

Oh dear. This sounds like an exciting and rather important development!
>>
No. 407176 ID: ce4a4d

Well I'm sure we'll think of something when the time comes. Or Peregrin will handle it. Meanwhile...
>affections:Wordblood
Console Wordblood. He seems upset!
>>
No. 407177 ID: 29435f

> Listen Intently! The Titan's situation already explained, this could only lead to trouble if you don't understand the nuances going on.
>>
No. 407180 ID: a2fa74

>>407171
Listen Intently.
Then Console Wordblood.
>>
No. 407216 ID: 511f07

"m- Miss Rockblossom." m- what? Her original name? "My something?"
>>
No. 407304 ID: 3bad4c

You're his liege Lady now.. perhaps he didn't want to call attention to the fact he serves you.
>>
No. 407306 ID: 3734f6

>>407304
obviously, he is trying to hide your existance from a being called "the dragon" who had the power to warp time to have his delegation arrive 2 weeks early to investigate the power you are giving off.
>>
No. 407309 ID: a2853b

>>407306
Well in this case we need to dampen the power flare we're having.
If there is any Orichalcum or similar around, I think she could use it to dampen her magical bonfire.
>>
No. 407320 ID: 7d7f79

Statbuilding/long term: We need to get better at not overflowing with magic like this, we have entered into a world in which there are lots of things that would love to grind us into powder, and them knowing exactly what we are and how much or little power we've got is a bad thing.

Right now: Listen in, then ask the captain for details. If this is beyond Peregrin to deal with he will need us as backup. That won't work very well if we don't know what the rules of engagement and the shape of the threat is.
Current hypothesis: The "dragon" being mentioned is probably that schmuck in charge of the underworld. Update this as we gather more information.
When we have gathered the information we can: Calming down Wordblood is important. Peregrin may need us to disappear for a while in order to hide that there is a possible awakening titan on the loose, since that is a serious change in the balance of power and politics in this world. He is not equal to the task of shielding us from all possible threats and may have more trouble than he can handle with protecting himself and this territory alone; conversation to date suggests he has not found this to be easy.
>>
No. 407333 ID: b6edd6

We already know our nation has a few political and economic ties to the underworld (run by Dragon's Shadow), and Peregrine would have told us if we had another time-manipulating dragon as a neighbor.
>>
No. 407342 ID: 3734f6

Actually, why don't we let people continue believing that he is in charge? It is certainly safer and not like he can betray us. We just get assigned a high rank in public, and maybe notify top minions.

I got a more specific explanation too...
His death exalt is an inverted solar. Lunars and solars were married to each other. Exalted can get some memories from their past lives. We could claim our lunar exaltation is the spouse of his ex solar exaltation who will stay with him regardless of what he has become...
Actually, I wonder if his lunar wife survived...

>>
No. 407360 ID: 4cefdf

I concur with giving Wordblood what little comfort you can for the moment.

Once the Captain is gone you should ask Kaan about Luna and whether contacting her now that he is her vassal would anger her. While not critical to the immediate situation I would rather know this now then get a nasty surprise later when Luna contacts us. Luna may have some advice too on what soulforce increase will do for Saulanna. (i.e. Will it allow her access to new moon powers?)
>>
No. 407388 ID: b6edd6

>>407360
I don't think we can safely ask her about increasing our soul force. She would likely ask how we would do that, and talking about our titanicness now isn't worth the risk.
>>
No. 407426 ID: 7ffc97

Hey, isn't the moon still full?

Can't Luna drop in whenever while the moon is full? So far she hasn't, but she can, right?

Kind of important to make sure we calm him down now, if so. We don't want her to notice our little titan soul, so calming down Wordblood might be taking on a little more importance so he can stealth again.
>>
No. 407508 ID: f548f1

Find out where Gevin got to - perhaps you can discover more about the whereabouts of the woman he is looking for and also the box.

Also reading between the lines of the box dscription the box could be a device for controlling the spread of a SHADOWYLAND. This could be very useful.
>>
No. 407551 ID: 47ad97

Oh! Uh! Err! Crap. We really don't know what Saulanna should or shouldn't say in this case, as we're not privy to what the captain knows about Peregrin's experimentation, and Kaan seemed to reserve himself from calling her his liege, which means he thinks it best your relationship isn't known to this man yet.

Saulanna, best to keep being moderately vague about why you're here, how you got here and what your relationship with Kaan is. No use hiding your lunar-hood, though.

While I'd really suggest letting Wordblood alone for now, maybe it would be good to poke him and say the Dragon's Shadow has sent people to your new domain to investigate... something, probably related to yourself. Does he have any idea why or how the Dragon's Shadow might sense you, and what it might want to do with a budding titan's fragment?

Meanwhile, distract the Captain from your Lunar glowyness with conversation! You could start by consoling/apologizing with INSPIRATION re: his loss. Maybe something like:

-Awkwardly say hello. My, isn't this awkward?
-Cut down to brass tacks and say you're sorry for depriving him of one of his men. It seemed kill or be killed at the time, and you're of the type somewhat hard to be killed, as he may or may not have noticed.
-It's been something of a new experience to you that ghosts and rogue death heroes can be civil to someone like you. It's been nice so far, and you somewhat hope the trend will continue, especially as you'll do your best not to cause any more damage to the ranks.

Might be worth spending a dot of MOON POWER for that TRULY SUPERHUMAN boost if we want good relations with the Captain. What d'you all think?

Anyway, if he warms up to that, maybe you could ask him if he's ever heard something about a beastwoman called Ruive who used to live here. If he's a local, anyway. If he's not a local, you could ask where he's originally from!
>>
No. 407575 ID: fcc78d

Calm down Wordblood

Use doing so as an excuse to seem a ditz in front of the general.

Make him underestimate us. See what happens.
>>
No. 407646 ID: 6f4add

ask Perry what's going on and whether you should be involved, or whether you can help.
>>
No. 407776 ID: 252e1b

Hang back, play it cool, don't get involved until you have more information.
>>
No. 407951 ID: a2853b

Ask Killa Kaan if he has something to deal with your power surge, to keep you less notable.
>>
No. 408132 ID: af44e6
File 133619286424.png - (128.83KB , 700x500 , peregrindeparting.png )
408132

>Listen for more information.

Saulanna doesn't think there is any more! Peregrin just said he's going to go and leave the Captain here to stand watch over her, and that looks to be what he's doing. If she wants to know more, she'll have to ask. Fortuitously, Peregrin turns for some parting words.

>"Miss Rockblossom, I wish I could stay and go on with our conversation, but I have to make the place ready for guests. A proper welcome has to be prepared, some cleaning up to do. There are probably some contacts that my visitors will want to meet; I don't know where everyone is right now, but I have to get everyone into position before they get here."

Language Challenge Auto-success! Translation: Peregrin is intimating that there are likely to be spies and informants around the place that he hasn't identified, and he has to make sure certain information doesn't get to the wrong ears. Which probably means he's unwilling to make any mention of your Titanic powers while in front of anyone else.

>"You know you can go wherever you like, but it might be best if you stayed away from the more public parts of the house. And, ah, away from windows, until your Soul Fire dies down."

And that answers the question on if Saulanna should be involved. She asks if there's anything she can do to help, anyway.

>"... Maybe. Probably. But it would be best to keep things simple, a strange Moon Hero running around will... alarm people. I know how this goes. If I need you for something, don't worry, it'll be very easy for me to come to you."

Saulanna asks, then, if she should stay out of the way, is there anything she can do about her Soul Fire?

>"From what I know, no Hero has ever been able to force their Soul Fire out once it's showing, though I hear it can happen if you run completely dry of magic, under certain circumstances. Otherwise, you just have to wait for it to fade by itself. It's something intrinsic to our nature, built in to the original spark of power. Perhaps you... might... come up with something, yourself. You're a woman of unusual resources."

Translation: Peregrin is suggesting that if there's any way to quiet your Soul Fire, it lies in your Titanic potential. Hm.

Finally, she asks where Gevin is.

>"Your ghost friend? I spoke to him briefly, and he seemed inclined to find somewhere quiet and out of the way, where he wouldn't bother anyone."

Translation: Peregrin is indicating that he persuaded Gevin to keep a low profile.

>"One of the side chambers in the library would probably be the most comfortable place to fit that bill. Now, to my regret, I really must be going. If there's anything you want or need, please ask Alice. I very much look forward to speaking to you again soon."
>>
No. 408133 ID: af44e6
File 133619289840.png - (180.84KB , 1000x500 , study5.png )
408133

Peregrin swiftly departs, just in time to brush by Alice on his way out the door. The Captain, having moved into the room, moves to the side and takes a sentinel position with his sword, silently settling into a rather eerie stillness.

>Can't Luna drop in whenever while the moon is full? So far she hasn't, but she can, right?

Yes, she could. However, Luna shouldn't currently be able to detect Wordblood through that connection unless Saulanna talks to both of them at the same time. Or unless she does something obviously Titanic while Luna's watching.

>Talk to the Captain

Sounds... awkward. Still, she- Oh. Hold on.
>>
No. 408134 ID: af44e6
File 133619298760.png - (79.76KB , 600x500 , talkingtowordblood.png )
408134

>"My lady. Sincerest apologies for my outburst."

Wordblood seems to have settled down. However, he still doesn't seem his usual self.

>Console/Calm down/Comfort Wordblood

>"I... I am sorry. I have simply... learned things. I know much that is beyond mortal ken, but the span of history from after... the end of my previous existence... was not part of my understanding, until now. There is probably a good deal that I am still ignorant of."

> "I was the first Titan to die in the war, you see. The first, surprise attack. So I never knew where all these strange, augmented humans came from; I could only see that they clearly possessed the powers of the gods, and of the elements. The elementals, I thought. I knew the gods wanted to rebel, and empowering humans to do so for them was a neat way around their geas. But I was wrong... well, not entirely wrong. Those who killed me did have powers derived from the great gods of the sky; the sun, the moon, the ten maidens of fate. But the structure of them, the sparks, the Hero's Souls - one of which is even now contained in you - were a Titanic creation. Autochthon, the greatest crafter of us all, the "Machine God"; he was the one who forged the divine essence that turn mortal humans into demigods. Not to say I entirely blame him, though his actions were so... disproportionate. He was, or is... crippled, really, Autochthon, and many of the other Titans tormented him for his illness. I can... understand... his siding with the gods, and with humans."

>"What truly shocked me was that he was not the only one! Gaia - the Mother of all Life, most beautiful of us all - also turned against us, letting her souls create the Dragon Heroes. I mean, turned against... I. I don't know. I don't know if I want to count myself as having been on a side, in the war. I technically was, but... I never got the chance to choose. The gods I care little for, but... human beings... Why didn't they tell me? Why did they kill me? I..."


Wordblood remains silent for a moment.

>"No matter. History. What does matter is that Luna might not be so certain to be hostile to us as I thought. Luna is Gaia's lover, and Gaia and Autochthon both serve as precedent for our case as a benevolent force in the world. Perhaps. Reading between the lines of history, I suspect Autochthon was somehow forced - intimidated, most likely - into leaving this reality for a time. Gaia also seems to have been curiously distant from the mortal world since the end of the war. A pity, as I'm sure she could help us. The only other Titans to look to as potential mentors are Autochthon, the Dragon's Shadow and those who are still imprisoned, none of whom are particularly attractive choices."

>"... I apologize for having not presented you with truly accurate information, before. I still recommend caution with Luna, however. At the very least, I'm sure she would tell the Sun, and we would end up having to throw ourselves on his mercy in any case. At the very least, it would be nice to be in a stronger position before revealing ourselves, with shows of good will already in our pockets. Now - would you like to talk about our options with the Titan's Will we've collected? Aside the ideas you already know, I think we may have enough for something special. There's also another opportunity I think we should discuss."


Despite his presentation of being in control again, Saulanna senses that Wordblood remains upset by what he's learned. Should she talk to him about it? His attitude suggests he'd rather move on.
>>
No. 408137 ID: b9e291

Hug Wordblood.
>>
No. 408138 ID: fa9f7e

>>408137
Also kiss him
>>
No. 408145 ID: 61e7f9

Give him a smooch on the cheek.

Let's see what this special thing is.
>>
No. 408146 ID: 3734f6

>I think we may have enough for something special.
>There's also another opportunity I think we should discuss.
Well, we need to know what both those things are before we can make a decision. We had our own plans and can adjust them accordingly with the info he will now present.
>>
No. 408158 ID: b0bf34

Now that wordblood is talkable again, lets do the upgrading.

Or, at least, lets do it after Alice is gone.
>>
No. 408168 ID: 5029d1

let's see the something special. if we want to hold off on it then regular upgrades.
>>
No. 408174 ID: ce4a4d

I thought he was a smallish fragment, but perhaps not?

"You were a Titan? The dominant soul of one, I mean?"

Ask him what his real name is. His old name. Try to be supportive. Mind-hugs may be appropriate.

If he's just not interested in talking about that, ask him what his special idea is.
>>
No. 408188 ID: 431fa8

>>408134
Look at his thoughts. if they had asked, I might have... something. Poor guy was cut down by those he loved.

A hug wouldn't hurt, or maybe cuddle with him/have him curl around you while you talk. Even if it doesn't make him feel better, it'll at least make us feel better about trying to comfort him as best we can.

And he can tell us about this something special, and this other opportunity. As things stand right now, I'm inclined to upgrade both of our Soul Forces and keep the rest banked, unless something is a very compelling buy. Amping up both our Soul Forces would help us a lot.

>>408174
We know that. Check the first thread: >>/questarch/197236 and >>/questarch/199578. Wordblood was a key soul of He Who Bleeds the Unknown Word, perhaps even his defining soul.
>>
No. 408209 ID: 369d34

Can we get an estimate on how long it will take for Saulanna's soul fire to dissipate on its own. Either from Saulanna or Wordblood, whichever would be better at an estimate. It'll be important to know when choosing whether or not to do anything about it right away.

Actually, is the soul fire proportional to Saulanna's form? Would it shrink if she took raccoon shape? If it does, in a pinch the visual aspect of it could be hidden if she's in a large container, such as a wardrobe or tall chest. Unless it spreads to the container, in which case, forget it.
>>
No. 408213 ID: 72d49b

If he wants to move on, let him move on. Just ask about what further options he has for you.
>>
No. 408214 ID: b9e291

>>408209

Do this, just for the hilarious scene of trying to put out a container you lit on soul fire.
>>
No. 408215 ID: a21b1b

>>408214
Actually, Soul Fire is light only. It gives no heat and cannot set anything on fire.
>>
No. 408254 ID: fcc78d

Nthing hugging wordblood. Leave him with a burst of Compassion, then go back to reality and let him sort it out.
>>
No. 408275 ID: 1417a1

Mind-hug!
Then grant his wish and move on. Check what he had in mind.
>>
No. 408276 ID: 1da170

Seconding (fifthing?) the mind-hug, just to see if it's possible.

I am a bit curious what this something special is too.
>>
No. 408280 ID: a2fa74

>>408134
Upgrade your soul force. Going to Luna as a baby titan would work better if you had a power advantage over the fragment.

Then give Wordblood a hug. "We've both learned horrible things tonight."

Sure, lets talk about the new options he has.

Also: Luna is Gaia's once and future (Hope!) lover, so with her experience she might be able to mentor you in the basics of being a titan. That would at least be a lot more palatable than your other options.
>>
No. 408307 ID: b9d767

Mental hug for Wordblood, and start picking our way throught his study while we wait for our soul fire to die down. Also discuss this "special" thing Wordblood has in mind. Possibly chat up the captain of the guard as well.
>>
No. 408309 ID: 9d1d2b

Mind-hugging sounds like a good idea - with both of you still upset some mutual comforting would be good. And yeah, let's see what Wordblood's special idea is.
>>
No. 408330 ID: 4cefdf

>>408134
Give Wordblood a heartfelt hug to let him know that you are here for him no matter what new knowledge he may uncover. A kiss on the cheek as well if he seems particularly hurt inside. Then gently move to another subject, specificly the uses for Titan's will that he might suggest, including the special use.
>>
No. 408351 ID: af0595

Adding my vote for comforting hug. Learning all that at once has got to hurt.

And definitely learn more about this "special" upgrade. Color me curious.
>>
No. 408559 ID: 7ffee8

Once we're done hugging Wordblood we should definitely ask Alice and The Captain about life in The Needles.
>>
No. 408596 ID: af0595

Use her Word of Power: Stop to get rid of her Soul Fire display. We have more than enough Moon Power, and it would much harder to deal with unexpected guests without giving away too much.

The Captain's attention to that might be an issue, though we could likely social-fu him or STOP his attention to that detail if necessary. Depends on how much he knows about the Exal...er...Heroes.
>>
No. 408798 ID: 2eac65

>>408133
"A-Alice! Don't look in here! I'm not... j-just leave it by the door, okay? Thanks a bunch!"

>>408134
That's a very informative story, because just about everything he said makes it sound like the Titans were the "evil" side in the war. They tormented the gods, the humans, even their less fortunate fellows; they knew that their victims were suffering and didn't care. It should come as no surprise that all of their victims teamed up and fought back. They must have been truly desperate to take such extreme measures.

Then again, maybe not. Maybe it was unfair that the Titans were attacked without being given any other options. Or maybe they didn't have to kill any of them and they could have made peace. Or maybe the Titans really weren't that bad and the gods and humans were just selfish and greedy. But from everything we've learned about it, it seems like the war was a case of an oppressed underclass doing the only thing they could in the face of semi-omnipotent tyrants.

There is a lesson to be learned from this: we shouldn't make people so desperate that their only option is to harm us. Also, we shouldn't be selective in whom we sympathize with, and that includes the Titans, because no matter how bad they really were, they're still people.

In any case, we might as well comfort him. There's no point in antagonizing him about it at the moment, but thinking of Wordblood as an innocent victim would be letting our personal connections overrule our better judgement.
>>
No. 408820 ID: d4f98d

>>408134
"Wordblood...I know it must hurt, but we still don't have the whole picture. There is always the possibility that there is something we still do not see that explains this, makes it clearer."

Ask what this option is.
>>
No. 408827 ID: 5e3d1a

Special ideas are good, but also do you not feel the desire to CREATE something? The knowledge of a master smith flows through you!

Perhaps you could cheer Wordblood up by making something like the titanic armaments he spoke of once? Weapons that strike with logic and arguments. Armor based on rules and confusion.
>>
No. 409500 ID: 5e703e

CREATE something, use your new found knowledge for good
>>
No. 409521 ID: 86e159
File 133644181088.png - (90.79KB , 500x500 , hug1.png )
409521

>Hugs!
>>
No. 409522 ID: 86e159
File 133644187365.png - (107.37KB , 500x500 , hug2.png )
409522

>>
No. 409523 ID: 86e159
File 133644188531.png - (80.29KB , 600x500 , hug3.png )
409523

>>
No. 409525 ID: 86e159
File 133644196488.png - (89.76KB , 500x500 , hugafter1.png )
409525

Saulanna feels a bit better; Wordblood seems to have been soothed somewhat as well, though she has a vague sense that she could have done more for him. Her companion is already moving on, however.

>"I'm certain you can recall my previous description of our options, for the use of Titan's Will..."

Saulanna thinks back.

For a single measure, she can have:
- A one-point increase to any physical Talent; Might, Agility, Toughness or Beauty.
- Development of a random new Moon Ability or Shapeshifting Technique from within those available at her current Soul Force, possibly influenced by Saulanna's behaviour.
- A new base-level Titan's Working for Wordblood, within those available at his current Soul Force.

>"Currently, the Titan's Works available to me are the World Reading ability, which will let me "read" information from your surroundings through your eyes; the True Speech ability, which will allow you to speak in the tongue of absolute truth; and the first level of the Depth of Comprehension ability, which will increase my benefits from consuming knowledge."

A sliding scale of Titan's Will expenditure can get her increases to:
- Wordblood's Ease of Consumption or Efficiency of Consumption, both currently 2 and costing 3 to increase one, but only if she first raises Wordblood's Soul Force.
- Her own Soul Force, currently 2; increasing to 3 will cost 2, increasing 3 to 4 will cost 3, and so on. Raises the limits on what Moon Abilities/Shapeshifting she can learn.
- Wordblood's Soul Force, at the same costs and similar benefits to his Titan's Works. Increasing Soul Force for either of the two increases Saulanna's available pool of Moon Power.

>"Given what I now know - that the Hero's Soul is a Titanic creation - I believe your magic may react more favourably to the use of Titan's Will than I previously expected. I now anticipate that developing a higher level of Soul Force will also grant you a free bonus Moon Ability, or myself a Titan's Working."

Variable amounts of Titan's Will (price on demand) can get:
- A new Power Word.
- A permanent alteration to Saulanna's body.
- A permanent alteration to another creature or the outside world (unknown risks).


So many options! Saulanna's cup runneth over. To give herself a little breathing room from all these prospective riches, she enquires on this "opportunity" Wordblood mentioned.

>"Well, my lady; I know you were already instructed on the basics of physical combat by Luna. You've been familiarized with the ways and methods of attack and defense, of injury and exertion and the use of your magic to aid you in the field of battle. In my previous existence, I was not incapable of holding my own in such arenas; but, to be honest, it was never what I intended myself for. Mine is the essence of comprehension and communication, as I'm sure you understand. My preferred method of dueling is with words."

>"It is in that arena that I propose I should give you a TUTORIAL. This Captain, here, is someone you need to have on your side; currently, however, he has little reason to be anything but hostile to you. Reason enough to try convincing him otherwise, and while you attempt such persuasion - on a relatively easy target - I can safely teach you the methods of SOCIAL COMBAT."

>"But before that... there's something we could do, my lady, that I didn't think we would be able to do for some time."

>>
No. 409526 ID: 86e159
File 133644203216.png - (76.21KB , 400x500 , hugafter2.png )
409526

>"We may have enough Titan's Will, now, to generate a new soul."

>"Specifically, we need a dedicated FEEDING SOUL. I and, indeed, any higher titanic subsoul can assist with the absorption of souls, but a deva birthed for the purpose will ultimately be superior at the task. In specific, I have noticed that you seem to have some trouble consuming human souls. A Feeding Soul would grant us the ability to self-generate Titan's Will, though the initial returns would be extremely low. Perhaps a measure of Will every few months, depending on the method, until the new soul becomes stronger. Beyond that, though, a Feeding Soul would also assist with the recovery and management of magical Power, and may even be able to do something about this troublesome Soul Fire of yours."

>"The price is high, however, I must admit. A part of your own soul would have to be split off to form the seed; that would lower your Soul Force by one, and I think it would be extremely unsafe to do so at your current level. So that's 2 measures of Will to raise your Soul Force to level 3, a single measure to safely divide off part of your soul, another for me to copy my own feeding enhancements over, and finally 2 more to bring it all together and breathe life into the new spirit. 6 measures of Titan's Will, in total, leaving just enough to raise your Soul Force back to 3 again, which is what I would advise."

>"I must stress that the process is likely to be very strenuous, even painful. There are also many decisions to be made about what form the new soul will take, choices that will likely shape your identity forever. Please, consider carefully."

>>
No. 409528 ID: fa9f7e

Not now, after we've gotten this Captain on our side. Hugging our tail was weird enough, screaming in agony and other magic crap is worse.
>>
No. 409529 ID: 09e5bf

Go with the feeding soul plan. Raise Soul Force, make Soul, Raise soul force.
>>
No. 409530 ID: d4f98d

SOCIAL COMBAT YES. Most fun you can have in Exalted, IMO.

I like Wordbloods suggestion, tbh. I was iffy about it until he mentioned we could raise it back to 3, but there it is.
>>
No. 409531 ID: d4f98d

>>409528
I do agree with this, though. After the capitan
>>
No. 409532 ID: 5029d1

while tempting, oh so tempting, no. a pip soul force for us and wordblood, bank rest.
>>
No. 409536 ID: 431fa8

>>409526
The feeding soul concept is tempting, but I think not right now- we are too weak to invest large amounts of Soul Force in something like that. Not to mention that we'd look bizarre and it might be detectable by our enemies, who are nearby.

Instead, invest in one point of Soul Force for Saulanna (with a bonus free Moon Ability!) and one point of Soul Force for Wordblood (with a bonus free Titan's Working!). That will leave us much better able to face the world.

See it done, and let us engage in Social Combat.
>>
No. 409537 ID: 60fee2

Social Combat first, then find somewhere safe to create the Feeding Soul.
>>
No. 409541 ID: a2fa74

>>409526
Hey, crazy thought... How we take Gevin, hold his gestalt in reserve, consume his now-blank soul, create a new feeder soul, and then restore Gevin's gestalt to it?

Obviously, we would ask him if he would be ok with that. He wouldn't want to get ghostboyfriend if Saulanna forced it on him, after all.
>>
No. 409545 ID: d5ee6f

>>409526
Yesss. However, destroying the thoughts and memories of a creature is immoral. Rather than hunting sentient ghosts, the Hun souls, I think that we should imbue our Feeding Soul with the ability to track and consume Po.

Making it out of Gevin is dumb. Gevin is dumb. He is unintelligent and mostly pretty lackluster. He just wants to find the chick.
>>
No. 409546 ID: 56f3e2

It seems like it's really jumping the gun to make decisions that permanently affect our nature before we really understand what our nature is RIGHT NOW. Saulanna needs a stronger self-identity first.
>>
No. 409547 ID: d418a2

Go with the feeding soul plan. Also since raising SOUL FORCE comes with a new moon ability we would get two of those right.

And yes to the social combat tutorial
>>
No. 409548 ID: 5029d1

>>409545
so doing it ourselves is immoral while a great machine that does it automatically isn't it? a machine who's purpose is to perpetuate the existence of life itself? consuming memories and energy is not immoral. it is in fact following the natural order of the world.
>>
No. 409550 ID: 68ff50

If we were to do it later when we had acquired more soulforce would the split off soul be even more powerful?

Overall I'm wary of engaging in something that risky while we don't know if there's a death squad on its way to kill us. On the other hand the ability to dampen soulfire would be incredibly useful to surviving all that. If there's no particular reason to do it later I suggest we reassure our company that we are just exalted instead of crazy and then proceed with the soul-budding plan. This should be done in the best place for a combination of likelihood to be overlooked, awkward for the coming trouble-squad to search, and ease of escape if it turns out they make a line straight for Saulanna.
>>
No. 409551 ID: 09e5bf

Improve saulanna's soulforce twice.
Improve Wordblood's soulforce.
Increase Beauty.

Then practice social combat.
>>
No. 409552 ID: fcc78d

Ask wordblood if the feeding soul's creation would have any external signs. If not, do it. If so, skip to SOCIAL COMBAT.
>>
No. 409555 ID: 49b244

Go with the feeding soul plan.
>>
No. 409561 ID: 750c47

Increase your soul force to 3 and then move on to the social combat. The Feeding Soul plan is ok in concept, but now is not the best time, and we don't have enough Titan's Will to really pull it off while leaving us with something left for emergencies.

And with agents of the Dragon's Shadow here, we definitely want TW left for emergencies.
>>
No. 409562 ID: 2fe09b

>>409551
>Increase beauty
Why the hell not.
>>
No. 409568 ID: 3734f6

>"The price is high, however, I must admit. A part of your own soul would have to be split off to form the seed; that would lower your Soul Force by one, and I think it would be extremely unsafe to do so at your current level. So that's 2 measures of Will to raise your Soul Force to level 3, a single measure to safely divide off part of your soul, another for me to copy my own feeding enhancements over, and finally 2 more to bring it all together and breathe life into the new spirit. 6 measures of Titan's Will, in total, leaving just enough to raise your Soul Force back to 3 again, which is what I would advise."

YES PLEASE! Definitely do that. Then test it out on one of the lesser (but still pretty bad) criminals.
But this should be done later.

Right now do social tutorial.
When Peregrin returns, invite him to witness the creation of the feeder soul (and take notes).
Also he can probably help us do so more discreetly (masked from the senses of the dragon's delegates).

>>409545
>destroying the thoughts and memories of a creature is immoral.
take it to questdis. (and no, it isn't immoral)

>>409541
No.
>>
No. 409572 ID: 61e7f9

+1 to Saulanna and Wordblood's soul force (4 points). Save the rest. We might get that soul eaty thing later if the pacifists decide to man up and get with the program.
>>
No. 409573 ID: 09e5bf

>>409569
I had earlier suggested the +2 saulaana SF, +1 wordblood, +1 beauty, but I feel it's worth pointing out that setting up long term payoffs is often best done early on. It's only going to get more expensive as our Soul Force goes up, now is probably the best time to do it.

Damn it. I liked my old suggestion until I had to make this reply.

I change my vote to Operation Feeding Soul. (and +1 beauty)
>>
No. 409575 ID: e3f578

>>409526
Wordblood
How are babby souls formed?
I mean seriously, how are people able to make brand new fresh souls from simple reproductive organ mixture? How does it work? What is the technique?
>>
No. 409576 ID: 56f3e2

It's too expensive. Under the presumption that it won't scale completely, it's better to nearly double our power now and then invest in it when isn't QUITE so significant in comparison to how strong we already are at the time.
>>
No. 409578 ID: d3b959

>>409573
Good point about it getting more expensive later. I sceond the notion of creating a feeding soul, but I say we should wait on that till the spys are gone and Peregrin has time to study us as we do it (he will love to watch this).
>>
No. 409579 ID: fa9f7e

>>409575
They don't make new souls via sex. You *can* run out of souls. Canon!Autocthonia is running out, because they fucked with reincarnation.
>>
No. 409581 ID: 511f07

>>409572
I say that we do this, but we should certainly not do any spending of Titan's Will right now. It would look sillier than the tail-hugging.
>>
No. 409582 ID: 3734f6

>>409575
PEOPLE DON'T MAKE SOULS. read the fucking questdis.
>>
No. 409592 ID: 369d34

Deleted my earlier suggestion. Going with Operation Soul Feeder, but not here and not now. Peregrin is going to want to see this, and it should be done in a shielded, secret, safe location; Ask Peregrin where his is when you next see him. Knowing him, he'll have at least one.

Engage SOCIAL COMBAT TUTORIAL.
>>
No. 409608 ID: 72d49b

We want to do the soul force/feeder soul upgrade. But if it would be time consuming as well as strenuous, let's leave most of it for later. Do the initial Soul Force increase now, then we'll participate in social combat with the Captain. The more complicated soulcrafting stuff can wait until we're secure and unlikely to be interrupted.
>>
No. 409609 ID: c26d6c

Another vote for creating the feeder soul (...is it possible we can apply our evil soulcrafting skill to kinder, more positive ends here? You know, craft a better soul, literally).

But yeah, don't do it in front of the staff. Talk to them first, do the tutorial, and craft da soul later, privately, in safety. Let fancypants observe if reasonably possible (he may be too busy with his own preparations).
>>
No. 409610 ID: 56f3e2

>>409609
>he may be too busy with his own preparations
Would NOT letting him observe possibly break our end of the bargain on vassalage? Is breaking our end of the bargain something we need to worry about?
>>
No. 409618 ID: 68ff50

>>409610
We never promised to tell him and show him everything but we did promise to teach him things.
Ideally we want him watching and taking notes anyway. Since he's our vassal he might notice problems we don't and we'd be there to watch our back to some degree while we're screwing around in our head with weird titan-stuff he's done more research on than Saulanna has.
The reason to get started sooner is to control our power flaring while the Dragon's thug squad is running all around with jackboots. That's a really big problem actually, if we could pretend not to be more than just an ordinary beastwoman while they're here that would probably make his job of keeping us inconspicuous and unexamined lots easier.

Please, for really active threads like this one it's important: If you have already posted once since the last OP post you should post with sage so that threads waiting for the OP to get back to us don't keep floating to the top of the list. There is no auto-threadkill here for multiple sages in a row.
>>
No. 409637 ID: b6edd6

I think the soul building should wait until after the dragon's emissary is no longer around. They are already searching for things out of the ordinary; we shouldn't help them out by moving around huge amounts of magic nearby.
>>
No. 409639 ID: f70e5e

i'd recommend a feeding soul, it sounds fantastic and likely to pay for itself inside a year. not to mention it would increase how much titans will we get from eating more souls. we should if possible let our vassal observe the process, it seems like all he wants out of this is a chance to learn at the feet of something grater than himself.
>>
No. 409660 ID: 09e5bf

> Save it for later. You don't want to rush into something like cutting off part of your soul. I mean, ouch. Does that even grow back?

Whether parts of our soul grow back isn't all that important. Heck, in the plan he proposes, we repair what's lost IMMEDIATELY. (breaking off part of our soul is what would lower us from 3 soul force to 2, and we immediate buy our way back to 3 with his plan)

This is also the cheapest time to do so, because the longer we wait, the more we require greater amounts of Titan's Will to recoup the loss. Like if we do it when our Soul Force is 4, that's 4 to raise our soul force, and 2 to create a feeding soul, then 4 again when we want to raise our soul force again, for a total of 10 Titan's Will instead of the current 6)

And it would even pay off the titan's will spent on it in like, a year. After that it's all profit.
>>
No. 409661 ID: ce4a4d

Save it for later. You don't want to rush into something like cutting off part of your soul. I mean, ouch. Does that even grow back? Like Wordblood said, that's changing things /forever/.

Instead, upgrade your Soul Force to 4. Most Heroes need years or decades to get their spirit that strong! That'll cost 5 TW. That should hopefully also give you a new Moon Ability. Then buy two more. That should really help round out your powers.

While hurriedly turning yourself into a Titan might sound more incredible than being a Moon Hero, don't forget who won that war.

With your last TW, increase Beauty by one. Because.
>>
No. 409663 ID: 5029d1

>>409660
wrong. he suggests weraise our soulforce at the start because 3 is the minimum SAFE lvl. can have four, do it, then raise it back to 4. we don't need to raise to 5 at the start.
>>
No. 409665 ID: 09e5bf

>>409663
either way, to raise it after getting more than 3 Soul Force is more expensive than to do it now.
>>
No. 409673 ID: 256d52

If we're going to become a titan we're going to have to get used to being several people sooner or later.

It would probably be good to wait until Saulanna has more experience being Saulanna, but I don't think we're going to get that much time. I'm also a little concerned about having such a soul being the first created. Could Wordblood explain a little more about the nature of a feeding soul?

Also, tutorial!
>>
No. 409699 ID: 71d68e

>>409673
Raise Saulana's Soul Force right now. We'll have to do it for Operation Feeder Soul anyway. Then do the social combat tutorial. After that, arrange a safe place with Peregrine whenver it's a good time, and then do Operation Feeder Soul.
>>
No. 409716 ID: b85f8c

>>409699
I agree.
>>
No. 409723 ID: e32f97

>>409699
Seconded
>>
No. 409726 ID: 1da170

>>409699

I'm down with this. It shouldn't take long to determine whether we should make a feeding soul or whether we need new powers right now, but it's not something we should do blindly.
>>
No. 409728 ID: d9a6b7

>>409699
Let's do that.
>>
No. 409738 ID: 3a7f69

>>409568
I like this plan. This is a good plan.
>>
No. 409751 ID: 7d691f

Increase our Soul Force to 3.

Create a Feeding Soul. Possibly a scholarly Scavenger Lord or a great library adorned with the busts of those we have devoured.

Then we should start poking Alice. By improving her lot in life, we see what changes we can wreak to our Favored People. Fixing her memory would also enlighten us as to our current situation.

Then, uh, we move on to the Captain, and try to persuade him to start anew on fresh footing.
>>
No. 409776 ID: 1417a1

Follow Wordblood's advice. Inquire about other possible type of souls though.

Then, engage in glorious SOCIAL COMBAT! (or switch the order on that if more convenient)
>>
No. 409789 ID: 5e703e

Create the feeding soul
>>
No. 409797 ID: 4b0077

>"We need to grow"
I say we follow Wordblood's advice, and thank him for it. For better or for worse, we're together - and if we can make a true friend of him, so much the better. Then raise Beauty if there's anything left.

Soulfire is pretty, we should enjoy it while it lasts. It's not something we should be embarrassed about.
>>
No. 409803 ID: 5e703e

Create a feeding soul.

If successful I propose the soul Bibin a sex crazed monkey with this as it's theme song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxNw1bgH4dQ
>>
No. 409861 ID: 4cefdf

Social combat with the Captain to get him on board as well as learn via tutorial. Everything else with the TW can wait for a private moment.
>>
No. 410028 ID: af0595

Fashioning a Feeding Soul that not only improves the consumption process but actually generates Titan Will all on its lonesome sounds like a very good idea. Voting for that. But after the Social Combat, I think. Who knows what splicing a piece of the soul will do, and we'd best not draw attention. There's plenty of time for that later.

That said, ask Wordblood if we can DESIGN the new soul to any extent. If our head gets any more crowded, it might be best to keep the occupants as unified as possible. Perhaps even make it non sapient so it can be directed but we don't have to deal with personality issues.
>>
No. 410032 ID: 2156d3

Use 4 TW to boost our soul force to 3 and wordblood's soul force to 3. Hold on to the remaining TW until we have the chance to meditate on our nature without shadow dragon minions sulking about. It might be better to put off forming devas until we have enough will to make them more useful.
>>
No. 410246 ID: 40bd11

I'd suggest getting SOUL FORCE up to 3 and grabbing a point of BEAUTY before heading into the SOCIAL COMBAT TUTORIAL. The feeder soul plan would be something to do later with our aide taking notes.
>>
No. 410252 ID: 5029d1

>>410028
the reason it needs a shard of our soul and can influence us is because it would BE us. a part of us.
>>
No. 410449 ID: 2eac65

Don't create a Feeding Soul just yet. It provides enormous benefits, but it will not only consume all of our remaining Titan's Will, but also permanently change us as a person. Something as life-altering as that requires careful consideration, so that we know just what sort of soul we want to create. It can wait.
>>
No. 410481 ID: 221bd5

Actually, fuck feeding souls.

Use your Titan's Will to restore Alice's memory, and then go from there.
>>
No. 410569 ID: e3aff6

>>410481
Did you forget the part where (according to the guy who can't lie to us) she volunteered to have her memories purged?
Even aside from questions of efficiency (helping her now rather than later when we have more TW from our investment), it is likely that restoring her memories would be more a curse than a blessing.
>>
No. 410589 ID: 252e1b

>>410569

Got to agree here, leave the poor girl's mind alone.
>>
No. 410667 ID: 4dc3a0

Create Feeding Soul. I hunger.
>>
No. 410730 ID: a8e898

>>409699

This seems the best plan, yes. If nothing else it would be best to hold off generating new souls until you know you aren't going to be randomly attacked by the many guards in the castle.

Though I confess I'm curious as to what she'd look like with a Beauty increase.
>>
No. 410751 ID: c01c3d
File 133684958146.png - (78.16KB , 500x500 , soulforceup.png )
410751

Saulanna, though intrigued by the possibility of growing a new soul, can't help but also feel rather anxious about it. Deciding that she doesn't feel secure enough right now in any case, she elects to shelve the idea for now. However, one option seems very clear.

>TW 8 -> 6
>Saulanna's SOUL FORCE increases to 3!
>Saulanna's maximum MOON POWER increases to 15!

>Saulanna's MOON POWER GAUGE decides this business with the dots is going to get rather silly and burdensome, and switches to a numerical readout.

>Bonus! Saulanna develops the SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT ability, allowing her to see beyond the material obsessions of human civilization. When her BEAST SENSES are active, Saulanna can spend another point of Moon Power to enable this new ability, granting her the power to see and hear immaterial spirits and to smell the presence and flavour of magical effects.
>>
No. 410752 ID: c01c3d
File 133684961080.png - (46.66KB , 500x500 , captaingazing.png )
410752

>"An interesting coincidence, my lady. I was about to recommend you activate your Beast Senses before beginning our discussion with the Captain. It will grant you a number of advantages, both for the effort itself and the purposes of the tutorial. A few of your other abilities may also be useful, but I will explain the basics, first."
>>
No. 410753 ID: c01c3d
File 133684963241.png - (113.97KB , 500x500 , saulaeating.png )
410753

Is there anything else Saulanna should take note of before beginning?
>>
No. 410757 ID: 5029d1

uhh, maybe you should use a fork. you are kinda wanting to make a good impression.
>>
No. 410759 ID: 252e1b

Proper table manners dear. Otherwise, you're as ready as you will be.
>>
No. 410779 ID: 61e7f9

Oh hush, knives are fine eating utensils.

proceed
>>
No. 410787 ID: 0afc3a

We're already glowing and have huge hair. I don't think using a fork or not will make much of an impression in comparison.
>>
No. 410794 ID: 1417a1

Let's get started with the tutorial! Be ready to activate BEAST SENSES on Wordblood's behest.
>>
No. 410797 ID: a2fa74

>>410787
We want to be a CIVILIZED cold-burning horror. Alice would be much more comfortable if we observed proper table manners.
>>
No. 410798 ID: 369d34

Tell Alice that she doesn't have to stay if she's uncomfortable. You are rather... unnerving with that soul fire flaring around you. Alice can take Peregrin's tray back, and come back later for yours.
>>
No. 410802 ID: d1f1b7

Even if using a fork will not help our impression now, might as well get used to it, right?
>>
No. 410825 ID: 72d49b

She was given two knives and zero forks. Whatever constitutes good table manners around here, forks aren't involved.
>>
No. 410836 ID: b85f8c

Alice seems to be staring at you. Ask her what's up.

Also activate both beast senses and the extra feature. Our moon power will regen like, immediately, so no reason not to.
>>
No. 410838 ID: 5029d1

>>410836
point, we have a huge pool to pull from.
>>
No. 410848 ID: 68ff50

>>410838
I don't know that 15 is a huge pool but I do know that it's still full moon time and we're glowing with soul fire from overflow. Perhaps we should ask Alice if she's hungry or if there's something wrong. We probably also want to activate sight beyond sight to see what effects are operating around us in order not to be caught unaware by them.
>>
No. 410928 ID: 4cefdf

>>410753
Check out the book Peregrin was writing in on his desk before you entered. Then prepare for Social combat by activating BEAST SENSES.
>>
No. 410945 ID: 8f9f73

Proper manners go!
>>
No. 411034 ID: 3734f6

SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT decided to abbreviate itself SBS (no relationship to super bullshit)
Activate SBS, get on with the tutorial, enough faffing about.
And after you do the captain do Alice too.
>>
No. 411051 ID: ce4a4d

You're Exalted. You don't have to use proper manners.

Still, proceed with ye tutorial, with yonder appropriate superpowers activated.

You should strongly consider spending TW to get more Lunar powers in the very near future. These represent some of the mightiest abilities in creation.
>>
No. 411054 ID: cb0cc3

>>410753
It's a damn shame that you're stuck spending Moon Power on this, which will cause your aura to flare up again, but I suppose there's nothing for it. Activate the appropriate abilities and enter tutorial mode.
>>
No. 411191 ID: 511f07

Be absolutely amazed at how extremely delicious the food is!
>>
No. 411225 ID: 117433

Make note that, in the future, you should find a soul with Basic Table manners.
>>
No. 411255 ID: dddf86

Use Moon Power to activate the Sight Beyond Sight and appreciate the HELL out of this meal! Really just fucking _wallow_ in the gustatory pleasure of chewing, tasting, salivating, swallowing, om nom nom nom nom and I guess also to talk to the ghost guy.
>>
No. 411293 ID: 1417a1

>>411255
Unless I'm the one who's mistaken, I think you're confusing SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT with BEAST SENSES. Beast Senses enhances our mundanes senses and would be great for fully enjoying a meal. Sight Beyond Sight is for seeing invisible spirits and analyzing magic. It could give a new dimension to eating if we can find magical food somehow.
>>
No. 411437 ID: eea689

Ask Alice if everything is all right, and offer her some of your food - then activate beast senses and prepare for Social Combat!
>>
No. 411582 ID: 5c94e7

>>411225
I wonder if we can eat Alice.
As a former host, there might be some interesting interactions between her and Wordblood.
>>
No. 411598 ID: 5c94e7

>>411293
The Captain suggested doing both.
>>
No. 411725 ID: c26d6c

Really? Average Worldliness and we don't know to use a fork? I guess it got overridden by the Expert Knifework...
>>
No. 411766 ID: 369d34

>>411725
Look at the tray; There's only two knives.
>>
No. 411805 ID: 511f07

Activate Ridiculous Savvy!
>>
No. 411907 ID: c26d6c

The cutlery still on the tray extends out of frame. I was assuming it's a fork with tongs cropped out of our LOS. Kind of silly to provide just two knives. Although, our server is a recent amnesiac, so I suppose I shouldn't rule out the possibility.
>>
No. 412022 ID: 71d68e

>>411907
Forks might not even be a thing within this culture, you know.
>>
No. 412112 ID: 197830

>>411907
Rather than spam up this thread, perhaps we should take it to the discussion thread?
>>
No. 412171 ID: e3350e

Just FYI:
There will be no update for 2 weeks as Jukashi is having finals. He asks that we please not explode the thread until he comes back.
>>
No. 412176 ID: b14128

>>412171
Welp, time to start carting in the TNT!
>>
No. 416539 ID: de5cd9
File 133816911814.png - (106.90KB , 600x500 , passtray.png )
416539

>fork
There's no fork! Just two knives.

>table manners
Table- oh. Yes, the memories Saulanna has collected do include that sort of thing, and such knowledge is also covered under Worldliness. Those rules are so nonsensical, though! Some places, it's polite to be quiet, some to make a lot of noise. Some to eat with your hands, others to use ridiculous utensils, or even to be fed by a servant. And all sorts of strange shades and permutations beyond that! She doesn't really see the point. But, oh well. Saulanna decides to finish eating before she talks to the Captain.

>Activate Beast Senses and Sight Beyond Sight!
Saulanna's meal gains +5 DELICIOUSNESS!

A wider world of hearing, scent and touch opens before her, shortly joined by the broadening of her perceptions into the world of magic! A thick blend of supernatural essences assail her senses, her mind translating them as odors; a touch of blood, both fresh and dried, blended with crypt dust. The touch of death. Layered over it, dominating it completely, something dark, thick and oily, clinging, but somehow also spicy and attractive. Within this room, a mixture of other perfumes; something sharp and stinging, shaded with rust and brass. Fire, river-water, wine. Others, crowding in. Saulanna thinks Peregrin does a lot of his magical studies in this room; it would take a long time to unravel everything.

First things first. Saulanna hands her empty tray to Alice, who smiles nervously, and tidies herself up.

>"Let's begin."
>>
No. 416543 ID: de5cd9
File 133816950312.png - (61.82KB , 667x500 , socialkombat.png )
416543

>"The social battlefield is similar in many ways to the one you've experienced already, my lady, if you set your mind aright. Your arguments are the strikes you make, counterpoints are your defense! You may fight unarmed, with weight of personality alone, but it is best to be armed with evidence and reasoning. Knowledge of your opponent is key, unless you would fight blind, for their attitude, emotions and personality are the terrain on which you duel. A passing suspicion is a lone soldier that can be shot down but with a single arrow, while deeply-held convictions are mighty fortresses that need planning and bold action to infiltrate and conquer. Any and all of these factors can spell the difference between failure and victory."

>"Your primary Talents for social combat are your Beauty, Inspiration and Dickery. Beauty is the most passive of the three; all it does is influence how positively disposed your opponents are to you. But this is very important! Someone friendly to you can be convinced with only the flimsiest arguments, while someone who despises you will be almost impossible to convince of anything. The appearance of a speaker has been an edge that has toppled kingdoms. Inspiration is a measure of the force of your personality, your earnestness and honesty; when you make clear, forthright arguments, based in truth and logic and your own intense conviction, Inspiration is key. Dickery, on the other hand, is a measure of your capacity for manipulation and deception. Straightforward lies, deceit by omission and tactics such as blackmail and bribery fall will draw off your capacity for this. The lines between the two is unclear sometimes, but it is your intent which chiefly matters."

>"Now, we shall make things a little more complicated. Initiate the conversation, please."

>>
No. 416544 ID: de5cd9
File 133816953476.gif - (140.85KB , 900x600 , socialcombattut1.gif )
416544

Saulanna steps up to begin talking to the Captain, and senses the SOCIAL COMBAT FIELD close in around them!

"Ah... hello."

"..."

>"Not a friendly fellow, hm? Well, he has reason. Take a look at his VIRTUE STAR: sadly, we can't identify the balance of his soul quite yet, but your BEAST SENSES allows you to sense his emotional condition; normally, you would need refined skills and careful observation to identify it. As you can see, his star is glowing a mild red, blended with a touch of yellow; that is, mild HOSTILITY, mixed with a touch of FEAR. Blue, by the way, would be the color of AFFECTION. Ideally, he would be green, though blue and yellow alone are both useful enough. Red is usually not much use at all! You see, the more strongly his star glows, the more EMOTIONAL he has become. When someone is Emotional, Arguments that play to those emotions receive a strong bonus, while Arguments that move against them are liable to be ignored completely. Playing to Emotions is a high-risk, high-reward strategy; a safer route, if you can wrangle it, is to CALM your opponent, allowing you to use more logical Arguments."

>"People with high PASSION are more susceptible to becoming Emotional, while those with higher DISCIPLINE tend to resist it. And while we're speaking of the Virtues, you may be wondering about SYMPATHY and DETERMINATION. Essentially, Sympathy measures how much one cares for others, whether benevolent or malevolent; the capacity for compassion and for hatred. A Sympathetic person is influenced the more by their MAL/AFFECTIONS. Determination, on the other hand, is the Virtue associated with one's own goals; the capacity to press on through hardships, and also the measure of one's ruthlessness. Determined folk gain strength and vulnerability from their HEART'S DESIRE. In time, I hope, we may be able to perceive the Virtues of others, in which case this knowledge will become valuable; even now, however, I would bid you attend the balance of your own Star, as it reveals how vulnerable you may be to these varied strategies yourself. Importantly, you also do not yet possess a Heart's Desire of your own! In some ways this is a protection, but in many others it is a weakness."

>"You've likely noticed, by now, that this trait called WILL seems to be unknown. This is because the discussion has not yet developed a TOPIC! When that happens, your WILL POINTS will be calculated, though your opponent's will remain unseen, as yet. When a social combatant's Will Points run out, they will have been convinced about the Topic in question, and their opponent will have won. Mark the Topic well! Convincing someone to pass the salt is child's play, and carries almost no WP at all, while convincing someone to betray a close friend will require long and delicate manipulation... or blunt magical persuasion. In a protracted discussion, several Topics are likely to be covered."

>"But this is probably a rather intimidating explanation, my lady. Let's take our first step, straightforward and simple. Refrain from using your magic for now, and fret not about what I've told you so far; just say something, and I'll tell you what you've done."

>>
No. 416551 ID: c4a1fc

>>416544
Wordblood? Is there a significant difference between dots of Beauty, or is that armor just really damn good-looking?

Also, ask him about his job to try and put him at his ease or something.
>>
No. 416552 ID: bdb3f8

>>416544
"I like your hat"
>>
No. 416554 ID: 132b99

"can you tell me what you have been told about me?" simple question digging for information that will get him to explain his hostility and fear. and explaining them usually helps to calm them.
>>
No. 416555 ID: 6e44d2

"Rather the stoic type, aren't you? I don't believe we've been properly introduced; my name's Saulanna and it is a pleasure to meet you. You are...?"
>>
No. 416556 ID: 082302

"Sorry about tweaking out just now, I have certain mental tasks that are a bit... involved."
>>
No. 416557 ID: e3aff6

"The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain."
>>416555 The polite introduction sounds like a good idea.
>>
No. 416602 ID: f70e5e

>>416555
opening with an introduction is probably a good idea.
>>
No. 416635 ID: d4f98d

>>416555
This one for the moment. Introductions, politely.
>>
No. 416749 ID: 610bd7

>>416551
Dots are exponential. Three dots is twice as much as two dots, four is twice as much as three, etc.
>>
No. 416751 ID: 610bd7

>>416555
I second this motion.
>>416602
>>416635
Or, fourth it, I guess.
>>
No. 416764 ID: 1417a1

>>416555
Sounds good.
>>
No. 416834 ID: 31b0a6
File 133826163877.png - (166.85KB , 900x600 , socialcombattut2.png )
416834

>>416764
>>416751
>>416749
>>416635
((AUTHOR: Just so you know, guys, this quest runs off persuasion, not voting.))

>>416551

>"Two "dots" in Beauty represents an average appearance. Those who completely cover themselves usually default to such."

>>416555
>TOPIC SELECT: Start talking!

"Rather the stoic type, aren't you? I don't believe we've been properly introduced; my name's Saulanna and it is a pleasure to meet you. You are...?"

The Captain sighs.

"... My name is irrelevant; just call me Captain."

>Attack damage (Inspiration + Smoothtalking + Beauty bonus): 7
>Defense (??? + ??? + Hostility - Fear): ???
>Vulnerability! Bonus damage.

>"Success! You selected a TOPIC, then made an ARGUMENT attempting to persuade this fellow to engage in conversation with you. Not very difficult, but we're learning. Your Inspiration was combined with your Smoothtalking for a basic "damage" of six, plus one for every level of Beauty you possess above the average. His defense, based off his two most relevant Virtues, would have reduced that, as would his hostility rating; his touch of fear would have increased it again, however, and I suspect you struck some manner of VULNERABILITY related to his Malaffections or Heart's Desire. Since this is a TRIVIAL Topic, his base Will Points level would have been halved to begin with. Thus, victory; he will now speak with you."

>"Since you're leading in to further Topics, you remain in combat; if this was all you wanted, you wouldn't have entered to begin with! Unimportant, simplistic or very easy persuasion will usually be accomplished swiftly through a simple Challenge. Now, let's see what the response to our social assault will be."
>>
No. 416836 ID: 31b0a6
File 133826176282.png - (176.60KB , 900x600 , socialcombattut3.png )
416836

"Listen, Princess. You're a guest here. I've been told to treat you as well as I would Lord Kaan. And I understand that you were recently a prisoner here. I'm under an obligation to be courteous to you. You're also a Moon Hero, and given the history, I would be wise not to... provoke you."

"However, you should also understand that two people I know have disappeared. The mobster I couldn't care less about, but the other was one of my men. Everyone involved with your escape has been told to keep quiet, but I've heard rumours; fearful ones. I get a strong impression that those two aren't coming back. Anywhere, any time."


>TOPIC SELECT: Saulanna is a soul-devouring monster!

>Attack damage (??? + ???): 4
>Defense (Determination + Passion - Fear): 3
>Vulnerability! Saulanna's Will takes 2 SYMPATHY damage!!

>"Oh dear! We would have been able to ignore that Argument almost completely, if it weren't for him hitting a sore spot. Fortunately, he seems ill-practiced in the social arena, and you yourself are working from your base Will Point reserve of seven, as this is a CONCERNING Topic. Topics range from Trivial, to Concerning, Important, Very Important, and Dire, relative to the individual's own concerns. You can likely withstand another verbal assault. I'm sure you've noticed as well, however, that Alice is shading increasingly to FEAR after that argument! Some social actions will affect everyone who's listening, even if they're not participating."

>"Your turn begins again, and you can attack with a new ARGUMENT to attempt to lower his Will Points; however, now that you've taken damage, you could also attempt to REFUTE the argument he made. Essentially, you will attempt to "attack" yourself, and "heal" the damage to your Will Points. You can attempt to do both at the same time, but there is a penalty for multiple actions."

>"If this is still too complicated, don't worry: simply speak as you normally would."

>>
No. 416837 ID: 132b99

"it was a fight and i was defending myself, would YOU simply let someone capture you?"
>>
No. 416838 ID: b9e291

I ate him. Sorry. He was a backstabber anyway.
>>
No. 416842 ID: 72d49b

Don't be too confrontational, we want to angle him towards green and we did eat his dude. "Yes, that's probably unlikely. It was a fight and these things happen, but nonetheless I'm sorry that it was necessary. Fortunately, there's no reason it should happen again."
>>
No. 416846 ID: b9e291

If you really want to try for subterfuge, say Peregrin set him up, because Peregrin totally did.
>>
No. 416851 ID: 431fa8

>>416836
"I regret that it was necessary to defend myself that way. If it's any consolation, your men were very brave in supporting Peregrin's attack on me, even when they knew that their ambush would likely fail and get them killed. I am glad to now count such men as them amongst my allies."

>>416846
Peregrin is our vassal and it's not in our interests to undermine his authority or his men's morale.
>>
No. 416853 ID: a3b384

Hmm well, we could just play this one straight. We were cornered, scared, without memory and under assault. We defended ourselves with power we didn't fully understand and... we're sorry. We need to emphasis that not only are we a moon hero but we've just suddenly become one and we aren't truly the monster we lashed out as.

>>416838
>>416842
Let's be as serious and regretful as possible, not flippant or cold.
>>
No. 416855 ID: a3b384

>>416853
Oh and I guess that counts as a REFUTE? Not to the facts he presented, but the implication of our nature.
>>
No. 416857 ID: b85f8c

>>416836
Hmm. Actually, he brings up an interesting point. We eat ghosts and thus have access to their memories and skills- everything they experienced in life.

Could this not be a reversible process, with enough TW? We would probably be able to keep the memories, too. I'm not saying we should attempt to do it anytime soon, but it being POSSIBLE means that we can tell him he's wrong. That they could come back, someday.
>>
No. 416872 ID: e3aff6

>>416857
We probably wouldn't want to bring this up right now. It could easily create false hope and it also involves precisely bringing up exactly what we did with the soldier rather than just implying we killed him (which is basically true and sounds less crazy than eating him).
>>
No. 416893 ID: 92c81e

>>416855
A refute would be trying to negate his argument, proving it false. Anything else would be creating a new argument.

For example, refuting his argument would be "Those people aren't dead, they have been sent to the shadow realm, and will be back later" (I'm making that up, just as an example)

A new argument would be something like, an apology and defending our actions. Because it is trying to win the topic, "Saulanna being a monster?" without directly refuting his argument.
>>
No. 416905 ID: fcc78d

>>416836
DEFLECT DEFLECT DEFLECT.

"Are there many things around here that would be capable of such a feat?"

INFO-GATHER AND DEFLECTION. DO NOT ENGAGE. REPEAT, DO NOT ENGAGE.
>>
No. 416906 ID: bdb3f8

[guys, the tutorial guy just said don't worry about the mechanics, just say what you would normally say. take it easy.]
>>
No. 416911 ID: d4f98d

>>416836
"Your words cut deep. I was afraid and lost in this land where death seems to lurk within and around everything. Afraid of what it was about me they were after, what might happen to me. Truthfully, I'm still not sure what would have befell me if Kaan and...and your men were victorious. So yes, I did not hold back. I fought as I would for my life, soul and freedom, because for all I knew, any and all could easily have ended up forfeit.

Yet even so, I am sorry for their loss."

PUMP YOUR SINCERITY INTO IT.
>>
No. 416912 ID: d4f98d

Also, as a bit of curiosity...We can expend titans will to animate an actual part of us, imbue it as its own soul, yes?

Could we conceivable use that and the knowledge gained from an incorporated spirit to recreate that individual?

Not that I'm suggesting we do that yet or anything. Just curiosity on the nature of this stuff and how exactly they differ.
>>
No. 416913 ID: f70e5e

>>416911
this is the most eloquent reply so far, and it perfectly captures the apologetic tone we are looking for
>>
No. 416916 ID: abbc45

I would really, really advise against mentioning you ate them unless you want to present yourself as a terrible soul-devouring monster.

That could be useful, but I believe (given the character's leanings) she wouldn't actually Want That.

Let us instead say simply "I am afraid you are correct-you will never see them again. I am sorry for what happened to your man and wish it could have turned out differently, BUT, I will not discuss what happened. Please do not inquire again."

Let's try something else.

"My escape was... an unfortunate victim of circumstance and a great deal of ignorance. That is part of the reason you are looking after me, despite being a moon hero; and clearly you do not want me running around while ... friends? Visit?"
>>
No. 416917 ID: d4f98d

>>416912
>>416857

Herp derp what I get for not reading the thread. Yeah, I'm basically echoing this guy's question.
>>
No. 416921 ID: 1417a1

Does 0/?? mean that he lost all his remaining Will to that attack?
>>
No. 416923 ID: 23dd67

we should not tell him we suck souls, that is not an ability that normal moon heroes have and we don't want to reveal our titanic nature
>>
No. 416935 ID: 197830

"I apologize for the loss of your man, but...I was frightened, and not yet in control of myself or my abilities. For what it is worth, I am sorry, and I will not harm any soul that is not a danger to myself or to others. I am not a monster. At least...I don't want to be."
>>
No. 416953 ID: 92c81e

>>416921
Yea, that meant we won that particular topic of social combat, which was just starting the conversation. For most people, that's going to be pretty easy, but trying to get a prisoner, for example, to hold a conversation with you, might be tougher.
>>
No. 416970 ID: fcc78d

>>416911
Alright, now explain why we should own up to it at all.
>>
No. 416974 ID: e3f578

>>416836
Well he's probably killed people before that he knows he'll probably never see again.
It's not that much different, really.
Well, okay, yeah, there consciousness turns into ghosts or spirits and they go do what spirits do and all, but who knows, maybe there's like a double afterlife for ghosts that get obliterated or eaten. An afterlife within an afterlife, can consciousness truly end, even when devoured? The soul was just a whole bunch of energy and knowledge, but is it really consciousness? And if there isn't an afterlife within an afterlife thing, there's probably a similar thing within Saulanna's head or imagination land and now they're all dancing playfully in the dream moonlight or turned into racoons eating up delicious artificial human waste.

Well this ain't really an refutement for the knight, it's trying to heal her sorespot in her mind really, maybe.
>>
No. 416982 ID: 132b99

>>416974
ghosts are not normal. normal what happens is someone dies and their souls goes to lethe. where the memories are ripped out and the now hopefully blank soul is sent back up to become a baby.
>>
No. 416991 ID: d4f98d

>>416970
You mean admit to it? Simple, once people form an opinion on something, most require incredible effort to budge them from that position. Usually, this means providing conclusive or incredibly influential evidence to the contrary, which we don't have. Even if we said anything, its our word (the suspect, and a stranger) vs. the word of Men the Captain knows, maybe trusts.

Denying it without these will likely simply cause him to dig his heels in. Stubbornness and skepticism are pretty common traits, as is the need to blame someone or something to a degree. Now if you didn't care whether or not he believed you or what his opinion was, you could deny deny deny everything and both parties would leave off likely thinking little better of the other. However, our goal is to try to make peace and assuage some of that hostility.

You ever been in an argument where you were accused of starting it? Common way to diffuse such is to apologize first, whether or not you think you instigated.
>>
No. 416994 ID: e3f578

>>416982
Oh really? Wow, okay, now that's easy to understand.
Annnd these devoured souls DON'T go to lethe?
>>
No. 416999 ID: d4f98d

>>416994
The way it was described by jukashi and Wordblood, what happens to devoured souls is exactly the same as what happens to them when they go to the Lethe. They're memories, experiences, and personality are taken apart, and then their essence is fused into us, rather than a new soul. They become a literal part of us, "seeing what we see, becoming what we become."

Whether you view that as a good or bad thing is entirely subjective, and depends on your personal morality of which there are countless possibilities.
>>
No. 417013 ID: b9d767

While we cannot deny that we did indeed kill two of his men, we cannot let our status as a soul-eater be known. As for the rumours, since when have people not produced rumours in response to the unknown?
>>
No. 417016 ID: d4f98d

>>417013
Well of course, we needn't offer TOO many details unless asked.
>>
No. 417050 ID: 828a88

I vote, since he's only said he's heard rumors, rather than directly confirming, we give a response that both apologizes, yet remains vague enough that he could still consider them to be rumors. Something like:
"I'm very sorry for the loss of your men. Please know that, seeing as how we are all on the same side, now, I will do what I can to ensure that no one else comes to harm."
or some variation on the same. Failing that,
>>416851
is also pretty good.
>>
No. 417085 ID: fcc78d

>>417013
>>416991
This is why I'm suggesting the 'deflect' option. Don't admit to anything, don't apologize for anything, simply seem surprised that such a thing could happen and get him talking about something else - specifically, 'what's dangerous around here?'
>>
No. 417104 ID: b5f6db
File 133834774993.png - (148.04KB , 900x600 , socialcombattut4.png )
417104

>>416905
>>417085
>"That would be a TOPIC SHIFT: to continue the battle metaphor, an attempt to flee the field of combat. It certainly can be done, and can often be the wisest course, but small reward comes to those who avoid confrontation."

This is a little stressful! Saulanna certainly doesn't want to lie, but she doesn't want to confirm that she consumes souls. Exactly how much is the right amount to admit to, and how much to hold back on?

Fortunately, her prodigious SMARTS come into play! In the blink of an eye, her mind reviews the memories she's picked up and comes across a possibility. There are several methods for disposing of spirits permanently, which in the case of ghosts, usually involves banishing them back to the cycle of reincarnation. Yet, even those methods are occasionally referred to with language revolving around eating and devouring and such, particularly with Sun and Moon Heroes. So, perhaps...

"Your words cut deep. I was afraid, and lost, in this land where death seems to lurk within and around everything. Afraid of what it was about me my pursuers were after, what might happen to me. Truthfully, I'm still not sure what would have befallen me if Kaan and... and your men were victorious. I had no memories, and having only just become a Moon Hero, I defended myself with a power I didn't fully understand. I'm sorry. Please know that, seeing as we are all on the same side now, I will do what I can to ensure that no one else comes to harm."

>Attack damage (Dickery + Smoothtalking + Beauty bonus): 6
>Eloquence! +1 bonus.
>Defense (??? + ??? + Hostility - Fear): ???

>"A fine argument! You did avoid the full truth, so the full force of sincerity was not in it; you had to employ your slightly inferior Dickery Talents. However, you received a bonus for your fine speech, just as you would do for appropriately heroic deeds in combat. Aside whittling down his WP, you seem to be shifting his emotions somewhat as well! Let's hear his response."
>>
No. 417105 ID: b5f6db
File 133834780358.png - (161.06KB , 900x600 , socialcombattut5.png )
417105

"I'm sure you were frightened and confused. Anyone would be. I doubt there was any malicious intent on your part; we'll see. In any case, I'm not exactly reassured. Sun and Moon Heroes both have a reputation for losing control of themselves sometimes. Given your inexperience, and your situation? Forgive me if I stay wary."

>Attack damage: 4
>Defense (Determination + Discipline - Fear): 3

>"A minor strike, but they do add up! Without knowledge of this man's precise soul balance and vulnerabilities, this looks to be slow work. Such is the way it is for mortals, my lady; persuasion takes time for anything of any importance. Fortunately, you're not a mortal human woman. No, not nearly!"

>"Try again, and this time, let's employ your MOON BOOST."

>>
No. 417116 ID: 132b99

moon boost them social skills. and then "i will let simple time show you that you can trust me."
>>
No. 417122 ID: 511f07

What could possibly go wrong?
>>
No. 417124 ID: fa9f7e

>>417105
Will it make us start glowing or any shit like that? Because if so, nix that, it'd make him suspicious.
>>
No. 417125 ID: fcc78d

>>417105
"You're right to be wary, of course. I'm wary of what I can do myself. But I hope that with Peregrin's help - and, perhaps, yours? - I'll learn to master myself and put your fears to rest."
>>
No. 417131 ID: e3aff6

>>417125
Discreet flattery via implied trust is always nice to convey. Plus that actually does reflect our thoughts on the matter fairly well.
>>
No. 417164 ID: 431fa8

>>417105
The captain seems to care about his troops; maybe there's a vulnerability involving his subordinates or loyalty there that we can strike at- through fairly blatant flattery. Moon Boost our Inspiration, for maximum effect. It's not exactly subtle, but then we are at our best when being aggressive.

"You would be foolish to feel otherwise, and while I do not yet know you well, Captain, I would never think you a fool. What I saw of your men in battle spoke well of their training and discipline, which speaks very well of their commander in turn. I do hope that the instruction and guidance Lord Kaan has been so good as to offer me will prove as useful."
>>
No. 417175 ID: d4f98d

>>417105
Look accepting. After all, Human social queues are 1 part speech, 1 part inflection, and 1 part body language.

The hostility seems to be virtually gone, the crux of his argument focusing on our reputation, one which gives cause to be wary. The best way to shift a fearful reputation is to present an individual who seems to defy that image. Simply continuing to speak to him with a measure of calm, sincerity, and kindness should erode that particular view.

"I think I understand, though I did not know we had such a reputation. I truly wish to do what I can to break that stigma.

Uhm...I know you said it wasn't important, but it feels so awkward to just know you by rank, captain."

Moon boost. If we can coax a name from him, that'll make this conversation so much more personal. And after all, its hard keep the image of an uncontrollable thing when you're having a peacable conversation with the subject on a first-name basis.
>>417124

Its a tutorial, bro. Just go with it.
>>
No. 417192 ID: fcc78d

>>417175
> Death knight of any sort
> name

Yeah, a little metagamey, but that tends not to happen.
>>
No. 417202 ID: 132b99

>>417175
>>417192
there is also a high chance he doesn't KNOW his name. learning his name could be his heart's desire. which is why our asking for it was super effective. it hit a REALLY touchy subject.
>>
No. 417215 ID: b9e291

>>417192

> worried about being metagamey
> we are having a conversation via turn based battle with an HUD

Anyway Moon Boost your... beauty? You're trying to reduce his wariness, right?
>>
No. 417273 ID: 4e8344

>>417105
Sun and moon heroes are often untrained and in quite difficult circumstances- such as waking in a forest, hunted by unknown foes with potentially sinister intent. Fortunately- smile, employ a moon boost to your beauty- Alice and Peregrin have both been quite kind to you and made you feel at home. You hope that the two of you can become friends as well, after all, you both want the best for your new home. Only your enemies need fear you, captain?.. Pause for name.
>>
No. 417315 ID: fcc78d

>>417273
> pause for name
YES. Allows him to fill in the void with other small talk if he doesn't have a name, which tends to happen to deathknights as they give away their names as signs of servitude.
>>
No. 417328 ID: 511f07

I say we moon boost our inspiration instead of our beauty, for extra effective sincerity points.
>>
No. 417363 ID: 197830

MOON BOOST Inspiration and show him Saulanna's cute friendly side! Best way to defuse fear is to make him go 'awww'.

"I can understand why you're worried, and I would be too, except - I trust you, and Peregrine, to help me learn that self-control and the experience I need!"
>>
No. 418012 ID: 813290

>>416834
That's sort of scary! what does he mean by lose control of our self?
>>
No. 418014 ID: a0a949
File 133858414418.png - (173.10KB , 900x600 , socialcombattut6.png )
418014

"You have a right to be worried; to be honest, I am as well! But I feel better for being here. That reputation surely has something to do with the stressful conditions my fellow Heroes find themselves in. With Peregrin teaching me, and a safe place here, where I've been made so welcome... well, please be assured that I only want what's best for everyone here, like you."

>Attack damage (Inspiration + Smoothtalking + Beauty bonus): 11
>Defense (??? + ??? - Fear): ???
>Vulnerability! Bonus damage.
>VICTORY!!!

"You... may be right. I must say that you certainly seem sincere in your intentions. My apologies for being brisk, Princess. My name is Elin Metion. I prefer Captain, though, or Captain Metion at most. If it's all the same to you."

>"My word! A Moon Boost and a vulnerability hit, both? I was expecting you to deal a lot of damage, but this actually closes the action a little earlier than I was anticipating! Well, I hadn't that much more to show you now, to be fair; we'll have more opportunity in the future."

>"You have successfully eliminated this man's hostility towards you - there's a little touch of fear, but that's perfectly healthy, given you are a divine champion - and removed a potential source of ill feeling. He should feel some compulsion to correct others who express the same opinions you showed, and he will feel much better about following Peregrin's directives to defend and obey you. You will also find, if you choose to continue, that attempts to persuade him in the future will have dropped in difficulty. Thus you see, I'm sure, the strategic elements of social combat. To re-use the metaphor of the fortress, the easiest way to scale the walls is to knock out their supports first! You should appreciate, as well, the immense advantages conferred by your magical power, which should not only reassure you of your position, but remind you to be wary of others with such abilities."

>"Ah; but I'm assuming you don't wish to continue. You could try to attain this fellow's personal friendship or loyalty, but it will considerable time and effort without actions as evidence to base it on, even if nowhere near the amount a normal person would need. Or you could try to convince him of something else - to actively pass on his new opinion of you, say? You could also cease your formal persuasion attempts and engage him in normal conversation, which he should do without any trouble, now. Or, of course, you could do anything else you wished."

What does Saulanna want to do now?
>>
No. 418018 ID: 511f07

Ask about general information and stuff, all casual like. Also smile.
>>
No. 418029 ID: 813290

>>418014
Ask Captain Metion to show you to the Library so you can talk to Gevin.
On the way there ask him about the Dragon's Emissary. Specifically who he is and what the Ebon Dragon wants with Perigrin.
These Air Rider's are also intriguing.
>>
No. 418036 ID: 132b99

say that if the rumours continue you would be willing to talk to the troops yourself. a press conference sort of deal.
>>
No. 418065 ID: fae0af

Be sure to address him only as Captain here on out, since he asked you to. That's only polite.

If Saulanna's smart, she'll ask what it's like living here (implicitly, under Peregrine) and get a better feel for what he's like as a ruler. Knowing how far the guy is intrinsically trustworthy is more useful than "just" having him oathbound.
>>
No. 418067 ID: 132b99

>>418065
also yeah. he told us his name but asked to keep formal, so it would only be a good idea to do so. only time to refer to him as Captain Metion is if there is more then one captain around.
>>
No. 418068 ID: e3f578

>>418014
Could we see his face?
>>
No. 418104 ID: 8247d0

It would be good to engage the Captain in casual conversation in order to learn more about our surroundings and such and also so we could start forming a relationship with him. It couldn't hurt to have a good relationship with a large, well trained soldier who owns a gigantic sword, after all.
>>
No. 418114 ID: fae0af

And of course when enquiring what it's like in this kingdom, the answer we are NOT looking for is

"Well, it's better than the Veil under the Dragon's Shadow..."

If that's the best they can say about Peregrine's reign, then it isn't a good sign.
>>
No. 418209 ID: d4f98d

>>418014
Encouraging him to speak well of us isn't necessary. Doubtless his underlings will be curious about the new VIP in on the grounds, and he can debrief them and give them his opinion of us without us nudging him.

I agree with asking him if he would be kind enough to show us the library. Incidentally, seeing how we act towards other spirits may further impress our sincerity upon him.
>>
No. 418246 ID: fcc78d

>>418068
Better question: Does he have a face?

I'd say start grilling him for info.
>>
No. 418254 ID: fae0af

Visiting the library and talking with Gevin is a good idea, but can be done later. If the Captain is ever going to give an honest opinion of Peregrin, he'd do it when the Abyssal ain't there to hear.

He may not anyway, fearing what Saulanna will tell Peregrin. But this is the time to solicit (casually, conversationally) his description of "life" here.

Noteworthy: he seems to care a great deal more about his men than Peregrin. He was hostile (not just fearful) at the rumor she'd perma-killed ONE of his guys. Peregrin was fascinated and excited to watch her do it. So Metion is a guy whose honest opinion of Peregrin's rule would probably be valuable.
>>
No. 418366 ID: 431fa8

>>418014
>What does Saulanna want to do now?

Okay, let's see if I can break down this system... we need a TOPIC, one which forms up his loyalty and accomplishes something useful. How about "Captain should give Saulanna information"? He's well-positioned to regularly keep us informed of most important things that Peregrin could.

For our ARGUMENT, we can try for his vulnerability again, and build on our previous success. "Thank you, Captain. I do hope I will not disappoint you... though it would help if I knew more about what is going on. Peregrin seems too busy to spend much time repeating things to me, and I would hate to make a misstep which might hurt the others living here through ignorance. I hardly know anything about this Emissary or his purpose in coming here."
>>
No. 418369 ID: d5ee6f

>>418366
yes good
>>
No. 418370 ID: 132b99

>>418366
except that will be VERY hard to do with words alone. he needs ACTIONS to have any real hope of making him really loyal.
>>
No. 418371 ID: 1417a1

>Elin
Is Captain Metion female? Or is Elin just used as male name in these parts of Creation?
>>
No. 418384 ID: fae0af

>>418370

Right. He's not going to become a trusting or loyal friend in one night. That will take time, and actions.

Now is the time to solicit his opinion -- about the kingdom, Peregrin, the Dragon's Emissary, the political situation, the populace, etc.

Except don't act like you're grilling him for info. Just that you're interested.
>>
No. 418516 ID: eea689

>>418384
Well, she SHOULD be interested. Saulanna really is going to be dealing with starting from 0 on the information-meter for a long while.

Metion looks like he might be the closest we can get to a 'good guy' ally around here.
>>
No. 418519 ID: fcc78d

>>418516
His name is Captain.

Also, LET YOUR DAMN HAIR DOWN. Much cuter without the hair band. Seriously.
>>
No. 418658 ID: e3d099

Hair band stays on. The floof will live.
>>
No. 418682 ID: d4f98d

>>418519
I disagree.
>>
No. 418715 ID: e727db

Alice picke up a bit of fear towards us during that conversation too. Perhaps we could try addressing her as well to reassure her and see if she also has any extra information.
>>
No. 418726 ID: 92c81e

>>418519
Only one hairstyle change per chapter. Besides, I like the poof. It is very much an exalt thing.
>>
No. 419229 ID: 197830

>>418715
That's right! We don't want her scared of us - Saulanna needs all the friends she can make.

Maybe mention something about how she's really pretty alone...look a little winsome and vulnerable when she says it? Something to help further defuse the "soul-eating monster" fears.
>>
No. 420011 ID: e7deb9
File 133921185854.png - (171.43KB , 900x600 , socialcombattut7.png )
420011

>To the library!

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Lord Kaan seemed to think it best if you remained hidden from outsiders until he decided otherwise. He was maintaining some quiet even before news of visitors, as well. Your banner seems to have stopped-"

Her Soul Fire has faded! Saulanna thought it had just vanished as part of the social combat abstraction. Wordblood assures her that is so, and reminds her that it also fades over time by itself.

"- but the mark on your forehead is still shining. Beyond this room, you'll pass several windows; and the way to the library crosses an open walkway. We're elevated here, and while it's quite a bright night, you may still be seen."

That's... inconvenient. Saulanna rather wants to go there.

>"Air Riders"?

"Riders are what we call ghosts with a talent for possession, Princess. We use some of the ones we have as scouts, using animal bodies. Birds are especially effective."

>See his face

It's a little hard to see, but Saulanna is not entirely certain that he actually has a, uh, head, in there.

>information

Saulanna asks how unlife is under Peregrin's rule.

"Hm. I would say it's... decent. There's nothing offensive about Lord Kaan's leadership, save that I'm a little unsure as to whether it can really be called leadership. We would be far worse off without him, I assure you of that - he invented a new basis for our ecto-economy, for example, which was essential. But, that is mostly the kind of thing he's done. Invent things. Ways of doing things. He resolves disputes, too. Advises. Representing us to other powers, that one's important: no-one gets respect in this Age without a Hero on their side. Especially the dead."

"I realize that all sounds like leadership, but it's not quite the same. It feels more like he sits up here doing his research and sometimes does the things a leader is needed for, in trade for assistance with his own work. How else could I put it... we don't really follow him, as such. We simply have an arrangement."


>Alice

Alice's fear has faded off again, since she caught the edge of Saulanna's soothing of the Captain. She's been cleaning up the... mess.

... Saulanna decides to put off talking to her again for now.
>>
No. 420018 ID: e3aff6

I suppose a HAT would not help any?

While we are here, let's ask what other GHOST ABILITIES the locals have access to.
>>
No. 420021 ID: 132b99

what about the prison? we were going to go down there before this stuff happened.
>>
No. 420022 ID: b4798d

>>420018

Not really, it would just shine through.

I don't suppose it's gone down enough that you could turn into a racoon? If so, Alice could carry you to the library in a basket or something.
>>
No. 420024 ID: 72d49b

Why not turn into some manner of small creature and ride in the Captain's pocket?
>>
No. 420037 ID: fae0af

So far Saulanna can only turn into 4 things:

Human with raccoon tail and eye marks
Raccoon
Were-raccoon war form
Salmon

If she wants to turn into something else, she'll need to eat a sample first.
>>
No. 420040 ID: fae0af

Oh, and the salmon form probably has a raccoon tail and eye marks, too. Those are her Tell, so they'll show up in every form... not that she knows that yet.
>>
No. 420052 ID: cb0cc3

>>420011
>Representing us to other powers, that one's important: no-one gets respect in this Age without a Hero on their side. Especially the dead.
Could the Captain perhaps give us an explanation of who these other powers are, and what relations with them are like? Peregrin had hardly scratched the surface of the political situation when he was called away by necessity. Starting with the most immediate concerns, of course, but a broad understanding of major powers in the world certainly wouldn't hurt.

Unless, of course, we don't need this because Saulanna already absorbed the knowledge from someone? I'd hate to make the Captain repeat things we already know.

It would also be nice to get the Captain's opinions of this Emissary character, why they're important, and what dangers they might pose to Saulanna and Peregrin as things stand.

In fact, he's probably got a better idea of what Saulanna needs to know than Saulanna does, in terms of what she needs to be aware of if things start going wrong and she has to talk to the Emissary or other persons of significance on her own and figure out how to act in the interests of herself, Peregrin, and the people he (nominally) rules.
>>
No. 420062 ID: 813290

>>420011
"Beyond this room, you'll pass several windows; and the way to the library crosses an open walkway"
Well, that's inconvenient, but not insurmountable. If Saulanna carried a lamp with her it may mask light of her caste mark (especially with it fading so fast). If that works my only concern would be that the ambassador could see our tail in our silhouette.

Wait... has anyone aside from Gevin even seen our tail? Beast blooded are well known apparently so maybe no one has really thought to even mention it. Did Alice say/do anything about it when we were getting dressed?

Finally: "Alice, Captain, Please call me Saulanna, Miss Rockblossom if you must". All this 'Princess' and 'Mistress' stuff seems a little awkward for a woman who has no memories of a society let alone status within one. The only 'title' we know that she might have once held is Scavenger Lord and even that was only discovered recently. Besides, being on a first name basis is a great way to make a connection with our new friends.
>>
No. 420083 ID: b85f8c

>>420011
Ask about the ecto-economy he mentioned. Or did I miss that being described already?
>>
No. 420099 ID: d5ee6f

>>420062
Unnecessary for now. We have plenty of books and scrolls here, look at the background.
>>
No. 420113 ID: 511f07

Can we investigate the books casually, without the freaky Titan absorbing stuff? Just to see what books there are.
>>
No. 420168 ID: fae0af

Aw Wordblood isn't freaky, he's cute.

But he should really upgrade himself so he can copy information while absorbing it, so it isn't deleted. Being able to literally inhale info without destroying the original (and thus leaving no trace of surreptitious snooping) would be an amazing advantage.
>>
No. 420184 ID: a3b384

The only problem is the light on our heads, right? Acquire a hat! Alternatively, well sit down with the good captain and pick his brain a bit longer.
>>
No. 420199 ID: 92c81e

>>420184
As was mentioned before, the mark on our forehead will shine through all attempts to conceal it. People can still see it through hats, or covering it with our hands (I'm pretty sure, and certain about the hat thing).
>>
No. 420225 ID: fae0af

>>420199
Saulanna doesn't know that, though.
>>
No. 420243 ID: c4a1fc

>>420225
We do, and it's our job to advise her.
>>
No. 420244 ID: 92c81e

>>420168
I'm betting an upgrade like that is gonna be costly, or have some other drawback. Then again, this is exalted, so this is kinda minor when I think about the scale of things.
>>
No. 420284 ID: e7deb9
File 133930132054.png - (143.68KB , 900x600 , socialcombattut8.png )
420284

>Hat?

A small amount of "user information" seems included with Saulanna's transformation into a Moon Hero. She senses that the divine brand at its current level will shine through most forms of convenient cover, short of putting a lead box over her head.

>prison/dungeon?

"There would still be the balcony window just outside the door, here, and another window on the way to the stairs. It would still be some risk, but less."

>turn into a small animal

"Perhaps it would work? The light would probably still leak out, and its colour and tone is distinctive."

>>420052
>other powers

"My knowledge of affairs in the world of the living has not been good in a long time. In this Age... things change quickly. The Heroes of the Golden Sun have been wrestling back and forth with each other over most of the world for more than a hundred years, and everything changes where they pass. What was once the Scarlet Empire was split against itself when the Red Sun rose, and the Red Sun's Heroes, though unified, are unwilling to take charge of anything. You Moon Heroes lost most of your own elders during the war, or so some suggest, before the Dragon's Shadow put an end to it; not that there aren't a lot of you running around after your own dramas all the time. There have been strange rumours about the Star Heroes, but nothing concrete."

"With the Dragon's Shadow keeping himself from anything major... The world is just a mess, essentially. So many things happen, nothing stands out any more. Kingdoms rise and fall, and rise again under different faces, different agendas. A thousand tales of heroism play out across ever land, the fates of nations decided again and again every day. Hundreds of mighty powers contest themselves against other mighty powers. What were once the chief players are not so chiefly, now. The world is more evenly matched than it was."

"All of which is part of why this is the Age of Strife. All of Creation is little more than a tavern brawl of demigods. Most of us here are glad to be out of the way."


>Emissary

"It's not just one person. If they're feeling friendly, they'll have sent one of the Dragon's Death Heroes. If not so friendly, one of his... other ones."

>>420062
>title

>"Actually, my lady, "Princess" is proper, albeit old-fashioned. "Prince of the Earth" is a generic indirect title for Sun, Moon, Star and Dragon Heroes. "Prince", for short, or obviously, "Princess". As a Moon Hero, you're also a Steward, apparently."

>ecto-economy

"We can't regain our magical energy as easily as the living do. As refugees, especially, we're cut off from most of the sources of our strength. Aside the loss of our Ghost Powers, we of the dead use magic as currency amongst ourselves. Lord Kaan designed a method of drawing energy from the environment and converting it into a form which we can feed off, thus providing us with our medium of exchange."
>>
No. 420285 ID: e7deb9
File 133930136766.png - (81.96KB , 500x500 , saulareading.png )
420285

>books

Let's see... "Tortol's Elemental Menagerie". "Roll of Glorious Divinity", volumes XXIV to XXXII. "Illustrated Atlas of the First Age, Eastern Direction". "Practical Anthropology". "Mandate of Heaven", looks almost untouched... "Elixres Moste Puissante"... "Household Wardings"... some architectural blueprints... "Book of Three Circles"? Oh, no, it's a book about the Book of Three Circles.

Books about magic, mostly, and some geography. A lot of space taken up by bestiaries of magical creatures. Is there anything in particular Saulanna should be looking for?
>>
No. 420286 ID: fae0af

What do we remember about the Red Sun and the Scarlet Empire and the various types of Heroes from those guys we devoured? There was some History learned along the way.

If not, ask the Captain about the Scarlet Empire, Red Sun, and the Heroes (Suns, Dragons, Stars, and Dragon's Shadow).

Also,

"Wordblood, these books could be really interesting! But we can't just go around making books go all blank... is there any way you can change yourself so you can absorb the words from a book, but also leave an exact copy of the words on the pages? Then we could just read and absorb anything we wanted!"
>>
No. 420290 ID: 132b99

scroll through a few books manually to see if they have things relevant to you. the amgic books would be good to start looking. then we can ask peregrin about the ones we like and if we can eat them.
>>
No. 420291 ID: d5ee6f

>>420285
"Elixres Moste Puissante"... "Household Wardings"

actually "Roll of Glorious Divinity" might be very interesting for Wordblood.
>>
No. 420301 ID: fcc78d

>>420284
> "Perhaps it would work? The light would probably still leak out, and its colour and tone is distinctive."

Tell me, how often do you wind up carrying small experiments of Peregrin's? Perhaps something small enough to tuck into a pocket, that would glow with strange, otherworldly power?
>>
No. 420306 ID: 132b99

>>420301
i think he means we glow with the light of the moon. very very few things glow that color.
>>
No. 420308 ID: 6f1d54

What if we like. Had a bandanna. And put a thick disc or square of lead at the front of it, to cover the mark.

Would that work?
>>
No. 420310 ID: a3b384

>Is there anything in particular Saulanna should be looking for?
Pull up some of that new knowledge we've acquired, and see if any of these writings look interesting in that context.

>She senses that the divine brand at its current level will shine through most forms of convenient cover, short of putting a lead box over her head.
I... don't suppose it would be proper, to ask our suit armor friend to wear him to the library. Let's just wait to go there, and busy ourselves with what is here.

>Lord Kaan designed a method of drawing energy from the environment and converting it into a form which we can feed off, thus providing us with our medium of exchange.
Well that sounds neat, we don't really want to bug him for all the details here - I'm sure Peregrin can and will cover that better than anyone - but ask what it takes the energy from. Plantlife?
>>
No. 420311 ID: e3d099

>>420308

Glowing bandanna. Then Luna can show off all she wants while still being incognito.
>>
No. 420313 ID: e3d099

Wait, are you at the library already? How'd you get past the windows?
>>
No. 420315 ID: fcc78d

>>420313
By just having woken up and, correspondingly, not being glowing.

Also, knowing about Star Heroes? Someone somewhere is in deep trouble for this.
>>
No. 420316 ID: 132b99

>>420313
we are looking at the books on the self in peregrins room.
>>
No. 420397 ID: e894c0

read up on where you might find more sources of magic for these people. you know, increase their prosperity and stuff.
>>
No. 420429 ID: fae0af

Maybe some of those magic books would have info that could help in locating a source of Titan's Will OTHER than eating people.
>>
No. 420448 ID: b85f8c

>>420285
I'd like to note here that we should NOT have wordblood eat any books here, as we do not have permission. Perusing these books would be for regular reading. In that light, let's not spend hours and hours reading one book. Specific inquiries should be our purpose here.

Check out the untouched book. I wonder why it's untouched?
>>
No. 420465 ID: b9d767

>>420285
Let's see the Roll of Glorious Divinity. Wordblood likely already has info on SOME major spirits, but perhaps this book will give us some up to date info. Perhaps something on the Red Sun might be in it. We don't yet know what exactly they resonate with, so information on that may be useful.
>>
No. 420508 ID: 6e44d2

Let's talk to Wordblood about absorbing information without destroying it.
>>
No. 420536 ID: 4a57e9

Try looking for a book with lots of animals in it. If you do, you can figure out what forms would be useful and that you should try to find and learn.
>>
No. 420644 ID: 431fa8

>>420285
As long as we're looking at books- Wordblood mentioned a Depth of Comprehension ability involving consuming knowledge. Could he go into some more detail on what that would consist of? Would it apply in a situation like this?

On things to ask the Captain, I'd like to get a quick summary of people of significance in this domain. Peregrin mentioned "a kingdom's worth of the dead, some of them quite ancient and powerful, others possessed of valuable knowledge and skills"; let's hear about the most powerful and knowledgeable dead people around.

As a last thing: Are we keeping the door open for a reason? Voices have been known to carry, even if our senses are probably good enough to pick up on most eavesdroppers. Unless we actually want it open we should probably close it up until we leave.
>>
No. 420669 ID: fae0af

Yes, closing the door is good. But say something so the Captain doesn't wonder (he still distrusts us a bit). Something like:

"While I'm at not being an obviously glowing Moon Hero in public, I'd better avoid being an easy eavesdropping target, too."

Depth of Comprehension might be a good idea, too. But first ask Wordblood about an Absorption Without Erasing ability. Time enough to inhale every book on the shelf after both of those abilities are addressed.
>>
No. 420701 ID: cb37ea

>>420448
It's probably a joke. There is a subsystem in Exalted ruleset for organizations called Mandate of Heaven. It's generally considered terrible and has been recently replaced with other subsystem called Creation-Ruling Mandate.
>>
No. 420710 ID: fcc78d

>>420701
Also the literal Mandate of Heaven that was given to the Solars.
>>
No. 420808 ID: 7fa633

> "Book of Three Circles"?

Fuck yes.

> Oh, no, it's a book about the Book of Three Circles.

Awwwwwwww.
>>
No. 420834 ID: 3fc386

I feel that we can do some thing more productive/interesting with our time but if we are going to read and wait this out I think it might be wise to take a look at the atlas of the east so we can learn a little more about the surrounding area.

>>420286
Good idea. We should probably try and learn as much as we can about ourself first (i.e. Moon Heroes) followed by Death Heroes so we know where Peregrin is coming from. I'm also quite curious about what the difference between red and golden sun heroes is.
>>
No. 420915 ID: 51cbdf
File 133945900028.png - (94.38KB , 600x500 , readingwithwb.png )
420915

While she looks through the reading material available - and takes a moment to close the door - Saulanna asks the Captain about important ghosts in this region.

"Important in what terms? I'm in charge of the guards, such as we are. There's a mayor for the town, if you're asking about politics. If it's a question of who has more wealth, you'd be looking for some of the merchants who still trade with the rest of the Underworld. There are some loose craftsguilds that have been forming slowly, the past few decades. Or if you want the oldest or most powerful... there's rumours of one or two who were Heroes when they were alive, but that isn't something people spread around. We're all far from our graves; we've have learned not to stand out too much."

>Reading without destroying.

>"It... doesn't quite work like that, my lady. I mean... well, it's hard to explain."

>"A book, or a scroll or engraving or whathaveyou, we'll just call them all books for the purpose of reference... Every one of them contains a tiny, tiny little part of the being I used to be. We founded so much of the world on ourselves, you see? We're... linked to it. It's similar to how every living thing has a small fraction of Gaia in it, or how every machine contains the slimmest sliver of Autochthon. So, that... essence, that book-ness... An author speaks to it, by the writing, and gives it knowledge. When you read it, it speaks to you, giving you knowledge. What I do is... different. I invite that essence, the soul of the book if you like, into myself. As it passes through you, it leaves the tracks of its knowledge in your mind. My Depth of Comprehension Ability will allow me to regain magical power from the act, and perhaps eventually to gain Titan's Will, given truly great quantities."

>"What you would like me to do... I could develop an ability to create books, quite easily? Or create a Power Word that does the same. We could instantly create any such item with any knowledge we possess, including exact copies of what we've already absorbed. Either option will require Titan's Will. But the way you suggest it, that's... well, forgive the expression, but it would be like having your cake and eating it, too."


>Read up!

Saulanna looks for any information on Heroes, but finds no books dedicated to them; she suspects the books here are for Peregrin's easy reference, moved in and out depending on his current projects, so perhaps there's such a book in the library. From her absorbed knowledge, however, she has some basic information, and there is information here on the powers that the various Heroes serve.

Sun Heroes, also known as Lawgivers, are the champions of The Unconquered Sun, also known as Sol Invictus and several other names. He is god of the Sun, obviously, and also of virtue, excellence, perfection, glory, heroism and righteousness. He is the chieftain of all the gods. His Heroes are masters of all human skills, in addition possessing powers of holy light and leadership. There are five sub-types, for different roles.

Moon Heroes, or Stewards, are as Saulanna well knows the champions of Luna, god or goddess of the Moon. She, or he, is a Trickster deity, a shapeshifter, patron of all wild creatures and associated with survival, dreams, passion and madness. Her Heroes possess shapeshifting powers, allowing them to mimic the abilities of any creature, or to take their forms. They also have powers of illusion and chaos. There used to be five types, it is said, but now there are three, analogous to the phases of the moon.

Star Heroes, Viziers, are the champions of the Maidens of Fate, and act as the agents of Destiny, moving mostly in secret to help make sure that everything happens where and when they should. They have a reputation as schemers, manipulators, orchestrating events across vast distances and vaster spans of years. They are also extremely secretive, having apparently hidden themselves almost completely from mortal society, and were fully revealed only with the return of the Maiden of Strife and her own Star Heroes.

Dragon Heroes, or the dragon-blooded, are champions of the Elemental Dragons of Gaia. Thus, they have powers over Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Wood, as well as powers derived from the metaphysical associations of those elements. They are weakest Heroes, but unlike the previous three, pass on their power to their children rather than being hosts to reincarnating Hero Souls.

Those, it seems, are the original kinds of Hero.

>"Those are all the types that I remember, from my own brief exposure to them. Before."
>>
No. 420916 ID: 51cbdf
File 133945904394.png - (65.22KB , 600x500 , readingwithwb2.png )
420916

In the world as it is, there are now a further four known kinds of Hero.

Death Heroes originally served the Deathlords of the underworld, and were known as Deathknights. When the Dragon's Shadow took over the lands of the dead, the Deathlords were eliminated and the Death Heroes were scattered. Many went entirely renegade, a small number of whom were loyalists to their old masters. The rest turned to serving the Dragon himself. They have powers similar to Sun Heroes, but inverted, associated with death and darkness instead of life and light. As they once were, the focus in the pair was on powers of death, but in this Age their abilities run much more heavily to the magic of darkness.

Machine Heroes are strange, artificial creatures from another world, the Realm of Brass and Shadow; many of them are like human beings, and they act as champions and protectors of their people, but they're made of magically animated metal and clay. Saulanna doesn't seem to have much information on them.

Hell Heroes are similarly mysterious. They seem to be champions of the demonic powers of Hell, known now to Saulanna as the torturous plane where most of the surviving Titans were imprisoned by the gods and their servants.

Finally, Red Sun Heroes... extremely similar to Sun Heroes. Servants of the Red Sun. They are all part of one organization, and seem to all swear some sort of Oath, a condition of which is to have no home among mortals and to never take a position of leadership save for a specific, immediate goal. They are also immortal, apparently, unless slain using specific methods.

>Information about the Red Sun.

It takes some time, but Saulanna finds a description of the Red Sun in the Roll of Divinity, which seems to be little more than a long list of gods. There are thousands, most of them pretty insignificant. She reads.

>The Red Sun
>The Servant of All, She Who Pays, the Bride of Shadow, Whose Light is the Blood of Guardians and Martyrs.
>Associated with protection, sacrifice, vengeance, remorse and resolve. Matron of bodyguards, dutiful servants and penitent sinners. Secondary associations with the element of Fire and with the Unconquered Sun.
>The youngest of the Incarna. The Red Sun was created by the Ebon Dragon from the body and souls of his bride, the Scarlet Empress - at that time recently revealed as Queen Marela, ruler of the Old Realm in the First Age of Man, and Hero through methods unknown of both the Unconquered Sun and the Elemental Dragon of Fire. This led directly to the reformation of the Ebon Dragon into the Dragon's Shadow, and the Darkening of the Underworld. This event ended the wars known as the Tide of Oblivion. Given the return of the Maiden of Strife, Uranus, during this period, scholars have come to agree on the first dawn of the Red Sun as the event marking the end of the Age of Sorrows and the beginning of the Age of Strife.

>The Red Sun, according to divine revelation, does not dwell in the Heavenly City, and shuns the company of other gods. She inhabits her own sanctum, the House of Twilight, and intervenes in the mortal world chiefly in response to threats of fae or demonic incursion, or to transform Sun or Death Heroes into Red Sun Heroes. During Calibration, she appears in the skies of the Underworld. Her relationship with the Dragon's Shadow, however, appears to be hostile. She does not currently possess any known divine servants or other subsidiary gods. Her position in the Ministries of Heaven remains unresolved as of time of writing.
>>
No. 420949 ID: e3aff6

>My Depth of Comprehension Ability will allow me to regain magical power from the act
>I could develop an ability to create books, quite easily
Does this add up to leather-bound rechargeable essence-batteries?
>>
No. 420958 ID: 60d391

>>420915

Ask the Captain if he can direct you to those who are rumored to have been Heroes during their lives, in particular -- if one such ghost exists -- another Moon Hero.

If one exists, you might be able to learn more!
>>
No. 420966 ID: d5ee6f

>>420916
Well, let's just read manually for now. Absorbing books might make us flare up again.
>>
No. 420976 ID: b85f8c

>>420949
It sounds like it would cost more to make a book than we'd get from absorbing one. Plus we already have basically an infinite battery.
>>
No. 421054 ID: 431fa8

>>420915
Hearing about the names and personalities of the oldest and most powerful ghosts around here, those about which a rumor that they were Heroes in life might actually be true, would be great. Particularly any who were supposedly Moon Heroes.

Depth of Comprehension sounds like a solid investment... in certain circumstances. Traveling around raiding all the greatest libraries in the world and absorbing their knowledge in order to gain knowledge and Titan's Will could be an interesting way to spend some time- but not in the immediate future, I think.

Something like Power Word: Book would probably let us instantly create a book of anything we know (or imagine, for that matter). That would let us absorb this entire library and then replace it for no more cost than some Moon Power. Plus, we could teach it to others and thereby let them spend their own power to create knowledge, which furthers our portfolio and gives us more stuff to absorb later- everyone wins! Presumably any Titanic Ability which Wordblood could develop for a similar cost in Titan's Will would have its own advantages, though, which I'd like to hear about if possible.
>>
No. 421055 ID: fae0af

Wow, that's some heady stuff. Looks like reading the Rolls of Glorious Divinity (the ordinary mortal way, not absorbing) in their entirety would be a good idea -- or at least skimming them for more than lists of names.

"Wordblood, it sounds like what you do isn't reading at all, but truly absorbing or eating. I see how not destroying the source book wouldn't work."

However, if Depth of Comprehension would recharge magic or even Titan's Will, then that sounds like an excellent ability to get. It could eventually mean a way to get Titan's Will without running around murdering people.

No, I don't accept that absorbing souls is morally right. It's one thing to fight back in battle against people who're trying to kill you. It's another to go out and premeditatively murder somebody and then prevent them from ever reincarnating. Claiming it's better than the normal reincarnation is crap. We hardly know anything about the normal reincarnation, and more importantly, it isn't our right to make such an important and irreversible decision FOR somebody else, without their consent.
>>
No. 421058 ID: fae0af

>>421054
Yes, Power Word: Book would also be a great investment. But at this point I think it by far wisest to use whatever Titan's Will remains to give Wordblood a way to acquire more of the stuff.

Otherwise, we use it all up and then what? We'd have no more until we go find somebody to murder (we should NOT become a habitual soul-devouring monster) or spend the next umpteen years looking for another lost Titan fragment (totally impractical, even assuming they can be found).
>>
No. 421066 ID: fae0af

Oh, and one more thing. When Peregrin comes back, we might ask why he and Alice get to have noses, and we don't. This seems unfair somehow.
>>
No. 421177 ID: e3aff6

>>420976
Of course it would cost more to make a book than to absorb one, but that isn't the point. The purpose of a battery (as opposed to a generator) is to store power. In this case, we would make a power-dense book while resting, regenerate our moon power to max over time, carry the book with us to consume later when we are running low on power in the middle of a fight. The rate of return is mostly irrelevant, as we are in effect constantly wasting power when we are resting at our max power and therefore not regenerating.
>>
No. 421178 ID: 71d68e

The notion of creating books as essence batteries isn't a bad one. But I think we should invest in a feeder soul first.
>>
No. 421182 ID: 4349bf

>>421178
Yes, making a feeder soul is a good idea. We should stockpile our Will until we can make one--like we agreed on earlier in the thread.
>>
No. 421184 ID: 71d68e

>>421182
We can make one right now. We just decided before to wait on that until we cold get some more secure privacy, and did the social tutorial first and then ended up reading. If the others're still in the room, they'd probably notice any pain or the like the process would create.
>>
No. 421185 ID: fae0af

Making a feeder soul is a bad idea when we barely have an identity, no Heart's Desire, and only one Mal/Affection. Posters have already generally agreed (and Saulanna's already decided) that it's not a good idea to make one until she has more identity and experience. Making another soul is not a decision to rush into lightly, and can't be reversed.

And Wordblood said it would only provide about 1 TW per month. That's crappy and will take forever to improve. Ask him how much TW Depth of Comprehension could generate per book, and how much TW it'll take to learn it. It's probably a better investment, will provide additional benefits (moon power), and surely much less drastic than making another soul. Peregrin already said he'd get some ghosts copying books and looking for disposable ones.
>>
No. 421188 ID: fae0af

Plus, a feeder soul won't let us use Power Word: Book for moon power batteries.
>>
No. 421192 ID: a0959f

>>421184
It might make us go into anima overdrive again. Not to speak of other possible effects of SUDDENLY LOTSA PAIN. We should probably get ourself a cellar of some sort and make out feeder there.
>>
No. 421195 ID: 71d68e

>>421185
I don't think everyone who decided to hold off necessarily agrees with your opinion that we should wait for a more definite identity--at least a number of us had other reasons. I was one of the votes to wait, and that was more for the reasons given in >>421192. Hell, it's a way to [b]define part of our identity[/i], by giving it a concrete form.

That said, getting Titan's Will from books is definitely an interesting idea, if it can be done. A feeder soul will be necessary sooner or later for longterm efficiency, though. 1 TW a month might be crappy, but I'm assuming that can be updated.
>>
No. 421209 ID: fb69eb

I wasn't really saying we should make the book-thing instead of the feeder soul, though however we prioritize it we should remember that there is currently an agent of the Ebon Dragon in the building right now on a mission to search for suspicious magical activity. So not the best time for soul-building.
>>
No. 421211 ID: fae0af

I agree a feeder soul is a good idea ~eventually~, but Depth of Comprehension should probably be done first. At the very least, find out from Wordblood more about it.
>>
No. 421272 ID: fcc78d

It occurs to me that all the TW is going into Wordblood. Should we be allowing this? It may have Consequences.
>>
No. 421276 ID: fae0af

Hm. Well I think the last time Saulanna used it, she increased her personal Soul Fire.

But yes, that could have consequences.
>>
No. 421343 ID: 71d68e

I think people're worrying too much. Only two things so far have been explicitly described as having an important impact. One being the Soul Force balance between Saulanna and Wordblood, and Saulanna has higher Soul Force right now. The other is the creation of a new soul.

In the end, I think people're being too anxious. Things like a new soul is a major and important decision, but as long as we go into it with a good idea of what we want, I think it'll be okay. We already thought up a form for that Feeder Soul (the library). It'll definitely sway Saulanna in particular directions, but I'm okay with the implications I can think of for having a feeder soul shaped as a library of assimilated memories. We already have strong leanings toward intelligence and learning anyway.
>>
No. 421366 ID: 5e703e

Make feeder soul!
for maximum chaos
>>
No. 421400 ID: b9d767

Seeing as we seem to be dead-set on making that Feeder Soul, we should do so in a proper setting, like an area where any resulting noise or lightshow will not be seen/heard by unwanted persons. Also we should wait until the envoy sent by The Dragon's Shadow is long gone.
>>
No. 421419 ID: fae0af

I'm wondering why people are so dead-set on the feeder soul coming first, when Depth of Comprehension has more advantages (generates moon power in addition to Titan's Will).


But please, before making a feeder soul, ask Wordblood three questions:

1. How much TW it will take to make one that gives more than 1 TW per month.

2. For comparison, how much TW it will take to make a Depth of Comprehension ability that does the same, and how much Moon Power that would also generate.

3. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Will the feeder soul be inside her head or have a separate body? Because an external soul (which is what I expect) would be conspicuous and vulnerable, and people would ask questions.
>>
No. 421455 ID: e894c0

>>421419

this is exactly the kind of suggestion I loathe. you're ruining the surprise. we should just do it and figure it out as it comes instead of spoiling the fun by being overly cautious about every. single. fucking. thing.
>>
No. 421501 ID: 6f836d

>>421455
Your opinion will change when a Wyld Hunt or a party of Dragon's Shadow's pet Heroes will gank our collective ass.
>>
No. 421525 ID: 71d68e

>>421501
Dude, while I don't want to get all meta here, this isn't some sadistic GM that will kill you the instant you show the slightest weakness. We'll get level-appropriate challenges, not gank squads. Or at least a chance to run away. (Also, there's no certainty that there's even still a Wyld Hunt given all that's happened.)

Anyway, while I was saying make a feeder soul, I wasn't saying rush to do it instantly. I do think we should investigate Depth of Comprehension and see if we can quickly recoup our investment into it to follow up with the feeder soul.
>>
No. 421551 ID: 404f8a

We should continue to ponder our options; after all, we have no pressing need to use our currently aquired Titan's Will at this time, so we can afford to put as much thought as we need into this.

And as for how much we have, didn't Peregrin imply that this isn't the only criminal that they have? Why not ask someone about that?

Also, this one is last because it's not the best use of our time, but wouldn't a Shadowy Land like this one have more than just that one Zombie Ghost? Maybe even a few of them that might be legitimately worth our time to defeat and devour?
>>
No. 421552 ID: d4f98d

>>421501
Its been nothing if not entirely reasonable and entertaining thus far. I have to agree with elephant on this.
>>
No. 421554 ID: e60884

Expanding the party is better than boring internal buffs.

...even if said party member resides in our head and is, effectively, an internal buff.

So lets make babies with wordblood already. Feeder soul go!
>>
No. 421560 ID: fcc78d

>>421501
Hello, Chung. Been a while.

So what should we boost on Saulanna using TW to balance it out? What are our options, other than Soul Fire?
>>
No. 421567 ID: fae0af

I've been saying all along not to rush ASAP into the first thing Wordblood suggests without even asking what it will do or considering the other options.

There is no desperate hurry.
>>
No. 421568 ID: fae0af

And "Will the feeder soul be physically obvious to everybody I meet?" is a reasonable question to ask, not a stupid question of no consequence.
>>
No. 421569 ID: fae0af

>>421525

I don't know how to do spoiler tags, but I will respond to the meta-issue.

I don't think Jukashi is a sadistic GM who will send a Wyld Hunt to auto-gank us without recourse.

But if the feeder soul is external, than ITS death or even injury could be catastrophic to Saulanna. Indeed, this should be apparent to a person a smart as Saulanna, given all that Wordblood has already told her about Titanic souls.
>>
No. 421591 ID: 3fc386

>>421569
Please take this to the discussion thread.

>>New Soul + DoC
Instead of worrying about things we can do at any time we should be trying to *do* something. I would suggest:

1) Ask Alice to bring Gevin here so we can try to figure out where to look for Ruive.
2) Pray to Luna for information about Moon Heroes, either general info or some way to meet with others like us. This is the last day we can expect any assistance from her.
3) Talk to Alice. Try and help her and the other guy return to their old lives. (Power Word: Remember? Revert?)
4) Ask Wordblood about Power Words, what sort of scope can we expect at our current SF? Can our own words affect us? Can power words be combined to change their meaning (à la Skyrim)?
>>
No. 421642 ID: 6f836d

>>421591
>1) Ask Alice to bring Gevin here so we can try to figure out where to look for Ruive.
No. Peregrin told him to lay low for a reason. Upthread there was a suggestion to get a basket, turn into a raccoon and let Alice carry us there.
>>
No. 422254 ID: fae0af

With the soul fire down, we could probably cover that moon mark with our tail, and curl up into a fuzzy little ball.

I would want to ride on Alice's head, because it would be funny, but that's no way to be inconspicuous.
>>
No. 422273 ID: b85f8c

>>422254
Nope, we can't cover the moon mark. It will shine through just about anything.
>>
No. 422287 ID: c0fdf1
File 133973406598.png - (168.51KB , 1000x500 , study6.png )
422287

Saulanna isn't sure about pressing on the identity of ghosts who were Heroes; the Captain sounded somewhat uncomfortable saying that, so she suspects its considered impolite to pry in such a manner. It would likely take persuasion, and Peregrin probably has more information anyway.

She decides to keep browsing the collection while she speaks a little with Wordblood. She spends some time in particular with the Roll of Divinity - this string of volumes seems mostly concerned with demons. It's really rather disturbing, but it does broaden her knowledge.

>book batteries
>"Absorbing multiple copies of the same book is really much more trouble then it's worth, my lady. We wouldn't really get anything out of it; unless it was some truly great work, capable of complex multi-layered interpretation. Even then, the benefit would be minimal even from taking just one more instance of the same text."

>Depth of Comprehension for Titan's Will
>"I should clarify; I will not be gaining Titan's Will from consuming written works for a long time. I would have to upgrade my Soul Force significantly before I could even begin developing the ability, and once that was done, I would gain real power only from vast collections or the worthiest works. I would not even gain any great amount then, considering that I haven't yet generated my own essential subsouls."

>Feeding soul, inside or out?
>"All a Titan's souls begin their existence within their progenitor's internal world, my lady. If you did summon us into the world outside - and you do not have that ability yet - we would remain naturally spiritual entities, normally invisible and intangible to material beings."

>Feeding soul advancement
>"As with you or I, a Feeding Soul's capabilities will increase with their Soul Force and the refinement of their abilities. It shouldn't take much Titan's Will to upgrade their productivity."

Saulanna feels that she should make a Feeding Soul, but wants to be as safe and secure as she can be beforehand, preferably with Peregrin on hand.

Speaking of Peregrin, Saulanna's SAVVY had been bugging her - she finds herself wondering where he keeps the good stuff! He mentioned being a sorcerer before, and this room stinks of it, but she's searched for quite a while, and there's nothing beyond mortal magical rituals on the shelves. Puny stuff, really. She doubts he keeps his sorcerous tomes out in the open for anyone to read, so perhaps he's hidden them somewhere?
>>
No. 422288 ID: c0fdf1
File 133973409073.png - (109.61KB , 500x500 , studypart.png )
422288

Suddenly, Saulanna's super-hearing detects hints of a commotion elsewhere! Alarmed voices are audible coming from beyond the door, and further muffled by distance and obstruction. She did see a door out to a balcony across the hall - maybe there's something happening in the courtyard?
>>
No. 422293 ID: fae0af

Uh-oh.

Don't want to show that glowy forehead, but now is not the time to be ignorant of goings-on!

Wonder how the Captain will react. Ask him if he can hear it?

Also, it looks like a feeding soul really is the only viable way to start gaining Titan's Will regularly.
>>
No. 422295 ID: 132b99

even if he has them hidden, don't pull them out in front of other people. anyway, tell the captain your hero powers are letting you hear some kind of commotion. near as you can tell in the courtyard, if he would be so kind as to check it out.
>>
No. 422297 ID: d4f98d

Check it out, ask the Captain to accompany you. This commotion will probably have drawn most attention.
>>
No. 422298 ID: fae0af

Actually, asking the captain (or Alice) to look first may be a good idea.

Here's what Peregrin said:

>"You know you can go wherever you like, but it might be best if you stayed away from the more public parts of the house. And, ah, away from windows, until your Soul Fire dies down."

And that answers the question on if Saulanna should be involved. She asks if there's anything she can do to help, anyway.

>"... Maybe. Probably. But it would be best to keep things simple, a strange Moon Hero running around will... alarm people. I know how this goes. If I need you for something, don't worry, it'll be very easy for me to come to you."

Saulanna asks, then, if she should stay out of the way, is there anything she can do about her Soul Fire?
>>
No. 422300 ID: e3aff6

Sending the captain sounds like a good idea, as that way we can find out what is going on without increasing our forehead-glow.
>>
No. 422314 ID: e3f578

"Captin', there's trouble brewing out in the courtyard. People are alarmed for some reason."

>>422287
>Worthy works
Umm, that's kind of subjective isn't it? IS worthiness determined by popular opinion, your opinion of the writing, or some objective abstract algorithm mortal minds have no chance of understanding?
>>
No. 422323 ID: 132b99

>>422314
anyway, once he has the power for it, eating a library would net us some stuff.
>>
No. 422367 ID: 431fa8

>>422288
Tell the Captain "I can hear something, raised voices. I would like to go listen- I'll stay out of sight, of course. Would you care to accompany me?"

Then let's open the door and walk softly over toward the noise. Stay off the balcony and in fact well back from the door, in case of glow, but listen to the voices with our supernatural senses. Hopefully it'll be informative.
>>
No. 422371 ID: 1f8505

Investigate!
>>
No. 422384 ID: fcc78d

GET SMALL GET SMALL GO GO GO HIDE
>>
No. 422420 ID: b33427

Best not stick your big, glowy head out of this room, for now. You can still listen from here to determine what kind of commotion it is, though.

Stand behind the door and open it, then ask Alice to please step out and open the courtyard balcony door across the hall. Tell the Captain that you hear a commotion in the courtyard, but can't tell what it's about. Say that once Alice opens the balcony door you'll be able to hear more.
>>
No. 422449 ID: f70e5e

stay in the room, ask the captain to peek out the window into the courtyard and tell us what he sees.
>>
No. 422482 ID: d5ee6f

>>422288
Send both the captain and Alice. Captain needs to be there, Alice to report back to you.
>>
No. 422498 ID: 008f7d

How bright exactly is the mark on our head? By default Exalted rules it can glitter so it's only seen from certain angles or actually shine. In the pictures it kinda looks like the former, so there may be little risk to us sticking our head out at this stage.
>>
No. 422504 ID: d52d47

>>422314

I wouldn't say worthiness of a work of is subjective when it's being judged by the creator / literal manifestation of communication, words, and information.

On topic, I'd say sending someone to investigate is a good idea- it can tell us what's going on potentially without showing our hand. Alice might be the less suspicious spy, but the Captain seems more competent for dealing with disturbances, and security is kind of supposed to be his job, ain't it?
>>
No. 422506 ID: e894c0

go look down from the balcony. you're not burning, who cares if people see some lady looking at 'em from afar.
>>
No. 422533 ID: 4cefdf

Assume raccoon form which while it would bear our mark has a small form which would be below average window height. It also would make hiding easier as would could hide behind objects to listen in on the conversation.
>>
No. 422535 ID: 4cefdf

Actually even better idea would be to convince the captain to help you once in raccoon form by hiding you on his back, under that very nice cape he has. You can then whisper to him and peek out so you may move around freely. This will allow you to investigate the courtyard with minimal possible risk.
>>
No. 422600 ID: 3fc386

What is with all this pussyfooting!? I am ashamed of all of you. Except for you, Elephant Guy.
>>422506

Saulanna, you are one of the chosen of Luna, the prime deity of trickery and survival. You are the primordial Primordial of wit and wordplay. This is YOUR home turf, these are YOUR friends and subjects and Peregrin Kaan is YOUR vassal. If someone or something is causing trouble for any of them they will have to deal with YOU!

Now, you are a thinker first and foremost and a talker second so your best bet is to defuse the situation. the first step is to find out what is going on. Take the your friends, their input and advice may prove invaluable, and discretely survey the situation.

Now, Go forth and take your own fate into your hands!
>>
No. 422617 ID: 132b99

>>422600
what? no the problem is if the dudes peregrin is talking to find out about her BAD THINGS could happen. a lunar's mark glows with the light of the moon. that being in a deadland is INCREDIBLY suspicious.
>>
No. 422619 ID: b85f8c

Our soul fire's died down, so we should be good to at least look out the window.
>>
No. 422622 ID: 132b99

>>422619
our forehead is still glowing. if that turns off soon then we will be safe to explore all over.
>>
No. 422654 ID: fae0af

First ask the Captain's advice. Even if our forehead stops glowing soon, just being a live person might set off alarm bells to the visitors. We don't know how few live humans are here, or how suspicious that would be.
>>
No. 422655 ID: fae0af

There ought to be SOME way to hide the forehead, though. It doesn't show through doors, so something really thick (an arm or tail) might do.

And if it stops glowing, being able to sneak around as a raccoon might be plenty for hiding.
>>
No. 423112 ID: e9d46f

>>422655
Something like a beekeeper hat or some hat with curtains would probably work. If it glitters already instead of glowing, an asian straw hat would mostly hide it.
>>
No. 423150 ID: 3734f6

Going there ourselves blows our cover.
There are 2 people in the room with you, ask one of them to go out and investigate for you.
>>
No. 423157 ID: 3fc386

>>423112
we do have our circlet in our room just across the hall... That covered our forehead nicely.
>>
No. 423159 ID: fae0af

That circlet won't be sufficient to hide the glow.
>>
No. 423272 ID: a6f316
File 133990211485.png - (147.94KB , 1000x500 , study7.png )
423272

Saulanna decides to ask for assistance. The Captain heads off without a word as soon as she describes what she heard, however, so she asks Alice if she could go look and come back if the Captain has to stay out there.
>>
No. 423273 ID: a6f316
File 133990216833.png - (90.58KB , 500x500 , closeup1.png )
423273

In the meantime... Saulanna can't see it directly, but the glow coming off her head seems pretty much gone. It's been some time - maybe an hour, with the reading she's been doing? - since her Soul Fire initially flared. It's probably possible to cover it up, now.
>>
No. 423274 ID: a6f316
File 133990220152.png - (141.72KB , 1000x500 , study8.png )
423274

>"Lady Rockblossom! There are two Moon Heroes here! I mean, two others!"
>>
No. 423280 ID: 132b99

:O go see, but do NOT assume they are really moon heroes until they prove it. could be someone in disguise. if you have an instinct that lets you tell instantly that they really are moon heroes that counts as proof.
>>
No. 423285 ID: d52d47

>>423274

Okay, so I'm assuming it's unlikely moon heros would be the emissary we were expecting. So they're here for some other reason. The most likely reason is they're here for *us*. Lunars collect newbies into clans for training and tattooing, right? Either that, or Luna found out about our Titan stuff. We have two courses of action-

Hide. Let Peregrin talk with them. If he can get rid of them (bluff, charm, lie, smooze, whatever), we don't have to deal with whatever threat they may present (for now). We don't necessarily *want* to leave the shadowland and our fiefdom for orientation, or to put a new Titan under the care of Luna's agents.

The obvious risk is if Peregrin fails diplomacy (I doubt they like death heros- especially ones who get in their way). Then we may end up fighting them- especially bad if they were here to help. We could end up making enemies of potential allies.

Second choice is to talk to them ourselves. After all, we're *built* for this, and we *just* got schooled in diplo-mancy. In addition, they're much more likely to react well to a fellow moon hero, and the person they likely *want* to see anyways.

The risk here is if they're here for purposes we don't like (clan collecting us, kill the titan, etc) we've given away our existence, and may be forced into a fight.

Personally, I like the odds of going ourselves better.
>>
No. 423289 ID: d4f98d

Must investigate. This is way too interesting not to.
>>
No. 423291 ID: d4f98d

Also
>Be excited
>>
No. 423292 ID: d4f98d

Also also:

Headband or circlet.
>>
No. 423300 ID: 132b99

>>423292
circlet, have a square blue gem in it.
:P
>>
No. 423306 ID: 218fad
File 133990618794.png - (47.89KB , 360x209 , saulanna.png )
423306

>>423274
Hold on, don't we have something just perfect for that...? Like this circlet we were wearing earlier?
>>
No. 423308 ID: fae0af

Waah, so there are two Moon Heroes, plus the Emissary. Chances are they are

1. The Two suspicious, living people seen at the border by the Air Riders.

2. Attracted here by the sight of our Soul Fire flaring during our escape attempt.

3. Here to collect us. Didn't Peregrin mentioned something about Moon Heroes collecting their newly-chosen?

They probably don't like Death Heroes, or the Dragon's Emissary, or Titans. It seems likely that if we go with them, we won't have much opportunity to come back here and continue the research with Peregrin. And while I don't trust Peregrin, Saulanna shouldn't just cut ties with him.

However, we don't want a pair of random Moon Heroes making trouble for him by tearing him apart, causing a diplomatic incident with the Emissary, or blabbing that they saw a Moon soul fire in the area.

We should probably go talk to them before things get out of hand, but on the other hand if Peregrin wants us to intervene he can just tell them "Yes, she's here." and ask us to come down.
>>
No. 423309 ID: fae0af

Oh, and our tail and markings (and being alive) may be all they need to know we're a Moon Hero. If they look hard enough they'll see the moon mark (it's very faint but look closely -- it's still there).
>>
No. 423312 ID: fae0af

I guess there're 3 things to consider:

1. We don't want to lose our alliance with Peregrin, nor our fief, if we can avoid that.

2. Oathbound or not, Peregrin isn't entirely trustworthy, and making contact with Moon Heroes may be in our best interest even if Peregrin doesn't want it. They certainly are the best source of info about our Lunar nature and what we need to know (and it could be important.)

3. We know Peregrin is cool with us being half-Titan. We don't know how other Moon Heroes would react.
>>
No. 423315 ID: cb0cc3

>>423274
I don't see us getting out of this without doing at least a little more talking, and I don't see us getting time alone to make the Feeding Soul until we've had to talk our way through at least one more encounter. Given that we need every edge we can get when dealing with other Heroes and what we learned of social combat, I would suggest that we spend one Titan's Will immediately to improve our Beauty. That will give us an extra +1 in social combat that could prove decisive, as long as we can spend enough time before being discovered for our physical transformation to be completed.

I am also inclined to spend two Titan's Will to raise Wordblood's Soul Force, and with it gain a Titan's Working- the extra points of Moon Power and the Working could prove a decisive hidden edge in our upcoming encounter, depending upon what ability we get. However, this is less important than raising our Beauty.

While our body is changing, wait in here and listen closely to try and hear what's going on/have Alice return to eavesdrop and then bring us reports, with strict orders not to mention us. Hopefully that will gather us a little more information to act on; staying hidden in this room may or may not be the appropriate course of action depending upon the Moon Heroes' intentions.
>>
No. 423331 ID: fae0af

Just to keep track:

Titan's Will: 6
Saulanna's Soul Fire: 3
Wordblood's Soul Fire: 2

Making a Feeding Soul costs 4 TW
Raising anyone's Soul Fire from 2 to 3 costs 2 TW.

If we raise Wordblood's Soul Force, either we don't make a Feeding Soul for now, or we leave Wordblood with more Soul Fire than Saulanna.

Raising Beauty seems like a good idea, though. That would leave enough to make a Feeding Soul, but not to raise Soul Fire for anybody (well, if the Feeing Soul starts with 1 SF there might be just enough left to raise it to 2).
>>
No. 423333 ID: 132b99

>>423331
we need 3 soulforce to be able to make it.
>>
No. 423356 ID: d4f98d

>>423157
Perrrfect.

As for the tail, just hide it in our dress if we cant shift away. It's mostly fur, after all.

The markings are fairly unimportant, tribal tattoos aren't uncommon.

I could agree to the beauty upgrade.
>>
No. 423359 ID: b85f8c

>>423274
Whoa. Ask if you should go out to help fight them, or keep laying low.
>>
No. 423363 ID: a2fa74

>>423274
Go talk to them. Be friendly.
>>
No. 423379 ID: 511f07

Incoming Social Combat.
>>
No. 423384 ID: a3b384

Don't just run out there, get what information you can from her. Then tell her to fetch Peregrin, if he isn't on his way already. You need to wait on word from him before taking action, unless the situation becomes dangerous.
>>
No. 423394 ID: fcc78d

>>423379
This. Brace yourself. Deep breath, mental equivalent of a few warmup exercises, get wordblood ready:

1) Should we not go with them to learn about our heritage if they offer? Why?
2) Should we attempt to reveal Wordblood? Will they react as Luna would?
3) Should we discuss our relationship to Peregrin, such as it is? If so, should we bluff?

Things to have mentally ready.
>>
No. 423396 ID: 771d02

what where here you mean right here or way over there
>>
No. 423411 ID: d4f98d

>>423394

1)No. Because we have a secret and we can't trust them with it
2)No, why would you even ask; Yes, maybe even worse.
3)Rule 1 when you are at an information disadvantage and have a partner: Offer nothing without a purpose, weed out info from all parties.
>>
No. 423426 ID: d52d47

I am pleased that no one even wants to consider hiding anymore.

>>423411

This is completely right. Our goal here is to get as much information out of these people as possible- NOT to hand them our secrets.

Beyond information, our goal is to persuade them against taking any unfortunate or hostile action towards us. Or possibly even recruiting them as allies - although powerful allies we have to hide things from may be more trouble than they're worth.
>>
No. 423452 ID: fae0af

>>423426
I agree. Don't just tell them there's a Titan and Peregrin's our vassal. Get info. Don't let them take control of the situation away from us -- remain in control, while giving the appearance of control to Peregrin.
>>
No. 423495 ID: e3f578

>>423274
Are they hurting people or damaging the stuff here? By proxy, Peregrine's shit is your stuff too. With you're affiliation with the Moon Heroes, you could convince them to stand down and stop messing with your shit.
>>
No. 423562 ID: 1da170

Yeah, try and get as much information as you can without giving anything away. You're a very new Moon Hero, it's natural for you to be a bit hesitant about them.

But do go check out what's going on. If your mark can be covered up now, even hanging out inside a basket which Alice is carrying while you appraise the situation wouldn't be unreasonable.
>>
No. 423652 ID: b9d767

>>423274
Perhaps it would be best to entreat them as guests for now, without revealing anything. We should have a servant invite them into a waiting room, with the message that "a person in charge of the estate will be coming to see them shortly". We should also have the servant imply that causing any disruptions would make the person/s coming to see them highly distrustful.

This way we can stall them for time, as well as confer with our vassal. It also tells the Lunar pair nothing about who exactly is coming to see them. It also will serve to discourage them from causing any damage to our holdings, because if they are indeed Lunars, then alienating us will serve the opposite of what they are here to do: recruit us.
>>
No. 423749 ID: 99aa3a

>>423652
Wouldn't it damage Peregrin's position as an assumed owner?
When ownership of a land changes overnight, it's suspicious as fuck. Just saying.
>>
No. 423804 ID: 1da170

Well, you now know that Peregrin has an 'arrangement' with the people of the surrounding lands. It shouldn't be too hard to imply that you and he also have some manner of arrangement.

If the political state of the world is as chaotic as all that, having a Death Hero for an ally (especially one that just wants to research and be left alone) shouldn't even be unusual.
>>
No. 423890 ID: 7fa633

>>423411

A note on 2). We aren't actually sure how Luna would react. On the one hand, she'd have reason to be wary of a new Titan, but on the other hand that Titan is also one of her Chosen. Then too, she's not completely anti-Primordial. Gaia and Autochthon can attest to that. Thirdly, she's known as the Fickle Lady for a reason. In short; Luna may react badly, or she may not. We don't have enough information to say either way, but we at least have cause to hope. She is not, after all, Lawful Retarded.

Lunar EXALTED, on the other hand, are far more likely to be consistent. If they learn Saulanna is an infant Titan, the best we're likely to get out of them is suspicion, and quite possibly open hostility. Lunar Exalted aren't Lawful Retarded either, (generally, at least) but we can assume even less about them than we can about Luna herself.

Either way, these Lunars must not learn of Saulanna's Titan-ness - at least, not unless we can be absolutely sure of their reaction.
>>
No. 423918 ID: 927efa

Talk to the moon heroes. Brag about how Peregrin totally works for you now. Lean on him awkwardly.
>>
No. 423937 ID: fae0af

Saulanna is newly Exalted, and if she weren't half-Titan, she'd never have been able to overpower Peregrin and make him her vassal.

To keep her Titanic nature from them, she'll either have to pretend he isn't her vassal, or hide the fact that she's newly exalted. We don't know all the little hints that could clue them in (and she certainly can't roleplay a part she doesn't understand) so that option isn't available.

We have to pretend to be Peregrin's ally, not his lord. No need to pretend to be HIS vassal, I think.
>>
No. 423955 ID: fae0af

>>423937
"To keep her Titanic nature from them"

To clarify, I mean "To prevent them from noticing anything out of the ordinary" which could lead them to finding out.
>>
No. 424056 ID: 466a59

>>423937
We can claim to be his guest.
Also, it's a bit meta, but we could fake Solar Bond by saying something to the effect of "I've known him only for a short time but he's a swell guy. I could tell from the first sight."
>>
No. 424299 ID: 1417a1

>>424056
Advanced History _might_ cover that
>>
No. 424349 ID: fae0af

Saulanna should review everything she's learned about Moon Heroes before talking to them.

Also, ask Alice what the Moon Heroes, Dragon's Emissary, and Peregrin are doing!
>>
No. 424397 ID: d4f98d

>>424349
You could just read the archives...
>>
No. 424426 ID: fcc78d

>>424397
Saulanna should. We already know, but it's good to have these things fresh in the actual character's mind.
>>
No. 425083 ID: 8247d0

BRUSH YOUR TAIL!
It looks unkempt and that will make a bad impression! xO
>>
No. 425181 ID: fae0af

AND BRUSH YOUR HAIR! AND TEETH!

These things probably haven't been done since before she got captured... and her hair has grown about 30 inches since then.
>>
No. 425270 ID: 147853

What ever happened to that music box anyways? I liked that music box.

There doesn't seem much that could be wrong with Lunar Society... but you'll probably want Peregrin with you when you make any decisions. He's kinda your lacky, and one of the few that you know will be on your side no matter what.
>>
No. 425271 ID: 147853

>>425181

Yeah, upping your appearance is probably a good idea. Though they are lunars, so keep that in mind. The circlet seems like it would help...?
>>
No. 425306 ID: 7472ad

Don't be shortsighted. The emissary has spies. Going out now will most likely ensure they're aware of us during that visit. Granted, they'll probably figure that out due to these Lunars' presence anyway, but that's still a very good reason to avoid any claims of Peregrin being our vassal, the titan fragment, or much of anything besides a basic "I'm here of my own freewill, and have not been mindraped."
>>
No. 425311 ID: 077133

>>425306
Does Solar Bond count as being mindraped?
>>
No. 425318 ID: 997ce7

>>425311
Not by itself, no.
>>
No. 425319 ID: 32b5e5

>>425311
Only if it's used irresponsibly.

Peregrin isn't our bonded Hero (we would have got much more than 'he seems vaguely familiar') and it might not be wise to claim such.

>>425306
If we are worried about spies it might be useful to let Peregrin do his thing. If he sends them to us then problem solved, If he sends them away we can sneak out and meet them and we can step in if things go south.

It is likely that they are coming to take us away (Ha HA!) and if we see fit to follow them we should find a way to keep in touch with Peregrin.
>>
No. 425643 ID: 6cbad7
File 134057435704.png - (113.26KB , 700x500 , balconydoor.png )
425643

Saulanna is... excited! And worried. These Moon Heroes are almost certainly here for her, and from what she's picked up so far, she doubts that any interaction between them, Peregrin or the ghosts will begin on any good footing. At the same time... she has been keeping herself hidden so far, and for good reason.

She decides to compromise for now, and try to get a stealthy look and a listen in.

"... out here, deathknight."

"Now come on! I really am insulted. Only old loyalist Death Heroes are deathknights - even the Dragon's don't call themselves that. Not that I'm one of them, either."
>>
No. 425644 ID: 6cbad7
File 134057440367.png - (147.40KB , 1000x500 , courtyard1.png )
425644

"So you say! Why so worried about this "emissary", so?"

"I and my people still need to live next to them. I'm just con-"

"Pah! People, he says."

"... just concerned about there being more... tension than there needs to be. I'm not asking you to leave, in fact I'd be glad to extent every possibly hospitality, all I need is some time-"

"Time! Time to fix things in your favour, no doubt. Stop trying to put us off! The tracks were obvious, and your scent was everywhere! Bring them out!"

"As I said, I need to see if they're here."

"You-!"
>>
No. 425645 ID: 6cbad7
File 134057444467.png - (123.07KB , 667x500 , Lunarscloseup.png )
425645

"Garmir, calm down. What he clearly means - or is trying to insinuate that he means - is that he needs to ask if they want to be here."

"There was blood!"

"Followed by what seemed a perfectly civilized walkabout together. With no hint of coercion. And if you were capable of mental influence, landsmaster Kaan, I suspect you would have used it before a physical confrontation. Only suspect, however."

"Hrmpf."

"I am choosing, for now, to suppress my doubt, but it is difficult. So, now. We know a Moon Hero's spark found a new host in your lands, and we know you met them. I can assure you that, regardless of what they may think for now, they do want to talk to us. There are things they need to know."

"I suspect you know what you're talking about, sir, but..."
>>
No. 425646 ID: 6cbad7
File 134057448336.png - (99.53KB , 600x500 , courtyardpere1.png )
425646

"... I... ah..."
>>
No. 425647 ID: 6cbad7
File 134057450127.png - (96.45KB , 600x500 , courtyardpere2.png )
425647

"... still have obligations my guests. That is, if I did have a guest, as you suspect, it would still behoove me as their host to ask whether they want to be available, regardless of what I think the wisest answer would be. And if they were available, I'd have to arrange a suitable place for you to comfortably meet them, though I would likely recommend the library."
>>
No. 425648 ID: 48f315

>>425646
"Hi. what were you going to try and explain?"

Be on the defensive. Don't reveal how much you may or may not already know.
>>
No. 425649 ID: 132b99

thumbs up and back away, to the library.
>>
No. 425650 ID: b85f8c

>>425649
Agreed. He is acting in our interests here, to ensure that he doesn't do something we don't like. In fact he is incapable of doing something without knowing that we want it to happen. Bit of a complication when he's got incomplete information, it seems. He knows there IS a good reason for us to meet these folks, so we should.
>>
No. 425655 ID: a3b384

>>425649
This. Attempting to ignore them and expect them to go away is a bad and probably futile idea. However I really want us to talk to Peregrin on what to say and how before jumping into this.

Ask our cleaning lady friend to go down and offer to make the guests comfortable and prepared in the library, that will free up Peregrin for a few moments.
>>
No. 425660 ID: 1f8505

GO TO Library.
>>
No. 425663 ID: d4f98d

>>425649
Agreed.

Smooth, peregrine. Real smooth.

This Garmr fellow seems somewhat unpleasant, but the other fellow is reasonable. Or at least, pretends to be.
>>
No. 425666 ID: 7472ad

Give him a thumbs up, turn into Raccoon, and be carried in a basket to the library.
>>
No. 425683 ID: b9d767

>>425663
Yes, he does seem somewhat brutish. He seems to be the type who would forcibly drag us away and tattoo us if given the chance. There is also that their actions are a front, and that they are playing a good cop/bad cop game.

Whomever we send to take them to the library, it would be best to have them muse on the commotion they caused on arrival. The intention behind this would be for the yet nameless lunar to pick up on the implication that any aggresive or rash actions on thier part will likely make them distrusted by whom they are trying to meet. The unnamed lunar seems more perceptive than his companion, so hopefully he will reel Garmir in if he tries anything.
>>
No. 425685 ID: fae0af

>>425650
"In fact he is incapable of doing something without knowing that we want it to happen."

Seems so. How awkward! Seems he can't even send a messenger to ask us our opinion because he doesn't know whether we want him to let them see he knows where we are!

>>425655
I second this. In case they've got Beast Senses up, drag Alice back into the room to tell her, though. Also, remember Gevin's in there. Could they be a risk to him?

Glasses Lady seems to be reasonable -- understandably distrustful, but reasonable. Garmir seems very hostile -- which may also be understandable, since he's worried about our safety -- but apparently thinks it's laughable to call ghosts "people." Um.
>>
No. 425693 ID: a3b384

>>425685
>Seems so. How awkward! Seems he can't even send a messenger to ask us our opinion because he doesn't know whether we want him to let them see he knows where we are!
Ugh. We need to establish some direct mental communication thing with him. I wonder if we can throw a titans will at that later.
>>
No. 425694 ID: 86078e

Send our ghostly maidservant to Peregrin's side, with instructions to tell him that we do seem to be in, and perhaps to make the guests comfortable while Peregrin arranges a proper meeting.
>>
No. 425695 ID: 132b99

>>425694
alice? gevin isn't here right now, and alice is alive.
>>
No. 425696 ID: 86078e

>>425695
Oh, Alice is alive? Yeah, her. Our non-ghostly maidservant, then.

PS. I don't think Gevin is a maiden.
>>
No. 425697 ID: 223190

yeah, okay.
>>
No. 425698 ID: fae0af

>>425693
Ugh. We need to establish some direct mental communication thing with him. I wonder if we can throw a titans will at that later.
Haha, yeah, seems like a good idea. Wonder if there's enough for that plus a feeding soul?

>>425696
His arousing shirtless efforts the other day would suggest that he's male or an atypical female. But then, Saulanna's not too experienced with these things, like whether breasts should be the same size.
>>
No. 425712 ID: 869eb3

Library it is, then.
>>
No. 425720 ID: 147853

>>425698
Well, she's absorbed enough knowledge that I imagine she should by NOW.
>>
No. 425749 ID: 431fa8

>>425647
Since it looks like we're going to get to the library and prepare for a social encounter, we should really spend a Titan's Will on our Beauty. Honestly, going up against multiple Heroes who want to convince us to do things is serious business- we must arm ourselves for that encounter as well as possible.
>>
No. 425752 ID: fae0af

Increasing Beauty would be good, but lets ask Wordblood how much a 2-way telepathic connection to Peregrin would cost. If it's only 1 TW, then we can do that, increase Beauty, and still have enough left for a Feeding Soul.
>>
No. 425755 ID: 431fa8

>>425752
The preferred way to do that would, I think, be with Power Word: Commune, which (by my understanding) costs 1 TW and would establish a telepathic connection between the speaker and any target they have a link to. A True Name can serve as a viable link, so we could use that to telepathically communicate with both Peregrin now and many other people in the future. We could even teach him how to use it, later.
>>
No. 425764 ID: b9d767

>>425755
A power word to communicate over great distances? I gotta agree, removing the distance would prove quite useful.
>>
No. 425768 ID: d1b395

Just a thing to note: mole-like lunar seems to have recently used hero powers. They have a No Moon caste mark glowing.
>>
No. 425783 ID: 867d2f

>>425755

A power word for communication sounds like an awesome idea. Especially since it's right down Wordblood's alley- communication is his *thing*. I'd suspect that means creation / use costs will be low compared to our other skills.

Also- a private communication channel with our ally will be a *fantastic* advantage if this turns into a 4-way diplomacy battle. (And we want to use diplomacy if we can- Saulanna and Peregrin are both built for it, and it appears that at least one of new lunars isn't).

Has anyone been able to guess anything about our guests from their appearance? I've been trying to guess animals- Garmir's tail isn't specific enough (some kind of lizard? armadillo? ...puppy?). The short one's hair and glasses imply owl to me.
>>
No. 425785 ID: fa9f7e

>>425783
Written communication, specifically. We'd probably get text writing itself on our retinas or some such. Inconvenient if we really need to watch something.
>>
No. 425794 ID: fae0af

I think Garmir's "tail" is actually his giant sword.

Regarding telepathic communication: we may be able to get something more efficient than a Power Word for this.

Regarding Beauty: I realized something: Luna, Alice, the Captain, Gevin, and several ghosts (any of which could be a spy?) have all seen Saulanna's face. If she changes "overnight" to +1 Beauty, it might clue them in that she's Unusual.
>>
No. 425796 ID: fae0af

Oh, another thing on Telepathy: using a Power Word might require us to say "Commune" out loud. Hopefully not. If it does, then we should get a different power for that, one that can be used subtly and even initated by Peregrin if he's stuck in a situation like this one.
>>
No. 425797 ID: fae0af

>>425785
I think Wordblood is all linguistic communication, actually -- written, spoken, and probably signed should all count. Remember that Power Words rely on speech -- though upgrading it to be usable by silently writing a Power Word may be a good investment eventually.

So "thinking words at each other" should be well within his/our domain.
>>
No. 425806 ID: 431fa8

>>425794
>If she changes "overnight" to +1 Beauty, it might clue them in that she's Unusual.
I don't think single-point changes in stats are that visible. It would be an easily brushed off change, at least.

>>425796
It would be interesting to see if we can get an upgrade to our use of Power Words to let us use them with writing, sign language, or even thoughts. Doesn't seem particularly out of theme, either.
>>
No. 425815 ID: fe3c0a

>>425806
Dots in this system are exponential. 4 is twice as much as 3, 5 is twice as much as 4. The change will definitely be noticeable. Now, whether it will be noticeably *supernatural* is a different question entirely. Maybe we were having a really bad couple days and we just clean up really nice, they don't know. So long as we stay below 6 dots we are within the realm of what is possible to come by naturally, and can (maybe) bluff our way through it, if it comes up.
>>
No. 425825 ID: 147853

I really want to know what Peregrin thinks of our intruders. But I guess playing it safe was never the game plan anyways. Still, it's always good to go for solid advice.

Hide until they leave for the library, then talk to peregrin, and follow after is the game plan I would go by.

Does it really matter if any of peregrin's servants realize something is amiss? I think making a good impression on the Lunars would be more important.

On the other hand, there are probably much more valuable usages than upgrading beauty anyways.
>>
No. 425829 ID: a2fa74

>>425647
Sure, lets meet them in the library. It's Wordblood's 'home turf' so to speak, so if something goes wrong it won't be a total disaster.
>>
No. 425868 ID: fae0af

>>425825
>Does it really matter if any of peregrin's servants realize something is amiss? I think making a good impression on the Lunars would be more important.
This is probably correct, though there is an outside possibility that a spy of the Dragon's Shadow might find out. That WOULD be bad.

>On the other hand, there are probably much more valuable usages than upgrading beauty anyways.
Something to detect lies, deception, and omission in spoken words might be more useful.
>>
No. 425876 ID: 659210

Thumb it up and make your way to the library, hopefully without getting seen by the Emissary.
>>
No. 425953 ID: e64848

I'm liking the consensus so far. I would suggest that we try to keep others out of this. I might consider having Alice bring some refreshments but after that think it would be better to have this discussion in private as I suspect that Garmir will calm down when he perceives less of a threat.

That said we still need to be careful, we don't know these two's capabilities but we are in a Shadowy Land and it has been implied that we are somewhat near the Wyld. If they were sent to retrieve us it is safe to assume that they are more significantly more experienced and powerful than us. Of the two I'm more worried about the short one; s/he is very smooth, intelligent and perceptive and we could very easily slip up and give away things we shouldn't, and those are her natural abilities.

another curiosity/concern is:
>>425644
"... bring them out"

Finally; with all this Titan stuff going on we seem to have collectively forgotten our Moon Abilities (check out >>/quest/18494. we also have Scent of Victory which is unknown). Now that our Soul Fire has died down we can use Mask Sneak to go unnoticed across the bridge to the library.
>>
No. 425956 ID: 132b99

>>425953
THEM is a gender neutral term for a third party.
>>
No. 425959 ID: fae0af

Hm, if we don't want to involve Alice then Saulanna can just give Peregrin a thumbs-up and maybe use Mask Sneak to stay hidden. He can take them to the library, get Gevin out of the way, make sure spies aren't around, etc.

The advantage to Saulanna not going strait to the libarary is that this way, Peregrin can come back and she has a chance to talk to him before meeting the Moon Heroes. I'd like to ask him if the Emissary has already arrived. And if these Moon Heroes could see our Soul Fire flare, how likely is it that somebody in the Veil saw it too?
>>
No. 425962 ID: a3b384

>>425956
Actually, I'm sorta surprised Lunars couldn't sniff out the gender too. Doesn't seem like much of a trick for them.
>>
No. 426287 ID: 92aded

>>425962
Lunars can be whatever gender they want with their powers so while they probably could sniff it out you are never quite sure if that's what they started as
>>
No. 426302 ID: 1da170

You don't want to make it too easy for the Moon Heroes or they'll think you're a pushover, but this looks like it might get ugly if it continues. Flash Peregrin some sort of sign that this is acceptable to you.

Thumbs up is the best one, seeing as how you can't project force for a high five.
>>
No. 426895 ID: 716e28

That suave bastard is nudging us toward the library so that, if Shit Goes Down, we can do our awesome Titan shit.

We're going to have to use Titan's Will to Bond to him.
>>
No. 427354 ID: 4349bf

>>426895
That is an utterly horrid idea for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the fact that it'd wreak havoc with the "lord/vassal" dynamic we've currently got going.
>>
No. 427381 ID: fae0af

I doubt that anything, with or without Titan's Will, can create a new Solar-Lunar Bond. Each Exaltation has the same Mate it's had since it was created, and that can't be changed or overridden.

Either he is her Mate or he isn't. She doubtless has never heard of the concept, and she'd probably feel something by now if they were Bonded.
>>
No. 427390 ID: ec6e30

>>427381
Not entirely true: http://wiki.white-wolf.com/exalted/index.php?title=Charms:Silver_and_Gold_Span_the_Heavens

>>426895
Have you seen his oath to us (>>216903)? He is already bonded to us more tightly than any Lunar is to their Solar!
I doubt that that was his intention, his knowledge of us and our power is very limited and I don't think he would appreciate us destroying his library. Let's keep this meeting civil and under control.

Speaking of his oath to us: someone mentioned that Peregrin was in a pickle because he knows so little about us and yet he has to try and guess what our will is all the time because he is incapable of working against it. This is a very good point that didn't get much attention. We need to either spend a bunch of time with him and tell him about Wordblood and our nature as a Titan or find a way to give him the ability to contact us. Gaining telepathy ourselves isn't going to help him in situations like this where he needs our opinion to to make a decision and we are not around. Either way it's upholding our end of the bargain we made with him, we can't forget that we have made an Oath to him as well.
>>
No. 427426 ID: fae0af

The simplest way to do that is to create a Telepathy or Commune Power Word for Saulanna, and then grant it to Peregrin.

However, it may be possible to create a two-way telepathy channel just between Saulanna and Peregrin that either can initiate, that doesn't require creating a whole Power Word.
>>
No. 427771 ID: 147853

A big thing we need to work on is letting him know that we want to collect the other shards of titans that have been scattered around. That would be pretty sweet. He'd probably be able to help us out a lot with that sort of thing.
>>
No. 427853 ID: 67e8b2

Make affirmative gestures and prepare yourself to meet them. Try to make an opportunity to talk to Peregrin again before meeting with them. Try to get an idea of how terrible it would be for them to find out you're part made of primordial.
>>
No. 427875 ID: c3c502

>>427390

This makes good sense. If possible, Peregrin should have a way to communicate with us. Not giving your underlings the ability to report in, ask for advice or clarification etc. is an Evil Overlord List level screwup.

Ditto on spending time with him, and explaining / clarifying things first chance we get (we haven't had time yet, I imagine. We were likely exhausted after that battle nonsense, then strait to bed and all these uninvited visitors popped up).
>>
No. 428024 ID: 63f851

Whatever our intentions are right now, we should try to be as communicative as possible without using powers that would give us away to the other moon heroes.
>>
No. 428796 ID: 147853

We are playing it way too safe in retrospect. Where went the epic? Lets do something epic! Charge in there right now! Who's the Chosen of Luna?! Well, three of us are... but there's only one pre-titan here. Lets get our mojo on!
>>
No. 428866 ID: 63f851

"Charge in there right now!"
What could possibly go wrong? Let's do it!
>>
No. 428868 ID: cdc0e8

Yeah, no. That is a bad idea. Possibly instant game over right now. We have no idea how strong we are compared to them and killing them would likely piss off Luna. Not only that, direct battle with them has the HIGH chance of exposing our Titanic properties. Which would be bad.

So no trying to kill ourselves because you are bored. Give Peregrin a nod, a thumbs up then get to the library.
>>
No. 428873 ID: 927efa

Oh also you can totally blame Luna for wiping your memories. Seriously check out the first thread she totally says it was her own moon power that did it. They don't have to know about Peregrin's... experiment.
>>
No. 428911 ID: 147853

>>428868
You know, charging in there doesn't mean we need to fight, or even kill them. Social combat is decidedly nonlethal, and neither of them looks to be a socialite.

Though I guess we aren't exactly a socialite either...
>>
No. 428997 ID: af25e0

Charging in would be a bad idea. It's unlikely that anyone would actually get killed or seriously injured, but it would make Saulanna look foolish. She isn't going to overpower both of them.

Stick with the original plan of meeting them in the library. Play to your strengths and impress them.
>>
No. 429043 ID: 147853

Is there really anything aside from cowardice keeping us from just going to say "hi" right now? As far as we know, or can logically deduce, they don't want to hurt us.

They were probably just dispatched to see us safely back to the Pact, where we can get our tattoos and such.

Though with our titan power we could probably avoid mutating on our own, if we use it right.
>>
No. 429059 ID: 61e7f9

Hide now, you twat! Mr Smart may pick up Perigrin saw something!
>>
No. 429133 ID: 3e5b42

In case of hostility, I think we would prefer it if we fight those two Lunars with social combat and convince them to leave. Two for two, Perigree is better built for social combat anyway (as shown when he fooled us last chapter) and we can somewhat rely on Wordblood's powers to overcome any discrepancies between Saulanna's abilities and the other two Lunars.
>>
No. 429138 ID: 927efa

Thumbs up, ninja vanish, head to the library.
>>
No. 429569 ID: 3a7f69

waiting until we're in a place of relative power - like the library seems like an excellent idea.
>>
No. 430580 ID: fe3c0a

It's been over two weeks since the last story post. When do we get more?
>>
No. 430587 ID: 886a4d

rude
>>
No. 430600 ID: 72d49b

>>430580
Things like this belong in the discussion thread.
>>
No. 432010 ID: fe3c0a
File 134221504983.jpg - (20.03KB , 320x252 , 320.jpg )
432010

Let's go!
>>
No. 432662 ID: cee89f

>>432010
But I went LAST year! D:

...(seriously though. To the library. But give a sign that you understand first)
>>
No. 432877 ID: 76dc33
File 134236919872.png - (112.31KB , 600x500 , balconydoor2.png )
432877

>>
No. 432878 ID: 76dc33
File 134236921520.png - (96.62KB , 600x500 , balconydoor2-1.png )
432878

>>
No. 432879 ID: 76dc33
File 134236922654.png - (72.60KB , 600x500 , balconydoor2-2.png )
432879

>>
No. 432880 ID: 76dc33
File 134236925016.png - (41.80KB , 800x600 , mansemapup1.png )
432880

After asking Alice to deliver an invitation, Saulanna employs her Mask Sneak ability and absconds to the LIBRARY.
>>
No. 432882 ID: d8f016

Okay, look around a little while we wait for the guests to arrive.

Talk to Wordblood- get advise on entering the upcoming 4-way 2 on 2 conversation battle that's about to happen. Raise question of using Titan powers to establish a hidden communication channel with Peregrin for an unfair advantage.
>>
No. 432883 ID: 76dc33
File 134236973910.png - (194.64KB , 1000x500 , libraryentry.png )
432883

It turns out the library contains A LOT OF BOOKS. This is by far the largest room Saulanna's seen, and it was implied there are other rooms attached. She feels slightly intimidated, yet also strangely comforted - like she is quietly surrounded by friends. But whose feeling is that, exactly? She suspects, but the sensation seems genuine.

She doesn't see any sign of Gevin yet.

The lights in the library are not on, and the fireplace is not lit. There's quite a lot to explore, but her visitors will be here soon. What should she do?

>Telepathy/Communion/etc
>"You could make a Power Word to do such a thing, my lady. However, shouting mystical syllables is not a good first step in communication on the sly. Stealth is really not something that Power Words are intrinsically suited for, I'm afraid! If you want to command the world, after all, you have to get its attention. If you are interested in this sort of thing, I did once have powers along this line myself - the thoughts of sentient creatures are based around language, you know, even inside their own heads, and I was once able to read and write to mortal minds with ease. If I were more powerful than I am now, albeit rather significantly more powerful, I could regain abilities along these lines."

>"You are free, of course, to decide on other uses of Titan's Will. I'll remind you, however, that using even one or two measures will prevent you from reinstating yourself to your current level of power after we generate a new soul, and any more than that would require scrapping that plan entirely, for now.
"
>>
No. 432886 ID: d8f016

Well, okay then. I guess we want to be prepared to receive guests. Turn on the lights, maybe start the fireplace? Assuming you can do so without antics, making a mess, or getting covered in soot. Any of your absorbed memories tell tell you how to start a fire?

We wanna make a good first impression. You should look calm and relaxed, and not impatient, surprised, or afraid. Maybe reading in the chair when they enter? Then you put down the book and stand up when it's time to greet them.
>>
No. 432905 ID: 306af1

nah, just chill and read.
>>
No. 432909 ID: 431fa8

>>432883
If this encounter goes well, acquiring more Titan's Will in the immediate future will likely not pose a significant problem. If it goes poorly... who knows when we might be able to get more. We should therefore take all reasonable steps to see that it goes well.

Spend a Titan's Will on improving our Beauty, that we may be better armed for this encounter. We will have to rely on Wordblood's exceptional facility with innuendo and doublespeak if we need to communicate to Peregrin subtly.
>>
No. 432919 ID: 497055

>>432909

I agree. We don't really need another soul right now- We should wait until we are a good deal more powerful. I vote for another point of beauty as well.
>>
No. 432934 ID: d8f016

Why waste Titans will on that? We can use a renewable point of moon power to moon boost our beauty stat to double.
>>
No. 433046 ID: 497055

>>432934

An increase from Titan's will is going to be permanent, plus the Moon Boost will double the extra point as well, taking our potential from a maximum of 6 to 8.
>>
No. 433072 ID: 06dae0

You know what might be a good idea to check later when we have the time? Taking a look at what we can do with our recently gained crafting abilities.
>>
No. 433105 ID: 334456

Might as well look for Gevin. Just don't stray TOO far from the entrance.

What exactly was the feeding soul supposed to do?
>>
No. 433121 ID: 06dae0

Well if I remember right the feeding soul is basically a titan fragment dedicated to breaking down and consuming the souls we absorb for us as opposed to making Wordblood do it himself.
>>
No. 433124 ID: 7472ad

Hold off on spending it. Just wait for them to get here.
>>
No. 433138 ID: b85f8c

>>433121
No, the information is here: >>409526
It's a dedicated soul that regenerates or something, so that we can eat bits of it over time. Hmm. Wordblood didn't mention HOW the soul would get stronger- ask him about that. Would dumping moon power or extra TW into it make it produce returns faster?
>>
No. 433346 ID: d8f016

Hey, just a thought on secret communication. We automatically understand all language though Wordblood, right? So if Peregin knows any kind of non-verbal code he can use it to pass information to us in front of other people, even if we've never learned it! Of course, it might be harder for us to signal back in a code we never learned...

>>433072
Yes, I'd be very interested in looking into this when we get a chance.
>>
No. 433350 ID: 32b5e5

>Raise Beauty
I'm a little leery about spending TW now, it is an extremely valuable resource. I would prefer to sit on what we have until we get the opportunity to use it more effectively i.e. the Feeder Deva or another well timed power word. We have so many options! (>>409525) I'm loathe to us it for something so mundane, especially when we have our native powers as a Moon Hero that can accomplish that and more!

For now we should focus on how we are going to handle our guests. Light is a start, telling Gevin to leave for now and be very wary of Garmir is good, maybe getting more seats (not chairs, I suspect Peregrin only has the one in here and it sends the message that we are in control if we sit in Peregrin's comfy reading chair while they sit on step ladders. Not that I can imagine Garmir sitting down now that I think about it...)

Also; On the map, What are these: ⊗? We passed right by one.
>>
No. 433376 ID: 147853

Why don't we just go ahead and follow that little plan with the soul and making ourselves stronger again so we don't have to worry about it anymore?

Obviously having a feeder soul is going to come in handy, and it's better to have one than nothing at all.

Plus, having yet another soul may come in handy for the social interaction to come.

On the other hand, we may learn something yet that we will want to use Titan's Will for. I want to avoid potentially randomly mutating, and I also don't want Lunar Tatts... so I kind of want to keep a few extra cards in my hand too.
>>
No. 433392 ID: af25e0

>>432886
>We wanna make a good first impression. You should look calm and relaxed, and not impatient, surprised, or afraid. Maybe reading in the chair when they enter? Then you put down the book and stand up when it's time to greet them.

This is basically what you want to do. Use the ability >>432934 mentioned.

Don't just grab something off the shelf; make sure that the book you pick is somewhat relevant. They aren't going to be impressed by "50 Shades of the Twilight Caste" or a book on tax law.
>>
No. 433394 ID: 7472ad

>>433392
For what you pick, see if Wordblood can sense anything in the Library that is of a particular high quality.
>>
No. 433411 ID: 431fa8

>>433392 >>432934
Moon Boosting our Beauty will only last for one action. That's not enough to make a significant difference here, and we'll burn through our Moon Power incredibly rapidly if we rely on repeatedly boosting it.

>>433138
>Wordblood didn't mention HOW the soul would get stronger
It would have a Soul Force stat, just like Wordblood and Saulanna, and would presumably advance in the same way. In >>422287 he at least implied a likely upgrade path.

>>433350
>I would prefer to sit on what we have ... We have so many options!
I understand the impulse, but hoarding our Titan's Will does us no good and I don't think we have time for a Feeding Soul right now. We need to arm ourselves for the coming social battle, and trust that there will be plenty of Titan's Will later- as long as we can remain in Peregrin's realm, he can arrange for us to access additional souls. But who knows what we might be convinced of, if we should falter here?

>I'm loathe to us it for something so mundane, especially when we have our native powers as a Moon Hero that can accomplish that and more!
None of our Moon Hero powers can give us a permanent boost to our Beauty stat, to the best of my knowledge. At best, they give us a momentary flash of incredible beauty sufficient to briefly dazzle someone (a temporary +3 bonus on one social maneuver)- something worth much less than a single constant additional point in a social conflict.

>>433376
>Why don't we just go ahead and follow that little plan with the soul and making ourselves stronger again so we don't have to worry about it anymore?
Remember what Wordblood said about creating it:
>"I must stress that the process is likely to be very strenuous, even painful. There are also many decisions to be made about what form the new soul will take, choices that will likely shape your identity forever.
We have incoming guests right now. Having the Feeding Soul up and running before they show up would be ideal- and in fact, if we think that we could manage it in the next thirty seconds or so I would support it- but we don't want them to see us either during the process or its immediate aftermath. If we want to arm ourselves socially more quickly than that, we can increase Beauty or start burning it on Soul Force, Moon Abilities, or Titanic Powers.
>>
No. 433455 ID: 9718f3

>>433411
This logic is sound and gets my full support.(Not that that means anything.)

A further point to make: if we really need TW, there are more prisoners to nom on, later. Ones that wouldn't be as traumatizing to eat because we seem to have eaten the worst dude ever, basically, already. This, of course, doesn't mean that there aren't other prisoners that represent a serious danger to others who's soul energy would be better put to use by us i.e. not a huge jerk. That should be our slogan, "Saulanna Ricanya : not a huge jerk."

Anyway, this requires us to not get kidnapped by Moon Heroes "for our own good", and a point in beauty is a relatively cheap investment that should help with that goal. Think of it like investing in a Power Word that only passively boosts our performance in social encounters.

Maybe we'll even get a nose.
>>
No. 433489 ID: 1da170

We should honestly upgrade all of our attributes once, the cost of doing so the first time is very cheap.

But Beauty is a good start.
>>
No. 433507 ID: 0d1ecc

>>432934

Yep. Boosting stats can be done with moon power, creating the feeder soul can't.
>>
No. 433514 ID: 886a4d

I vote for a feeder soul.. but AFTER we confront these two.
>>
No. 433610 ID: 99636c

Per
>>416543
beauty affects how positively disposed our opponents are towards us, but these guys are already going to have a favorable opinion of us. We're a freshly chosen moon hero. If we weren't awesome in the eyes of Luna, we wouldn't have been chosen to begin with. From their dialogue it appears that they have come to help guide an inexperienced lunar and/or rescue us from this evil deathknight. We shouldn't need anymore beauty than we already have. At most, a moon boost during our introduction would ensure that our conversation starts favorably.

Also, beauty is probably the most... obvious trait. An instant, out-of-nowhere permanent boost might raise suspicions among some of the people/ghosts of this city. It could risk exposing our unique nature. Plus, I'm not sure how Jukashi would draw an increase in beauty. Saulanna looks pretty enough to me right now. Any changes risk disappointment.

Our bigger concerns in the upcoming social combat are inspiration and dickery. We need to convince the lunars that we freely choose to remain here without duress or mind raping charms influencing us (truth, so that would be inspiration). We must also create an explanation for the fight and our decision to stay with the creepy death people instead of going off with our fellow moon heroes, and we need to do it without leaving clues that reveal our titanic nature (dickery, since we can't tell them the truth). Thankfully, the last soul we ate gave us expert deception.
>>405264

I don't think we should spend any titan's will unless we absolutely have to. I still want to create a feeder soul after we resolve this business with the lunars and the Emissary. If we had to, I'd rather spend the titan's will on an emergency power word like we did during the fight with peregrin, but the situation isn't bad enough to warrant one yet. Normal moon heroes make it through tough situations like these without having titan's will. Let's see what we can do on our own. It's still there if things get really bad.

>>433455
The lesser criminals that Peregrin suggested we eat may not in fact deserve death like the monster we killed. While I trust him not to betray us or lie to us, I don't particularly trust his moral judgment. Remember, this guy effectively murdered our old identity and then experimented on us as punishment for theft. I don't think we can count on them as a source of more titan's will without knowing more of their crimes.

So, turn on the lights, light the fireplace, find an interesting book, sit in the chair in a relaxed manner, and pretend to read the book while making up a good story to tell the lunars.
>>
No. 433612 ID: d8f016

>>433514
>>433610

This is a pretty excellent explanation of why we should conserve our Titan's will, and why beauty isn't so awesome.
>>
No. 433648 ID: 964e53

>>433612
Or why Inspiration and Dickery are better investments. That said, I'd advise just holding back the TW, and only upgrading them if things seem to be going poorly. We can probably upgrade them on the fly without it being obvious like Beauty woudl be.
>>
No. 433652 ID: 252e1b

OK, beauty adds to the social damage for every social attack in a social argument when we are in social combat with a social opponent. For the sake of social events, it seems like it has the most social punch per point since it accrues.

In social combat, Beauty is like being radioactive. The more socially radioactive you are, the more socially inept your social opponent becomes because the social radiation (beauty) is building up and making him into a social moron.

Beauty is a radioactive stat!

Put more points into it.
>>
No. 433659 ID: 431fa8

>>433610
I've replied to this in the discussion thread (>>/questdis/57234) so as to avoid extensive and ballooning argument here.
>>
No. 433666 ID: 6b9d7f

Yay, it's back!


Aw, no telepathy powers? We will be a sad raccoon.
>>
No. 433667 ID: 6b9d7f

Start a fire, find Gevin and warn him to leave, find some slightly-less-comfy chairs, settle down.

I've replied to the Beauty debate in Discussion.
>>
No. 433772 ID: 06dae0

You know we should probably wait until after meeting with the other Lunars to upgrade with a feeder soul and reupgrade. Doesn't using Titan's Will cause our soul fire to flare up?
>>
No. 433808 ID: 1417a1

Let's save the Titan's Will for the really cool stuff (souls!).

Using Moon Power to boost Appearance when they enter for epic first impression is probably a good idea.
>>
No. 433826 ID: 0c2247

>>433808
Exalted can generally tell when another exalted is using their powers, and we don't want them to think Saulanna has a reason to use her powers.
It would be suspicious, which is counterproductive.
>>
No. 433871 ID: 1417a1

>>433826
It's not impossible that one of them could tell. So what? Why would it be suspicious? (continued here: >>/questdis/57268 )
>>
No. 433888 ID: 6b9d7f

I just realized something: Saulanna has to be very careful how much Moon Power she uses in front of these guys, even aside from them seeing her using it.

A normal Moon Hero, newly Exalted with a small Soul Force and without a titan soul inside, would have used up most of their Moon Power in a fight with an experienced Death Hero. And no normal Moon Hero can recover Moon Power in a Shadowy Land, as Saulanna already figured out herself.

These Moon Heroes know we fought against Peregrin. They know we Exalted only recently. They'll expect that we have much less Moon Power than we do (since Wordblood accounts for ~half of ours) and will expect Saulanna has used up most of it in the fight and regained none of it.

If Saulanna lets them learn that she's basically a full power right now, they'll wonder why. If she lets them find out how much Soul Force she has already (4 total?) they'll wonder why.

Saulanna has to pretend to have no access to Wordblood's Soul Force, and she must pretend that she used up most of her Moon Power and has regained none in this Shadowy Land.
>>
No. 433892 ID: 1417a1

>>433888
>no normal Moon Hero can recover Moon Power in a Shadowy Land, as Saulanna already figured out herself.
When did we learn this? I only got the impression that it was regained more slowly.
>>
No. 433977 ID: a3b384

Well in any case, keeping evidence of our abilities to a minimum is good so no burning any powers for now. What I'm more worried about is the cover story for what happened. I'm sure Peregrin can come up with a plausible scenario, but letting him do all the talking is itself suspicious. I suggest a combination of letting him explain the situation with us interjecting with confirmation and embellishment.

By the way Wordblood, hypothetically how much of an effect would there be if you consumed all the books in this library? Besides the empty shelves of course.
>>
No. 433989 ID: 147853

Hm... would it be possible to just like... convert Gevin into a feeder soul or something? Conserve some point cost?
>>
No. 434020 ID: 1b9919

>>433989
I don't really see that as a good idea. He's got his own life and goals, and we want someone tailor made for the job.

Ideally, we want to design the feeder to have no qualms about taking souls apart, but we also don't want to create something that will be pushing us to destroy when we don't want to. Ie, not reluctant, and not Tom either. Pretty sure Gevin would be reluctant.

Double ideally? The feeder soul needs to be smart enough to act as another adviser. And no offense to Gevin, but he's really not intellectually Saulana's or Wordblood's peer.
>>
No. 434078 ID: 6b9d7f

Guys, a Feeder Soul has nothing to do with eating human souls. It makes Titan's Will from nothing, with no effort from Saulanna or Wordblood, without killing or eating anybody. The entire point of a Feeder Soul is so Saulanna doesn't become a mass-murderer (which would be discovered eventually, and doubtless make the Moon Heroes and most other living people very unfriendly. Also, sooner or later Luna will probably discover we are Titanic, and adding "soul-eating serial killer" to that will probably not dispose her to accept us.)


>>433892
Saulanna figured it out when she first Exalted, in chapter 1.
>>
No. 434106 ID: 1b9919

>>434078
Feeder soul does both, actually. See here:

>>409526
Wordblood directly says it will created for the specific purpose of more superior soul consumption (because he has trouble with it), and eventual independent generation of titans will, with low returns.

The point therefore is to make Saulanna a better soul murder, and/or to have the option to avoid murder in the long run. The means for both, the decision left to her.

That's why I suggested a moderate personalty for this entity, one willing to either kill or spare as we see necessary. We don't want to be forced to kill- but we may need to.
>>
No. 434182 ID: 06dae0

You know what I just realized? We never bothered to ask about our own True Name. Something to do later.
>>
No. 434231 ID: 60af05
File 134262906247.png - (188.81KB , 1000x500 , library2.png )
434231

>Feeding Soul

To clarify, the new soul will be basically like Wordblood, a spirit living in Saulanna's head with its own powers and personality, ability to learn and grow and so forth, and subordinate to her. Still part of her, really, as she understands it. Its precise powers will depend on what form it takes and whether she upgrades it, but it will help Saulanna both in accumulating and managing her Titan's Will and Moon Power.

>Gevin

Gevin, Saulanna thinks, would not make a good feeding soul, even if she felt inclined to try and do such a thing to him.

>Consuming the library

>"Currently, my lady, it would get you a lot of knowledge, and maybe a little bit of Power. To be honest, however, I don't think I'm up to absorbing so much at once - not yet - so it would take time. I'm really quite weak, as I am now."

>regaining Moon Power

It happens slowly here, but it isn't impossible. Saulanna regained some while she was sleeping.

>What are these: ⊗?

That was a spiral staircase.

>Lights, start a fire.

Oh, oh! Wait a minute. Watch this, this is great. It's called "Invitation to the Flame". Watch.
>>
No. 434233 ID: 60af05
File 134262909774.png - (208.49KB , 1000x500 , library3.png )
434233

Ha ha ha! Ha ha. Haah... Fun.

... It only works on things that are intended to catch fire.

This puny cantrip is about as impressive as it gets for mortal magic.
>>
No. 434236 ID: 60af05
File 134262927089.png - (108.31KB , 600x500 , lookbooks.png )
434236

>Taking a look at what we can do with our recently gained crafting abilities.

On the subject of mortal magic... Saulanna can probably cobble together any normal mundane crafts, given appropriate time and resources, especially if she Boosts herself. And she can enchant them, but mortal enchantment isn't really that impressive. Lots of effort for small advantages, and nothing really obvious. That's sort of a theme with mortal magic. For the most part, it allows things which are good, but which wouldn't normally be impossible. An average blade, enchanted, becomes as good as a masterwork one. Alchemical longevity potions make you live longer, but maybe you'd have lived that long anyway, just by being lucky. That sort of thing.

The mortal magic which is a little more obvious actually uses or manipulates magic from external sources. That little ritual Saulanna just used, for example; it required a little, sort of, "latent" fire energy, that was inherent in the candles and the fireplace already? And she used her Power, so she was sort of cheating to begin with. Or higher levels of Alchemy, for example, would require the essences of rare ingredients. Another example would be warding (Abjuration) and summoning (Theurgy) rituals. Or "beseeching" would be a better word. A mortal magician could invite a spirit to come to them, and then bargain with them for some service, but they couldn't force them to do anything.

>"Actually, my lady, you could force them to do things. The gods are bound to obey a Titans' direct commands. However, I'm quite certain that doing so would set all the gods and their Heroes against you, so I don't recommend it."

... Hmm.

Anyway. Crafting. For any magical artifact of real power, you need potent mystical ingredients. The bottled breath of a mountain, a fire elemental's tears, the blood of magical creatures, that sort of thing. Though, Saulanna thinks she could just use Titan's Will instead? This calls for experimentation. Not right now, though.

>Book

There are more books on mortal magic, here. Those would probably make her seem pretty smart, and imply that she has a good bit of freedom; books like that are restricted in a lot of places, if her stolen memories are accurate. Enchanting, Environmancy, Deathlore, Abjuration, Theurgy, Alchemy. There are also books on other scholarly subjects, like medicine, history, trade, zoology, various cultures. Once again, it seems the really serious magic books are not kept out in the open.

>Beauty

Saulanna... wouldn't mind increasing her Beauty. It certainly seems like it would be useful. As for people noticing, well, maybe they would assume she put on makeup, or something? Or that she cleaned herself up? She should probably clean herself up properly at some point, actually.

If it's just a passive bonus to social combat that's wanted, Saulanna's Scent of Victory ability actually does that! It generates a scent and attitude of competence and leadership, bolstering allies and intimidating enemies. The benefit is relatively modest, but persistent. So that's an option. Not that increasing Beauty wouldn't create even more of an advantage.

So, what should she do? Go for it, or keep saving for later?
>>
No. 434238 ID: bf54a8

Abjuration for a book and save it.
>>
No. 434239 ID: 1b9919

>Watch this, this is great.
...you had me totally expecting you to light the library on fire. Nice show of competence, and faking us out there, Saulanna. Well played.

Experimenting with crafting with Titan's Will will regrettably have to be something we save for another day, when we've got the time and reserves for it. Resources are tight enough as is right now.

Not being able to absorb the library for emergency power isn't that bad. That plan would have been a last(ish) resort anyways. As for what book to read, I wasn't so much thinking as to impress them with the subject matter, as that the very act of reading makes you look comfortable, secure, and relaxed in your position here. Though it would probably be smart to pick a book on a subject your absorbed memories give you some familiarity with. That way you won't look the fool if one of the guests actually asks a question relevant to the book.

If Scent of Victory will give you a persistent passive bonus for the coming diplomancy, use it. Beauty, we've already been back and forth over in the dis thread, and my vote is we should save the titan's will. But I can roll if you decide otherwise, girl.
>>
No. 434244 ID: 6b9d7f

I vote save Titan's Will for making a Feeding Soul and then increasing its or Saulanna's Soul Fire. She should become capable of generating her own Titan's Will as soon as possible, because like I said, if Moon Heroes find out she's eating human souls, they will probably become rather hostile. Let alone Luna finding out. Really, she'll learn we're Titanic eventually; we should be do whatever Moon Heroes do to impress/please her, so she's relatively favorably disposed when that happens. That'll help give Saulanna goals, too.


For now: A history book would be more useful to read. An abjuration book would be more impressive, and probably easier to discuss intelligently.

Scent of Victory sounds good.

What's Saulanna's story? She needn't come up with where she's from; plenty of people are probably not talkative about their past, and her appearance and/or accent should at least indicate what part of the world she was born in. She was a novice scavenger archaeologist/scavenger lord, but her past is irrelevant to her new life as a Moon Hero. She was going to see what she could steal from Peregrin, and he found her when she Exalted. They fought, but came to an understanding and mutually beneficial alliance. Hint that an attack on one is an attack on both. Maybe hint that she intends to defend the ghosts here from attacks, too.
>>
No. 434252 ID: 334456

Bah, just upgrade it. Don't want to get into the habit of hoarding, IMO.

Besides, I'm interested in seeing the effects, if any.
>>
No. 434260 ID: 2972f8

I guess you shouldn't bother with mortal magic when you have something better. but you should upgrade beauty, because boobies are the best.
>>
No. 434293 ID: 886a4d

feeder soul
>>
No. 434296 ID: 29d570

Increase Beauty
>>
No. 434301 ID: a3b384

I vote against doing anything before meeting with them. But if we absolutely must spend our energy, go with the scent.
>>
No. 434311 ID: 21a619

I vote for using it after we meet them. And for feeder soul, but we'll probably vote on it again afterward.
>>
No. 434349 ID: ee5586

Just wait/look around the library for the two moon heroes to come, after they've left we can make the feeder soul while having Peregrin observing it to see what he can find out from us budding off a new entity from our soul.
>>
No. 434378 ID: 6e44d2

Feeder soul. Do it.
>>
No. 434379 ID: d1f1b7

Increase Beauty.

Why not.
>>
No. 434382 ID: b85f8c

>>434236
First, save the TW. The sooner we get that feeder soul up, the better it will be for us. We can improve beauty soon after that, at the point when we would be able to make the feeder soul if we increased beauty first. PLUS we'd have whatever benefit the feeder soul gave us with consuming souls. So it's better in the long run, and we can afford to put off raising beauty.

Second, what the heck was that transparent rod-looking thing you had when you cast the cantrip?
>>
No. 434547 ID: f03e5a

I'm sure Luna is just worried about you and sent backup in case you got over your head. Relax for now and wait to use scent of victory to socially find out what the MOON HEROES want from you. You can always use the titan's will after shit hits the fan to boost your moon power and abilities at the same time as you did in the Peregrin battle.
>>
No. 434648 ID: 1417a1

Feeder soul as soon as the meeting is over.
>>
No. 434658 ID: 63f851

I'd be cautious about increasing power again. The MOON HEROES and Luna might become suspicious at how powerful we are so soon, since the acquisition and usage of Titan's Will is most definitely not normal.
>>
No. 434689 ID: 5e703e

feeder soul do it
>>
No. 434830 ID: 431fa8

>>434236
Upgrade Beauty, and activate Scent of Victory as well. Our Beast Senses are still active too, right? Best to gear up fully for this encounter; no sense taking chances.

>hopefully increased Beauty will give us a nose, rather than ridiculously large breasts
>because our breasts are pretty nice already, but our nose is still suffering critical existence failure

Then grab a book and settle in. Ask Wordblood for advice on which to take- he's a grandmaster of books, so odds are he can immediately pick out whatever volume would mark us as extremely well educated and respected but which is still within our general understanding. I'd aim for something in Abjuration or Alchemy; Theurgy is nice and all but implies associations with beings that we probably don't want to implicitly claim.

Once we get through this, we'll need to talk to Peregrin about the Feeding Soul. We really want him to be there to see it, and there are more slavers to consume for power- but with the Dragon's Emissary incoming it may not be practical to move on this immediately. So much to worry about!

>>434244
>What's Saulanna's story?
I would use that she can honestly claim that Lord Kaan has known her longer than she can remember and that he stood by her while she learned almost all the arcane lore she knows- or at least that she learned it in this citadel. It gives us an excellent reason to claim a friendly relationship with him and plans to stay here- we can act the excited new Hero, gleeful over her vastly increased reserves of power and new magical capabilities, eager to learn arts of sorcery and artifice that were beyond her ken before. We can play up the fact that our ability to Moon Boost our mental abilities means that things which would make no sense to a merely mortal intellect now seem plainly laid out before us, and use that logic to feasibly object to any suggestion on the Moon Heroes' part that doesn't involve us sitting right here and tearing through every book that Peregrin's library contains.

It might also put the more intellectual of the Moon Heroes in the position of trying to establish a rapport with us by teaching us, as a means of competing with Peregrin's obvious resources and talents in that arena to try and draw us away. Could be a good opportunity to learn a few things.
>>
No. 434831 ID: 3734f6

do not use TW until you have made a feeder soul.
So no beauty upgrade.
>>
No. 434887 ID: cee89f

>>434830
They already know you've fought with him, and that both of you were trying to kill each other. That would just make them suspect mental influence all over again.
>>
No. 434891 ID: c7f8fb

>>434887
I don't see a momentary disagreement coming to blows being inexplicable. Especially for one newly come into her powers. A little thing like exaltation could pretty easily shake up a pre-existing relationship.

Heck, this can hardly be the first time heros have reached an accord after smacking each other around a little.

We can even be mostly honest about what the disagreement was about. Peregrin thought our new status was an opportunity to control. You made it clear that if he wanted anything from you it was happening on your terms. Once you past that little misunderstanding, things have been much smoother. He's an excellent host, and you each have something the other wants.

The only real flaw is we may need to follow up with details.
>>434830
Provides reasons why a working relationship with Perregin would be useful / desirable from Saulanna's perspective. We need a non-titanic research explanation for how he benefits from the relationship. Although we may not need to come up with his motivation; he may be quick enough on his feet to provide explanation himself.
>>
No. 434960 ID: 6a1ec2

Attack the moon heroes when they enter. Then apologize and say that's how you greet people. That'll explain your fight with Peregrin.
>>
No. 434986 ID: cee89f

>>434960
While hilarious, I'm not sure that's the brightest move. Or most believable...
>>
No. 435192 ID: 3d5ef3

Save our TW for bigger and better things, use Scent of Victory.

>Cover Story
Is there any reason not to just flat out say that we have amnesia? We can claim that we retained our skills but all our knowledge of personal history is second hand, hell, we made up our name on the spot, Ask Luna! I think it will save us some headache down the road and might even get us some sympathy and leeway.

I do like >>434830, it is a very clever twist on the truth but it implies a rather unhealthy relationship with Peregin that they might try to exploit/cull. We also need to consider that these two may be our elders by centuries and we need to treat them accordingly. Until we know them better Garmir smells fear, Specs sees lies and neither take threats well.
>>
No. 435193 ID: fcc78d

>>435192
Except that amnesia does not, and has not ever, worked that way except in cheap stories and poorly written books. It'll never work, since after all, this is reality!

(:V)
>>
No. 435194 ID: bf54a8

except he's right, luna HERSELF knows about it.
>>
No. 435212 ID: fa9f7e

>>435193
MAGIC amnesia, of course.
>>
No. 435215 ID: 147853

>>435194
Not that that really means anything.
>>
No. 435225 ID: 106512
File 134297845194.png - (150.98KB , 700x600 , lunarsenter.png )
435225

Saulanna activates her Scent of Victory ability, and selects a book on alchemy to read. She doesn't get more than a few paragraphs before she hears footsteps approaching, and makes sure she visibly stands to welcome them as they enter. Peregrin isn't here; just Alice. Saulanna begins to notice that she's feeling rather nervous.

She tries to hide it as best she can.

"Well now, here we are! Sorry to drop in so suddenly on you; I know you must still be adjusting, but we're actually here to try and help with that. I'm Askalaff, this is-"
>>
No. 435226 ID: 106512
File 134297848088.png - (115.17KB , 583x500 , circletoff.png )
435226

With no regard for personal space, the larger of the two men steps in and pushes up Saulanna's circlet, exposing her divine brand, which has begun glowing slightly brighter again.

"Garmir!!"
>>
No. 435227 ID: 106512
File 134297860010.png - (237.97KB , 1000x500 , library4.png )
435227

"What sort of a first impression is that supposed to be!"

"She still smells weird."

"Y- Aargh! What's the use of having you track someone if you're just going to offend everybody when we find them! I am terribly sorry. Don't mind him, please, he just... doesn't like people."

Garmir makes a vague grunt. Alice, looking rather nervous, decides to make her own quiet contribution.

>"Er... Would you like me to bring some... tea, or something?"

"Sigh... some privacy, please, would be nice."

>"Um. I, uh. Mistress Rockblossom?"
>>
No. 435228 ID: fa9f7e

>>435227
"Yes?"
>>
No. 435229 ID: e3aff6

Tell Alice that will be fine, and thanks for her concern.

Then introduce yourself and say it is nice to meet other Moon Heroes.
>>
No. 435230 ID: e3f578

>>435227
Tell four-eyes not to be disrespectful to your servants.
Don't actually say four-eyes.
We should establish that this place and everything in it is ours now. If they ask why, you won a challenge from its previous owner, that's all they have to know, or what you'll allow them to know. A girl should always keep things vague and curious.
>>
No. 435231 ID: 3d5ef3

"It's okay Alice, go tend to your other duties, I'll be fine"
>>
No. 435233 ID: 8e921b

Composedly walk over to Alice and ask her, audibly, if these two visitors have treated her respectfully or harmed her in any way. (Don't confuse her by using her name.) Make it very clear to these bozos that you will not tolerate any mistreatment of anybody in this estate, living or dead.

Maybe point out that desire to "help" requires deeds as well as words.
>>
No. 435234 ID: 2972f8

yeah, sure. skiddaddle.
>>
No. 435242 ID: 334456

>>435230
It's not really hugely disrespectful, just a little brusk.

"That would be lovely, Alice, thank you. You should probably get yourself something, as well."

I very much doubt either of them have paid the servant very much attention, so there's really no need to go around accusing them of being abusive. Seriously.

Also, we do NOT need to go around telling them we own everything in sight, yet. They have an impression at the moment, and the more assumptions they make, the more we can put them off balance later if we need to. No need to open with it.
>>
No. 435249 ID: a3b384

Tell Alice it's fine. Assure Askalaff and Garmir that you aren't offended, and welcome them properly. Hopefully we can get through this without complications, let them do most of the talking. If we can avoid making up stories by working with what they assume that can only help. Make good use of that nice new deception skill of ours.
>>
No. 435252 ID: 227946

Ask Alice if she can bring you some tea, snacks and maybe some other drinks, but to knock before reentering the library.

Regarding Askalaff and Garmir try to keep your cards close to your chest for now, but ask if they had any trouble with Peregrin. "He's a lot easier to deal with once you get on his good side."
>>
No. 435302 ID: be57d5

To Alice: "Tea would be nice, thank you. And see to it that additional chairs are brought as well." Don't sit untill there are seats for everyone.
To the visitors, introduce yourself with your full name and your title as a moon hero, but no other title.
>>
No. 435306 ID: 9718f3

>>435302
Garmir looks the muscly type, he could help Alice get chairs! Eh, probably too much to hope that he'd agree. Hopefully he just keeps quit... guy's a jerk.
>>
No. 435308 ID: 6a1ec2

>>435230

Actually don't say any of this. Four eyes is fine. Garmir is suspicious though, so beware.
>>
No. 435310 ID: bf54a8

yes never lie to them straight, just don't tell them everything.
>>
No. 435316 ID: b85f8c

We already had tea. If they don't want any Alice can just go.

Sniff yourself to see if you can figure out what he's talking about.
>>
No. 435329 ID: c7f8fb

Oh hey, this is cool. They're rude, rash, and not a well functioning team. That bodes rather well for a diplomancy battle. We'll overpower them with with class and style.

Dismiss / excuse Alice. Don't call them out on how they may have treated her, or on their poor entrance. Maintain the social form high ground. Compose yourself and greet Aska and Garm politely. Focus on Aska as she seems to be in charge, or at least the diplomatic one. Don't reveal anything yet, let them state their business with you before you attempt to influence them or shape a story.

...I don't suppose it's customary for lunars to introduce themselves by animal? Because I'm all curious as to what they are. It might not be out of place for a curious new moon hero to ask the first others she meets that kind of thing?
>>
No. 435330 ID: bf54a8

and yeah just have alice go and perhaps get chairs.
>>
No. 435331 ID: 6a1ec2

>>435329

>> Because I'm all curious as to what they are.

What, isn't it obvious? :B
>>
No. 435338 ID: c7f8fb

>>435331
The specs, bangtenna, and cape wrapped around her have me guessing Ask's an owl- they're pretty solid visual clues. Garm I'm kind of stuck on though- he could be any number of big, gruff hairy things. I suppose a bear or badger would be the most obvious guesses. I'm trying to decide if the pointed ears play in at all. I'm actually holding out hope for an Armadillo long shot- simply because his war form would be hilarious.

But if it's obvious to you, feel free to enlighten me, and spare us the "Hello, I'm Saulanna, and I'm a raccoon! Who and what are you?"
>>
No. 435361 ID: a3b384

>>435338
Judging by the tracking by scent thing and general scruffiness, Id expect him to be a wolf. I'm far less certain about Askalaff, though. That hair could be indicating rabbit ears or horns or plumage or any number of other things. Dunno what the glasses could mean, maybe a mole?
>>
No. 435384 ID: 8e921b

Garmir's named after a wolf in Norse Myth, so he's probably got a wolf shape.

Aska makes me think owl too, but who knows. Any manner of hideously obvious Tell could be hidden under that cloak.
>>
No. 435385 ID: dd287a

be adorably curious and clueless, oh and accuse him of smelling even wierder or something like that, thats the sort of awesome counterattack we can come up with.
>>
No. 435386 ID: cee89f

"Thank you Alice, tea would be lovely."
*after she leaves, jab a finger in Garmir's face*
"You could've at least said 'Hi', ya prick! News flash: Don't touch me unless to fix grievous injury or after four shots of [Exalted-verse equivalent of Tequila]"

Alternatively:
"Thank you Alice, tea would be lovely."
*after she leaves, frown deeply*
"Please don't touch me again." *eye the circle-scars* "Doesn't feel like a social call. I assume this is important?"
>>
No. 435387 ID: bf54a8

>>435386
... yeah no.
>>
No. 435408 ID: fcc78d

>>435386
We're a social character! We aren't that gruff unless we need to be, and we don't seem to need to be. They were showing that they appreciated social skills. You only be that much of a jerk when they only respond to jerks.

Which is sadly often, but eh.
>>
No. 435411 ID: fcc78d

Garmir no longer exists to us. Ignore him unless he forces us to engage, and focus on Ask a Laugh there.

First, send Alice away with a nod - don't say anything, just nod. It shows understanding between the two of you and lets Askalaff feel a little bit more in control.

Then, give him an opening to start talking, but NOT about why he came. Ask about his clothes, his relationship with peregrin, Garamir - and if we go with that last one, look put off if Garamir answers for himself. Let them commit themselves to conversation and discussion and try to get their measure.

Do NOT directly engage in conversation about yourself. Make them bring it up. If they're going to, they need to feel like they're intruding when they do. It will put them on the back foot and make them feel awkward, giving you something to use.
>>
No. 435417 ID: 334456

Guys, guys, for christ sake, its not like fucking copped a feel or some shit.

This is what it takes for you all to flip your shit? Someone being gruff and slightly rude?

Just choose the ignore Garmir's errant behaviour. Nothing we say or do will change it on the spot.
>>
No. 435421 ID: e3aff6

>Garmir no longer exists to us. Ignore him unless he forces us to engage, and focus on Ask a Laugh there.
Supporting this. Outrage is overrated.
>>
No. 435427 ID: 147853

>>435411
>>435417
These.

The encounter has already begun. Use your amazimg intellect to be strategic about it.
>>
No. 435431 ID: c7f8fb

We should definitely ignore/overlook garm's rudeness. That means not overreacting ourselves, or resorting to petty tactics like slighting him or refusing to address him. A loss of class puts us at a disadvantage.

It occurs to me we're overlooking a possible consideration. We've assumed he's just rude and they're poorly coordinated. That introduction could have been a planned ploy. A play to get us to react poorly, and put ourselves at a disadvantage. The diplo-battle has already begun, be wary of the feint within feint.
>>
No. 435432 ID: fcc78d

>>435431
What do you mean, 'lack of class'? Ignoring someone who's being extremely rude - as we've already acknowledged he is - is common courtesy, and a boon to those they're with. If we ignore him, Askalaff doesn't need to keep apologizing for him, and the two actually civilized people can talk.

Have you never noticed parents ignoring their child's antics when talking to other adults, even when the child is obviously playing for attention? Same thing.
>>
No. 435438 ID: c7f8fb

>>435432

I meant reacting to the rudeness, for example trying to snub him, would be un-classy.

I think we're advocating the same thing, there's just subtle difference between politely ignoring his provocation and giving him an irritated silent treatment. One's the mature un-childlike behavior you describe, the other is a petty snub. I just didn't want to leave Saulanna room to misinterpret.
>>
No. 435444 ID: cee89f

>>435408
>>435387

... But that WAS social =( the second one was, anyway... And the first one was mostly a joke.
>>
No. 435445 ID: 8e921b

>>435431
Yeah, or they could be doing a good cop/bad cop routine.

But I don't feel qualified to give any social advice, so... I'll shut up now.
>>
No. 435456 ID: fcc78d

These two are not social monsters. They are trackers. They are not here to engage in the sort of battle that will be happening, and so their abilities are secondary at best. I think we can discount the "Feint within a feint" thing and focus on what's actually happening.
>>
No. 435506 ID: 334456

>>435456
GARMIR's the tracker. Askelaff is almost certaintly meant to be the more diplomatic of the two, and that does not preclude him from using Garmir's gruffness as part of his ploy.

That said, we may be being far too suspicious of these two. Paranoia will have us running in circles trying to figure out what they "may be up to", so lets just take this introduction at face value.
>>
No. 435524 ID: 3d5ef3

Speaking of introductions; we should probably introduce ourself and let the conversation flow from there. we will get a better feel for them and their motives once we start talking.
>>
No. 435555 ID: f03e5a

Think about this strategically. There are two opponents for this social battle one of them clearly inferior to your social skills. I would focus on him first and use him to elicit valuable information. He is clearly a no nonsense guy so I would be direct with him, cutting through bullshit and try to get him to give answers that the four eyed one might not give so directly.

I'd also suggest saying to the hairy one that he should mind his manners unless he wants to get his nose removed. While unlikely that a fight will start he should be reminded that here she is the dominant one.

Possible questions(Paraphrase these):
1. Where do they come from?
2. What do they know about Peregrin?
3. What do they know about Saulanna?
4. Who are they specificly? (Learn their stories.)
5. What do they intend to do now that they have found her?
6. What do they know about Luna's intentions toward her?(Also if subtly possible find out if Luna communicates with them directly and if she can scry on them, thus learning if Luna can scry on you when your not in communication with her.)

Prepare to recieve their questions about her and try to be calm and collected through the process. Anger or nervousness will only give them an advantage. You can do this Saulanna, we are all here with you every step of the way.
>>
No. 435570 ID: e7e90d

I doubt they are pulling a complicated play, but it hurts more to underestimate opponents than to overestimate. Regardless, our strategy for the moment doesn't change whether they're boors or brilliant diplomatists.

And there's no point in antagonizing or threatening Garm for his rudeness, geeze. Style and grace above bluster.

>>435555
While some of that information is useful, we expose ourselves by asking outright. Asking what they about Peregrin implies either our own ignorance or attachment / interest. Asking Luna's intentions is similarly suspicious- it implies we have something to hide, especially as we could have contacted her at any time.

We can probably get them to reveal who they are, where they're from, and what they want from Saulanna with very little prompting- we just let them talk.

Their opinions of Peregrin, and what they know of Saulanna, can be maneuvered as follow up questions when they come to relevant points in their story, as they may not reveal all initially.

Hey, Wordblood, can you read anything in the visible portions of their tattoos? Apparently it's a language.
>>
No. 435798 ID: c31d73

ask her to bring Peregrin. we could use backup.
>>
No. 435800 ID: 886a4d

I think we can handle these two without Peregrin
>>
No. 435813 ID: f9e093

>>435798

calling for Peregrine's help this obviously would only raise suspicion
>>
No. 435845 ID: 8d0824
File 134316680583.png - (233.87KB , 1000x500 , library5.png )
435845

Saulanna decides to try and stay... amicable. Perhaps, if she can keep things straightforward and calm, she can avoid the complexities of full-on social combat. Polite but firm, that's the way to go.

"That would be nice, thank you, so long as you knock when you're coming back. Perhaps some extra chairs would also be-"

"I'll stand."

"I'm fine with the floor, thank you."

...

Alice departs.

>>435385
>accuse him of smelling even weirder

He actually does smell rather... noticeable. It's not exactly offensive, but it is clear he's been hiking through the wilderness lately. He's also standing just a bit closer than she'd find comfortable. He might be doing it deliberately? Maybe he's just from a culture with different personal space habits. She elects to ignore him, for now.

On the plus side, now she's this close, her... language sense, whatever it is, can identify those marks on his shoulder. The circles mark debts he has to other Moon Heroes, and if crossed out, mark them as resolved. The information feels strange in her head, like it comes from nowhere, no more context than needed. She senses that the rest of their tattoos have meaning as well, but she can't decipher it through their clothes. Chances of removing them are remote.

>Introduction

Saulanna introduces herself plainly, with her full name, but no titles.

"Saulanna; I don't think I've heard the name before. I'd like to talk about you some more, but there's a few things we should get out of the way, first. I can tell that you're quite nervous."

"It's alright. You've probably heard a lot of stories about Moon Heroes being savage barbarian warlords who steal people's skin and so on, but I can assure you that most people who say such things have no idea what they're talking about. I, for example, being aligned to the New Moon, am a sorcerer and a scholar and, in general, a man of learning, if I say so myself."


Oh, he is a man, then. Saulanna wasn't quite certain.

"And Garmir, here, is from one of the greatest cities in the world, aren't you, Garmir?"

"Greatest dungheap."

"... Yes. And we have a long legacy of history and our own culture dating back to the fall of the First Age, the height of humanity. So, as you can imagine, we have a lot to offer you, the first and most important of which is a way to not devolve into a mindless, amorphous murderbeast."
>>
No. 435847 ID: 8d0824
File 134316686757.png - (244.23KB , 1000x500 , library6.png )
435847

... What?

"In the short form... when the Sun Heroes of the First Age were betrayed and murdered, our predecessors, having been loyal to them, were forced to escape and hide at the edges of the world, where it was too dangerous for the treacherous champions of the Stars and Dragons to follow. We were able to survive on the borders of reality, but the Chaos from beyond eventually tainted our divine essences. Now, every time you change shape, there's a chance you'll slip away from yourself, a little. Over a long enough period, especially if you're not careful, you'll... well, forget who you are. Forget what you are. Changing your shape will get easier, and changing back will get harder. Eventually, you'll lose track of what's really you - your mind, your voice, your humanity. You'll become what we call a Chimera; a formless amalgam of tooth and claw and predatory hunger. A monster."

"Obviously, we don't like this to happen! That's why we inscribe ourselves with these tattoos. They reinforce our identity; as well as keeping us from losing ourselves, they keep us from being physically altered by any power except our own native abilities. And, as a bonus, they'll solidify your connection to Luna; instead of having your powers shift with the phase of moon, you'll be permanently settled into one, which will make it easier to develop your abilities."

"Bringing you in to make sure this all happens is really the reason we're here."


Wordblood stirs in the back of Saulanna's mind.

>"... I believe he's telling the truth, my lady. Luna's energy is very similar to chaotic essence to begin with, but now I seek it out, I think I can sense the residue of the wyld on your Hero's Soul."

>"I wouldn't fret on it, however; our Titanic magic is the direct antithesis to the powers of chaos. Even now, my presence will help you resist the effect, and with more souls to reinforce your identity, it should stop affecting you entirely. I'm more worried about those tattoos of theirs; I think I understand how they work. If I'm right, getting yourself marked will prevent us from using Titan's Will to alter your physical body."

>>
No. 435853 ID: e7e90d

Hey! Garm's checking out your butt! ...don't make a big fuss though, this is delicate. Rebuke him with a sharp look, or a flick of your tail as you shift position to deny him the view. >:(

Oh, great. So we can't just sign up, get branded, and then ask them to leave. We have to convince them that we're completely fine without their help and get them to leave without doing anything. There's a good chance we won't be able to do that with breaking ties to them completely, or that they're unwilling to leave you a lose cannon at all.

We need another narrative. We need another plausible excuse for stability, besides titan powers.
>>
No. 435856 ID: bf54a8

say you aren't sure which phase would be good. and ask if just not shape-shifting while out here will prevent it from happening.
>>
No. 435857 ID: e3f578

>>435845
>Chances of removing them are remote.
Yes, removing the clothes of Moon Heroes will be a truly difficult quest, most assuredly.
I'm sure all you'd have to do is ask, especially since it seems that observing the tattoos for educational purposes is very relevant to the conversation at hand. I'm also sure Garmir would jump at the chance to show off his abs and killer thighs he's probably worked so hard on. The Scholor's might be harder to convince to take off his clothes, but maybe not if you ask so you can see what his do, because it's very relevant as earlier stated.

This reminds me, has Four-eyes given us his name yet?
>Oh, he is a man, then. Saulanna wasn't quite certain.
Unless (s)he's using "man of learning" to make things simple in conversation, "woman of learning" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue as much and people commonly refer to woman in masculine terms, even woman. "The race of mankind" or even simpler "The race of man" includes women too, you know.
>>
No. 435858 ID: e3f578

>>435857
and on the subject of getting tattoos, how painful is the process?

I don't suppose we can just lick them and just slap 'em on? You could probably excuse yourself from getting them that you're not a fan of getting them thanks to that. On top of adding on something to your body that you might regret a few years down the road.

I mean, really, one day you wake up with a hangover and a tattoo of some dude called "Brock
on your ass and then there's a lifetime of regret right there or a really expensive surgery coming your way to your ass.
>>
No. 435859 ID: 147853

If they don't want to leave you alone, it might be easiest to misdirect them. Get them to go on without you, with the belief that you'll follow after. And then don't go.

Or to subjugate them to your side somehow.

How bad would it be for them to discover what you are, exactly?
>>
No. 435862 ID: b85f8c

>>435847
Could we go through the ceremony and subvert the tattooing via subtle application of TW so that it looks like it worked but won't limit us? We would also need some solution for the lunar cycle thing.

I honestly can't think of any excuse NOT to get the tattoos, except that you don't like needles or don't like tattoos in general- asking if there's an alternative might be worth trying.
>>
No. 435864 ID: e7e90d

Actually, a more useful question to ask might be how long one can safely go without these safeguards. They obviously seem interested in initiating you ASAP, but we might be able to peacefully convince them to let us stay here under the (false) promise of us joining up later. We can use our original planned story for staying here as an excuse.

>I wonder what that was?
Did you sense something, Wordblood?

>Chances of removing them are remote.
Obviously, we need to develop x-ray vision titan powers, so in the future we can read Lunars' secrets and histories right off their skin, even when covered up.

>Gender
...actually, shouldn't we be able to smell that kind of thing? I guess maybe not without beast senses turned on.
>>
No. 435867 ID: 147853

I can actually beleivably see them letting you inspect their tattoos. It's something they want to do to you after all.

Hey! Try to get them to let you examine them! It's an amazing idea!

Maybe they'd even let you write your own tattoos. Wordblood might be able to come up with something of his own. :D
>>
No. 435886 ID: 1f8505

>>435847

Tell David Coppafeel to keep his hands to himself.
>>
No. 435888 ID: fcc78d

Continue to ignore Garmir where applicable.

"You can, of course, prove this?"

I know Wordblood confirmed it, but we're playing like Wordblood doesn't exist, so it's only natural to be suspicious. Also, agreeing with baiting them into showing the tattoos off further.
>>
No. 435899 ID: dd287a

Do our skills include tattoo'ing in some fashion? could be useful for whatever this involves.

and yeah, we want to avoid getting these marks for reals, it's basically limiting ourselves for little or no gain.
>>
No. 435906 ID: 334456

The issue, my good fellow posters, is declining the tattoos without making them suspicious of us. Oh dear, I fear social combat is on the horizon.

To Wordblood: "Could we remove them, or alter them after they've been placed? Or possibly inscribe new, additional tattoos as a sort of loophole for our Titanic alterations?"

These tattoos are technically a magic language, are they not? They should fall under the purview of our understanding.

If we can't, then we're going to need to come up with a damn good reason not to get them. A damn good one.
>>
No. 435929 ID: 1417a1

Find out how long time a new Lunar usually lasts without their tattoos. The longer they tell us, the more believable it is if we want to wait.

Decent reasons:
-Unsure about Caste. This will limit our Caste for all eternity so it might be understandable if we want to put this off for a bit.
-Wanting to be able to make an informed decision. So far we only got their information. If they're not expecting Saulanna to turn into a tentacled monstrosity by next week, it wouldn't be strange if we told them we wanted to know all the facts before we commit to this. Permanently.
>>
No. 435931 ID: 431fa8

>>435847
Well, limiting ourselves in that fashion is obviously unacceptable. At the same time, however, letting them know that we don't want the tattoos would be foolish at this juncture- as long as we can convince them that we're friendly and on their side, we should be able to learn quite a bit from them about themselves, Moon Heroes, Moon Hero history, and perhaps even the state of the world in general. For this reason we must not openly object to or even sound skeptical about the concept of being tattooed- instead, we should throw up a smokescreen of other questions and issues.

I believe that our best bet for this, one which we have the skills and attributes to back up, is to present ourselves as a highly intelligent scholar type, eternally curious and eager to learn. Delicately seat ourselves so that we can focus on Askalaff with questions, and don't criticize Garmir unless he gets really close or tries to touch us- if he wants to look, let him look and even maybe swish our tail a little (although don't look like we mean it), because if we're right and he's admiring our body then physical attraction is just another tool which we might be able to use to take control of this conversation. There seems to be some stress between Askalaff and Garmir, so the 'cute scholar girl' ploy might well be able to catch both of their eyes and play them off one another.

With that, try to let our nervousness wash away in favor of enthusiasm over the fact that this guy is a scholar who will help us learn all kinds of things- if he's telling the truth about the Moon Heroes, who knows how many secrets developed over thousands of years of history lie in his head? And we're in a position to get him to spill as many as we can cajole out of him. Start asking questions- intelligent questions that draw on our best magic-type competencies, like Expert Alchemy, Expert Enchanting, and even Expert Soulcrafting (which presumably encompasses harmless things like knowledge of soul mechanics as well as visiting torturous abominations upon helpless souls) and evince both great knowledge and eagerness to expand upon it.

If we do this right, we should be able to give them false confidence in what buttons they can push to persuade and control us- perhaps even convince them that our Heart's Desire is something like "become the best sorceress ever". Then they'll start trying to bribe us with sorcery, and we can use the presence of Peregrin (who, by the way, we should always refer to respectfully as Lord Kaan since that's what others here call him) and his own willingness to teach us all the magic he knows as the supposed reason that we want to stay here. At the very minimum, we should be able to argue ourselves into staying here until the next new moon has passed, on the grounds that we want to learn everything we can from him when Luna's light shines brightest upon our mind.

Topics we can ask about:
-How did they know we were here? Where did they come from? And bring us in- to where, exactly?
-How do the tattoos work? If possible, pursue this line of questioning a great deal- and Wordblood, please try and figure out how difficult it would be to study them for a bit and then learn to make something tattoo-like which we simply inscribe on ourselves and let us pass for having normal Moon Hero tattoos without locking our form against our own alterations.
-Moon Heroes have their own history and culture? Let's hear about it! We have Advanced History and should be able to ask intelligent questions and make appropriate references.
>>
No. 435935 ID: 147853

>>435931

This.

Worse comes to worse, we can go with them a ways, while leeching info out of them, and then ditch them on the road. We just have to make them believe that we want what they want.
>>
No. 435937 ID: fcc78d

>>435906
For now, stall. Ask questions. Demand proofs. Whatever.

Do NOT plan on escaping Garmir. He can track you down. He knows you by now. He can be subverted, or perhaps fought, but not escaped.
>>
No. 435946 ID: f03e5a

I think avoiding tattoos is a good idea. I prefer being a titan over a lunar hero.

If I may suggest telling them Luna told you nothing about the two of them. While you would be happy to hear them out and offer them a place to stay for now you can not make such a choice about your moon phase lightly. You would like some time to talk to Luna first as she seems to have a special way of speaking directly with us.
>>
No. 435948 ID: e7e90d

>>435931
This is excellent. Follow up on those lines of questing, and sit yo ass down in the chair so Garm can't get at it.

>>435929
These also sound good.

It occurs to me, if we end up trapped into agreeing to something or bungle the conversation too badly, Garm has provided us with an emergency out. We can blow up on him for making advances on us, make a scene, thus providing a reasonable reason to break up the meeting. We won't have to act much at all, and Ask will probably buy it, as he's obviously annoyed by his companion too. Obviously, a short term solution, and ideally we don't want to have to use it. But it's there.
>>
No. 435957 ID: 3d5ef3

I'm torn on this one, on the one hand I really like the idea of the Titan of Language having her definition written upon her skin in silver ink. On the other hand, the tattoos don't really give us anything we can't do for ourselves and limits us a bit. I guess my deciding factor is whether Wordblood thinks we can pull some shenanigans on them while/after we get them.

If we can't it might actually be dangerous for us to get them: the tattoos are supposed to reinforce our identity, we don't really have one. We are technically two-three days old with a lot stolen memories. Our sole defining feature right now is that we are a Titan and we can't use that because we'd have to tell the person tattooing us about Wordblood.
This is a great excuse to delay getting the tattoos though, we just need the right moment to bring it up, perhaps after asking about the tattooing process.
>>
No. 435969 ID: cee89f

... Looking at the two pictures in my browser, it seems Garmir's moving his hand closer to Saulanna's rear...

I don't blame the guy for WANTING to grab her butt, but I also wouldn't blame Saulanna for reminding us all just how ferocious a raccoon can be.

Suggestions:

-Ask the scholar to remove his shirt so that both Saulanna and Wordblood (secretly, in his case) can take a better look at the tattoos in question. Ignore Garmir and sit down to prevent his ass-grabbing. (Alternatively, turn to him and say, "Going for a handshake? That's polite of you, though I wasn't aware I had a hand on MY ASS.")
-Ask for information on the castes, pretend to be undecided, and ask them to allow her to consider it more intently for a time.
-Once they leave, talk to Peregrin. If anyone we know besides Wordblood knows how to alleviate the tattoo issue, it'd be him. Also, find any information on moon hero castes that the library may have, and absorb it so Wordblood can think of a way around the tattoos.
>>
No. 435970 ID: 5516d9

So if MOST people who say that lunars are savage barbarian warlords that steal people's skin don't know what they're talking about, doesn't that mean some of them do?
>>
No. 435984 ID: 1da170

>>435931
You should definitely pursue the 'excited scholar' angle, although probably not to the point of entirely passing up discussion of the tattoos.

The important element is the timescale of turning into a Chimera. You're a precocious young lady, flush with the excitement of becoming a Moon Hero. If it'll take a long time for that to happen, you can tell them that you'll try and come up with your own solution to the problem. Not as a snub, but to show them that you can. You're eager to put your skills to the test, and this seems like an excellent way to do it.
>>
No. 436004 ID: 8e921b

Yes, Garmir definitely appears to be reaching for Saulanna's ass. Time to sit down, unless we want to use him as an excuse to get pissed off in the next 2 minutes.

Um, anyway.

Surely there have been other new Moon Heroes who were hesitant or resistant to getting tattoos. Surely somebody before us has wanted to see what life as an untattooed Moon Hero has to offer before irrevocably giving it up FOREVER. Surely, it is not suspicious to want to avoid being rushed into a decision.

Askalaff says "we" and Saulanna already learned the Moon Heroes fought a war against, what was it, the Death Lords? That may imply an organized political or military group. Do tattoos require us to join a club or nation or pledge loyalty to some king/queen/emperor/lord of the Moon Heroes? Will we lose the freedom to do whatever we want, even if that means hanging out in Shadow Lands with Death Heroes and ghosts?

And these tattoos, they appear to be glowing blue things. That's rather crappy for any attempt at stealth, isn't it? "Hello, I am a normal mortal raccoon watching you from this tree, ignore the glowing magical runes please."
>>
No. 436008 ID: 8e921b

Also, if Wordblood is right that this is just one more reason to get going on a Feeder Soul.
>>
No. 436010 ID: 8e921b

>>435864
>I wonder what that was?
>Did you sense something, Wordblood?

I think he says "I was wondering what that was" which probably refers to the chaos/wyld stuff.
>>
No. 436013 ID: e3aff6

>And these tattoos, they appear to be glowing blue things. That's rather crappy for any attempt at stealth, isn't it? "Hello, I am a normal mortal raccoon watching you from this tree, ignore the glowing magical runes please."
They are probably hidden by the same mechanic that hides out huge fluffy tail from normal mortals. Apparently moon heroes have a mind-trick aura that keeps people normal from noticing those in normal circumstances.
>>
No. 436021 ID: e7e90d

>>436013
Well, yes, but there's a good chance if we're sneaking up on something, it'll be because it's not a normal person under normal circumstances. Stealth is valuable around things that are threats.

I like the line of questioning though- we can lead to ask about themselves. Doesn't that effect stealth leads logically to I'm a Raccoon, which leads logically to asking what they are. I wanna know what they are~.

>>436010
Ah, I believe you are right. Thank you.
>>
No. 436023 ID: cee89f

>>436013
No, Moon Heroes' tells can be seen by regular mortals. Gevin though we were just a regular beastman when we first met him - indicating that yes, he could see the mask and tail - and mortals since then have either known we were a moon hero on sight or not cared.
>>
No. 436027 ID: 8e921b

>>436013
Yeah, while having a huge fluffy tail is unfortunate (compared to Garmir having pointy ears) it apparently doesn't instantly make us a Moon Hero. But glowing blue tattoos probably would be just as obvious as a glowing blue aura.
>>
No. 436028 ID: b26bd8

>>435857
lunars are total sluts. this is cannon. they are fabous for creating inbred armies of half-men... by themselves. considering they are ageless, and can learn the ability to change gender/species, this means they often end up with very powerful (but inbred) soldiers.
>>
No. 436046 ID: fcc78d

>>436028
> this is cannon
Spelling errors aside, it's also canon that the Ebon Dragon hasn't taken over most of Creation. We're not in 'canon'. We're in 'quest'.
>>
No. 436049 ID: a3b384

Wait, aren't the markings a kind of language themselves? Shouldn't Wordblood have influence over them to some degree?

Asking about the possibility of a more "loose" set of markings that keep in control but supposedly allow easier form changing could be helpful, regardless.
>>
No. 436090 ID: 256d52

Establish how much time it takes chimerism to set in and what's involved in getting the tattoos. If you're lucky, getting the tattoos takes a while to organise. You can then cautiously sign up, but defer it. Tell them you're still getting the hang of things right here and would prefer not to be going on any long journeys.

You're in a fairly secure situation, so it's unlikely they'll protest too strongly.

Even in the worst case, it only prevents changes to your physical form. The evolution of your soul can proceed unhindered.
>>
No. 436111 ID: cee89f

>>436046
In the dragon's case, it's because this story takes place centuries or even millenia after exalted's normal time frame. The sun heroes have been 'back' for a long time, Autocthon heroes are apparently common knowledge, the Realm is all but dead...

That doesn't change bits of canon that would still apply - the shadowland, moon hero tattoos, that circle-scar tradition, Abyssals, even that whole draconic form thing...
>>
No. 436116 ID: 4c4acb

>Wait, aren't the markings a kind of language themselves? Shouldn't Wordblood have influence over them to some degree?
This line of thought is definitely worth looking into.
>>
No. 436121 ID: 49eb02

I'm assuming it would cost Titan's will each time we wanted to manipulate the tattoos, or we'd need a dedicated subsoul to subvert them. If it was easy to manipulate them through Wordblood's language faculties, I don't think he would have raised concern.
>>
No. 436128 ID: cee89f

>>436121
Oh! We should ask him about that - hold off on the feeder soul and ask if we can make a dedicated sub-soul to manipulate the tattoos!
>>
No. 436134 ID: 49eb02

>>436128
It's an option, yes, but really, we'd be better off if we can stall or dissuade these guys, get the feeder soul up and producing titan's will, and then subvert or fake the tattoos later when we have resources to spare.
>>
No. 436135 ID: cee89f

>>436134
I'm not saying we do it right NOW, I'm saying we ask Wordblood about the possibility. If manipulating them would alert Luna the second we tried, for instance, or if a particular caste would be easier to manipulate than another. And Wordblood told us a Feeder soul would take months to deliver even a single measure of Titan's will until it grew stronger.

Moreover, we don't know what else these tattoos may do to impede Wordblood's ability to manipulate Titan's will, and probably won't until we either get the tattoos ourselves or get a good look at them.
>>
No. 436165 ID: c9673b

Delaying the tattoos might be more prudent than denying them outright, at least for the time being. We could suggest that we're loath to travel for now, but on the other hand there might well be things to learn in the camp of the moon besides tattoo shenanigans. If we could pick up lunar artefacts and influence, that might benefit us greatly. But how do we do it without accepting the limiting tattoos? And how do we deny the tattoos without becoming an enemy of all Lunars or revealing our titanic nature? We could create immitation tattoos, I suspect, but could we create immitations that could fool the magic of the moon?
We need more information before we can make any good plan.

On a different note, there's no real need to take offense at Garmir's enjoyment of your ass, so far as I can see. If he becomes unduly engaged in enjoying it, politely shifting away should solve the problem nicely, but allowing him his indiscretion is likely to make him somewhat more favorably disposed towards us than might otherwise be the case.
>>
No. 436222 ID: 6118de

Saying we'll be willing to get tattoos later will make it increasingly difficult to weasel out of (sorry, raccoon out of) our promise as time wears on, without looking suspicious. We shouldn't go overboard with a cowardly delaying tactic unless we have an idea of how to use that extra time to our advantage.
>>
No. 436224 ID: cee89f

>>436222
"...This is a big decision to suddenly dump in my lap - no offense, but this IS rather sudden. Gimme some time to think it over."
>>
No. 436228 ID: 100061

>>436224
this sounds like a good idea, if they insist we can start acting suspicious of them. make them think we are turning them down because we don't trust them.
>>
No. 436308 ID: 8e921b

>>436165
>On a different note, there's no real need to take offense at Garmir's enjoyment of your ass, so far as I can see. If he becomes unduly engaged in enjoying it, politely shifting away should solve the problem nicely, but allowing him his indiscretion is likely to make him somewhat more favorably disposed towards us than might otherwise be the case.

Ogling is one thing, but if we allow him to actually GROPE then doesn't that give a poor indication of Saulanna's assertiveness?
>>
No. 436369 ID: a3b384

>>436308
We should just sit in the chair if he gets any more out of line.
>>
No. 436409 ID: 1da170

I still want to propose making our own version of the tattoos (if only to see the looks on their faces).

We're a Moon Hero, our deeds are epic!
>>
No. 436426 ID: 08a77c

Note that Lunars tend to admire AGGRESSION and WILL. They also tend to be a bit more direct than other people. Enduring his actions may make him view us as either weak, or as consenting to them.

Neither is a particularity pleasant thought, given is actions.
>>
No. 436450 ID: fcc78d

> suggesting we sit in the chair
It occurs to me that he's behind us. That is to say, Saulanna can't actually see him. I get the feeling this is some breed of test.
>>
No. 436452 ID: f03e5a

>>436450
You assume much. Saulanna is quite aware of her surroundings as are we.

Delay the tattooing for now and probe for more information. Luna does not directly communicate with all her Heroes like Saulanna does so bringing that up might surprise them and make them realize that you are special to her even if they were not informed why. Ask them about what they plan to do after she has recieved the tattoos from them? Will they want her to leave with them to go somewhere or will they stay with her to watch over her development as a MOON HERO?
>>
No. 436474 ID: 6118de

Luna only said she's going to communicate with us for a few days, not for the rest of all time. She might do that more often.

In any case, if we use our communication with Luna as an excuse, they'll almost certainly ask for proof (probably suggesting we ask her what she thinks we should do about the tattoos). That would mean risking she finds out about Wordblood (moreso if we want to give her a reason to rule in our favor), and we'd be stuck with whatever she decides, since defying a direct order from Luna is a very bad idea.
>>
No. 436512 ID: f03e5a

>>436474
Assuming Luna doesn't already know(I believe she does) Wordblood has stated on several occasions he can conceal himself from Luna should we contact her. Honestly proving ourselves by contacting Luna doesn't force us into anything but she might discuss the different castes with Saulanna. Then you can still say you want to think it over.
>>
No. 436826 ID: cee89f

>>436512
What precisely gives you the idea she knows? A horrendously weakened shard of a titan contained within the body of a Lunar hero isn't exactly going to be advertising it's presence to a creature that is (at least implied to be) weaker than a titan.

I think if Luna does find out the issue will be more that we didn't tell her immediately rather than the fact that we have it.
>>
No. 436909 ID: 6118de

Eh, I'm not worried about that. From the point of view of an immortal Incarna (Incarnum?), telling her a few days later is probably close enough to immediately.

It's certainly possible Luna already knows about Wordblood - she must have known more about us than we did at the beginning if she saw us as worthy of Exalting in the first place (and note she specifically said we looked like we were going to be more interesting than an average Moon Hero) - but that's not something we want to just assume.
>>
No. 436910 ID: cee89f

>>436909
Lunars exalt when they pass the point of possible survival and make the decision to continue on anyway.

She was probably interested in Saulanna at least in part because Saulanna had no identity - not even a gender - and yet found a way to ensure her own death and continue on anyway.
>>
No. 436914 ID: cee89f

>>436910
Er, Let me clarify: i'm saying that Luna exalting us did not have anything to do with Wordblood.
>>
No. 438306 ID: 9c7dd0

>>435847
>That's why we inscribe ourselves with these tattoos. They reinforce our identity; as well as keeping us from losing ourselves,
>reinforce our identity
Being amnesiac we don't really have any identity. They should understand that it's best to delay tattooing until we remember who we are.
>>
No. 438313 ID: a3b384

>>438306
That might be the best reason to put off the tattoos yet... but do we even want to tell them about the amnesia? I can't imagine them leaving us alone if we bring that up, let alone staying with Peregrin. They'd just see us as being manipulated. It would make us being well informed in other matters suspicious as well.
>>
No. 438326 ID: cee89f

>>438313
We could imply that the amnesia, while recent, is only partial - ie, in personal matters. We remember most of the things we knew while alive, just not who we were.

As for the fight with Peregrin... that's already suspicious and nothing we can say in regards to it will make them MORE suspicious.
>>
No. 438329 ID: c1a7db

>nothing we can say in regards to it will make them MORE suspicious
Dude, total Murphy bait.

Partial amnesia is a reasonable excuse for our reluctance to lock down our identity. But we need to resolve it so that it doesn't contradict our planned cover story of knowing Peregrin and having pre-exaltation motives for staying here.

Best way around this, I think, is to partially blame the fight on our amnesia. We attacked a friend, just because he didn't say exactly the right things! We understand the risk of ultimately losing ourself and becoming a monster, but we also see the risk in not understanding who we are first. We want to be sure who were are before we fix it inexorably.

Should make it clear that you've been improving- you're coming back to yourself. They'll be less suspicious of a stall than a refusal.
>>
No. 438337 ID: 6118de

If we attacked a friend because we couldn't remember he's a friend, then we're already losing ourselves and becoming a monster.

Best thing, for now, is to just ask more questions. People have already come up with all sorts of good questions to ask both the Lunars and Worldblood, and curiosity is pretty non-suspicious - it makes sense to want to know more about something this important, plus what do you expect from a SAVVY raccoon scholar girl? We can then come back to any of these plans once we know more.

With luck, the Lunars themselves will sense our reluctance and hint at how long they're willing to wait without us having to come out and ask directly.
>>
No. 438338 ID: 6a1ec2

>>435847

It probably would be a very bad idea to mention that Saulanna completely lost her memories and very identity upon or before becoming Exalted. As she has since lost track of what she once was pretty much totally and irrevocably, and become a a noseless amalgam of tooth and claw and literary hunger... yes best not to mention this amnesia business at all.
>>
No. 438353 ID: b85f8c

>>438337
> If we attacked a friend because we couldn't remember he's a friend, then we're already losing ourselves and becoming a monster.

No, that is not how it works. The monster thing is related to shapeshifting too much. Becoming an animal, not just losing your memory.
>>
No. 438355 ID: c9f9df

Act cooperative and interested. Mention that permanently settling your powers seems like a big commitment and ask if it's safe to spend time thinking about it before deciding. Ask about finding or contacting them should the need arise. If you appear willing to cooperate then they're less likely to feel the need to force you.
>>
No. 438434 ID: 8e921b

>>438355
This is the best bet.

And I think it's not safe to mention amnesia at all, even claiming it's partial. The fewer lies we tell, the easier it is not to mess up, and the amnesia doesn't square with having random bits of knowledge from eating people.

Amnesia also makes us appear vulnerable to manipulation, by Peregrin or by unscrupulous Lunars. They may not trust us to take care of ourselves.

Best bet, IMO, is to reveal as little as possible. Don't volunteer any info unless not doing so would be super-rude. Answer questions, but ask more. If asked, say we were attempting to steal from him (which is true) and got in a fight, but worked out a mutually advantageous understanding/alliance instead of going for the kill.
>>
No. 438481 ID: cee89f

>>438329
Well at least this way we will know it's coming =P
>>
No. 438483 ID: ff2b77
File 134395238225.png - (172.23KB , 500x600 , wbtalkabouttattoos.png )
438483

>Changing/manipulating the tattoos

>"It... might be possible? I really don't know. I wouldn't risk it; the danger is... well. Hmm. How to explain..."

>"Think of reality as... a story, that we started telling, long ago. A story of stories. Everything that exists has its own tale, and all together form the vast epic that is existence. The stronger a story is, the more cohesive, the more compelling, then the more "real" it is. I could go on about how this ties in to magic and the wyld and our own titanic nature, but for now, please, just accept what I say and understand that this, I believe, is how these tattoos work. Using moonsilver, the living metal tied to Luna herself, they could mark upon themselves the chronicle of their own existence, and this would protect them against forces that would corrupt or alter their story - save for magic which is aligned with the lunar energy of the tattoos, such as their own. It's a little more complicated than that, but I hope you get what I mean? Because it's moonsilver, it can even change itself over time to match their personal evolution."

>"This is where the risk is dire. For a start, as I said, it would prevent us from using Titan's Will to alter your body, but it would also prevent any physical assistance from your titanic powers. If you made yourself a deva with healing powers, for example, they would be useless. More than that, though, I foresee two alarming possibilities: one, that because your titanic nature is such a large part of your identity, then if you keep it secret from them, the tattoos they give you might not work. They would notice. Second, perhaps worse still, is that the tattoos would work... and rearrange themselves to declare your titanic identity for anyone to read on your skin!"

>"If I were the Titan I once was, I believe I would have the power to alter the tattoos themselves. I do not think any other Titan could have done the same, however. As I am now - just a tiny fragment of that being - I would dread to make the attempt. I don't think it's worth it."

>>
No. 438488 ID: ff2b77
File 134395263050.png - (240.16KB , 1000x500 , library7.png )
438488

Saulanna tries to ask a few questions about all this.

>Can you prove it?

"How do you suggest we'd do that? We try to put chimeras out of their misery and their danger when we find one. The tattoos can only stall the process, not reverse it, so I wouldn't put them off to see if you really do start mutating, if I were you. I suppose this isn't all that convincing. But we all have the tattoos ourselves, so there must be some benefit to them, don't you think?"

>Does anyone not take the tattoos? How long does one have until the transformation?

"A... few, particularly insistent people do refuse the tattoos, yes. Usually it's some religious reason, they think it interferes with their connection to Luna, or dulls their potential, or something similar. Usually completely unfounded, and they almost always end up losing hold of themselves. The process is gradual, insidious. Sometimes you don't even realize it's happening. Depending on personal willpower, how much you avoid changing shape, adoption of certain ritual behaviors... We've never been able to prove it's not theoretically possible to live out one's life without being marked, but practical experience suggests taking the safer option."

>It's a big decision.

"Er, well, your personal choice is a large factor, of course, but traditionally we'll put you through a few tests to see where your aptitude lies. As well as telling us what you're suited for, it'll also be the basis for your initiation into our loose little community. Generally, an elder moon hero will then offer an apprenticeship, of sorts, some "basic training", along with a few more tests, and then finally you'll get your tattoos. After that, you'll be free to go on about your life as you like; any further involvement you have with the rest of us will only be under your own sense of obligation, if any."

>How did you find me/get here?

"We used to read the stars for signs of when new Heroes would appear, but they've become unreliable. Fortunately, Garmir, here, developed the ability to track Hero Souls that are searching for a new host. I, myself, know a spell for swift long-distance travel, and my wife persuaded us to make finding and assisting new Moon Heroes our business. Luna's normal touch of guidance is... appreciated, but not... complete."

>Staying to learn from Peregrin

"Ah, yes. Our host. A man of learning, indeed; I've been wondering about your sir Kaan. Perhaps you could tell us more about him, and about yourself as well. I'm finding your accent very hard to place; have you lived here long?"

Oh... kay. Phew. All right. Time to start spinning yarns. Saulanna will need to think hard on what she's going to say about herself.

As she considers, she hears the distant sounds of raised voices. They don't seem violent - there's no fear-sounds, and someone is... laughing? It's very hard to hear from here, even with her enhanced hearing.
>>
No. 438502 ID: c1a7db

>tail bop counter
Deftly and amusingly handled, milady.

>voices
...do you have beast sense active? It would be nice to know what those sounds are. And if there's some kind of disaster or something, it serves as a nice distraction to keep us from having to answer awkward questions.

>complications
Okay, so we can't get tattooed at all. We have to either stall and later get away or get rid of them, or outright convince them to drop it.

A fast travel ability is also problematic, since it makes it harder to make reasonable excuses about traveling back with them.

>Backstory
I say the enthused studious person plan we discussed is our best option. Explains our interest here, and with Peregrin, well.

There are a few holes though. Like what triggered our exaltation? Normally it's something serious or dramatic, and we can't use the escape. Also there's the matter of exact place names. We don't know where we're from. We've forgotten.

...I don't suppose Wordblood's communication expertise, combined with our absorbed knowledge and experience from souls could tell us what dialect we speak in? Or at least a potential region to say we're from? Worldliness, don't fail us now.

>Questions
They turned that conversation back on us awful quick. When you get the chance, turn it back on them. We got a lot of unanswered ones, about how moon heros and the tattoos work, about these two personally, etc. Keep them on the defensive- the more you've got them talking, the less we have to work on lies.
>>
No. 438508 ID: b85f8c

>>438488
>tattoos will either not work and they'll know something's up, or they will work and everyone will see that you have a Titan fragment
Well shit, we are DEFINITELY not getting them, then. How the hell do we manage that? ...would we be able to get away with killing them? It sounds like these two are the only ones that can find us, but if they told someone where they were going, we'd expect a rescue team if we detained them somehow. There's also the question of IF we can kill them. These guys are Exalted, and likely quite good at what they do. We'd need an army to take them out without allowing them the chance to escape. Let's file homicide under plan N, for Never gonna happen. I vote Plan A be that we tell them we'd like to avoid taking the tattoos for now. Wordblood, can you make FAKE tattoos? Ones that don't actually do anything to us, but look like the real deal? If so, we can ask for directions to "visit later" and then just throw tattoos on at a later date after leaving the shadowlands for a long enough interval of time. Presto, all Exalted now see us as a properly-tattood Lunar, and we don't have to deal with the issue. The only ones who would know we weren't actually tattooed are those who perform that service, and well, we aren't going to go and talk to them now are we?

As for our story, I still think it's fine to tell them you have amnesia and haven't found out much about your past. Also that Peregrin is someone who knew you before you lost your memory, but only knew you as a thief. He found you in the forest with the intent of capturing you, but you fought with him and he decided you would be more useful by assisting him instead.

That is technically all true!
>>
No. 438522 ID: e3f578

>>438488
"I dunno, I forgot everything from before I became a moon hero. Standard storybook amnesia here boys. Think I was a thief though, maybe. Peregrin's deal... well to be honest that's his own right to tell. I don't appreciate talking about other people without direct gain in my face... which is kinda why I think I did stuff like thievery for a living. I don't really care all too much about finding my past, honestly. Future's always been something to look forward to, so, I guess I'm just an all new person now. Ain't got nothin' to tell. I'm just Saulanna Rockblossom a Moon Hero now, and it's been so recent since I became one that there's not much to tell besides helping out a ghost dude here with fine abs find a box. Which is how I met Peregrin, keeping tabs on weird things going on in his lands."
>>
No. 438527 ID: c1a7db

I don't think revealing the amnesia is such a great idea.

If we have any chance of peacefully convincing them to leave us alone, they need to think Saulanna is capable and independent. They're already suspicious of Peregrin. If we're seen as helpless or vulnerable, that's bad. They'll think at worst he caused it, or at best he's taking advantage of us. We run the risk of being dragged out of here for our own good.

We also completely lose the argument that we have a preexisting friendship and motives if we don't remember anything.
>>
No. 438536 ID: 7472ad

On the subject of Tattoos and the option not to have them, I think we should respond to this challenge of theoretically possible. Waggle that tail excitedly.

"... Isn't one of the main defining features of Heroes that they make the things that should be impossible, possible? Why is something that's considered theoretically possible considered such a horrible option? I really have to thank you for telling me about this though! Sir Kaan is an excellent teacher, but as wonderful as a well rounded education is, having a definitive project to focus on is going to be wonderful!"
>>
No. 438548 ID: a3b384

>gradual
>lengthy process
>staying with peregrin

This can work out fine, I think. All we need to do is tell these guys that we will go and visit the other lunars at a place of their suggestion, doing an apprenticeship and all that. But only after spending time here on your own, already agreed upon business. We will promise to avoid use of our shape changing until then. Say you shouldn't take a long time here, but because of where you are it may seem to. Also, if I'm not mistaken the connection to the moon is weaker here, so that may keep us safe longer.

Now all we need is a plausible story for why we need to stay with Peregrin for the moment. Luckily they don't know anything, so we can make almost anything up. As long as it fits the facts in case they ask around.

>>438502
>There are a few holes though. Like what triggered our exaltation? Normally it's something serious or dramatic, and we can't use the escape.

Actually... why not go with a version of that? We came to him because we lost much of our memory, and he has been helping us to restore it. We eventually recalled a traumatic memory (and no we don't want to share) and ran off in a panic. That's when we were exalted. In our confusion we attacked Peregrin, but it ended peacefully when we regained our senses. We don't know our story before coming to him. However he has been helping another girl with the same problem, Alice whom they have already met.
>>
No. 438576 ID: 610bd7

>>438536
I vote for this one!
>>
No. 438658 ID: 610bd7

>>438548
>>438536
I think we should do both of these.
>>
No. 438665 ID: cee89f

>>438536
......Faking hero worship of a guy who these two suspect has mentally coerced us, either with magic or genuine mortal trickery? Are you INSANE?!
>>
No. 438671 ID: 6118de

They want to know who we are. Tricky, given we haven't decided yet who we are.

The basics are obvious. We're a curious scholar, and were drawn to Lord Kaan as a kindred spirit with more experience and a well-stocked library.

One point of uncertainty are whether we claim to have worked with Kaan before our Exaltation, or only made his acquaintance afterwards. A recent alliance might make them doubt his trustworthiness, but the fact that they know we had a fight suggests claiming an old friendship would be difficult. Possibly, we can claim to have been a mortal mage who wanted to know the secrets of the Exalted, and attempted to steal some valuable book or magic artifact from Kaan. He attacked us for our impudence, and that would have been that, except that we had evaded him long enough that Luna saw fit to reward our detemination with an Exaltation. Hmm.

If we do decide to admit to having amnesia, then it might be a good idea to come up with a cover story why we have amnesia and when it happened. Losing your memories isn't something Exalted usually do spontaneously upon Exalting (unless you're Thrice-Radiant Misho's reincarnation...).

Another important thing to remember: if we come up with any fake backstory on our relationship with Lord Kaan, we should make sure to tell him about it at the earliest opportunity so he doesn't blow our cover with a contradiction.

The voices in the background are probably Peregrin interacting the Dragon's Shadow's ambassador. I think Peregrin can handle himself. Unless we hear a fight breaking out or something, we should just ignore it and catch up later.

>>438536
Thing is, the Moon Heroes ALREADY solved the impossible problem... by inventing tattoos.

Trying to reinvent the wheel is going to look foolhardy, unless we can give a convincing reason why the tattoos are an unacceptable option and what we think that we can do better. I don't think they're going to be impressed with "I don't like how it looks next to my sexy raccoon stripes".

They're also going to be dubious of a newly-ordained Hero thinking she can do better than something the Moon Heroes' brightest minds have been worried about for centuries.

>>438548
>Also, if I'm not mistaken the connection to the moon is weaker here, so that may keep us safe longer.
I don't think that matters, but there is also the fact mentioned earlier that Fair Folk and Wyld beasts tend to avoid Shadowlands... so would being here offer us any protection against Wyld-tainted energies?

>However he has been helping another girl with the same problem, Alice whom they have already met.
Let's not bring Alice into this.
>>
No. 438693 ID: 7472ad

>>438665
How is saying he's a good teacher Hero worship? We've already said we're here to learn from him.

>>438671
Who said anything about a problem? They just told us not becoming a chimera while retaining the flexibility of having no-caste is theoretically possible, with the implication that it's borderline impossible. Overcoming something with that description is something worthy of a Hero's primary motivation, so I'm saying we fake that they have just given us ours.
>>
No. 438700 ID: 6118de

Why would we even want the "flexibility of a no-caste"? It doesn't give us the power of all three castes at once, it just makes us change between them on a schedule beyond our control.

Plus, it pretty obvious from how we've been building our character so far - SAVVY as our best stat, reading about magic, are a budding Titan of Language (we're not telling them that part) - that we're meant to be No Moon. Pretending otherwise would be hard to defend.
>>
No. 438706 ID: 7472ad

>>438700
Why we want to be a no-caste is simple. The tattoos will mess with our other magic. How we can pretend to want it is easy, because we do, we just focus on the challenge associated with it rather then the benefits of it.
>>
No. 438713 ID: a32563

>>438671
>the fact that they know we had a fight suggests claiming an old friendship would be difficult.
On the contrary, fights still happen between friends and the unusual violence of this one can largely be attributed to unfamiliar emotion from the exaltation. What an old friendship DOES do is explain why the fuck we're in the castle of the guy we just fought.
>>
No. 438724 ID: 334456

>>438713
Exaltations aren't exactly traumatic. They don't cause you to attempt to murder old friends.
>>
No. 438727 ID: e3f578

The best excuse that I can come up with for not wanting to do the tattoos is procrastination.
Honestly, it'll annoy the shit out of them, but what the hell, human nature is in all these tiny little demi-gods, maybe they'll just chalk it up to that, give up on reminding us and go on their way.

Or force us down and tattoo us for our own good because they think we've put it off for too long doing stuff higher on our own priorities.
>>
No. 438749 ID: fa9f7e

>>438727
Eh, that's kind of a last resort. Also, most of the time, Exalts > gods.
>>
No. 438750 ID: fcc78d

> how long have you been here?

"By what metric? Time does weird things here, after all. I haven't really been counting the days, just taking things as they came. I guess you could say it's been a while?"
>>
No. 438751 ID: 404f8a

Do this simply: Explain that you are suffering from amnesia, and that because of that you are undecided on the tattoos because you aren't even sure who you are right now, and you don't want something magically enforcing who you are when you don't even know that yourself.

Also, try to get them to talk about themselves.
>>
No. 438779 ID: 8e294a

Tell him Kaan is indeed a man of learning, and lord of this place, and that you count him a friend. He is skilled in the ways of magic and with his tutelage you hope to become so too.

For yourself, say that you've been here for a while now, and volunteer no more additional information.
>>
No. 438784 ID: c1a7db

>>438779
...that's probably the simplest and most straightforward way to deal with this, actually. I like it. It's also much safer to keep the lies and revealed secrets to a minimum.

It kind of makes sense too. We're claiming to be a scholar/student, and we just gained access to all this new Lunar stuff, and someone to ask questions too right in front of us. We're not so much interested in telling our life story as we are in squeezing every drop of information we can from these guys. I mean, come on! It's new! It's exciting! Who cares about boring old past us, brush past questions and ask about tattoos and powers and what their animals are and and and...

So basic strategy should be to answer questions as simply as possible (in ways that don't arouse suspicion), and then turn around and ask them more questions about Lunar stuff and themselves. Coming off as a complete nerd more interested in learning than anything else helps our planned cover, perfectly.

Besides, they're the ones asking us to trust them! In normal circumstances, we'd have more interest in learning about them than vice versa.

It also mostly avoids having to make skilled arguments and deceptions, mostly hiding our true strength as a diplomatic warrior. Silly girl who wants to know it all will be underestimated- which works to our advantage.
>>
No. 438791 ID: 3fc386

Lies are too easy to get caught in, especially when they involve other people and Especially when Heroes are involved.

Perhaps boost Inspiration or Dickery and say something like:
"I'm not sure. I was a thief/archaeologist who got too close to the territory of a death Hero and got caught. I ran and... something... happened and I lost my memory. I survived in a strange land and kept away from powerful foes and Luna awarded me a Heroes Soul and set me on my way to create a new life for myself. I was soon caught by Peregrin and after a minor scuffle we came to an understanding. He has been helping me rediscover myself and understand the world in return for some assistance with some projects he is working on. Since my incident I have taken some interest in helping some of the locals and have duties to attend to. I am also unsure of how the tattoos will affect me since I am not even sure who I am yet... If you can tell me more about how to avoid chimerism and how to find you/an elder I will take every precaution available until I have found myself on my own terms and am ready to get back to you."


If we can do it without visibly glowing we could also activate Beast Senses to find out about the other voices.
>>
No. 438806 ID: d9a8ab

>>438724
exalts can take a beating, no murder going on there.
>>
No. 438807 ID: 8e921b

Wow, lots of things to think about.

We can probably use Beast Senses openly, though. "Strange noises in another room that I want to keep aware of" is a legitimate reason and need not be secret.

Otherwise... I like the idea of playing the curious nerdy type who just wants to find out more. Stay possessed, this is our turf after all. Keep them on the defensive. And we need not care much about our past from before we Exalted -- how important can it be, compared to being a Moon Hero?
>>
No. 438808 ID: a3b384

>Let's not bring Alice into this.
I was thinking it would back up our story, but I suppose it's risky. If she's not mentioned then we could use her story for our own - if only we knew it. Well if we do go the route of partial amnesia we might be able to get Kaan to tell the story, which can be mostly hers. If not we should try to keep it simple and act like we want to keep details private.

>>438751
...We'll start with this, and tell elaborate stories if absolutely needed. They were specific on explaining the exaltation though, and that says absolutely nothing about why we got into a fight. Or is it normal to be exalted and immediately start kicking the first ass you see?
>>
No. 438812 ID: 8e921b

I think it's normal (though not universal) to Exalt in the middle of a fight and kick ass. Not sure if it's normal for MOON Heroes, though.

What probably isn't normal is kicking the ass of a more experienced Exalt immediately after receiving a Hero Soul.
>>
No. 438815 ID: c1a7db

>>438812
Weeell, honestly, it probably wouldn't hurt our position if they weren't impressed by Peregrin's combat prowess. It might work if we let them think less of him (because they want to), or if we let them have a little schadenfreude at his expense.

The fight is easier to justify if it ended amicably- it's not that we beat down a more experienced exalt (hard to do), it's that we stood up to him, held our own, and then reached an agreement (easier to do). We were just spoiling for a fight, to give our powers a whirl, to show him what for. We weren't out to kill him.
>>
No. 438833 ID: 576195

>>438815
Well yeah, there's no reason we'd want them to think that we intended to kill him. If they ask about the blood, it would be acceptable to get uncomfortable and dodge the question, the chatty effeminate one is not likely to be the one who asks that question and will probably come to our aid if our behavior implies that it was a personal and private issue.
>>
No. 438844 ID: dd287a

We may as well temper our fibs with truths, frankly we don't know enough about the world at large to weave some elaborate origin story for them, may as well tell them the first thing we remember is Luna's face, she helped us, and that we proceeded to have an adventure without clothes, and then you met wotshisface and he let you stay in his castle.

And he gave us clothes too.

Lets face it, Luna's fully aware of our amnesiac status anyway, it's not going to grass up our titanyness.
>>
No. 438857 ID: c1a7db

>>438844
I think it's fair to say Luna doesn't tell all her heros everything. Heck, Owl-boy comes right out and says as much.

>Luna's normal touch of guidance is... appreciated, but not... complete."

Unless we learn otherwise, I think it's safe to assume Luna hasn't spilled our secrets. She's a trickster god, right? She's probably more interested in what cool or interesting things we get up to than tripping us up. Remember also that these guys aren't her direct representatives or anything- she has no reason yet to favor them over us. If we mess with them, I'd guess she'd be more amused or intrigued, rather than prompted to intervene (assuming she's watching at all, right this moment).
>>
No. 438888 ID: 334456

>>438806
A Dawn Caste solar killed another solar with one punch.

On accident.
>>
No. 438893 ID: 404f8a

>>438888
Technically, the Dawn Caste in question was trying to kill a Dragon-Blooded, who redirected the Solar's attack onto the other Solar. The other Solar however, was an Eclipse Caste who was only a day or two Exalted, and was only really kitted out for social combat. Not quite "Solars can kill each other by accident".
>>
No. 438895 ID: 0c2247

>>438488
"My exaltation was... inordinately traumatic. My earliest memory is waking up, for what I suppose was the first time, to Luna's voice as she helped me create an identity.
It wasn't long after that I met Peregrin. Things started a bit hostile, but once I taught him proper respect he became a gracious host.

I'll pray to Luna for guidance, but right now I feel that I have to find my identity before I have it tattooed on my body."

We should ask Luna if she would be ok with a Lunar becoming a Titan. Completely hypothetically and not at all relevant to anything going on trufax
>>
No. 438899 ID: 3ee353

>>438895
There is really no reason to give this much information away. Also, saying our exaltation was "inordinately traumatic" or otherwise less orderly than usual will make them more worried about our potential chimerafication, not less.
>>
No. 438903 ID: dd287a

Hm, Forgot to suggest an answer to the question about our intrepid host, simple enough explanation, he's a kindly fellow who's given you a place to stay, clothes,a meal and hell yes a library to nosy at!, yes you briefly got off on the wrong foot and some tree's got knocked over but that's all in the past.
>>
No. 438915 ID: cee89f

>>438895
Probably not that specifically though. Say, 'How does Luna feel about gaining power outside of our exaltation? Say, body enhancements through sorcery?'

'...Also, is it possible to achieve multiple exaltations at once and how would Luna feel about it if it were?' - We'd get answers close enough to answer 'is becoming a titan okay' but it would still seem like the inquisitive newbie instead of a resistant upstart.
>>
No. 439203 ID: 417d7f

We could suggest that Saulanna met Peregrin via a relative or family friend and came to study under him when our parents/whoever we were living with were deceased.
>>
No. 439243 ID: 6118de

I'm still going to go with "say as little as possible, and stick mostly to the truth for what we do say". Overly intricate lies will just encourage more probing questions.

Note that Askalaff only actually asked us to tell about ourselves. He didn't say WHAT to tell about ourselves. We could deflect any backstory beyond the most rudimentary by instead starting up about our interests and what we hope to accomplish from our partnership with Lord Kaan, which is technically telling about ourselves.

He's probably looking less for an intimate backstory and more for "Hmm, what could this newbie contribute to the Silver Pact?".

Except for the accent, of course. Gotta come up with an excuse for that. Saying we're well-travelled might let us justify an implaceable accent, if our Average Worldliness is enough to back that up.
>>
No. 439268 ID: 96be00
File 134410914491.png - (236.22KB , 1000x500 , library8.png )
439268

> do you have beast sense active?

Yes, it's still on. Saulanna's not sure what exactly determines how long these things last; for some reason, she gets the feeling that it should have worn off by now, around the same time scale as her Soul Fire was operating on; but, it's still going. Perhaps her titanic nature is helping in some subtle way? Helping preserve the effects she wants, while the unwanted ones slip away normally? She doesn't know, but it's the theory her mind presents her with.

> accent

>"Ah... I'm afraid, my lady, your "accent" is entirely neutral; like my own. I'm probably the reason, actually. You can mimic any accent you like perfectly, but I don't think it would be very useful to start doing so now. I apologize; I should have made mention of it earlier, but I didn't think it would be important."

Oh dear.

Saulanna's head is spinning a little with all her thoughts on how to proceed! She's finding it difficult to bring them all together and sort them into a cohesive plan. So far, she sees four basic possibilities with answering Askalaff's questions:

1) Outright lies. Pretty straightforward. Saulanna does not feel very confident with this; her SAVVY judges high probability that Garmir has some ability to "smell" things like deceit, based on her emotional condition. It seems like it would be part of his Thing.

2) Deceit by omission: she selects words and ways of speaking that are technically true answers to the questions but which give the wrong impression. Saulanna can probably pull off the linguistic trickery, but she'll still know that she's trying to mislead them. Lie-detection abilities that would rely on scent and body language would have no trouble with technicality exploitation; it's what she feels that would matter.

3) Mostly truth: Saulanna sort of tells the real story, being vague on particulars when necessary and avoiding only what hasn't been directly asked about; the chance of being asked "by the way, are you a baby titan" is entirely negligible, if she doesn't specify things like how she defeated Peregrin or developed trust for him. She would not feel that she was lying this way, only being reticent. She could even come right out and tell them there are some things she doesn't want to talk about. This is the easiest and most straightforward option, though less likely to help convince them to let her stay here, and they might get pushy.

4) Diversion: she avoids the question by changing the topic or going off on a tangent, hopefully getting some more of her own questions answered in the process. Depends on how diverting a topic she shifts to, and how easily these two are shaken from the metaphorical trail.

None of them seem like really great options! For now, Saulanna says that it seems she has some time to spare on the tattoo question as presented, and would like to spend it to learn all she can here. Not giving a chance for response to that, she proceeds to stall for time by answering Askalaff's first question - who Peregrin is - in detail with as much as she knows about what he does in this land and who lives in it and how it came to be. Fortunately, she's soon assisted by a knock on the door, announcing Alice's return and the promise of a little more delay.

She has time to think a little more. Which of those four methods should she go with, assuming there's not some other solution that she's not recognizing?
>>
No. 439272 ID: 4a328b

OPTION #2
>>
No. 439273 ID: e3f578

I'd just go with 4, using the fact that your past is your own to tell if they start getting really forceful with the questions. It honestly is no business of theirs from their perspective beyond getting to know you better.

Or you could just seriously say it's a long story you really wouldn't want to put effort into telling, no disrespect, but you'd have to go into your memory, get all the relevant pieces and then tell those and honestly that is just plain tiring. You'd much prefer to just laze around making simple small talk than get into a lengthy bit about yourself.
>>
No. 439276 ID: 147853

Some combination of 3 and 4.

I see no real reason to actually hide anything from these people. They mention themselves, there are people who choose not to take the tattoos for one reason or another.

We know we can take it, really. Unlike all the others.

It would be great if you could convince one of them to actually stay with you.

They seem more on survival and strength than anything else, so much as you still bear your respect to luna, you shouldn't have much trouble with them.

Just take a "need to know" information approach with them until you know them better, and can judge what would be best to say to win their loyalty.
>>
No. 439277 ID: 0c2247

>>439268
They'll probably smell 1 & 2, so make it a mix of 3 & 4.
>>
No. 439280 ID: af25e0

Go with option #2. Try to keep Garmir distracted while you talk so he doesn't catch on.

Definitely avoid option #4. It won't work and will alert them to the fact that you're hiding something.
>>
No. 439281 ID: 6118de

It's hard for me to imagine a totally neutral accent - if something doesn't sound accented, that just means it's spoken by enough people that you're used to it. "Heavy" accents aren't actually "more wrong" on a linguistic level, they're just different enough from average that most people have trouble with them.

Anyway, as for the general strategy, I'd say as much 4) diversion as we can manage without raising suspicion by overtly sounding like we have something to hide, resorting to mostly 3) mostly truth when we can't avoid the topic, with only small amounts of 1) outright lies or 2) deceit by omission only if necessary to patch holes.

Currently, the thing the two are most suspicious about and that's most important to come up with a passable story for is why we fought and then made peace with Peregrin. Also the accent, but that seems easier to just ignore and hope they forget about it. Beyond that, we still haven't come up with a good excuse for not wanting tattoos, and I'm not sure there is one, short of admitting to our amnesia (if that).

...I don't suppose our Scent of Victory can mask scent-based cues on our feelings? We'd have been told already if it did.

PS. Can we do that tail bap thing with our head hair, too?
>>
No. 439282 ID: bf54a8

3, and use alice's memory problems if yours come up.
>>
No. 439284 ID: d6c330

That jerk is settling in, getting good and comfortable while checking out Saulanna's ass for the long haul.

...leave him to it. If that's how he wants to spend this conversation, distracted, that's to our advantage. It also means in an emergency, you can still pretend to suddenly notice, get all upset, and chew him out. It's our emergency exit from other conversation.

>neutral accent
...we might be able to use that, actually. If we're still using scholar as our backstory, then educating/training away your accent makes sense! Lots of people try to minimize a more common accent. You can even 'prove' it, by allowing yourself to slide back into your native accent (by which I mean imitate another accent perfectly with titan of communication powers. Use wordiness to chose the appropriate region).

I vote for a mix. When there are reasonable pauses in the conversation, use 4. You're a new moon hero, and you've got questions. Information is honestly useful to us, and when they're talking, the pressure is off.

Use 2 and 3 to gloss over recent events with Peregrin, your exaltation, etc. You want to avoid bad things- your amnesia, titan powers, and that you and Peregrin were actually serious antagonists.

You're going to have to resort to 1 for portions of your backstory, since you have none. Try to limit discussion of your past, and as much as possible to use 2 and 3 instead. Why you want to stay here, what your motivations are, goals, etc. Those can be couched in truth. You do want to study, and learn, and help out round here. You do have a benefical arrangement with Kaan, etc.
>>
No. 439285 ID: 526f7b

Outright lies are never a good idea. The rest have their uses depending on the questions asked. Answering truthfully but being reticent is generally the best idea. However saying we're not comfortable talking about something is only really wise if that won't arouse suspicion, which in most cases would be when it would be misperceived as too personal of a question for our tastes, which would make it arguably deceit through omission.
Diversion should be employed on questions that can't be handled that way and which have answers we definitely don't want to share.
>>
No. 439286 ID: 6118de

>>439284
>...we might be able to use that, actually. If we're still using scholar as our backstory, then educating/training away your accent makes sense! Lots of people try to minimize a more common accent. You can even 'prove' it, by allowing yourself to slide back into your native accent (by which I mean imitate another accent perfectly with titan of communication powers. Use wordiness to chose the appropriate region).

This. Great idea!

You probably mean Worldliness rather than Wordiness though, even though both happen to be applicable here ;)

>I vote for a mix. When there are reasonable pauses in the conversation, use 4. You're a new moon hero, and you've got questions. Information is honestly useful to us, and when they're talking, the pressure is off.

>Use 2 and 3 to gloss over recent events with Peregrin, your exaltation, etc. You want to avoid bad things- your amnesia, titan powers, and that you and Peregrin were actually serious antagonists.

>You're going to have to resort to 1 for portions of your backstory, since you have none. Try to limit discussion of your past, and as much as possible to use 2 and 3 instead. Why you want to stay here, what your motivations are, goals, etc. Those can be couched in truth. You do want to study, and learn, and help out round here. You do have a benefical arrangement with Kaan, etc.

This too.
>>
No. 439288 ID: f793db

Go with option 3: flat out say that there are things you can not tell them, because the information would be harmful for people who rely on you.

Talk up how it is a matter of honor if you think that would endear them to you. Or to emphasize that it would be a breach of trust to people who rely on you, and whom you yourself rely on.

Basically, don't skirt the issue, but don't blab either. Be straightforward and helpful, but make them understand that there are things you can not say. And that forcing the issue would be both disrespectful to the people you know, and by extension, yourself.
>>
No. 439290 ID: dd287a

3 I suppose, we just need to keep certain little details to ourself at the moment, namely the fact that we sortof own this castle and all the land around it by proxy, that and titanness, as mentioned, Lies are probably going to get detected, and we're not exactly a master of deceit in any case.
>>
No. 439334 ID: 8e921b

3 is probably the best bet for most questions. Askalaff asked her to talk about herself, so she can talk about her interests (linguistics, learning sorcery and other magic, general academic learning, maybe some of the non-horrible things she picked up from her victims) and goals (help some friends she has made here, assist Peregrin's research because it's interesting and she agreed to, learn sorcery, become Luna's girlfriend...)

She doesn't need to put much emphasize on describing her past. She can honestly say her past doesn't matter much to her now that she's Exalted. She can say that was and is a scholar (a scavenger archaeologist is a sort of scholar). Her "neutral" accent is the result of her linguistic studies.

As for the fight with Peregrin, it started because she was trespassing. It ended because, first of all, she challenged him to a different sort of contest (don't be specific; she can imply some contest of wits) and won. She helps him with research, he agrees to teach her what he knows. She's reluctant to leave becuase she gave her word to this agreement with him, and it's dishonorable to break it.
>>
No. 439336 ID: 8e921b

Also, it wasn't that extreme a fight; neither wanted to kill the other (this is also true).
>>
No. 439359 ID: 1f8505

Option 5: The Hard, Cold, Brutal Truth
>>
No. 439362 ID: e3aff6

>>439359
Maybe if it was just the polite guy, but Wolfy McParanoid probably won't react to well to that.
>>
No. 439391 ID: 9718f3

Option 3 seems the best.

We don't have to say anything more than that we were traveling within Peregrin's lands when we exalted. Peregrin was understandably concerned about our presence in his territory. We ended up fighting but worked things out and now we have a mutually beneficial arrangement. We have a place to stay, and help Peregrin with his research in turn.

No need to mention our memory issues, but if we are forced into it somehow, Luna DID say it was probably a result of our exaltation, and it is true that we don't remember anything from before it happened.

We appreciate the trouble they have gone through to help us, but their aid isn't something we feel comfortable accepting at the moment. We don't mean any offense, we simply don't want to get the tattoos right now. Maybe in a month or two. We are relatively unlikely to require the use of our war-form while staying with Peregrin, so the change should be quite slow. If they leave us some way of contacting them, we could promise to seek them out if that condition changes, of course.

For option 4, we could try asking Askalaff about his wife.
>>
No. 439404 ID: 0c2247

>>439362
You'd tell a Lunar that Saulanna's a baby titan, but not Luna herself?

Ok, so have him send Wolfy McParanoid away. Something like "I'm sorry, but I'm not comfortable talking about myself in front of this grabass. Could you make him leave so we can talk?"
He agrees, we tell the pervert "If you do anything untoward to the staff then I am going to find out and feed you your own testicles."
>>
No. 439405 ID: d6c330

>>439359
>>439404

It's far too risky. There are countless reasons even good, just, kind and rational people could decide something as powerful or as dangerous as a new Titan cannot be suffered to go free, or to walk upon this earth.

We don't know either of them well enough to know that we could trust them this. Just because Owl-boy is more polite doesn't mean he'll help or tolerate us.

Until we're in a position to deal with the consequences of exposure, we cannot share that secret without damn good reason and unshakable trust in whoever we're telling.
>>
No. 439407 ID: 0c2247

>>439405
>Until we're in a position to deal with the consequences of exposure, we cannot share that secret without damn good reason and unshakable trust in whoever we're telling.

Damn good reason to tell Luna: To demonstrate our loyalty and that we trust her.
Unshakable trust: A lunar that doesn't have faith in Luna is kind of a contradiction, and it's important to realize that Saulanna exists because of Luna on so many levels and in so many ways. Her body wouldn't be alive if Luna hadn't exalted it, Luna gave her an initial identity, and set her off into the world.
Lunars tend to take a maternal view of Luna, but in this case it's essentially a literal one.
Allegorically, Saulanna and Wordblood are an egg and sperm respectively; you can expect Luna to be nurturing, as it is her nature.
If Saulanna sees Luna as her mother, then trust is a non-issue.

On a related note? Luna doesn't hate Titans as a category, just those who have done wrong. By way of example, Luna is deeply in love with Gaia. Saulanna is innocent.
>>
No. 439408 ID: f03e5a

I say Option #3, mostly truth. However you choose to think of them they are here to help you. Telling them important stuff unrelated to your titanic nature will at the least tell them you don't think of them as adversaries you must lie to, while still keeping your own secret.
>>
No. 439410 ID: b85f8c

>>439407
Wordblood has very clearly outlined why we cannot let the general public know she is a Titan, nor Luna. Stop literally trying to get us killed in order to satisfy your desire to make things more "interesting".
>>
No. 439412 ID: cee89f

>>439268

I'd go with Mostly Truth - there's no reason not to trust these people with most of our story, but considering that Luna was willing to rebel against them, and that she would tell the Sun, who we would then (as Wordblood put it) have to throw ourselves on his mercy, we should definitely keep the titan powers a secret for now.

>>439407

Sure but Saulanna has no way of knowing this, or even suspecting it.
>>
No. 439415 ID: 147853

>>439407
I support this comment 100%.

no, make that 200%.

No, make that 250.
>>
No. 439417 ID: 147853

>>439410
This is wrong.

Wordblood said later, after he had more information from eating some souls, that he no longer distrusted Luna, and that we could very likely stop hiding things from her safely.
>>
No. 439418 ID: 0c2247

>>439412
Yes she does. Wordblood gained that knowledge when Saulanna consumed that monster's soul:
>>405746

He even concedes that Luna isn't likely to be hostile; his concern is that she may have to tell Sun, and Sun isn't a peaceful person.

However, if Luna and Saulanna identify as mother and daughter then Sun wouldn't dare act against Saulanna. Assuming Luna can't keep it a secret, which is a rather significant assumption to make of the trickster goddess.
>>
No. 439419 ID: b85f8c

>>439417
I said GENERAL PUBLIC.
>>
No. 439425 ID: b85f8c

>>439419
...I think I misunderstood what Seven was suggesting though.

Confessing to Luna might work. She could then order these two to let us stay here and not require us to get tattoos, without revealing our nature to them. It would in fact be the perfect solution, if the Sun doesn't come after us because of it.
>>
No. 439426 ID: cee89f

>>439418
I meant the 'Luna doesn't hate Titans as a category' (for all Saulanna knows Gaia is the exception) and even in the post you linked Wordblood still thinks it's a bad idea.
>>
No. 439427 ID: 0c2247

>>439425
Which is why we need to have Saulanna express to Luna that she feels Luna is her mother. Luna won't reject that, and so Sun wouldn't dare act against Saulanna.
Instead, Sun would make it the highest priority to find Saulanna's Solar Mate so that he can keep a close eye on her and exert some control via their bond. That wouldn't be a bad thing.
Sun would keep the secret, since spreading it would put Saulanna in danger which would in turn anger Luna.
>>
No. 439428 ID: 6118de

>>439419
You said GENERAL PUBLIC, NOR LUNA.

I do think we should tell Luna at some point, but it's probably worth waiting until we've done something meaningful other than eating souls.

>>439417
>Wordblood said later, after he had more information from eating some souls, that he no longer distrusted Luna, and that we could very likely stop hiding things from her safely.

More accurately, he said that he wasn't sure what to expect from Luna. She might accept us or she might not.

I suspect even if she doesn't unmake us on the spot, she might be suspicious and effectively put us on "parole", which would be inconvenient.

>>439334
>3 is probably the best bet for most questions. Askalaff asked her to talk about herself, so she can talk about her interests (linguistics, learning sorcery and other magic, general academic learning, maybe some of the non-horrible things she picked up from her victims) and goals (help some friends she has made here, assist Peregrin's research because it's interesting and she agreed to, learn sorcery, become Luna's girlfriend...)

>She doesn't need to put much emphasize on describing her past. She can honestly say her past doesn't matter much to her now that she's Exalted. She can say that was and is a scholar (a scavenger archaeologist is a sort of scholar). Her "neutral" accent is the result of her linguistic studies.

Right. Remember, Askalaff is a "man of learning" too. I'm sure we can find some common interests.
>>
No. 439429 ID: cee89f

>>439427
You're both ignoring the point I brought up AND assuming a great deal about both Luna and Sun/Sol. And even if it's true (which it may very well be) all Saulanna knows is that Luna's not as certain to be hostile as Wordblood thought, and that if she tells Luna, Luna will spread it around - at the very least, to the Unconquered Sun, who might very well think getting rid of a titan is worth Luna's wrath. If he sends any Solar at all it could very easily be on a search-and-destroy. And that's assuming the best-case scenario, that she only tells the Sun.

Telling Luna is a big risk with very little potential gain, and a great deal potential loss. Until we're sure of the outcome we shouldn't risk it.
>>
No. 439430 ID: d6c330

>What's the best way to hide secrets that could get us killed, or worse?

>Hai guys, lets' TELL THEM ALL OUR SECRETS

Really guys? Really?

More seriously, yes, there might be benefits to getting Luna on our side. But there's also huge risks to exposure. I don't see that benefit going away if reveal ourselves to her later. I do see the risk going down if we wait till we're more powerful though.

Basic cost-benefiet analysis says we're better off to wait. You're advocating stepping out from behind cover just because you think the other guys might maybe like you and won't shoot, when we have the option to wait and put on a vest first. Let's put on the vest first, shall we?
>>
No. 439454 ID: b85f8c

>>439428
>you said general public, nor luna
Shit, I forgot what I had posted. Well, it turns out that telling Luna is probably still a bad idea anyway.

THIS HERE >>408134 is the post where Wordblood talks about telling Luna or not. To sum up, we shouldn't, at least not without getting some good deeds under our belt, mostly because she WILL tell the Sun, and he is not as likely to be sympathetic based on us just being a Lunar.

So my final vote remains to stick with option 3. Don't lie.
>>
No. 439571 ID: f21980

Gah.
Why does Garmir keep trying to touch you? =_=

Option 2.
>>
No. 439573 ID: 4411c7

Guys. Seriously. Just politely decline the tattoos and stop trying to divulge our secrets. Seriously guys. Guys, seriously. I mean it.
>>
No. 439630 ID: cee89f

>>439571
Cuz she's purty =3

>>439573
Pretty sure it's just those two or three guys =/
>>
No. 439631 ID: 997ce7

Oh, and if you're pressed on refusing the tattoos, mention you don't quite feel comfortable around anyone who continues trying to molest you, and that you judge people on the company they keep. Therefore, you don't want either of them getting too intimate with your flesh in any way whatsoever.

That's a fairly good reason.
>>
No. 439632 ID: dd287a

Oh come on, we're totally flattered by the attention from the big hunky guy.
>>
No. 439634 ID: ee5586

Just decline getting the Tattoos, no need to make a big deal about and go with the Mostly True option but if they get too nosy about stuff we don't want to talk about flat out say we won't. Don't talk about our lack of memories or that our host is in anyway responsible for such as well as nothing about our Titan connection.
>>
No. 439648 ID: cee89f

>>439632
Maybe you are. Saulanna gave him a deathglare just for LOOKING, batted his hand aside (forgot to mention: HI-lar-ious) and most of the people here were rather annoyed with him for it.
>>
No. 439690 ID: 6118de

It's not that big a deal if people occasionally steal glances at us, but Garmir is being way too forward, and I'm definitely drawing the line at touching.

It doesn't help that we already didn't like Garmir for reasons entirely unrelated to sexuality.
>>
No. 439710 ID: 147853

We can't date Garmir, we have Peregrin already. Duh.
>>
No. 439728 ID: cee89f

>>439710
... meh, he feels too formal and... for lack of a better descriptor for the exact feeling I'm getting, 'suited up'...
>>
No. 439736 ID: 1417a1

>>439710
Aren't we working on a harem?
>>
No. 439738 ID: dd287a

I'm pretty sure the magical servitude thing would make a relationship awkwerd anyhow, regardless, lets add 'Find Love' to the long term goals eh?

we don't really know anyone that well to begin with.
>>
No. 439741 ID: d6c330

If he leaves it at looking, I'm still for leaving him too it. It's annoying, but if we've got one less of them paying attention to the conversation, it makes our life a little easier. (Actually if he's so easily impressed by our physical assets, that makes a decent retroactive case for the +1 beauty. Too late now, though).

>dating
I'm not sure we've been alive a full day yet (first chapter was several hours, then we slept for 8, and now this. Not counting time funniness here), and we barely know any of our potential partners. Seems premature, even if we are a Lunar.

>harem
I don't think that's what we're supposed to be using the deva system for. :p
>>
No. 439753 ID: cee89f

>>439741
...

Darnit now i wanna ask Wordblood about making love in the mindscape -.- thanks a lot.
>>
No. 439793 ID: 1da170

You can still lie to people who can detect it, so long as your lies lead them to favorable conclusions. I don't think Saulanna has the Dickery to pull that off for any length of time, though, so you should probably go with a combination of #3 and #4.

The mostly-truth doesn't even sound all that bad! Peregrin is a bit of a putz at combat, being a master of spellcasting instead. And he does have a lot to offer us. And the tattoos - if they work as they're being described - shut off a lot of sorcerous options to us even if we weren't Titanic.
>>
No. 439851 ID: 117433

>>439736
I doubt Saulanna's Arousal score is high enough to consider that.
>>
No. 439857 ID: cee89f

>>439851
Wouldn't that be pervert level? She doesn't have to want to have sex NOW to want a harem LATER
>>
No. 439866 ID: dcd945

Can we worry about LI's a little later? (And in the discussion thread?)

Option #4 seems like the best choice. Asking Askalaff about the city he comes from and it's history may distract him for a while.
>>
No. 439919 ID: 6118de

Don't ask about the city he's from if we aren't willing to reciprocate with the city we're from.

Scholarly interests would be a better topic.
>>
No. 439959 ID: 8e921b

For the love of sanity, don't tell Luna about being a Titan! This is a good way to get dead.

Saulanna needs to hold off telling AT LEAST until she has done several things that Luna would appreciate (these guys might have ideas, if asked correctly) and become much more powerful.
>>
No. 440082 ID: 147853

>>439793

I like this idea.

We can use our persuit of knowledge and sorcery as our excuse for not wanting to get the tattoos.

When we get to that point.
>>
No. 440098 ID: 49b7b1
File 134433101734.png - (106.23KB , 500x600 , saulannafrets.png )
440098

Between 2 and 3, with an option on 4 at first reasonable opportunity... Ok. Right, ok. All right. Let's go.

"So, um, this accent of mine, it isn't actually how I originally spoke; I, uh, developed this way of speaking. Relatively recently. I'm not from around here. I'm quite a scholar, you see, and I came here looking to learn things. I and Peregrin had a... misunderstanding... and I, well, ended up with some of his property in my possession."

That's all probably true, right? From what Peregrin told her?

>"Good thinking about the accent, in any case."

"Eventually the... circumstances of that misunderstanding led to my becoming a Moon Hero, and soon afterwards we might have gotten a bit... confrontational, you could say. But I gave a good enough account of myself with my new powers that we decided to stop fighting. We came to an... arrangement. So, I don't have anything that doesn't belong to me any more, and Peregrin lets me learn whatever I liked from his collection. Which is good, right? I don't want to pass up that opportunity, do I?"

Saulanna still feels like she's lying. This is so complicated! Or, well, actually the words are pretty straightforward, but the emotional situation is terribly unsteady!

She considers just confessing it all, to everyone, right now. It would be such a relief to just get it over with! But her accumulated knowledge thus far suggests that although Luna may pull the divine equivalent of pranks on the other gods, she and the Sun are very close. She would surely tell him about something as important as this! And then what!? Saulanna's mind conjures its own image of being dragged to the Celestial City for the judgement of the gods. The gods, who essentially lobotomized their own creators before stuffing them into their prison together, even the ones who were no harm to anyone besides their loyalty to their friends!! The ones who made them and liked them and tried to help as much as they could!! How could-

Saulanna suddenly realizes she is not sure where this line of thought is coming from. She suppresses those emotions, but decides to stay with the plan of secrecy for now.
>>
No. 440099 ID: 49b7b1
File 134433105770.png - (116.31KB , 500x600 , saulannafrets2.png )
440099

"Gods, woman, you're so scared. You know, they say it's easier if you imagine your audience naked."

"Garmir, hush."
>>
No. 440102 ID: 49b7b1
File 134433112101.png - (249.51KB , 1000x500 , library9.png )
440102

"Listen, Saulanna - if I may call you that? You seem to get on a first name basis with people quite easily? You're clearly trying to hide something. That fact is mildly comforting in that it proves, at least, that you are not under direct mental control, or you'd believe what you say. At the same time, it proves you feel there's something to hide. Perhaps this is something perfectly legitimate - you don't want us to know your family, say, because you think we would use them to influence you. However, all we're concerned with is that you get proper instruction and, preferably, tattoos, relatively soon. So far, you seem to be trying to delay rather than deny, which is reasonable enough. I myself would like the opportunity to stay here for a while, in your position, for the reason you give. I'll trust for now that your real reasons are also temporary obstacles, and that you do not intend to permanently pass up the opportunity we are offering, on the basis that you seem to have a working brain."

"Kaan's presence is what troubles me. Or, rather, the presence of any Death Hero, but we'll leave aside the threatening proximity of the underworld for now. I'm sure he's a man of charm and wit and therein lies the danger; beyond which, his magic aligns with that of the Ebon Dragon, whose essence is deceit and corruption. At the very least he would not be able to resist entangling a young Hero such as yourself in his own schemes, and I wouldn't expect anyone in his position to restrain themselves merely to that. Can you honestly tell me you'll finish your stay here without becoming inclined to his views on the world? Stronger Heroes than you have fallen prey to manipulations by his breed."

>>
No. 440104 ID: b85f8c

>>440102
Sweet, it worked. Also I think that errant line of thought was mostly Wordblood's.

What views? We understand he's not a very nice man, but he doesn't seem to be acting against the best interests of the people unliving here.
>>
No. 440105 ID: 256d52

That is the greatest depiction of the Unconquered Sun that I have ever seen.

'Inclined to his views on the world'? What exactly does that mean? It's an odd choice of phrasing.
>>
No. 440112 ID: 72d49b

Well as for sharing his views, you can tell them that you're already sympathetic to ghosts, and believe they deserve to be given asylum. You can also say you don't think that's a bad thing.

As for falling prey to the manipulations of his breed, well. That's really rather rude of them, and you should say as much. Kaan is an entirely kind and respectful man who pays no allegiance to the Ebon or any other dragon, and he has no machinations besides helping you, studying, and protecting his refugees. Further, you are quite strong, certainly enough so that Kaan isn't someone they should worry about threatening you.
>>
No. 440116 ID: f793db

>Sweet, it worked. Also I think that errant line of thought was mostly Wordblood's.

I also think this. It is probably worth making sure Saulanna's soul is stronger so it stays dominant.

I think, rather than asking them about Peregrin's views, it would be best to ask about their own, followed by what dangers there are accompanied with those of general Death Heroes.

Explain that this is so you can see how things are for yourself, and know what to look out for.
>>
No. 440117 ID: e3f578

All views in the world are manipulated into people, very rarely do people come onto world views of their own based on their own experiences, and I doubt Heroes are much different. Your opinion is yours and you'll change it whenever you desire for whatever reason. If his opinions happen makes sense, well then, there's hardly anything you can do to make it sense less, but you can read people pretty well, so if it's a particularly good manipulation into doing something you don't like when he himself doesn't actually have that opinion, you'll be able to tell. He'll only be able to convince you to opinions that are actually his own through his own true logic.

At least Kaan hasn't hit on you yet. So, you know, bonus professional points for that guy compared to eyebrows over there.
>>
No. 440118 ID: bf54a8

oh oh, we can work this, explain emisaries of the dragon are coming because they detected a moon hero, you don't want to leave kaan high and dry as they ransack the place looking for you. if they acted as a front they could explain away the detection.
>>
No. 440128 ID: be1ec1

Well it seems that they are inclined to trust you in a way. Build on that. Say that you'll gladly accept their instruction in how to use your moon powers and that you're kind of happy that they are willing to support you and protect you from a Death Hero. Insist that you'd like to hold off on the tattoos for now since you're a bit wary of them and their effect. (If necessary you could hint that some magic and sorcery involves altering the sorcerers body in various ways?) Instead offer a promise that you will keep your lunar shafeshifting to a minimum for now and that you will also try to only do it under Askalaffs and Garmirs supervision.

Explain that their worry about Kaan is well founded, but unnecessary. You've got a very good handle on him. He doesn't serve Ebon Dragon and his motives are his research. There are no downsides to Saulannas presence at his side. He gets more done and he might even be able to conquer or restrain his darker nature. They've travelled through his lands more than you, ask what they think of his rule so far.

Try to bring up some other topics. Ask if they know where you would be able to get ahold of some magical materials. If these guys do moonsliver tattoos then they might know where to get more moonsilver! There's crafting to be done.
>>
No. 440132 ID: e3aff6

Garmir is kind of a creep...
>>
No. 440136 ID: 6118de

Well. Saulanna's Expert Deception skills do not impress, but Askalaff is giving us the benefit of the doubt for now (and Garmir seems to be taking after Luna in that he wouldn't care if we WERE a titan as long as we'd bed him).

On Kaan, we can honestly point out that he does not serve Ebon Dragon, and in fact runs this Shadowland as a refuge from the Dragon's Shadow. We have made a point to research what his subjects (the Captain) think of him - and yes, we do think that ghosts are people.

And we're capable of thinking for ourselves, thankyouverymuch.

Also, this:
>>440116
>>
No. 440139 ID: b6178d

I'm not so sure the errant line of thought isn't from some kind of truth-enforcing smell one of the Lunars may be exuding. Say... the guy who's getting up real close and personal.

(Or maybe it's just our debating that's getting to Saulanna, or a side effect of the Scent of Victory, or who knows what else.)

At any rate, tea has arrived! Have some tea. Alice's arrival ought to serve as a distraction until her departure and will hopefully help calm down the jitters. Meanwhile, you should take the opportunity and use your Savvy to consider what Garmir and Askalaff are doing, if anything. Are they applying subtle pressures on you? Are there any new smells in the air that could be affecting you? Is there a good cop bad cop duality going on here? Think a little, apply some aggressive logic! After all, you're the genius SAULANNA RICANYA ROCKBLOSSOM, for Luna's sake, and you shouldn't be quivering at the vaguest of challenges! Try to work out what plans these two might be operating with, for surely they wouldn't have come here without a few ways to push reluctant new Moon Heroes into coming back along with them, right? If you can suss out their tactics, you are better armed to disable or distract those.

In either case, give both Lunars a somewhat embarrassed look (as if your reasons are more personal than anything, or as if Grimnir is getting to you), sigh and slowly sip your tea (so as to always have an excuse handy if you need a pause to think) while you press for more information.

"Maybe, or maybe not. I'm not fool enough not to think association with him won't have an effect on me, but... the same should go in reverse. If I stay here for any length of time, there will by necessity have to be changes in how he operates. The affairs of Peregrin Kaan aside, however, it'd do me world of good if you'd tell me a little more about yourself and your... grouping? Before I decide on anything, I want at least a fuller picture of where I'd be going, with whom, to whom and what it would mean for me in the greater scheme of things. Does your faction of Lunars have any specific enemies, for example?

As for my part, I promise to consider this matter with the seriousness it seems to warrant. I'm not really inclined to become some kind of murderous beast (who is?)... but you say it takes time, which I am inclined to spend at least a little of to get answers and see to that the promises I've made so far are not abandoned. Incidentally, you wouldn't happen to know of a BEAST-BLOODED woman by name of Ruive, would you?"
>>
No. 440140 ID: d6c330

Well, all in all, that went well. Except our stupid pointless argument about revealing ourselves made her more nervous and afraid than she should have been.

>I also think this. It is probably worth making sure Saulanna's soul is stronger so it stays dominant.
I don't think that should be a prompt to worry about dominance. He just said "well done". He hangs out in our head, I don't see how him offering verbal (thouhgt-al?) commentary or support is anything unusual or worrying. Actually, I find it a little encouraging to see him participating outside of his infodumps.

>Garmir is kind of a creep...
Yeesh. And becoming more so with each passing update...

Okay. They saw through you, but they're giving us what we wanted. Accept the delay, and we'll work around it later. Move on to safer topics as soon as you can, discus moon heros, moon powers, etc. You've got a lot to learn.

>Can you honestly tell me you'll finish your stay here without becoming inclined to his views on the world?
It's impossible for me to completely know what my views in the future will be. Even more so if you don't tell me what you want me to avoid! And I know I already share at least a few of his views, for instance, I see the ghosts here as people *glare at Garmir*. So no, I can't make that promise. But I can at least promise to remain cautious, and to heed your warning.
>>
No. 440143 ID: 431fa8

>>440102
Let's take a moment to breathe, calm ourselves down, and collect ourself. Move so that Garmir isn't lurking behind us- being flanked is one of those things that always makes people more nervous, and we don't want that. Stand so that you can face them both at once. Try for confidence- this might be a dangerous situation, but we are a Hero! And a Titan, for that matter! Nothing is beyond us, and we can certainly get through one stinking conversation without totally losing it.

From there, we do need to answer him. Let's try giving an assessment of Peregrin that is accurate and displays a certain level of caution, while maintaining firmly that we can handle it. Acting like we're not concerned about him at all will probably be more suspicious than acknowledging an apparent threat but being cautious. How about something like this?

"Lord Kaan is... from everything I have seen of him, he does not really care about dealing with people beyond the bare minimum of getting them to leave him alone or assist in his research. While he has deceived me in the past, at the moment I believe that the most dangerous thing he would try to manipulate me into would be helping him with some manner of ridiculously ambitious experiment- and honestly, that's something I'd be inclined to do anyway because there's so much I could learn from it. With my abilities, it's so easy to learn things! If you're concerned about my becoming some sort of political puppet or thug of his, I really don't think that's going to be a problem.

"So I should be fine. I appreciate your concern, and your understanding that there are some things I don't wish to share. I would like to stay here for some time, at least until the next new moon has passed and maybe for significantly longer, but I do not wish to neglect my growth and success as a Moon Hero. I you want to stay here with me until then and teach me...? Or tell me where to find you afterward, I won't forget the dangers you've warned me against."
>>
No. 440150 ID: d8537a

>I don't think that should be a prompt to worry about dominance. He just said "well done".
They weren't talking about that, they were talking about the opinion seepage about the gods. (On the other hand, it probably isn't going to get much worse than this from Wordblood as aside from the gods we generally agree with him on things to begin with. This is still something to watch out for with other souls we might get though.)
>>
No. 440151 ID: b6178d

Just for ease of reference, here's a couple of things I think Saulanna should NOT be doing:

-Admit that she carries the shard of a titan, or even hint it.
-Admit that Kaan is subservient to us, or even hint it.
-Argue that Kaan is not a threat or bad influence on us (they'd never believe it without substantial proof).
-Let the MOON HEROES have contact with our friend Gevin unsupervised, since he is one of a select few who have spoken with Wordblood.
-Commit to get Tattoo'd (unless we're willing to give up the titanic potential to modify one's body and are fairly confident Luna and the other Lunars will have our back as a potential-Titaness-to-be).
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No. 440158 ID: cee89f

"... The matters I am keeping secret are... well, both personal and rather sensitive at the moment. I'll tell you if they become relevant."

>Can you honestly tell me you'll finish your stay here without becoming inclined to his views on the world?

"Yes. I can honestly say that Mr.Kaan will not hold dominion over me."

Possibly:
*points at the scholar while looking at wolf-boy* "Garmir, keep in mind the longer you persist in flirting with me the more you're hurting your husband's feelings."
>>
No. 440179 ID: 3fc386

>Kaan's Influence
While his oath to us is quite extensive it by no means prevents him from trying to influence our decisions. He is still his own person with his own stakes in helping us and we should be wary of him. Any game he tries to play with us will have to be long and filled with temptation but he is certainly in the position for just that. Circumstances aside, he has already gotten us to destroy a soul for personal power. We are going to need to ask him some very direct questions about his end goals and motivations when we get the chance. We should also do what we can to make ourselves more self sufficient.

>Askalaff's request
I say we allow Askalaff to stay. We need people with less vested interests and more grounded reasons for wanting to help us to act as our conscience while we build ourself up (both metaphorically and literally). The best case would be him setting up outside the manse where we can visit him and have the Rider's keep an eye on him.

For now we should take a calming drink of tea, thank them for not prying, talk on less delicate matters and see what sort of accommodations Askalaff requires for his stay.

>Further consideration
1) We need to do something about Alice. having a mind-wiped servant doesn't speak well of Peregin's character and having a second (i.e. Us) will cause huge trust issues. I would like to restore her memory and send her home. I suspect the fastest way would be a Power Word. Remember or Restore might work and have some interesting uses down the road. Assuming we can spare the TW.
2) We are looking for someone, we now know an expert tracker, Happy coincidence and perfect opportunity? We can interrogate Garmir and help Gevin!
Any thoughts?
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No. 440184 ID: d6c330

>>440150
Oh, yes. Initially, I read her misunderstood panic of unsure origin as coming from us, not Wordblood. But it could have been his fear.

Actually, I now wonder if weren't so much a matter of fear cycling. Our thoughts dredge up his fears, which dredge up her fears, which increase his fears... round and round it goes till blind panic is achieved. Saulanna and her devas may need to learn to be careful about emotions bleeding around out of control.

>delaying
It occurs me that they're going to be perfectly reasonable about stalling / staying as long as the unnaturally long night persists and there's no route back to the living world. But as soon as day rises, they're going to become more insistent, wanted to leave the deathlands before the exit closes. Depending on the timetables, this could work to our advantage or detriment.
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No. 440202 ID: 6a1ec2

Wordblood basically just experienced the godly equivalent of being knocked on the head, and then waking up tied up in a dark room with all his friends around him dead. Fear is understandable in such case.

Deceit is nothing to worry about. Corruption is perhaps worrying though, especially with that Wyld on the edge waiting to drag you off to madness and body horror. Staying here might actually be a very bad idea. You need to learn more about the Ebon Dragon before you can decide whether his brand of alteration is compatible with your survival or not. In any case it would be a bad idea to drink Peregrin's blood.

Always remember that it's the Sun you're afraid of, not Luna. Her loose attitude with the other god is what could get you annihilated.

Hey if Peregrin has the capability to wipe people's minds, could he make you forget you even had a power word? In that case Power Word Remember might not work out so well...
>>
No. 440225 ID: 8e921b

Uh, does Saulanna have 1 Dickery and 0 Deception? That was a lamentably bad show methinks.

>>440136
I agree with the above. We should not claim that Kaan's up to nothing because "mindraping people and fusing them with devas" isn't "nothing." We also shouldn't make ourselves look naieve/gullible by claiming he's a 100% nice, upright guy and would never deceive us. But we can say:

1. Kaan's providing asylum here from the Dragon's Shadow and his Veil, and yes ghosts ARE people.
2. That we're honestly hesitant to trust these Moon Heroes, especially Garmir, since he thinks ghosts aren't even people, and is trying to grope and intimidate us. It's still just their claim that we're in danger, and Askalaff's pleasant demeanor could be an act.
3. That an emissary from the Dragon's Shadow is coming, that Lord Kaan cannot hope to directly oppose the Dragon so he has to rely on seeming like not-a-threat, and if he and his subjects came to harm and it was Saulanna's fault for drawing attention, she'sobligated to help them defend themselves! So no abandoning them suddenly.
4. That we have friends we want to aid, promises we've made, that tie us to this place (no need to mention Gevin or his box, of course.)
5. That we can think for ourselves, and recognize Kaan can be deceptive but are pretty confident he can't easily dominate us.
>>
No. 440226 ID: 8e921b

Actually, mentioning the emissary may be a bad idea.
>>
No. 440239 ID: 6118de

Kaan already mentioned the emissary as an excuse to attempt to put off talking to the Lunars.

If we want to demonstrate awareness of Kaan's morally dubious actions, we could use Alice's presence to point out that a sorcerous experiment of his damaged her memory, while claiming ignorance of the details of the experiment (which is technically true - while we know what Kaan was trying to accomplish, we have no idea how he did it) and that it isn't what we're seeking to learn from him (also true, we're not interested in making more titans, just improving our own titan powers).

As for helping Alice regain her memories, I agree with a caution form an earlier poster that we shouldn't do so unless she wants us to. Regaining memories from an effectively different life can be disorienting, and there is the possibility that she wanted to forget some things (Kaan claims she came to him willingly). Though, it would be nice if we could at least help her remember her name without writing it down.

>>440202
Peregrin isn't going to erase our own memories again. He has no incentive to do so (he's already succeeded at what he erased our memories for, namely fusing us to a Titan Fragment, and erasing our memories now would make us forget we promised to teach him without undoing his end of the promise), and he's under a True Name Oath not to harm us.
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No. 440243 ID: e3aff6

We might want to say that we are somewhat uncomfortable with having Garmir staring at us like that. As well as being entirely true, I think politely saying so would be mostly win/win for us as well as partially explaining away our nervousness. If Ascolaf has him stay it would seem like we are doing them a favor putting up with it, and if Garmir moves further away it would likely make it harder for him to smell our intentions.
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No. 440256 ID: d6c330

I'd leave Alice and the details of her situation out of it. Giving them reason to further distrust Kaan isn't worth the regard Saulanna might get for showing she knows what he's up too. Heck, they might be downright upset she knew about it and is apparently ok with it; ie, she's already been corrupted. And any talk or proof of mind control when they're already wary of it is bad.

They'll probably ignore the help if we don't raise the issue anyways. Although I suppose Garm might bother her if we shoot him down, as she's the only other corporeal tail around here.
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No. 440280 ID: 53bf63

You heard LAUGHTER.

Hands up, BEAST SENSES on.

Dodge this entire fucking conversation by revealing that there are more important matters at hand.
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No. 440285 ID: 6118de

Ohnoes! Someone is teh laffing! How horribul! Ppl nevar laff when relax'd & in polite cumpeny!

...Yeah, Peregrin can take care of himself. There might be something more to this, but it would reflect poorly on us to rush in without actually knowing anything bad is happening, and we would like to try to avoid the Dragon's emissary, if reasonable. Now, if we hear fighting, we can intervene.
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No. 440321 ID: af25e0

Sit tight and keep talking to them. Faint laughter from another room (back when she still had beast senses on, I believe) isn't all that suspicious.

>>440225

Concentrate on 3 and 4 from this list. They're the arguments that would appeal the most to Lunars. Use 5 to answer Askalaff's question.

Look annoyed with Garmir without actually getting angry or paying much attention to him.
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No. 440459 ID: 9718f3

It's pretty obvious that Peregrin is going to try to get Saulanna to see the world the way he does. That's how people work. Virtually every person is doing it almost all the time to practically everyone they meet. Maybe not willfully, or consciously, but in many ways the essence of communication itself is getting others to see things the same way you do, or trying to. That is exactly why these two are here right now, to convince you of a certain perspective of how the world works. Turning into a mindless beast is bad, the tattoos are beneficial, Death Heroes are untrustworthy.

Saulanna is not a fool, she understands that other people will try to convince her of things that may not be the best for her to be convinced of, or conform only to their idea of what "best" is. There is still value in those ideas, and she can still benefit from them if she remains mindful of the potential dangers.

If Askalaff wants, we are confident we could convince Peregrin to allow him to stay for a time to study, provided he observed certain provisions regarding privacy and security. As a side benefit, he'd be in an ideal position to try influencing our world view to whatever he thinks is reasonable, as a counter to Peregrin's influence.

Garmir can stay too if he wants, I guess. But only if he gives up on trying to convince Saulanna to sleep with him. Seriously, that isn't going to happen.
>>
No. 440549 ID: 8e921b

They're both stuck here anyway until the sun rises.

And let's not drag Alice into anything, or tell people personal things about her. It isn't our right to get her involved without her permission.
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No. 441078 ID: 9c56bb
File 134455743548.png - (85.04KB , 500x600 , freakingoutslightly.png )
441078

>>440225
>That was a lamentably bad show
>>440139
>use your Savvy to consider what Garmir and Askalaff are doing

Saulanna knows she can do better than this, but her nerves are getting in the way! Is there some sort of panic feedback loop between her and Wordblood? Is one of these two using some ability to make her confidence slip or make her afraid or something? She can smell the magic of the moon on them both, but it could be anything, even just the residue of powers they used to get here in the first place. They've got her sandwiched between them, Garmir keeps looming over her and hitting on her and that's weird because he smells interested but not that interested and he actually smells kind of annoyed and contemptuous as well, so does Askalaff, and she doesn't want to upset them because they're much stronger than her and the last time she met moon heroes they killed her and, wait, wait no no that was definitely Wordblood thinking there, oh dear.

>"Sorry, my lady! It should go away when you develop more titanic power yourself."

And something... something from somewhere else entirely is telling her that she's missing something, here. She gets the urge to keep talking, to defend Peregrin and talk about how he's not so bad and she can handle him, but that's not... that doesn't feel right! They're worried about him manipulating her, are they really going to trust anything she says about him? Are they going to trust anything she says? It's... the problem is with her. She's trying to be polite and clever and logical and dodge dangerous topics and arrange things all nice and civilized and that's all wrong somehow. But what is she supposed to do? There's something inside her that knows the answer but she can't hear it clearly.

Saulanna is getting pretty damn EMOTIONAL. She has to suppress the urge to start clawing and biting at someone.
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No. 441081 ID: d6c330

Game face, Saulanna, game face! Maybe you're not doing as well as you could, but things are still salvageable. Workable even, or better! You need to stay calm, collected, and focused on the task at hand. Put aside your doubts and uncertainties for the moment- they'll only make you falter if you dwell on them right now. You are SAULANNA RICANYA ROCKBLOSSOM, gods damn it, genius savy sexy raccoon moon hero demi-titan shadowlord superwoman, and you're here to kick ass.

Guys, I think we need to take the arguing to disc. It appears to be crippling her. Let's focus on encouragement, for the moment, before she loses it.
>>
No. 441085 ID: bf54a8

>>441081
take a deep breath, calm down.
yeah i agree
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No. 441091 ID: dd287a

Right, if you can't pull off witty and clever and polite all those many things that you frankly don't have that much experience in actually doing, then don't bother with it, You're prepared to kick ass in the name of Luna! You arn't sure who's asses yet, but theres asses out there, and they're going to get kicked if you have anything to say about it.

also a good topic of conversation anyway, whose asses are moon hero's kicking these days?
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No. 441094 ID: b85f8c

>>441078
We could try to make a Power Word to solve this. To basically brainwash them into forgetting you're here.
>>
No. 441096 ID: dd287a

>>441094
I seriously doubt we should attempt such things on other moon hero's whose power level we're completely unaware of.

It's just asking for it to bite us on the ass.
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No. 441124 ID: 4411c7

Let's just ask for some space! Ask them to either step out for a bit, or step out ourselves. Only time away from stresses can reduce Emotional-ness.

For all we know they might be causing the Emotion magically. Let's just get some space to calm down. And get away from the dude who keeps hitting on us.

Take a random book with us to chew on if need be.
>>
No. 441129 ID: af25e0

Hm. I hope that last part isn't the beginning of a limit break.

Try talking about something else, possibly the topic in >>441091. If the wave of paranoia doesn't pass, you'll want to put off any serious conversation with these two until the next day.
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No. 441140 ID: 8e921b

Calm Down Saulanna. Calm Down Wordblood. Do Not Panic.
>>
No. 441157 ID: b85f8c

>>441078
>that's all wrong somehow
Okay, drop that strategy then. Just stonewall them and be rude. Thank them for telling you about the tattoos but they should leave now, you can handle yourself. They don't actually NEED to know anything about your past. They don't NEED to know about Peregrin.
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No. 441158 ID: 72d49b

Maybe clawing and biting is the right thing to do here.
>>
No. 441159 ID: 886a4d

>>441158
They came here to chain the beast that Luna's influence can bring about... and you want to prove to them Saulanna has no control?
>>
No. 441160 ID: d6c330

When you've got a grip on yourself, you need to continue the conversation. Ask asked you a question, and you need to answer. You had several (maybe too many!) ideas on how to best answer him. Review your thoughts, and use your intellect and savy to pick what feels best to you.

You cannot let yourself be overwhelmed by your own thoughts, or conflicting ideas. A spring of creativity is good, so long as you do not allow yourself to drown in the flood. Sip of the spring, and make your own choices between ideas, and be confident in your choices. You must master your own mind to be sure of yourself. You must be sure of yourself to navigate this encounter. And you must learn to be master of your own thoughts if you hope to become a true Titan, and master of the thoughts and wills of an entire multitude of inner devas.
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No. 441161 ID: 0c2247

>>441078
You are missing that Luna's offer still stands.
Ask her for advice.
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No. 441164 ID: 92c81e

>>441078
Chill Saulanna, ask to take a break for a minute and get some air. It will help you gather your thoughts and calm down.
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No. 441183 ID: e8eb92

Saulanna, breathe for a moment. Use the fact that the tea has arrived to partake in some. It will calm your nerves and will allow you to use your savvy to formulate a plan. Focus on putting even a little bit of space between yourself and them, this will help with the calming.

Once you are in more control, firmly tell them that for now, while you are still learning so much, you must pass on the offer for tattoos. This is a temporary statement as you may be able to alter them one day, but they don't need to know that. Once you have calmly put your decision forward, ask them any questions you like.

Above all, don't stress out. You have advantages that they don't such as Wordblood and his experience with social situations.
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No. 441204 ID: a5695e

I think it might be time to ask Alice for a hug! Much better than clawing and biting at people, and it may let you fool these two bozos into thinking they've got you scared - which will either play into their plans, or throw them off-guard. Either way it should show what game they're playing.
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No. 441208 ID: 6a1ec2

>>441159

Maybe chaining the beast isn't such a bad idea after all...

Well Saulanna, whatever they're doing they're trying to provoke you through magical or other means into biting and clawing them. They are probably not being mean, but just testing how well you can maintain yourself under pressure. So instead of obeying your instincts for now, you have to make a show of being able to act contrary to them in order to avoid being hurt by the moon heroes who think you've gone wylde. In other words, your only chance now is to flirt with Garmir. Flirt for your life!
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No. 441212 ID: f03e5a

Saulanna, these two have been manipu8lating you from the very start when you tried to offer them a seat they immediately did other things to set you on edge. Every action from Garmir has been to distract you so you couldn't think clearly. Ask has been also keeping a gauge of you the entire time he has been talking. Its time to fight back instead of being afraid.

First move: Tell Garmir to back off, if he thinks he can just walk in here and make you his whatever then he can sleep outside in the deathlands.

Next turn back to Ask. You tell him that you don't intend to fall prey to Kaan's manipulations, the truth and CONVICTION you say this with should be enough to make him step back socially so as not to offend you. You are not some weak willed girl, and if these two gets annoyed or contemptuous at you...well Fuck them. You think they are stronger then you? I disagree. They can not recharge their moon power here in these shadow lands except over time. You are a LUNA chosen, a beast and human combined, and one of the Titans. Trust your instincts Saulanna and Wordblood. Together you are stronger then either of these moon heroes.
>>
No. 441213 ID: 38cd76

>>441212
Yes.
>>
No. 441224 ID: 63f851

Engage social offensive!
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No. 441323 ID: 11ebd8

Just straight up kick Garmir out. This conversation is over until he's gone, which should also give you some breathing room.
>>
No. 441326 ID: 08a77c

Just want to note that the Lunars respect STRENGTH. Not just physical, either.

Luna gave us our powers for our sheer tenacity and will, and her Chosen tend to be really damn contemptuous of those that don't stand up for themselves in shitty odds. Trying to rip them up a bit may be good way of earning their respect.
>>
No. 441351 ID: 256d52

Calm down there Saulanna. You feel stressed and you want to just lash out but that's alright.

Garmir and Askalaff ARE trying to make you feel under pressure. Garmir's there to loom behind you and keep you tense and distracted while Askalaff plays nice and talks you around.

They're here to rope an inexperienced young Moon Hero into joining them. They think it's for your own good and in normal cases they'd be right.

Whatever else they might think, they see a child before them getting nervous about talking with the grown-ups and lying about things that are of no consequence to them.

You've come so far already. Don't let these little tricks get to you. Trust in yourself.

They've already offered you what you want: to stay here and defer the tattoos. All you need to do is convince them that you can fend for yourself.

It's time to lash out. But... with precision.

Step out to the side and face both of them. Tell them yes, you have decided that staying here for now is what is best for you; that Peregrin isn't going to sway you into anything you don't agree with; and that you will fight anyone who says otherwise.

Be brave!
>>
No. 441471 ID: 1da170

>>441212

WHO THE HELL DO THEY THINK YOU ARE?!
>>
No. 441511 ID: dcd945

Calm /down/ you two, especially you, Saulanna. You've got this. It ain't no thing.

You've been off-balanced and confused since Luna Exalted you, but look how far you've gotten. Shoot, you managed to almost /annihilate/ Peregrine, a full-blown Death Hero.

You are awesome. Don't worry so much. Be confident. Those two are in no way, shape or form better than you. Show them that and take back control of the situation. If that means kicking Garmir out then do it. Hard. Let him know you don't play.

Cheer up, dear, you'll be fine.
>>
No. 441551 ID: 7472ad

Moonboost Savvy followed by Inspiration. I'm thinking we give up a little information to strengthen our point here.

"You seem very concerned about Kaan messing with my head, but it seems like you're more then willing to leverage your greater magical experience to to the same ends. And are in fact doing so on our first meeting. Why should that be any less of a threat to me, when Kaan's only used magic to convince me of something once, right after my Exaltation, which he only used to get me to talk to him. Which I resisted anyway."

"You're doing a very poor job of making me feel safer with you then him."
>>
No. 441556 ID: d6c330

>>441551
I think this guy's right, Saulanna. They're doing something to you, and that's what's putting you off your game. Some kind of full moon hormones things. Or they're using mental or emotional moon abilities to trip you up. Ask is awful concerned about influences, isn't he? And Garm's forwardness is more troubling and affecting than crude male advances should be.

Resist their attacks, and hold true to yourself. You're better then them. Then get verbally aggressive- go on the offensive. Stand up for yourself, and don't let them treat you this way.

If the don't back off, or it gets worse... we'll show them what it means to wake a sleeping Titan.
>>
No. 441557 ID: 1da170

>>441511

Actually yes, boot him out; he's coming on way too strong and there's a non-negligible chance that he's messing with your mind via moon magic or subtle pheromones or manipulation of your instincts. Don't bite and scratch and claw, be Disciplined about it, but he's leaving the room. Right. Now.

He doesn't seem to have anything interesting to say to you or add to the discussion or inform you about Moon Hero stuff either so there's no reasonable objection he could levy.
>>
No. 441577 ID: b6178d

Saulanna -is- better at things when she's being aggressive.

Just sayin'.

(Saulanna! You're not CORNERED PREY, for goodness sake! SO SHOW SOME TEETH AND STOP ACTING LIKE IT!)

First order of business, reduce their numbers, or at least the manner in which their flanking challenges you.

Second order of business, snarl back charge over this conversation. Both could, perhaps, be achieved thusly:

"Hey, Askalaff. I...I'm gonna h..have to ask your c...companion here to... to maybe stop hitting on me? Oh, and FUCK OFF."

Then strength boost and/or War Form and punch Garmir. In the dick, maybe? While he reels, turn back to Askalaff and put some of that EXPERT INTIMIDATION to use.

"I know practically FUCK ALL about how this MOON HERO thing works, and you know WAY MORE than I do. So what the HECK? That was DELIBERATE. THERE IS NO WAY THAT WASN'T FUCKING DELIBERATE. Is this a TEST? Are we AMUSED at the bumbling novice? DO TELL BEFORE I LOSE WHAT'S LEFT OF MY PATIENCE."
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No. 441580 ID: b6178d

>>441577

Oh, right, I quite forgot. The stat we'd be wanting to MOON BOOST would be AGILITY, to guarantee a hit on Garmir, even if it wouldn't be a really damaging hit (probably for the best). It would also help us dodge any reprisals!
>>
No. 441583 ID: d6c330

I'm fine with us trying to resist any mental or magical advances, or trying to bring any errant raccoon instincts in line. Standing up for ourselves and getting verbally aggressive is fine, but let's hold off before we escalate into physical violence.
>>
No. 441605 ID: b85f8c

>>441583
I agree.
>>
No. 441608 ID: b6178d

>>441583

Right, but look at the sort of instinctual squeeze these two seem to be putting on her. Passive resistance and aggressive discussion might not be the best--or even a good--option in establishing yourself as NOT PREY or NOT BETA or NOT SUBMISSIVE or whatever the heck the animal half of a MOON HERO requires you to be to talk evenly with other MOON HEROES.

The more I think about it, the more it seems working against Saulanna's fight-or-flight instincts here is like sending her to dogpaddle her way upstream. Not easy, nor fun. Besides, this place IS -her- turf now, and these two Lunars are kind of muscling in and intruding. Garmir in particular is being downright insulting to her. She really should establish some dominance in this relationship, or if not dominance, show that she won't be pushed around here, through whatever means necessary. What I suggested is an extreme, but hopefully valid, way to get around to that. It's got to be better than the current state of affairs, anyway.
>>
No. 441617 ID: 8e921b

Time to quit the "gentle" routine and get assertive. We beat Peregrin in a fight and even if these two found out about the Titan stuff, we could probably geas them too. Stop being afraid.

Don't get violent, but call out their misbehavior:

"Manipulation? Oh, such as the way you two are trying to manipulate and trick me? You're creepy, you're fucking with my mind, you're trying to grope me, and you clearly don't respect me. I don't like you, I don't trust you, and I don't need any other reasons to refuse your "offer" of tattoos. I can make my own decisions, thanks, and I'll stay in this land just as long as I like. And this conversation is over until Garmir leaves the room."
>>
No. 441629 ID: cee89f

>>441617
(I just found out I've been spelling my own email wrong >.> at least on this laptop)
Indeed, be aggressive.

"Look, I'm TRYING to be patient and reasonable here. But frankly your partner is a creep, you're as manipulative as they come, and I really don't want anything to do with either of you. Take your good-cop bad-cop routine somewhere else. If you have any other questions, you may direct them towards someone who gives a crap."
>>
No. 441645 ID: 8e921b

They're half-animal, right? They don't respect what mere words?

So don't tell them you can handle manipulation and mind-fuck magic. SHOW them you can, by rejecting the mind-fuck powers they're quite clearly using on you, and telling them you've made up your mind.
>>
No. 441670 ID: 334456

Oh for christ's sake.

You guys are being ridiculous. This is not an issue of manipulation by any party, and blowing up is going to make things even more awkward than our semi-distracted handling of the situation already has.

Stop trying to place blame when it's damn obvious whats going on.

Wordblood is a part of our psyche now. And guess what? He's TERRIFIED of the Exalted. Terrified, and betrayed, and its coloring all our interactions with him. It's why we're so stressed around them. The only reason Peregrin doesn't trigger it is cause he's pretty firmly under our thumb.

Tell the two of them to excuse us for just a moment. Move into the halls. Collect your self, you're a goddamn mess. And finally, lets start counciling WB before his innate fear turns into hatred.

Social Combat, if it's necessary. He's a cherished part of us, he deserves our best efforts if thats what it ends up taking.
>>
No. 441679 ID: 38cd76

>>441670
This makes so much sense, I'm not sure why we didn't realize it before.
>>
No. 441684 ID: b85f8c

He isn't, though. Go look at the questdis.
>>
No. 441727 ID: 334456

>>441684
INTERESTING, though I sometimes wish stuff like that wasn't posted outside the main thread.

Either way, Wordblood remains something we need to look into, and soon at that. Even if these feelings aren't the main cause of Saulanna's confusion, they are contributing to it and represent an underlying problem that needs addressing. Desperately.

Given that new information, however, I definitely have to re-evaluate this business with the Lunars.

My first instinct is that it's entirely an issue of Territory. Lunar's aren't exactly known for being stable, and Saulanna's desperately holding back instincts which demand that her home and her property be recognized as such. She's forcing herself to portray herself as submissive and demure, despite knowing inside that SHE'S supposed to be in charge, and it just doesn't sit well with her baser instincts (invariably stronger as a Lunar). It may also be why she wants to defend Peregrin: He's her vassal. HER Vassal.

Hell, I'm pretty sure the Lunars have this whole thing on the topic, "Defend what is Yours". It's an instinctual need.

That said, Blowing up on them wouldn't be wise, still. Just embarrassing. It's all a misunderstanding.
>>
No. 441742 ID: cee89f

>>441670

............

It's kind of amazing how unbelievably obvious this is >.> Or more accurately, that nobody brought this up before now...

You're right, we should probably excuse ourselves... though I think we should try and write it off as being thoroughly creeped out by Garmir's advances. We still can't let them know Wordblood is in our heads after all.
>>
No. 441773 ID: 8e921b

Please read the Quest Discussion. Wordblood has stated that he knows this is not caused by him nor by us.

>>Questdis/58412
>"All I can tell you is that my lady's confusion is not due to you or I - or at least, not the majority of it. Aside that, I can't provide any more information; the behaviour of these moon heroes is not clear to me. Perhaps you could try looking back over their words and actions, and over my lady's responses, and think about what kind of being a moon hero is."
>>
No. 441774 ID: cee89f

>>441773
Wordblood was referring to our confusion, not our fear - THAT'S definitely him.
>>
No. 441777 ID: 6118de

>>441727
>She's forcing herself to portray herself as submissive and demure,

When did we say we wanted to act submissive and demure, anyway?

We wanted to tell them certain misinformation and half-truths - which implies, of course, a certain fear of what could happen if the whole truth comes out. But I don't recall anybody ever saying that we have to do so politely, let alone submissively.

We are DOMINANT, we are in our OWN DOMAIN, and any misinfomation serves only to explain WHY we are dominant without revealing the true reason (our Titan powers) that we want to hide. We have Expert Deception, and we should feel CONFIDENT in our ability to control what these INTRUDERS ON OUR TERRITORY know about us, because we are BETTER THAN THEM.
>>
No. 441796 ID: 9718f3

Yeah, we should probably get out of this situation for now. We can talk to them once we've calmed down.

Sigh, say, "I need to clear my head, give these matters the thought they deserve. I'm going to take a bath. To wash off the sleeze." Shoot Garmir a glare. When you reach the door, turn back and say, "Garmir, if you peek, I take your eyes."

It gets us out of the situation in a way that should reasonably be acceptable to them while also making our displeasure with Garmir's action clear and showing strength.

Then take a bath to relax.

I swear I'm not in it for the bath scene.
>>
No. 441797 ID: 334456

>>441777
It may not necessarily be willing. The fact is that she is considered the junior in this relationship, and is being treated as such...however, the big, big problem there is that she can't do anything about it, given her current restrictions.

Its her territory and her possessions, but they're being spoken of as someone elses, as though she's not the alpha and protector, and unfortunately thats been what we've led them to believe. And it goes against her very lunar nature to do so. It's why she wants to defend peregrine, and why such talk is setting her on edge.

And there's not much we can do about it without giving up certain information. So the question is, do we cave and admit, in the best way possible, that this is our home and peregrine our retainer? Or go on at a MASSIVE social disadvantage from denying our core instinct?
>>
No. 441814 ID: 135036

Maybe we could put off the tattoos for a while, get a shitload of TW, upgrade our physical body a ton, and then get tattoos? Or... Fake tattoos, if there's any possible way of decieving these guys?

...Also maybe we should make a hidey hole somewhere so that they can't find us, if need be. Like a fortified underground fireproof self sustaining backup house.
>>
No. 442021 ID: 2eac65

It's likely but not certain that they're using mental influence on us. There is, however, another point he made which ought to be addressed.

"You know, you're being rather unfair to Lord Kaan. You worry about him entangling me in some twisted scheme, without even knowing if he has any schemes; I don't appreciate you speaking of him like an enemy just because of what he his. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate being hated just for being a Moon Hero, would you? If you had a good reason to distrust him, that would be another matter, but I'd appreciate it if you at least treated him as an individual."

(The problem isn't that they mistrust him per se, it's that Askalaff is speaking as if he's untrustworthy default for being a Death Hero. That's uncomfortably similar to certain other things we know of. Like the Moon Heroes' apparent reputation for being horrible monsters.)

"That said, I do appreciate that you're concerned for my well-being, so let me reassure you that I am not easily manipulated. I am fully capable of coming to my own conclusions, and his charms haven't kept me from it. It's true that I've agreed with him on some matters, but that's because I've thought carefully about them and decided for myself that what he said made sense, and quite frankly, I don't see a problem with that."
>>
No. 442054 ID: 334456

>>442021
He's not saying it because he's a death hero. He's saying it because he associates with the Ebon Dragon, and thats not really an...unfair stance to take, if you're being cautious.
>>
No. 442235 ID: 1bb3dd

I suspect that her anxieties are flowing either from one of her past lives or one of Kaan's past lives. Possibly even his current one, if he originally faced death at the hands of a Moon Hero.
>>
No. 442239 ID: 6118de

We're not mindlinked to Kaan.
>>
No. 442409 ID: 3fc386

Why are we not addressing the fact that they are doing something to us? We can taste the magic on them and smell their contempt, they are playing us for something more than than the cure to Chimerism.
I think they suspect us of some sort of trickery and are looking to expose us.
Use Sight Beyond Sight to determine what sort of magic they are using on you and/or Moon Boost the appropriate defense. If they are using magic to crack you up and compromise you, use it against them. Get mad, tell them that their lack of trust is making it difficult to trust them in turn and leave, better yet, send them out if you think you can manage it.

Man, that was difficult to write without quoting The Network.
>>
No. 442413 ID: 334456

>>442409
The magic means nothing. It could stem from any number of things, from Tracking Charms used to find their way here, to traveling charms. There is no way to know what it's been used for, or if its being used right now or just traces from prior (unless we have an ability i'm not familiar with to discern such).
>>
No. 442427 ID: 3fc386

SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT: See and hear immaterial spirits and to smell the presence and flavour of magical effects. >>410751

Wordblood has said in the discussion thread that our suggestions and he himself are not causing Saulanna to break down so it's either them, or saulanna can't stand the smell of tea...

They could be using entirely mundane methods but in any case we are emotional, freaked out and can't trust ourselves. I would recommend getting away before we do something we regret. Besides, we may get some indication of how powerful they are.
>>
No. 442512 ID: ce47da

Peregrin. he's probably using some magic to... help... us see things his way. and if he truly believes it's what's really the best for us, which he probably does, it doesn't break the contract he has with us.

either way, don't let yourself think highly of anyone you don't know very well.
>>
No. 442527 ID: 334456

>>442427
OH, I had forgotten about that. GOod call.
>>
No. 443249 ID: aedded
File 134499411170.png - (155.28KB , 800x600 , growlin.png )
443249

Saulanna feels a shifting inside herself: fear begins transmuting into anger. Why would there be only one explanation for her feelings? They probably are using magic on her. And she's feeling fear from Wordblood, as well as the natural fear of being caught between people with stronger powers than her. And probably other things as well!

>"Your lack of a Heart's Desire might be a factor. You have no strong center to hold onto or push back from."

Exactly!

Well, she can get fear from Wordblood, she can get anger, too. He loved humans, and what did they do to him!? And this! This is her land, Peregrin is her servant, they're on her territory and she should be in charge!!

She holds onto the feeling, like a growl running from her belly up through her spine, stiffening it along the way. Letting herself get mad seems counterintuitive, but another part of her, a voice from the silvery liquid essence flowing through her veins says no, it feels right. Anger is more useful than fear. The Heroes of the gods were created for battle before all else, and the Heroes of the Moon are predators, every one, regardless of what shapes they wear. Social predators perhaps, but predators nonetheless, made to keep what's theirs. She's already shown enough capacity to control herself, but she needs to display some pride. If she wants respect she has show she has some for herself to begin with!

If all else fails, she'll use her Titan powers to wipe their minds of any knowledge she ever existed.

"Askalaff, I'll answer that by asking you if it'll be any different when you've had me for a month. So if you think I'm going to get my head messed with, rest assured I'll give everyone the same opportunity; I'm staying here. But while I'm on the subject of being manipulated, you...!"

"Oh, finally. Big deal, girl. I can smell your powers on you. If my stuff's stronger, tough luck."

He admits it! Garmir's manner has shifted completely. He was deliberately trying to get on her nerves the whole time!

"So, you're going to stick here? Stay with your big cosy house and your books and servants and a bunch of pale old memories walking around pretending to be real? Learn how to be all polite and civilized and never say a damn thing you really mean? Leave that shit at home with the soft pink folks who only go out in the Sun, the ones who need it. Good for them! Our job's to deal with the real stuff, the blood and the bone in the dark, what'll keep your head straight when you've got demons and fairies and dream monsters in your face! You want to tell us you can handle yourself? Standing here wearing our skins like we don't want to scare anyone? Let's all show what we really are."
>>
No. 443257 ID: bf54a8

"if you asked normally i maybe would of gone with you, but you just HAD to scare me into agreeing with you. at least peregrin treats me like an adult and not some child that needs to be told what to do for their own good"
>>
No. 443260 ID: bf54a8

if he's asking for a fight then "let's take this to the courtyard, wreaking someone else's stuff is un-called for"
>>
No. 443261 ID: b85f8c

>>443249
You weren't being straight with him because you had something to hide. I think he'll find that in any other situation you would be far more direct.

For instance, you want to stay here to learn magic, not CIVILITY. If he wants a fight we'll give him one, but we expect him to hold back or else it won't last long. Also we should take that shit outside.
>>
No. 443263 ID: d6c330

Yay for underestimating the asshole.

>If all else fails, she'll use her Titan powers to wipe their minds of any knowledge she ever existed.
You're forgetting the crucial bit where we have to beat them into submission, first. It's doable, but don't expect it to be easy. Even though we have titan powers, it's 2 on 1 and they have more experience with their moon powers than you.

It's also pretty obvious here he's about to transform, and goading you to too.

"I don't have your job. I've taken no oath, and sworn myself to no purpose. I'm my own person, and hero, free to chose my own damned path, and to spend it doing what I wish, in whatever manner I wish, wherever I wish, and with whatever people I wish. I don't need your approval, or your mission.

And I certainly don't need to whip it out in some infantile competition with an arrogant beast boy to prove anything to myself, or you. I know what I am, I could care less what you really are."
>>
No. 443264 ID: a3b384

>>443249
A challenge? Hmph. Well before that, let's dismiss the notion of us being a cowardly homebody. There are things you have to do here, and will leave when you're good and ready. Getting tattoos or not will be done when and how you decide to.

>>443257
Let's try to not make this about him at all.
>>
No. 443266 ID: 0c2247

>>443249
"Wearing your skin sounds like a better idea by the minute; lets take this some place less flammable.
Alice? Tell Peregrin to come here and parlay with the polite one."

I'm thinking the dining hall would be a nice place to fight this out.
>>
No. 443268 ID: b6edd6

"And your method of preparing to deal with the 'real stuff' is to purposefully alienate anyone who would even consider working with you? Would you have me believe what we 'really are' are idiots who's idea of trickery is punching someone before insulting them?"

Now would be a good time to start walking around so Askalaf can't backstab you while you argue.
>>
No. 443273 ID: b6edd6

>take this elsewhere
What? Don't you remember that we specifically chose this location because we can draw power from books?
>>
No. 443284 ID: e3f578

>>443249
"You misunderstand Garmir, I only want to stay because this is MY territory now. I need to be here to protect it. I'm not going to leave it for some punk to come and take it over. It's mine mine mine. I don't pretend to make shit real, I MAKE shit real."
>>
No. 443296 ID: b85f8c

>>443273
We can't draw power from these books without revealing that Something Is Up. Just being here does nothing but give Saulanna comfort, like being surrounded by friends.
>>
No. 443305 ID: 6a1ec2

>> Let's all show what we really are.
>> CUTSCENE

eeeeeeee
>>
No. 443332 ID: cee89f

>>443249
"Oh, the big doggy thinks he has some bite. Listen, jackass, I do what I choose, when I choose, and for what reasons I choose. I don't answer to anyone, least of all YOU, you arrogant, smelly jerkwad."

"Alienating someone you're trying to help, intentionally screwing with their head and utterly discarding all semblance of self-control is not bravery, it's stupidity."

"Besides, wasn't the whole point of making this offer to keep from turning into a chimera? Which in the short term means transforming as little as possible?"
>>
No. 443347 ID: 4a328b

OR, how about you LEAVE or I make you LEAVE, jerkface?

If it's a fight you want, we're leaving the library first.
>>
No. 443362 ID: cee89f

>>443332
Wait, better idea.

"I didn't know we were supposed to act like infants. Should I ask Alice to bring some milk?"
>>
No. 443367 ID: 6118de

Surprise! Garmir was only pretending to be a jerk! Now we can see his real personality, it turns out he's... a jerk!

"What you really are, huh? I already know what you really are. You are a rude bully who thinks insults and intimidation are an acceptable substitute for arguing your point. I don't need to see your Spirit Animal to know that. And how big your or my claws are has no bearing on my ability to resist social manipulation."

Note that since Garmir's attitude was (at least slightly) fake, we don't currently know if Askalaff being annoyed by Garmir's attitude was also fake. Pay attention to cues on that subject.

The lack of Heart's Desire is proving to be a recurring problem, and we should be doing something about that. At some point we're going to have to figure out a purpose for ourselves. We want to awaken our Titanic powers, of course, but what do we plan to DO with those powers?

Also, remember that if we want a closer look at their tattoos, this is our chance.
>>
No. 443368 ID: cb0cc3

>>443249
Well, time for some shouting. Let's put the stomp on these guys- engage in social combat with Garmir, with "Saulanna can do whatever she wants" as the topic, and work that Intimidate! We don't want this to come to physical conflict against a superior foe- which Garmir pretty much is- and that means we have to beat him in the social arena instead.

"Job? I think not. Luna gave me exactly one command, and beyond that I have no job but what I give myself. If I want to spend my time with the long-dead, living in a broken shadowland studying whatever mysteries I can tear from these ruins, and yes, sitting around drinking tea and being polite and civilized and never saying a damn thing I really mean, then that's exactly what I'll do- and I would rather do that in the company of a death-born monster than speak to you, because at least he doesn't stink of contempt with every word he says! And as that is my choice to make I don't want to tell you shit, because it is none of your cursed business whether I can handle myself or not!"
>>
No. 443373 ID: 334456

"You wanna go, tough guy? I may be new to being a moon hero compared to you, but mark me, I will wreck your shit regardless."

If we're gonna be angry, lets go with the flow. This looks like its gonna be a 'feeling out' sort of fight, like getting to know each other anyway. IT'LL BE FUN.
>>
No. 443375 ID: 7472ad

... What the hell are you lot doing? We're freshly exalted and don't want them to know about our Titan powers, and they're experienced exalts. We're also built for social combat, and he seems built for actual fighting. Why the hell are you doing what he wants?

>>443263
I agree with this. There are ways to show our displeasure other then running into a situation that is almost certainly going to end poorly for us. Even if we win, we'll be outing ourselves. Unless we kill them, which will probably invite trouble from Lunar Elders, and definitely invite trouble from owlboys wife.

And don't assume we'll be able to mindwipe them or anything. Those tattoos block a whole hell of a lot of magic, and we're not exactly swimming in Titan's Will.
>>
No. 443376 ID: 4a328b

Oh oh we can totally just tell him to leave. Askalaff can stay since he's been civil...or more civil. Garmir though? He's just rude.

"As a matter of fact, YES, I /do/ want to stay here. If civilization bothers you so very much you are MORE than welcome to leave. Do you know the way to the door or would you like someone to show it to you?"
>>
No. 443382 ID: b85f8c

>>443375
I figured we'd fight him so he'd at least be able to tell that we could hold up in a brawl to some extent and would quit bothering us about it. On the other hand, we're not supposed to shapeshift without the tattoos so it would probably be a fight without War Form active. A bit of social combat would probably work in our favor though as we have Expert Intimidation and Deception, and he's a full moon exalt so he won't be geared for it.

Who's to say we can't do both?
>>
No. 443391 ID: 3fc386

He's not asking for a fight, just that we drop all pretence. Alright, let's be blunt but let's not drop to his level.
If he wants to 'whip it out', fine but let him feel your distain, laugh at him if you can manage it. He's being ostentatious and immature. Besides, we want to prove that we can resist shapeshifting pointlessly, that road leads to Chimerism.

If Askalaff is changing his tune as well then social combat may be unavoidable. If it comes down to that we could try to spin our stay with Peregin as an oppertunity to get some real inside information on the Ebon Dragon. Otherwise we may have some assistance in putting Garmir in his place and can get back to our regularly scheduled scheming and doublespeak, perhaps even sans Garmir.

Finally; how would we go about getting our heart's desire? it's become apparent that we need one and I'd prefer to have a grand scheme in mind before we go molding pieces of our soul.
>>
No. 443401 ID: 1da170

Laugh at him. Laugh at what he's proposing. Laugh at what he's trying to do.

"Do you think that's what you really are? I can have a thousand forms and none of them will be any more 'me' than this one. I guess if you could strip off all the flesh and bone and bare your soul, maybe you could manage to show me, but I'm guessing it's just something big with armor plates and lots of teeth. I am SAULANNA RICKAYANA ROCKBLOSSOM. You? You're just an an animal.

You want me to say something I mean? Get the hell out of my house. I don't answer to you, and I never will."
>>
No. 443408 ID: dd287a

Obviously he wants to see how well you'd do at kicking his head in, hell, thats how you established dominence over your host in the first place anyhow, the politeness came afterwords, kick him out the library, like literally, war form if you have to.
>>
No. 443413 ID: 4c678c

If these two assholes are going to start a fight, it might be a good idea to retain our current shape and force them out someplace where the Ambassador will see them.
>>
No. 443420 ID: 256d52

Punch Garmir in the snout to establish superiority?
>>
No. 443426 ID: cee89f

>>443420
Establishing dominance through physical action is probably a bad idea. He appears to be some kind of dog/wolf, and dogs/wolves don't punch each hump each other to establish a pecking order.
>>
No. 443427 ID: cee89f

>>443426
Sorry, forgot to add: Dogs/wolves don't punch each other, they hump. Even puppies. It's really kind of amazing how creepy it is to watch a dog establish dominance over a puppy by humping it's face.
>>
No. 443436 ID: a5695e

You know, as satisfying as telling him where he can shove it would be, ignoring him as a petty nuisance unworthy of our attention may in fact be more effective. It'll certainly rile him up further if he's not just playing more mind games... and if he is playing more mind games, he'll change his tune rather quickly when he realizes how ineffective his current track is.

They're trying to divide our attention. Focus.
>>
No. 443440 ID: 6199fa

Ask him if he's formally challenging you. If/when he says yes, say that as the one challenged you get to choose the arena, and go for either social combat on the tatoos (attack maybe on 'why should I trust you with branding me? Do they control me?') or some kind of intelligence contest, Lore or similar, that won't reveal our titanic powers.
>>
No. 443534 ID: ed741a

Wouldn't a Linguistics challenge be even more favorable for us then that?
>>
No. 443538 ID: b85f8c

>>443427
That is only one way they assert dominance. Nipping and pinning are others.
>>
No. 443572 ID: 4536ff

>>443249
"Why should I do anything you say. you have no respect for me, not even enough to be as forthright as you wanted to be. you are here specifcialy to manipulate me, and that means that my best recourse is to simply ask you to leave. If you would be so kind, sirs, mabe you should come back when Im not choking on your stench of contempt."
>>
No. 443845 ID: dcd945

Saulanna, you are DETERMINED and you are ANGRY. If you were primarily a fighter, you would knock Garmir on his behind. But you aren't, you're SMART and CLEVER. These two have been trying to keep you off-balance since they arrived and are treating you like you're just a necessary, if boring, chore they have to deal with.

SMART people don't fall for that kind of clumsy provocation, they throw their opponents off balance. Yawn politely in Garmir's face and smile condescendingly. I'd suggest patting his arm in a 'that's nice/good for you' kind of way, but he might take that a little too physically. Sit back down in your chair, where is that books on Alchemy you were reading earlier? Surely that's far more entertaining than having to deal with the strange-smelling dog. Pick it up, open it, start reading, say "I'm sorry, you must have me mistaken for a whelp who will roll over at the slightest provocation." Remember: Treating him like he's not a threat will probably infuriate him. And angry people are off-balance people.
>>
No. 443871 ID: cee89f

>>443845
Changing my vote to this. Except also implying we don't really care what he thinks or says. For example, add "I think I'm done with the two of you. You may direct all further inquiry towards someone who gives a crap."

>>443538
True, but this guy is evidently a warrior, so physically pinning him is out of the question, and nipping (assuming i've got the meaning of that word right - a small bite, more annoying than painful?) might be mistaken as flirtation.
>>
No. 444564 ID: d125b0

Use TW to raise Soul Fource of yourself and Wordblood, suddenly being two dots stronger and going totemic(as a side-effect of raising SF) is probably worth a +3 stunt to intimidate this barbaric moron.
>>
No. 444565 ID: d125b0

>>444564
I am being insulting, I don't think he is either barbaric or a moron, but he is a shmuck if he thinks he can boss us around.
>>
No. 444684 ID: 4349bf

>>444564
If we start throwing around Titan's Will like it's water, don't you think they'll notice something fishy going on?

I'm voting for >>443871, we're a talker and Garmir's a fighter. If we let them yank us away from social combat and into physical combat, they've already won.
>>
No. 445713 ID: 240cc0
File 134550513418.png - (242.22KB , 1000x500 , library10.png )
445713

"Job? Luna gave me one command and I don't see any reason outside that to not do whatever I like! You want more, you have to convince me, and if you're so big on honesty you should have come out and been straight with me instead of treating me like a child who needs to take orders for their own good!"

"Well, in some senses you could really be described as a child, I myself for example am over five hun-"

"That's what you are, girl, one know-nothing whiny kid! Until you prove otherwise! Plenty of pups just get themselves killed their first while on their own. No time watchin' for that with you, so we gotta test you out some other way! So come on, show me your real face! Impress me if you're so great you can handle a Death Hero!"

"You want me to fight you!? Here??"

"Ha ha! If you want to find out how quick your bones grow back now! I'll take whatever you like. Hit me with some magic out of your books, try to trick me, show me your claws, whatever gives you some pride! Come on!"

"I don't need to tear the place up to get things done. Some people accomplish things by thinking and talking."

"You want to try it on me? Go ahead!"

They're both getting loud; through her own anger, Saulanna feels she needs to get this under control before they attract attention. From what her enhanced senses detect, the building seems to have become a lot more active since she began her meeting with these two. Distant sounds of footsteps, talking, heavy objects shifting, hooves, shouting and laughter drift through the walls and floor to speak of business being seen to and the presence of many more people than before; people more boisterous than the usual inhabitants. She pulls her anger back, letting it cool into a low heat. Social combat, challenge made, challenge accepted. She just needs to decide what her strategy will b-
>>
No. 445714 ID: 240cc0
File 134550517620.png - (242.94KB , 1000x500 , library11.png )
445714

Wait, hooves?

Hooves indoors?

Hooves on this floor?

Getting closer??
>>
No. 445716 ID: 100061

he can hear it too, and its probably something worth looking into.

"dominance issues delayed until we deal with possible threat? "
>>
No. 445718 ID: 0c2247

>>445714
Try to mask your tells and head for the door.
"Ugh, great. Tell me you weren't followed.
Whatever. I have work to do; help or stay out of the way.
Alice? Put out the fires and stay here, sweetie."
Prepare for combat!
>>
No. 445720 ID: 34d817

>>445714
Speak quickly and confidently, in a much lower voice. "Tch. I don't want to deal with them right now. We can talk later." Activate our Mask Sneak ability and leave the library rapidly through an exit other than the one being approached- based upon >>432880 there are two stairwells and two balcony access points, so we should be able to get out unobserved relatively easily, using our Beast Senses to determine which exit is least full of the many new people.

Hopefully one of the ghosts we devoured will have had enough knowledge of the castle's structure that we'll be able to rapidly move to someplace other than the library which is still devoid of people and likely to remain that way. Don't corner ourselves in a location with no exits, and remain stealthy. As we move, try to pick up on the conversations and get a sense of who exactly showed up, how many of them there are, and where Peregrin is/what orders he's given.

If one or both of the Moon Heroes follow us, that's not really a problem as long as they don't attract a ton of attention. Depending upon who we run into, they might make natural allies- against the Emissary, for example, I wouldn't have an issue siding with them and working as a team in social combat in spite of our recent spat. There are always bigger mutual enemies, after all. Note that Alice seems to have retreated when she realized that we were fighting, so there's likely to be a tip-off that someone was in the library- still, that's not too much to worry about; excuses can be made.
>>
No. 445723 ID: 334456

>>445714
Take a peek outside, I guess. If it were something particularly dangerous, I suspect kaan would have warned us about it. Very curious.
>>
No. 445726 ID: b85f8c

We need to scout out this situation before we do anything rash.
>>
No. 445733 ID: 7a167c

Oh shi-
>>
No. 445736 ID: d6c330

...it seems as if you're going to see me tested after all.

Defensive positions everybody! Something's gone wrong.
>>
No. 445738 ID: 334456

nothing need necessarily have gone wrong. Lets figure out whats what before committing to anything here.
>>
No. 445740 ID: bf54a8

"well well, looks like something else to fight may have just arrived"
>>
No. 445866 ID: 6118de

Hooves? First thing that comes to mind is an ungulate-totem Moon Hero, but then we've already met our Moon Hero welcoming committee. Are there any hooved demons under the Ebon Dragon? I seriously doubt someone is just riding a normal horse indoors. ...Then again, beastblooded are supposed to be more common in this setting/era, so it could be a mundane person who just happens to have hooves.

Anyway, since the hooves are already getting closer, use them as a pretext to break off the conversation and go see what this is about. Tell Askalaff and Garmir they can watch if they want to see how we handle ourselves. But use Mask Sneak first so we can see the newcomers before they see us and decide if we should engage.
>>
No. 445875 ID: 6a1ec2

IT WAS THE BUTLER ALL ALONG

The horse butler.

What?
>>
No. 445930 ID: cee89f

"...Ok just to be sure, neither of you brought a centaur, right?"
>>
No. 445945 ID: 3fc386

If it's the Emissary we're just three Moon Heroes settling a territory dispute in a neutral ground where we were assured by our host that we wouldn't be disturbed. fill them in on the plan, get Askalaff to act as the moderator and make a case to Garmir about how the village to the north is yours. Wordblood, it likely that the Emissary is here for us and is equipped to detect you or your works, is possible for you hide from the powers of another titan? if so, you might want to get started on that.

>>445720
Alice got here as things started getting hot, I don't think that she would just flee, what if she went to get some help for us and now she's back with a big, beefy, beast-blooded bouncer?
>>
No. 445956 ID: 9718f3

Uh, where's Alice?

We might want to make sure she's okay.
>>
No. 446000 ID: c3d07d

>>445866

Mara has hooves, she's a second circle demon. She would have died when the Ebon Dragon did, but when Mardukth died, his third circle deva , Granalkin survived and now serves Luna.
>>
No. 446001 ID: c3d07d

>>445866

Mara has hooves, she's a second circle demon. She would have died when the Ebon Dragon did, but when Mardukth died, his third circle deva, Granalkin, survived and now serves Luna.
>>
No. 446300 ID: 6317d6

>>446000
ED didn't die. He just changed his primary title and somehow moved from Malfeas to the Underworld
>>
No. 446459 ID: 2a1b74
File 134569732471.png - (144.46KB , 700x600 , dynamicentry1.png )
446459

Garmir's confrontational attitude shifts away from her immediately; Saulanna doesn't seem to need to say anything. Alice has already absconded, around the time she and Garmir were getting loud, as common wisdom suggest mortals do when Heroes get fractious with each other. Part of her considers leaving, but she doesn't want to leave these two alone to cause trouble; another thinks of taking charge, bringing the other two into some sort of plan, but she isn't sure if she can do so without revealing too much.

It quickly becomes clear that she hadn't much time for either!
>>
No. 446460 ID: 2a1b74
File 134569736993.png - (136.44KB , 600x700 , dynamicentry2.png )
446460

"Silence in the library! Haven't you any manners? Ha ha ha!!"
>>
No. 446465 ID: 2a1b74
File 134569777335.png - (258.05KB , 1000x500 , library12.png )
446465

Peregrin appears behind this... strange woman... almost immediately, albeit out of breath and muttering angrily to himself.

"Talk about manners when you're riding a horse on the second floor, make me chase you up a spiral staircase, I don't even know how you..."

"Ho ho! So, Pip, been smuggling Moon Heroes?"

"There's not a single stipulation that-"

"Joking! Gods. So... one two three, what can this be...??"

The two Moon Heroes have already set themselves in readiness for a fight, and they both smell of intense and worryingly indiscriminate hostility towards the two Death Heroes, if Saulanna judges the rider correctly. Her Sight Beyond Sight detects the same dark blood scent of the magic that lingers around Peregrin, only more intense - and accented with thick flavours of oil and spice and shadow.
>>
No. 446466 ID: fa9f7e

>>446460
"Nor have you, riding a horse in the castle. There are stables for such a purpose. Now, these two Moon Heroes and I were discussing a very important matter, and we really can't be interrupted. Alice will take you somewhere you can rest and compose yourself. Don't let me detain you."
>>
No. 446467 ID: fa9f7e

>>446466
Well buggeration, typed this before I saw >>446465.

Disregard me.
>>
No. 446472 ID: d6c330

Well then. Peregrin didn't have the situation as much in hand as we'd hoped.

Alright, we want to avoid a 5 way exalt battle here. It'll trash the place, and there's the awkward problem of loyalties- moon heros will want you to stand with them against the death heros, while we'd like to keep Peregrin intact and not axe the Lunars just yet, and we have no idea how Peregrin feels about the emissary. Waaay too big a mess.

Time to prove yourself Saulanna. You're going to diffuse this diplomatically. You've got to keep the moon and death heros under control and from coming to blows. You are the titan of words, girl, put 'em to use.
>>
No. 446473 ID: fa9f7e

Okay, let's see if I can make my earlier post work.

"How odd that an emissary of the Titans would swear by the gods. Now, these two Moon Heroes and I were discussing a very important matter, and we really can't be interrupted. I'm sure Peregrin will want to keep up his reputation for excellent hospitality and take you somewhere you can rest and compose yourself. Don't let me detain you."

How's that?
>>
No. 446474 ID: bf54a8

"what, peregrin can't let a few moon heroes stay at his place for a while without him being up to something? he's a real sweety like that."
>>
No. 446475 ID: fa9f7e

>>446473
Oh, and add something about how you're sure she's tired before the bit about Peregrin getting her to gtfo, etc.
>>
No. 446477 ID: 6a1ec2

Things are about to get ugly. The perfect time for you to make your escape. Gracefully turn tail and run the fuck away.
>>
No. 446483 ID: 0c2247

>>446465
We need to keep this from coming to blows, and we need to take the upper hand.
This should be easy.

Set the book down, then bap Garmir on his weapon hand.
"Not inside, pup."
Then turn to the woman
"Greetings, Miss Dulahan. These two decided to form a welcoming committee for me, as I've only recently exalted. As it happened on Peregrin's land he graciously offered to host me while I sort things out.
He's a gem; I can see why you're so protective of him."

SOCIAL COMBAT!
TOPIC: Akatrina has a crush on Peregrin!?
>>
No. 446485 ID: d6c330

Eh, I'm not sure we should try to brush her out of the room so quickly. She's obviously intent on sticking her nose into things.

Plus, we need to calm the moon heros as well, and challenging her in a way she can refuse ("get out" - "no") weakens our position and makes it easier for them to fall back to aggression. We need to defuse the situation by controlling it.

Let's start with something simple, like introductions (despite the fact we magically know her name on first sight. I'll blame that on Titan word powers).

I am Saulanna Rockblossom, my companions are Askalaff and Garmir. We have the fortune to be guests in this house, neither smuggled or secreted. Do you have business with us, Emissary Dulahan?

(I'm assuming we're dropping a bit of name magic there. Obviously, divining someone's name is way less a feat than true names, but it does at least announce we're competent to the lunars who want us tested, and the woman who's clearly testing us. And it's not big enough a trick to give away Titan-ness, I think).

The key is to be calm and completely in control of the situation. Assume the position as spokeswoman for the Lunars, and that you expect them to defer to you (they probably will go with it- either beacuse they expect to end in violence anyways, or beacuse they'll curious to see you prove yourself). Stand up to the interloper without anger- don't let her attempts at outlandishness and provocation control the field.
>>
No. 446486 ID: b6edd6

Yes, a fight now would be a serious lose-lose situation. We can't afford to have Lunars start 'disappearing' in our vicinity, and we have an obligation to our new kingdom to avoid getting Shady annoyed enough to send an invasion.

(Calling it now, that feather in her hat is some sort of weapon.)
>>
No. 446487 ID: b85f8c

Take charge as you're the only one aside from the Emissary that seems to be in a talking mood.

First, greet her formally as the Emissary and ask her name (although we already know it). Inform her that you're the only one that's really supposed to be here today. The other two heroes came in to harass you about getting tattoos and not staying in this realm. While you agree with them on the former you disagree with the latter. They're also really nosy and you'd like them to leave before anything bad happens. Hint hint hint.
>>
No. 446490 ID: 72d49b

Ask Peregrin to introduce her. Just because she's not polite doesn't mean we can't be.
>>
No. 446500 ID: 334456

"Peregrine, would you be so kind as to introduce me to your friend?"
>>
No. 446504 ID: 1f8505

>>446465

"If your horse craps on the floor, you're dead meat."
>>
No. 446531 ID: 1da170

Oh my god.

Dat entrance.

Seduce her. Pronto.

I am only halfway kidding.
>>
No. 446539 ID: 9718f3

Shriek shrilly and ask to pet her horsey, because it is sooo cute.

I think we need to diffuse the situation with some humour or silliness, Dulahan doesn't seem the type to respond well to authoritative action. Especially when we don't have the power to back up any authority that we affect.

Plus, she seems awesome.
>>
No. 446549 ID: 7472ad

The contrast here is wonderful. On the one hand, she's got one hell of an ax crazy grin. On the other, that horse seems so disciplined and confident. And then somewhere else that isn't a hand, as normally something only has two of those, is a frustrated Peregrin looking exhausted.

Compliment dat horse.
>>
No. 446557 ID: 06dae0

>>446483
I like this one, it's equal parts silly and serious, enough to throw off the other moon heroes into inaction while commanding the Emissary's attention. It also provides a nice topic to completely throw all of them for a loop. Although I think we should start with the first sentence of
>>446473
instead of bapping Garmir, since bapping would probably just set him off, and it subtly confirms her status to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. So something like:

"There's a certain irony in hearing an emissary to a titan swearing to the gods, but regardless. Greetings, Miss Dulahan, please allow me to make introductions. I'm Saulanna Ricanya Rockblossom, the tall man next to me is Garmir, and the one next to the chair is Askalaff. They're here to aid me in understanding the specifics of being a Moon Hero, as I've only recently become one myself. Since it occurred on Peregrin's land he graciously offered to host us while we sort things out. He's a gem; I can see why you're so protective of him."

Essentially the same thing as in >>446483 , just elaborated.
>>
No. 446589 ID: d785c7

>>446483
>>446557


Yeah.

I like this shift.

Either way.
>>
No. 446593 ID: 7fa633

>>446557
Sweet Sol, no, we don't want to answer like this. It's only going to raise uncomfortable questions when we know a) her name, and b) her profession, without having been told either.
>>
No. 446594 ID: bf54a8

>>446593
well her job could easily be assumed. but yeah, no way we could know her name.
>>
No. 446606 ID: 06dae0

Well we could always ask for her name after introducing everyone instead of stating it straight out, although it risks giving her command of the starting topic. As for her profession, well. She's a death hero, and we know that an emissary from the Ebon Dragon was on its way here with a champion. 2+2. Besides, inferring that she's the Emissary would show that we've at least been listening to what's been going on around the castle to the other two moon heroes.
>>
No. 446609 ID: 1417a1

>>446593
Meh. For all she knows, Peregrin could have told you. Let's not be boring out of excessive paranoia.
>>
No. 446612 ID: 25f1c6

>>446609
Even if Peregrin could have told us, we haven't been formally introduced. It's a matter of propriety moreso than paranoia.
>>
No. 446666 ID: 34d817

>>446465
The Moon Heroes are unlikely to attack as long as violence hasn't broken out yet and the Death Heroes aren't menacing them. The Emissary is likely to treat all three of the Moon Heroes as a single group so long as they haven't differentiated themselves from one another- we have an opportunity here to present ourselves as a single unified front and thereby appear stronger. Stepping forward and speaking should leave us looking like the leader/diplomat of the group, even if she can tell that the others have higher Soul Force than we do.

Don't mention that they aren't our friends, or that we only just became a Hero; neither of those items are relevant or helpful here. Say nothing disrespectful to either the Emissary or the other Moon Heroes; Garmir scorns our choice to be civilized and diplomatic, but we'll show him- those are the talents we'll use here, and we'll win with them.

Step forward and smile; turn on whatever charm we can muster. "Ah, I suppose we were causing a bit of noise. I am Saulanna, Hero of the Moon as you've noted, and you are...?"
>>
No. 446675 ID: ab831c

Put your hand on Garamir's shoulder before he does anything brave. After all, you don't want him to kill someone with such wonderful taste in clothing.
>>
No. 446701 ID: 4a328b

>>446666
Oh oh, can we do that neato SOCIAL COMBAT thing we practiced earlier?

OPENING TOPIC: It is not polite to bring your horse into a library! Please take it to a stable or something!
>>
No. 446704 ID: b7ab19

>>446531
I like this but we should go far further than seduction! I say we offer to help her off the horse and once she is down we kiss her with gusto! Everyone will be so shocked that in the awkward silence we will be able to take control of the situation.
>>
No. 446706 ID: 997ce7

>>446704
>Trying to shock Exalts with sexuality, etc.
That isn't really possible.
>>
No. 446747 ID: 8e921b

>>446666
I support this.
>>
No. 446957 ID: cee89f

>>446483
>>446557
These.

>>446531
This too. =3
>>
No. 447065 ID: 973951

I agree with Topic: Get your horse out of the library.
>>
No. 447200 ID: ab831c

Topic:Shall We Parlay?
>>
No. 447308 ID: af25e0

Begin to scold her for riding into a library on horseback. Become distracted by the sheer badassness of that nightmare she's riding. Resume scolding in an obviously half-hearted manner.
>>
No. 447309 ID: 4a328b

>>447308
I stand by my previous vote + wording but would also like to back this
>>
No. 447594 ID: b6178d

You know, I really think we have an opportunity to impress our Lunar friends here. If we take on Miss Dulahan in single social combat (perhaps backed up by Kaan if we really need it), extract information from her and drive her fleeing for homeward shores (ok, that might be a bit much, but at least if we achieve something), that -should- be a fairly good qualifier for our ability to take care of ourselves.

So, first things first. Be a bit brazenly flippant! Seems about the only way to get anywhere with this kind of a lady.

"It be parlaying time, in my mind, miss of glee, the shady one's Emissary. As for who or what, or where, Miss Rockblossom, Saulanna Ricanya, Lunar, here, not at your service, but definitely at attention."

Give her a smile and a wink, and then drop into a different tact. The best defense is a good offense, as they say. She wants to pry? Pry right back! And hide behind an appropriate shield of righteous indignation while you do so!

"Seriously though, what? We were having a perfectly good row here. Lunar thing. Not unusual. (Or all that childish). I'm sure Peregrin doesn't mind a few raised voices as long as it doesn't come to blows or property damage, so... what's your beef with it? Or other assorted cuisine. You strike me as a person of acquired tastes, and reasons therefore. Surely one of your kind is not just here to keep tabs on us? Or enjoy beef, as it were."
>>
No. 447645 ID: 459b12

I still stand by my previous plan: >>445945

The Dragon's Shadow sent her (specifically) here to find out what is going on (>>407171), we just have to convince her that she is looking in the wrong place and lay low while she searches elsewhere. She is going be nosy and when it comes to social combat her topic will likely be a variation of 'tell me why you are here' and she is going to be well equipped for that task.

We should keep everything close to the vest with her, give her only necessary tidbits of information and and let her draw her own conclusions. Our social combat topic should be 'nothing to see here, move along'. to that end I suggest our opening move be to stop cowering behind Garmir and say either "This is a private meeting, Deathknight. Leave" or "landsmaster Kaan, we were assured that we would not be interrupted. Kindly escort your... associate elsewhere".

Garmir and Askalaff are (understandably) hostile but they seem to be holding off for the moment. They could be waiting to see how we handle the situation, hopefully they will even play along, in which case take charge and use Scent of Vicory to it's fullest. Otherwise... well, if they're still in a talking mood maybe we could use them for good cop, bad cop.
>>
No. 447696 ID: 8e921b

Let's at least refer to Peregrin as Lord Kaan, so we don't keep getting asked why we're so familiar with him.
>>
No. 447897 ID: cee89f

>>447696
Agreed.

...Although, if that doesn't work, it would be absolutely hilarious to see their reactions if we imply we've been having sex with him =3
>>
No. 447915 ID: 14d963

...Can we NOT try to have everything be about sex?

*sigh*
>>
No. 447940 ID: cee89f

>>447915
Normally I'd agree. But as a joke, it's not half bad. And we haven't had any this entire chapter... unless getting dressed or Garmir being creepzilla on purpose counts >.>
>>
No. 448070 ID: 1da170

Yeah, gonna have to say that telling our Moon Hero semi-allies we've been schtupping the Death Hero landlord is exactly the opposite of a good idea.
>>
No. 448075 ID: 6a1ec2

OK everything seems fine except the horse thing. Do not tell a Dullahan to part from its horse. That can only end in tears at best.
>>
No. 448078 ID: b6edd6

>>448075
Also the horse is adorable.
>>
No. 448116 ID: 4992ce
File 134603669021.png - (249.44KB , 1000x500 , library13.png )
448116

>Calm the Moon Heroes

"You must be the emissary of the Dragon's Shadow, that Peregrin has told me visits regularly for normal diplomatic purposes. Though I'm mildly surprised a Titan's servant would swear by the gods."

"Ha, really? That's just - well it's what rolls off the tongue, isn't it? Figure of speech, I guess!"

"If we're going to be concerned with manners... how about some proper introductions?"

"Oh, how civilized. You must be new. Alright, then! I'll get off my high horse, ha ha."

"Er, yes. Introductions. Akatrina, this is Askalaff of the Empty Moon, Garmir of the Full Moon, and Saulanna Rockblossom... er, undecided. Moon Heroes, this is Aka-"

"Hrmph."
>>
No. 448117 ID: 4992ce
File 134603674237.png - (91.67KB , 500x600 , Asktalking.png )
448117

"No introduction needed, Kaan. She's Akatrina Dulahan, Death Hero of the Blood Moon caste, if we're being modern about it. Or, to be more formal, she's The Rider At Road's End, one of the original deathknights in the armies of Oblivion! Her kind were made to negotiate people into their graves, and we'll not have any of that breed of diplomacy. She can count herself lucky for the opportunity to leave with her purloined life intact!"
>>
No. 448118 ID: 4992ce
File 134603677711.png - (86.60KB , 500x600 , Akattalking.png )
448118

"My good Steward, please! The Rider was my old slave title! I was lucky and happy enough to run out on my old master long before The War. And as for - pardon, a moment, but are you the Askalaff? Just making sure. The one who unified the seven tribes of the Cracked Savannah by way of being the animal guide to twelve different witch doctors?"

"How did you-"

"And if I recall, your wife... Shifting Moon caste, yes?... she's been a fertility goddess to the Oroowa people of the Ila'ala jungle for a long time. They did rather well in the War, but, ha, of course they'd practically been bred for it! Oh, but I digress. Back on topic. I believe you were implying I might be... manipulative?"
>>
No. 448119 ID: 4992ce
File 134603683523.png - (257.84KB , 1000x500 , library14.png )
448119

If you're worried that I'll fill your ears with deception, I'll swear an oath to the contrary! Take my hand and I'll bind myself to not speak any falsehoods. You'll know the moment I tell a lie."

>"Oh dear."

>"I've been reviewing our information, my lady. As a Death Hero of the Blood Moon Caste, she can indeed bind oaths that are spoken aloud, provided her hands are in contact with those of the parties involved, and possibly including herself. The link created will allow her and the oathbound an awareness that will inform them the moment the contract is broken, and by whom. She may at such point also choose whether or not to visit the oathbreaker with magical retribution. One-sided oaths such as she suggests are possible, and though she's unlikely to punish herself for breaking it, you'd at least know that she had."

>"However, her caste also has the ability, given particular effort, to learn the magical abilities of other beings, including gods and Titanic devas, if she has a tutor. A tutor such as, for example, any of the innumerable offspring of the Dragon's Shadow himself. I'm not even sure of the range of her normal powers, so I can make no guess as to what else she could do with a handshake!"

>"This is a delicate situation. If you don't apply your full force in persuasion - and even possibly then - this may descend into physical violence. However, this woman is surely very skilled in social magic! Binding her to tell the truth, though it surely won't stop her from applying deception, may be the handicap necessary to have any chance of victory at all."

>>
No. 448141 ID: af25e0

Accept under the condition that everyone present is included. That increases the chance of someone's defensive charms being activated if she tries any shenanigans.
>>
No. 448144 ID: b85f8c

>>448119
How about instead of shaking her hand and possibly revealing that we have Titanic powers, we run the hell away and let the violence happen without us?

...on the other hand, what reason would she have to scan a newly-exalted Lunar? Peregrin's face doesn't fill me with confidence... Could we convince one of the other lunars to do the handshake?
>>
No. 448145 ID: b6edd6

I think refusing the gesture would look like a rather hostile gesture, considering how we are trying to defuse the situation.
Besides, the relative risk of a handshake is significantly smaller when you consider the chances that any detection method she has would work without a handshake.

>>448141
That would sound like asking that everyone here also be bound not to lie, which would seriously hider our attempts to conceal our titan-ness.
>>
No. 448146 ID: e3f578

Can we just tell everybody we're honestly tired of talking today and get some fucking rest? Continue this tomarrow or maybe in a few hours?
I mean goddamn all this shit is taxing.
Let's go take a fucking shower or bath or something. Anything but this milarky. Hell, EVERYONE go take a shower or nap. NOW. That's an order!

Nobody fight or anything until then, that's what oaths she should take with Garmir and/or Askalaff. Not you. Your gonna chill out, maybe shoot the hay with Peregrin at most before chilling out in a bath or bed.
Fuck this shit. Everybody is just being a confrontive asshole today and you've had enough of it and enough edging it on or providing opportunity for more.
>>
No. 448148 ID: b6edd6

>>448144
Suddenly bolting for no apparent reason is not how you conceal things. If they know you are hiding something they are halfway to finding it.

That is a good point about Peregrine's expression though. Maybe we should ask if there was something he wanted to say?
>>
No. 448152 ID: b85f8c

Actually, come to think of it, since Askalaff was the one saying that they are manipulative, he should be the one to shake her hand.

So just tell him that he should do it. There, problem solved. We get her handicapped without risking exposing ourselves.
>>
No. 448153 ID: 7472ad

The horse is now a shadow. I'm guessing she either has a Dragon's Shadow charm to do that or he's one of the DS's lower tier souls, perhaps even her Demon(Or perhaps DS being freed from Malfaes, Deva) Familiar.


I say shake her hand. And then don't be surprised when she says something sarcastic, making us aware she spoke a falsehood, and lifting the binding so she's free to lie from then on.

Also, do not attempt to end the talking early. They'll fight and bad things will happen to our stuff. Plus, getting tired of talking so quickly for a social character is ridonculous.
>>
No. 448156 ID: 14d963

Huh. The horse is Akatrina's shadow?

Accepting the handshake seems like a good move. She's offering to put herself at a disadvantage for free. If we're really worried about her somehow using the handshake for sinister purposes, we could ask Askalaff and/or Garmir to do the honors (under the pretense that they're the ones who are so vocally suspicious of her, so it makes sense they'd be the ones who need firsthand evidence of her truthfulness).

Once we've done that, though, we should ask her what she's here for. Being willing to make an oath to gain our trust implies she's after more than just a routine checkup.
>>
No. 448157 ID: bf54a8

"hmmm, peregrin, something on your mind?"
>>
No. 448161 ID: 14d963

Looks like I've been typing a bit too slowly.

There's this though:

>>448153
>I say shake her hand. And then don't be surprised when she says something sarcastic, making us aware she spoke a falsehood, and lifting the binding so she's free to lie from then on.
If she breaks her oath "accidentally" (or pretends it's an accident), we can simply ask her to renew her oath. There's nothing saying she can't do the same thing twice. If she explicitly and unapologetically pulls a trick like that, then that's pretty much equivalent to saying "I'm going to start lying now", and we can use that as grounds for breaking off the discussion and telling her to leave.
>>
No. 448166 ID: d6c330

Oh my goodness, Akatrina's expression is adorable in that last frame. Also, Peregrin seems to think this is a bad idea.

Obviously, this is a risk, as she could be playing anything here, letting her cast on us. At the very least I think we can expect the truthsense to be double edged, so we'll be forced to be inordinately exact in the diplomancy. Absolute worst case? She does something that allows the Dragon's shadow to detect us long range as a new titan.

...that said, I think this is a risk we need to take. I see no way this ends well if things break into combat. There's too many exalts, and too many factions. Our best outcome is if we take her own in social combat and win, and impress the moon heros in the process. Garm wanted to see or stuff? We'll show it to him.

...although, maybe just the truth is the trap. We never raised a concern about lies. And she attacks Ask with truths about his past up there. I think she's trying to get something from us, and doesn't consider this a handicap at all. By taking her hand, we're committing ourselves to try and beat her at her own game when she's confident she's making a winning move.
>>
No. 448192 ID: 0c2247

>>448119
Don't reach for her hand.
"A great manipulator doesn't need to say anything false to be deceptive.
If you want trust then you would bind yourself to use no deceptions, but asking that myself would demand to much trust from you.
Would you trust Peregrin with such a binding? He has earned my trust; if he keeps silent for a slip then it must not be worth mentioning. Is his discretion secrecy enough?"
>>
No. 448194 ID: bf54a8

>>448192
point yes, why lie when you can just not tell the whole truth.
>>
No. 448197 ID: 7472ad

>>448161
>If she breaks her oath "accidentally" (or pretends it's an accident), we can simply ask her to renew her oath. There's nothing saying she can't do the same thing twice. If she explicitly and unapologetically pulls a trick like that, then that's pretty much equivalent to saying "I'm going to start lying now", and we can use that as grounds for breaking off the discussion and telling her to leave.

Except she won't just do what we say and leave, and we don't want a fight, so it's really a moot point. It does however give us an opportunity if we're the ones to accept her handshake to manipulate the lunars with her help. If we can get her arguing a point we agree with against Asky, she'll be exhausting herself against an opponent while removing the burden of that argument from us. And I think her motives for being here mean she'd want us to stay, it's getting her to leave and not snooping too closely about us that will be the issue. But dealing with those after she's convinced Asky to let us stay without a fight should be easier.
>>
No. 448244 ID: 1417a1

Is she expecting Saulanna to accept her oath? Wasn't that directed at Askalaff, the one who accused her of being deceitful?
>>
No. 448249 ID: 6a1ec2

You cannot shake her hand, because that is just a cardboard cutout of Saulanna! Oh my, where did she go??
>>
No. 448253 ID: dafe55

why on EARTH would WE need to shake any hands? WE'VE made no mention of worries about manipulation. If we just DON'T SAY A THING, the problem solves itself.
>>
No. 448275 ID: 334456

>>448253
Don't bother taking her hand. The question wasn't directed at us, nor would such an oath handicap a truly skilled manipulator.

Its pitifully easy to deceive without ever once telling an outright falsehood. In fact, such a handicap actually hurts the other party more, since it breeds a false sense of security.

"Well...apparently you two have quite the reputations. Either way, I hardly think that would be necessary, since if either of you is half as clever as you say of each other I doubt there'd be much point. I trust you'll take no offense at my meaning."

To the point, rolls out a small compliment, and helps them view each others comments in a slightly more positive light.
>>
No. 448280 ID: af25e0

>>448244
>>448253

If Saulanna doesn't say anything, Askalaff will try to speak for the group and this will end in a (possibly three-way) melee.

If she responds (whether it's accepting, declining, or avoiding), then it shows that she's the one handling the encounter.
>>
No. 448312 ID: ab831c

Say nothing.
>>
No. 448313 ID: ab831c

Do not allow the conversation to slip from our grasp.
>>
No. 448314 ID: cee89f

"If you're even half as manipulative as Askalaff claims you are, you could easily find a way around such an oath. Binding you to the truth will be about as useful as a shit flavored lollipop."

"...What? it would."
>>
No. 448315 ID: cee89f

>>448314
WOULD be about as useful, etc etc***
>>
No. 448316 ID: fa9f7e

>>448315
You could always feed a shit-flavored lollipop to someone you don't like.

Although I suppose even dancing around the truth would give us... call it the general shape of the truth, so it's an apt comparison.

>>448312
No. See >>448280

>>448275
Yes.
>>
No. 448333 ID: b6edd6

>>448275
This post makes a good point, and subtle flattery is useful in almost any situation. Changing my vote to this.
>>
No. 448344 ID: 459b12

Why don't we get Peregrin to accept the oath? He has his own defenses against her trickery plus he knows his True Name which 'Strengthens his soul, makes his magic more potent and makes his will harder to subvert' and his oath to us might overcome any compulsions Akatrina manages to get past all of this.

It's probably the best solution. Askalaff and Garmir won't take it, we can't risk it because it would be the perfect opportunity for her to check out our Titanyness but if we can appoint Peregrin to be a moderator of sorts he can he can help us keep things under control.

We'd just need to convince the others that we can trust Peregrin to let us know when the oath is broken. We could say that he has some tells that let us know when he's lying.
>>
No. 448351 ID: 1417a1

Let Askalaff oathbind with Akatrina and THEN take charge of the conversation.
>>
No. 448354 ID: 14d963

>>448344
Don't we know our true name as well? It's through us that Peregrin learned his true name, so we should be able to determine our own true name easily enough.

Anyway, letting Peregrin take the oath would not impress Askalaff or Garmir, since they don't trust him either.
>>
No. 448356 ID: d6c330

>>448354
I would think perhaps our true name might be unfixed, or in flux considering how much of who Saulanna is is currently not rigidly defined. There's also the possibility Titan's aren't bound to or by names the same way other things are- they might be above it.
>>
No. 448361 ID: 4a328b

"That won't be necessary. I doubt being restricted to telling the truth would keep ANY of us from being deceptive, so let us keep this an informal contract, shall we?"
>>
No. 448363 ID: 1417a1

>>448344
That's a very good idea
>>
No. 448426 ID: 1da170

If anyone is taking this oath, we probably want to be the one doing it so that we're the one who knows when she's lying. Putting Peregrin in charge of calling her out is clever for us, not so much for him.

But yeah, the fact that she offers it so freely means it doesn't mean anything to her, and that we won't need it.
>>
No. 448446 ID: cee89f

>>448344
Here's the problem: Peregrin's taken an oath with us. Would she be able to sense that oath if she touched him? It seems likely given that whole 'negotiate them into their graves' thing.
>>
No. 448626 ID: 117433

>>448446
Doubtful. That is a pact between Saulanna and Perry; made with magic completely different from the powers she possesses (as I recall, it was made with Wordblood's Titan magic). Akatarina wouldn't be able to feel it unless she officiated it. Assuming the power works how it does in Exalted (and that Jukashi has not changed it all too much with his modified setting), she has the power to seal pacts between any people. That includes herself and Saulana et al. or, for example, Gamir and Alice. But she didn't seal Saulanna and Perry.
>>
No. 448652 ID: 334456

That was the topic of debate. We don't know what other abilities she has from her patron. Worst case, she could find that shit out.
>>
No. 448658 ID: a5695e

Oh dear... I think Garamir's remembered his challenge to us about showing off our social skills. We may want to keep that in mind in our responses...
>>
No. 448673 ID: b6178d

Guys guys. This is no problem at all.

Convince Garmir to be the one to shake her hand. After all, out of all of them, he seems the best able to react quickly and decisively if she displays any signs of falsehood or betrayal.
>>
No. 448709 ID: 9718f3

Time to take charge of this social situation!

"Askalaff, please compose yourself. Akatrina, your gesture is appreciated but I don't think my peers will trust you regardless, and I don't distrust you enough to warrant it. Let's keep things friendly, informal, no oaths or bonds or anything. Besides those we all owe to Peregrin here as our host of course. I am sure he would prefer a mass-exalt-melee not break out in his home. And in his library, no less!
Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you by the way, you are the first woman exalted I have met since exalting myself. I would love to pick your brain for tips and tricks after we get all this boring business dealt with!"

I don't expect half of that to be used, but seriously, best way to deal with the handshake/binding is blowing past it and not treating it as a big huge deal.
>>
No. 448716 ID: dd2f7f

Worldblood, does The Dragon's Shadow / Ebon Dragon or his devas have finding out other people's pacts as their core themes?

Trying to determine the chances of detecting on Kaan that a pact had been made.

ALternatively, is there any Titanic or Lunar magic we can do to obscur this pact?
>>
No. 448718 ID: 334456

>>448673
In a lethal manner, which would not be appropriate unless you want to declare open war on the forces of the Ebon Dragon.

He's not our vassal, either, so we can't really "have" him do our bidding. You'd have to make a damn good case for how to get him to bother.
>>
No. 448804 ID: b6178d

>>448718

I just did! "If she lies, you get to gut her first. Happy times!"
>>
No. 448898 ID: ab831c

"It's inspiring to be in the presence of such accomplished wordsmiths."

Translation:This is amusing. Also, guinea pigs!
>>
No. 449012 ID: 63f851

I'm calling an awkward moment where noone shakes her hand.
>>
No. 449123 ID: 34d817

>>448119
Let's see if we can press her for a better oath- as we've observed, 'speak no falsehood' is hardly an effective means of confirming honestly. "A generous offer, but everyone here is well aware that deception is more than just lies. Swear not to deceive or mislead us in any fashion, and you would be more successful in doing away with one of our many concerns."

Once/if we manage that...

Saulanna cannot shake hands because Titan.

Peregrin we could have shake her hand, but that's a bad idea because the Lunars don't trust him anyway so it would prove nothing to them, and because that would set him up in opposition to the Dragon's Emissary here and thus tip her off that he's up to something. Not to mention that we'd have to communicate to Peregrin that we want him to take the lead, which could tip anyone here off that he's working for us when we really don't want them to know that, and there's some small risk that she'd pick up on his knowledge of his True Name or his oath or whatever.

I think our best bet is Garmir. We can present our logic on that simply- "Garmir, would you be so good? I daresay if she breaks her oath, no one else here is quite so suited to react promptly and appropriately." There's also the implication that we're not as well suited to resist any tricky supplemental effects she layers on her handshake, while he is due to his higher Soul Force and greater experience.
>>
No. 449274 ID: 92217c

"Askalaff, since you seem to know much of her background and general lore, abyssal and otherwise, would you allow her to bind herself?

As for myself, I prefer direct conversation to get experience of somone, though of course you are all welcome to try and change my perceptions. Beginnings are good! Akatrina, how did you come to be the emissary for the Dragon's Shadow?"

Social combat
Topic: Akatrina's origins!

Use our autolanguage success to imply to Garmir and Askalaff we're using this to show them we can handle ourselves, and they're welcome to try to engage for a three-way social discussion.

Plus some flattery of Askalaff to get him to accept, some prefight soothing of Akatrina to show we're not death prejudiced.

Against another social exalt we need to seize the initiative and engage combat first, secondarily, to find as much as possible about her personality and goals so we can use them as weapons.

We don't want her to engage us before we do.
>>
No. 449280 ID: d6c330

Guys, I know you're trying to think outside the box, but having someone else take her hand doesn't help.

Your alliance with Kaan is unknown- it makes no sense for you to ask that of him. The Lunars don't trust him, and won't trust you for trusting him. And Akatrina will be suspicious of Peregrin. We want to defuse the current situation before it goes violent, and keep the Dragon's Shadow peaceful with our fiefdom. This messes up all of that.

Similarly, binding her to one of the other Lunars is a bad idea. We effectively pass control of the negotiations that way, and they do not have an interest in ending this peacefully.

The only thing we should be debating is whether we think Saulanna should take Akatrina's hand or not.

(Personally, I think we can swing it, and it's worth the risk, but that's besides the point I'm trying to make here).
>>
No. 449338 ID: cee89f

>>449280
All that's going to do is undermine what little credibility we were trying to build with the Lunars (frankly putting yourself quite literally into the enemy's hands is the exact kind of rookie mistake they're afraid of) and possibly have them interfere early and turn this into a five-way exalt brawl.
>>
No. 449342 ID: 824e4b
File 134629092293.png - (259.92KB , 1000x500 , library15.png )
449342

Oh goodness. It seems there's problems with anyone taking the contract. Perhaps Saulanna can talk through it.

"Askalaff, please compose yourself. Akatrina, your gesture is appreciated but I don't think it will help my peers trust you. If either of you are half as clever as you say of each other, I doubt being restricted to telling the truth would prevent any deception in any case."

"No? Well, I guess not. How about we haggle it down, then? I can't promise not to give you any false impressions - I don't know how you'll take what I say - but I could swear to not deliberately mislead you about anything."

"Saulanna, don't listen to her, I'm serious! We're more versatile, but Heroes like her are stronger than us in their fields of expertise, and she's over a hundred years your elder. Whatever social prowess you have, she's far more powerful than you!"

"Do you want me to swear not to use any charming magic? I will, if you all join in. Sounds terribly boring to me, but I find it refreshing to talk to a new Moon Hero. I assume they've been giving you the sales pitch for their little club, dear? You know, my employer could fix your problem with-"

"Your employer is literally the antithesis of all that is pure and holy!!"

>"We're pressed right to the edge here. If you don't begin formal social combat now, one of them will seize the first move, and I think you really are quite outmatched at this point; our only real hope is to play them against each other, and that's not going to be easy. I have another trick up my metaphorical sleeve, but I'm not sure if it will really be enough; the opportunity to disable all social magic could give us a terrific advantage, but the trouble is persuading the Moon Heros to go with it."

>"As for Peregrin's oath - er, hm. The Dragon's Shadow does have specific ability in regards breaking bonds, but... no, if he could break True Name oaths, he would have escaped his prison far earlier. Unless they cut that part out of him before capturing him. But then it wouldn't be a problem, because... no, wait, he... um. Well, at least she wouldn't have any such ability, because here she is with the power to make oaths. Well, not really an oath, I suppose, metaphysically, really it's just an alarm system and a spirit link for... er. It... maybe?? Oh dear. I... don't know. I'm sorry. You'll just have to choose whether to risk it."

>"Preferably, soon!

>>
No. 449350 ID: af25e0

Ask Wordblood what the "trick" is, so we know what cards we're holding.
>>
No. 449352 ID: e3f578

I just want all these obnoxious people out of our house.
They weren't even invited in by us in the first place!
The nerve!

I don't even care if shit gets physical between those three, as long as it's outside and none of our goddamn business, it's all fucking good. She walks in with a fucking horse and we don't even know if that big bulky thing damaged any of our shit! Oh I bet the carpeting and stone is just ruined! But whatever, if the Moon Heroes won't agree to no social magics well they can just leave and forget about you forever. You have your own shit to deal with right now and you don't want to deal with all this shit on your second day of your new life. Out.
Out.
Out.
>>
No. 449370 ID: d6c330

Take her deal already. Let's do this social combat thing.

She may be a hundred year old evil deal maker, but we are the Titan of words reborn, backed by the collective powers of a bunch of spirits of the past who like nothing more than coming up with clever dialog. We can do this.

You wanted to see us tested, Garmir? You got it. Prepare to be amazed.

That, and we don't have any other choice. We don't take this, and things dissolve into outright physical combat. Chose your battles- I like our odds more in this front.
>>
No. 449378 ID: 6e44d2

>>449352
Wow, that's so simple. Perfect.
>>
No. 449379 ID: ff2944

Wordblood, if we all take the no social magic oath and she breaks it, will anyone else using social magic after allow her to enforce the penalties on them?

I say accept the idea of limiting everyone to no social magic. Hope everyone continues ignoring Kaan too, so he can slip by that oath. That probably won't happen though. If the Lunars aren't keen on accepting the oath, we can take a dig at them based on the fact that they seemed fine with one of Saulanna's elders plying their greater magical expertise when it was them, and that it seems rather suspicious that they'd be against leveling things more in her favor if they're so worried about her being manipulated. Why, it's almost as if they want things to descend into fighting so that the only ones left for Saulanna to be manipulated by are them. Or so her Hero Soul goes to someone easier for them to manipulate.

>>449352
You seem to be under the impression that attempting to force these three to do things could work and wouldn't likely end in our death. I have no idea how you got that impression. Also, forgetting or ignoring the fact that as far as everyone else is concerned, this place belongs to Kaan.
>>
No. 449385 ID: e59c63

"Honestly? Why does it matter? There is nothing wrong with having a civil discussion-perhaps over tea, or something."

"The fact of the matter is that both of you groups are guests. You have stated your piece, Askalaff and Garmir. You have also managed to be impolite and extremely aggressive, but for now, are still guests."

"So is she. And being such, requires a certain level of courtesy. You two can choose to wait here until whenever I come to a decision-or leave. If you will continue to upset other people who come and go due to personal issues, I will insist on the latter, regardless of the consequences."

"As for you, Akatrina: I do not even know why you are here or for what reason beyond regular visits."
>>
No. 449387 ID: a3b384

Well it seems she is here for us mostly, so lets make it about us and her. We both agree to not use powers upon each other or ourselves, to cancel any effect already upon us, and just have a little nice talk. As mortals would. No harm in just that, right? The other three will not interfere in any way except to act as observers, and only speak to answer questions if asked.

And whatever trick you have wordblood, be quick but careful about it.
>>
No. 449469 ID: 14d963

I want to know what she wants. What are we going to be discussing that's so important that she'd go through the effort of making formal oaths to get us to trust her?

We've realized in the past that lacking a Heart's Desire is a disadvantage, but by the same token, not knowing other people's motives is also a disadvantage. Right now we're totally "off-guard" because we don't know what to expect.

I think we should take the no-magic offer. The only social magic we have is Scent of Victory and Moon Boosting our Inspiration/whatever, so we have little to lose. If Askalaff and Garmir continue being difficult, make a social attack against them criticizing them for heaping accusations while refusing the one measure that could prove she's lying.

If we can, see if we can get away with twisting the words to promising not to use our Hero magic. That way, Wordblood's abilities would remain available. (Or maybe Wordblood's abilities would remain available since he's technically a separate entity from Saulanna, which Akatrina doesn't know about and so can't bind into an oath? Is he sufficiently "part of us" to be bound to the same oaths we are?)

Wordblood: Do our memories include an idea of how different the present-day Dragon's Shadow is from the Ebon Dragon that elder Heroes knew?

The Dragon's Shadow does seem fairly sinister from what we've heard, but it's been implied the Dragon's Shadow is somewhat less unpleasant than the canon Ebon Dragon. Which is not saying much, given that the canon Ebon Dragon is pretty much the living embodiment of the cosmic principle of unpleasantness, but still.
>>
No. 449480 ID: 334456

>>449342
"Thats quite enough.

I met with you under the impression that this was to be a convening of a friendly nature. I wanted it to a situation where we could just talk and discuss without fear of anyone trying to get a leg up on the other. There's scarcely even anything at immediate stake.

Since that is clearly not the case, let me put it another way: If none of you will trust the other, then fine, so be it, but I will have my way one way or another."

Grasp her hand.

"If you so swear, so too do I, to use no social charm to unduly sway you or shroud myself."

"There. Its done. Now you can follow and behave as I thought and hoped you would, or sit in the hall."
>>
No. 449483 ID: 334456

>>449480

Basically, it boils down to this: Without the oath, nothing can commence. Askalad will not take parley with Akatrina, and we will be sorely outmatched in every respect. We're just to new.

By showing that we are upset at magical persuasion, we establish our reason for accepting such an oath and hopefully guilt askalaad and (doubtfully) Garmir. This evens the playing field for us, and limits the dirty tricks Akatrina can pull (though I doubt she doesn't still have something).

Best of all, the wording limits charms. Not titan magics, should they become necessary.
>>
No. 449488 ID: ef1f67

Tell your fellow lunars that they are terrible guests and if they start a fight, you are siding with Akatrina and Peregrine.
>>
No. 449500 ID: 7fa633

>>449483
Unfortunately, Titan magics ARE Charms. I'm basing this on what I know of vanilla Exalted, admittedly; but in vanilla Exalted, all magic falls into one of three categories; Artifacts, Charms, and sorcery. Primordials and Yozis are, in some ways, a large, horribly-powerful collection of Charms. A restriction against using Charms affects us as much as it does any of the others - possibly more, because they may have active sorceries in place, and we don't.
>>
No. 449510 ID: 334456

>>449500

I wasn't aware that Power Words and the like were considered charms, as there seemed to be a distinction made between them (specifically, Wordblood stated they were more akin to Sorcery than anything else).

Either way, it still ultimately benefits us the most.
>>
No. 449541 ID: cee89f

>>449342
Start social combat!
Topic: "Why did you come up here and harass Moon Hero guests when you're supposed to be discussing buisness with Kaan?"
>>
No. 449570 ID: ef1f67

>>449488

Expanding on my earlier suggestion, you want to make this into a two-sided argument where you have the advantage. Peregrine you are sure of, so you should get the other Death Hero on your side. Don't restrict her actions for now.

Start Social Kombat. Topic: You 2 lunars are terrible guests and should stop making demands of people you just met.
>>
No. 449575 ID: 4a328b

>>449570
I agree with putting yourself on the same side as your vassal!
>>
No. 449588 ID: fa9f7e

>>449575
I don't. Let's have him oppose us extremely badly and weaken their arguments.

...Might be suspicious, though.
>>
No. 449617 ID: 0c2247

>>449342
Turn to Upset Lunar with a furious look on your face and grab him by the collar.
"Antithesis of all that is pure and holy? For the love of Luna, how blind and hateful do you have to be to actually believe that?
No, the Ebon Dragon is not at all a nice person, but do you know what really was
the antithesis of all that is pure and holy? Soulsteel.
If you want me to have any respect for your words at all you then you damned well better temper your vitrol about the one who ended that affront."
Let him go, then turn back to Akatrina.
"Your boss is a horrid monster, but has earned that much respect.
Please, do continue. You were saying?"
>>
No. 449631 ID: 1da170

"That's very generous of you! Garmir here was just saying, oh what was it, 'if my stuff's stronger, tough luck,' it's refreshing to see that -someone- knows how to behave around others."

This stylish babe has just implied her boss has an alternative to the tattoos, the idea of losing us if they don't participate in conversation should help get the Moon Heroes into things.

ENGAGE SOCIAL COMBAT. Topic: So, what are you after here, anyway, Emissary Akatarina? (And where did you get that rockin' hat?)
>>
No. 449723 ID: ef1f67

Saulanna should address problems as they present themselves. Right now, the lunars are the ones making demands, and she needs to shut them down. Akatarina probably has some gambit in mind, but she isn't causing any trouble right now. We might as well use her while she's still sympathetic. And if she really is interested in new, malleable exalts, she's probably willing to provide low-risk social support right now in order to make a good impression so we're favorably disposed toward future deals she offers.

If three exalts provide a unified front, we should be more succesful in stopping the immediate threat of violence.
>>
No. 449727 ID: a5695e

>>449617
I like the idea behind this. I'm not sure it's exactly what Saulanna should do, but this and >>449631 pretty much encompass what I'm thinkin' at this point.
>>
No. 449765 ID: c449f2

if/when we want to find out why akatrina is here, we should start the topic with "lord kaan, did miss dulahan ever tell you what her purpose here was?"

Personally yes I vote for trying to start with a topic of YOU GUYS ARE AWFUL GUESTS BE MORE FUCKING POLITE.
>>
No. 449772 ID: bbee3d

>>449631
>>449723

Basically, Akatrina is making an offer to solve the same problem that brought the Lunars here - or trying to make an offer, if they'd stop interrupting - and she's doing it without the huge cartload of intimidation, threats, hypocrisy, and just plain obnoxiousness that they seem to favor. Even if the horse is kind of weird.

Give her a chance to make that offer, then ask what they have that can top it. See if you can put them on the defensive for once.
>>
No. 449791 ID: 34d817

>>449342
All right, what I perceive as our priorities in order of importance:
1. Conceal our Titanic nature.
2. Conceal that Peregrin works for us.
3. Get all the Heroes except us and Peregrin to leave the two of us alone here.
4. Avoid obligations and commitments to other Heroes.
5. Maintain good relations with all other Heroes.

Throwing that out there in the hopes that we'll keep an eye on our priorities and try to frame our actions in terms of getting what we want out of this, instead of being purely reactionary. It's primarily important as a hierarchy of what we should be willing to burn for what- we could offend the other Heroes, for example, if we're pretty sure that doing so would get them to leave, but we shouldn't do so otherwise; we could agree to let the other Heroes stay here or for us to leave here if we see no other way to conceal our Titanic nature or Peregrin's servitude, but otherwise should keep pursuing that as our goal.

>>449352
I do like this attitude. We're being civil, but really, having all these Heroes up in our business is annoying as hell.

>>449617
I'm pretty sure that the Ebon Dragon actually is the antithesis of all that is pure and holy. As in, he's actually metaphysically defined as exactly that in the setting- you don't have to be blind or hateful to believe it because it's literally, factually true. Claiming otherwise, let alone getting pissed about it, will only make us look like an ignorant fool. Not to mention that offending the Moon Heroes at this point would be unwise.
>>
No. 449907 ID: 334456

>>449617
Uh, actually, the Ebon Dragon IS the antithesis of all that is good an holy.

He literally did shit like "Create free will" explicitly so that he could rob people of it. Telling him he's wrong on that will just make us look very stupid.
>>
No. 449910 ID: fa9f7e

>>449907
He made the Unconquered Sun- perfection incarnate, the embodiment of everything pure and holy- just so he would have something to be the opposite of, and it worked. He got more powerful.

He... is... the... antithesis... of... everything... pure... and... holy... by... definition.

Askalaff was not abusing the word literally when he said that. He was using it correctly.
>>
No. 449923 ID: 6a1ec2

Say "BLEEEEEAAAAHH" waving your hands over your head and scrambling around like a chicken.
>>
No. 449960 ID: cee89f

>>449791
I agree on not getting angry about it, but saying that the Dragon ended Soulsteel (and possibly pointing out that Akatrina isn't actually the dragon) is still a valid point.
>>
No. 449972 ID: cee89f

>>448118
... Wait. Did she imply Askalaff's wife is a whore? >.> No wonder he's pissed
>>
No. 450009 ID: ab831c

Do not mention the Dragon.
>>
No. 450010 ID: fa9f7e

>>449972
Nah, just a slut, which is accurate for a disproportionately high percentage of Lunars. Also, that army was most likely made by fucking animals or fucking humans in animal form. Beast-men. This is generally accepted among Exalts, iirc.

Accurate, and most lunars probably wouldn't be offended if you pointed out they were sluts to their faces, but behind her back might still be offensive, depending on Askalaff, I suppose.
>>
No. 450023 ID: cee89f

>>450010
Where i come from 'whore' and 'slut' mean the same thing =P
>>
No. 450025 ID: fa9f7e

>>450023
You don't use money? Sounds like a nice place :P
>>
No. 450188 ID: cee89f

>>450025
No, we just call the ones you pay for 'hookers' =P

But my question has been answered and this is irrelevant.

What to do, what to do...

Start social combat. Now, before things get physical and violent.
>>
No. 450314 ID: 334456

>>449910
Um...Thats what I said. Why quote me?
>>
No. 450362 ID: dcd945

>>450314

I think anon meant to quote Seven01a19'spost.
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No. 450522 ID: 8e921b

>>449617
No, the Dragon's Shadow/Ebon Dragon IS very literally and metaphysically the antithesis of everything good and holy in the universe, as I'm sure Wordblood can confirm. Askalaff isn't being metaphorical nor unfair at all. Trying to defend the Dragon will only make us look like a complete idiot.

Let's not try to deliberately offend anyone, either. But we should not trust this woman nor be "on her side." Anyone in this room is more trustworthy than somebody who serves the Dragon's Shadow (who is also the literal and metaphysical embodiment of treachery, deception, and dickitude.)
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No. 450524 ID: 8e921b

Also, PLEASE take the random tangents and sex jokes to discussion.
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No. 452196 ID: 932477

Just so we are clear: is the 'no magic' oath in addition to or an alternative to her 'no deliberate deception' oath?

>>449480
"Then be my voice of reason, Askalaff. I'll admit that you have more experience than I so if you two feel that she is deceiving us or you see her angling for something you don't like feel free to bring it to my attention; I'm certain Ms. Dulahan will do the same. You two want me to prove myself and this is the perfect opportunity. Besides, there are two of them and three of us and one of them has good reason not to want this to end in violence."

If this works it will put us in control of the situation, pits them against each other and sets us up to negotiate the Oath. If it won't give us away we should take it but we'll have to be careful with the wording. Someone pointed out that we might still be bound by it even if she breaks it.

"Ms. Dulahan, we'll accept your oath to not use social/mental charms for the duration of our conversation or until your half of the oath is broken"

My recommendation for our first topic is: "So, what happened to the other newly exalted Moon Heroes you've talked to?"
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No. 453155 ID: 547bfb
File 134724732588.png - (138.79KB , 700x500 , saulanotimpressed.png )
453155

"That's very generous of you! Garmir here was just saying, oh what was it, 'if my stuff's stronger, tough luck'. I would have thought these two'd approve of some leveling of the playing field, but then, they didn't seem that concerned about me being manipulated when it was them doing it."

>Sweet burn!! Saulanna gains COMPETENCY: Basic Sass.

Despite momentarily silencing Askalaff with that put-down, Saulanna doesn't think these two are going to be persuaded to step into this contract. Well... maybe that will work things out for the better, anyway. Let them fling magic at each other if they like.
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No. 453156 ID: 547bfb
File 134724737183.png - (157.34KB , 700x600 , shakehands.png )
453156

>Take the deal

>Twisty words
>Language auto-success!

"If these two don't want to take your deal, they can do what they like with no help from me. But I'll swear not to use any of my Hero magic to influence you, if you swear a similar oath to not use your mental influence magic, as well as not trying to deceive me in any way. Deal?"

"Heh. Of course."

>Scent of Victory deactivated.

Upon taking Akatrina's hand, the Death Hero's divine brand bleeds into view on her forehead. Saulanna feels... did she imagine it?... the brush of something smooth and slick and long, slithering up over her back and around her neck, gone before she can be sure it was there. A brief awareness of the other woman, like the feel of a line under tension, is noticeable for a moment before fading into the recesses of her mind.
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No. 453159 ID: 547bfb
File 134724748144.png - (289.07KB , 1200x600 , socialbattle1.png )
453159

>Social Combat!!
>TOPIC SELECT: What do you want?

"So, Miss Dulahan, why are you here? I was under the impression your business was with Lord Kaan. Why take the trouble and risk the bother coming up here and stepping between some Moon Heroes?"

>Attack damage (Inspiration + Sleuthing): 5
>Defense (??? + ??? - Fear): ???
>Damage: 1

>"Hm. This may take a while."

>Wordblood: Do our memories include an idea of how different the present-day Dragon's Shadow is from the Ebon Dragon that elder Heroes knew?
>"Not exactly, no. Information on the modern Dragon's Shadow is slim. However, I can say that records of the Ebon Dragon paint him as somewhat more directly malevolent then the Dragon's Shadow I know. That is saying... quite a lot, however. I believe I've spoken a little on what I remember of him before."

>What's this trick of yours?
>"If you give a moment, I think I can demonstrate. Let's see how this woman reacts. I think she-"

>Challenge! Inspiration/Leadership vs Inspiration/Leadership: 7 vs. 4
>Akatrina YIELDS the Topic!

>"Oh."

"I do normally have business with Peregrin! I liaise between his little realm here and the underworld proper. However, I do admit I'm a little early; the Dragon sensed something... interesting... happen out here, something he's not quite encountered before. I was rushed along in to investigate. But you're asking why I'm specifically here, aren't you? I don't think you want me to blab on about other matters. All I can say is that I heard raised voices and decided to have a look; I had heard about a new Moon Hero being around here, and I hoped to meet them. That is, you. It's very difficult to meet young Heroes before their elders get them biased against us!"
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No. 453160 ID: 547bfb
File 134724754999.png - (293.03KB , 1200x600 , socialbattle2.png )
453160

>"By Yielding the Topic, she's made the equivalent of a controlled retreat. It's much like a Topic Shift - not that I've taught you about that yet either - but a response rather than an active choice. As you saw, in either case, it's a direct Challenge of Inspiration and Leadership against those of the first Topic's holder. Note as well that her oath doesn't prevent her from simply refusing to speak? She'll make a play for a new Topic now."

"It's really terribly unreasonable! The Dragon's Shadow casts down the Deathlords, saves everything from Oblivion and raises a new Sun to protect the world, and it's still not enough. What does he have to do?"

>TOPIC SELECT: The Dragon's Shadow ain't so bad.

"He's certainly not foolish enough to do anything that would antagonize the Heroes of the Gods; he learned that lesson the last time. He's improved the underworld immensely, and now that he's settling himself in for the long haul, it's much more beneficial for him to develop a good relationship with his neighbors. For all the talk of how deceptive he is, any lie by anyone can give only a moment's benefit before everyone starts doubting. On the scale of eternity, honesty is much more profitable! He doesn't have to be deceptive any more, now that he's free. Obviously he can, but he's never lied to me."

>Attack damage (??? + ??? + beauty bonus + sworn truth bonus): 14
>Defense (Discipline + Determination - Fear): 3

Oh wow, that's... really persuasive...

>"It doesn't mean he can't be deceptive any more, either. If he has such an immense reputation for dishonesty to begin with, he has little chance of success trying to persuade others that he's changed, save those already inclined to like him; as Miss Dulahan seems to be."

>Wordblood REFUTES the attack!
>Refutation (Inspiration + Smoothtalking): 5
>Defence: (Sympathy + Passion - Affection): 1

"The Ebon Dragon has always been a liar, a cheat and a corrupting influence. A Titan's identity is locked up in their souls and they can't change it except by killing old ones off and growing new ones, which takes hundreds of years for noticeable differences. If he's any different from how he was, it's marginal. All he's doing is running the long con."

>Askalaff also refutes!
>Refutation (??? + ??? + Beauty B): 8
>Defence: (Sympathy + Passion + Hostility): 5

Good gods but this is complicated.

>"Indeed! As you can see, my "trick" is that I can talk to you without anyone else being aware. I can attempt to refute all arguments made against you, thus providing you a modest amount of free "healing" every round. However, we've also seen that both of these Heroes are heavier hitters than us! Note how she gets a "sworn truth" bonus? Because you know she's not lying. If she hits you with an argument like that again, this Topic is over. We had best start thinking of some clever strategy!"
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No. 453169 ID: f2c20c

>>453160
Exploit that sworn truth/deception thing. It's a double-edged sword. Ask her direct questions about the Dragon's Shadow's motivations and long-term goals. Heck, she even specifically mentioned the long haul. The truth is often quite inconvenient. Direct the conversation as much as possible towards those inconvenient truths.

Isn't he going to go after the Gods? For revenge? How would he treat Moon Heroes living in his lands over the long term, and what tasks does he use his Abyssal Exalted for?
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No. 453180 ID: 6a1ec2

Maybe try... siding with her? Undermine her argument with your own inability to argue! Plus she's clearly a ham so if she thinks she's winning early she might get sloppy and let something slip. Tortoise and the hare sort of idea.

"It's nice to meet you Miss Akatrina, before I have become so biased against you. Considering what happened to him was so impactful I bet even he could change for the better! How else has the Dragon's Shadow developed good relationships since the affair with these Deathlords?
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No. 453181 ID: 4a328b

>Obviously he can, but he's never lied to me.
"To your knowledge, at least~"

Say that, no offense, we're more inclined to trust individual heroes-be they moon, death, or otherwise- more than a doubtlessly persuasive titan of whom we've heard many... uh, conflicting reports.

[attempt topic change so we don't get persuaded on this] SPEAKING OF WHICH WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF MISS DULAHAN
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No. 453183 ID: 6a1ec2

Oh also, Wordblood you're glowing red again. You remember the last time something was glowing red. Maybe you should just hide while Saulanna fumbles around as best she can.
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No. 453190 ID: d6c330

We have the same beauty as Owl-boy? The UI is just insulting us now.

>>453169
Turning the conversation back to uncomfortable truths seems the best way to handle it.

>Good gods but this is complicated.
...I almost regret not just killing someone. Don't worry though Saulanna! We'll muddle through.
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No. 453195 ID: 0c2247

>>453160
Lets get them focused more on each other than on us. DEFLECT the issue!
"I don't really care if he's honest or a liar; people are defined by their acts, not their words, and Dragon's Shadow has a lot of acts to overcome before he can start to earn trust.

However, you don't need to trust somebody to respect them. Dragon's Shadow put an end to soulsteel, and for that has earned no small measure of my respect.

Of course, I hope you'll understand when I defer to Peregrin's experience with the Dragon's Shadow. I'll follow his lead and stay neutral.

Speaking of Peregrin, I noticed how you rushed to put yourself between him and danger. What feelings do you have for him?"
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No. 453196 ID: 42e984

Wordblood, I suspect she did something to us then, that was somehow getting around her violating her oath. Can you find out what that was? If something was discovered we need to know what. And if anything lingers get it the hell off of us.

Anyhow, this argument is stupid. It's hard to argue the intent or deeds of such a being without massive amounts of information spanning who knows how many eons. Even if she made a convincing argument, we already know better because of your first hand experiences.

I say we play defense and change the topic, after poking holes in her words. Make a recap of the dragons "honesty": he's honest when it profits him, and keeps his servants informed. Beyond that he only doesn't need to lie, and those lies are better of not known to be. Her choice of words betrays his own deceptions. Obvious lies of omission. Then we simply say that the situation the dragon finds itself in requires he act as well as he does, beyond that regardless of whatever deed or intent it has doesn't matter. It will look after its own interests just as any other being would - titan, god, hero or mortal.

Now for the topic shift: Why is him being in our good favor in his interests? What use do you or he have of a moon hero?

>>453169
I don't think that will get far, she is under no contract to explain that business. Worth a shot though, I'd add that in after getting the hell out of this topic.
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No. 453197 ID: 34d817

>>453160
Clever strategy? Well...

For one, Wordblood can attempt to refute every argument made against Saulanna- can he also provide encouragement, manipulating her emotions and opinions? Losing our Fear and gaining a bit of Hostility toward Askalaff, Garmir, and Akatrina would provide us with a few more points of social defense against their attacks that could really save us- particularly if this battle drags on. We basically trust Wordblood above all others at the moment- surely he'll be able to manipulate our emotions very quickly? Particularly if we dwell on the fact that Akatrina is, in fact, almost certainly planning to see us betrayed and enslaved.

We should also stop mucking about with Sleuthing and play to our strengths. We are an expert at deception and intimidation- admittedly we prefer being forthright and friendly, but we can work that Intimidate while still being civilized... and frankly, it would probably get Askalaff and Garmir more on our side if they see us use less friendly social tactics against their enemy.

If we can get an Inspiration+Intimidate of 8 for our offensive armament and a Discipline + Determination + Hostility of 5 or 6 for our defensive armament, we'll at least be able to match the abilities Askalaff has shown so far.

Aside from that, tactics. If we can manage a Topic Shift to something like "Akatrina should give Saulanna a few weeks to consider her options", then it's likely that Askalaff- or even Garmir- will pitch in and smack her with the heaviest Social magics they can fling around, on the grounds that winning at that topic would get her to leave- and leave us exposed to only their influence. That will only win us half the argument, though; ideally we'd be able to induce her to get the Moon Heroes to leave as well. If we can manage to get the Moon Heroes blasting her and her fighting primarily against them rather than us on a topic of our choice, then we'll hopefully be able to make them both lose by accepting the "compromise" of backing off and fighting over Saulanna later- they'll both plan on returning with more reinforcements, of course, but as long as we can buy time to grow that will be enough.
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No. 453199 ID: b6edd6

>>453195
It kind of does segue naturally from here to asking about the motives of the Dragon's Shadow. They both talked about the Dragon's strategies for achieving his long-term goals, but what exactly are those goals?
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No. 453230 ID: 14d963

Interesting. Akatrina's emotion is fear - very faint, but it's there. Probably because Askalaff threatened her.

Also our Sympathy and Passion reduce how much healing we get?

I'm also confused about what the roll when yielding is about. If we had won the roll, could we have stopped her from yielding? Why would we want that?

>>453169
>Ask her direct questions about the Dragon's Shadow's motivations and long-term goals. Heck, she even specifically mentioned the long haul. The truth is often quite inconvenient. Direct the conversation as much as possible towards those inconvenient truths.
>
>Isn't he going to go after the Gods? For revenge? How would he treat Moon Heroes living in his lands over the long term, and what tasks does he use his Abyssal Exalted for?
This sounds good. Ask questions relevant to the topic but that don't seem like the main thing Akatrina is going for, so she's less likely to have a perfect spin prepared.

We could also point out Peregrin's people are refugees escaping the Dragon's Shadow's influence. So he can't be that benign. (This could also act as passing the focus to Peregrin, taking some pressure off ourselves.)

>>453196
>Now for the topic shift: Why is him being in our good favor in his interests? What use do you or he have of a moon hero?
This also sounds worth pursuing.

>>453195
>Speaking of Peregrin, I noticed how you rushed to put yourself between him and danger.
...What? When did anything like that happen?
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No. 453253 ID: 334456

Jukashi updates are like a birthday present.

Thats a very beneficial social ability. Like, wow.

It stands to reason that these guys would hit hard. It's literally their calling, magic or no.

As for that sworn truth bonus? Like I said, the oath against lying actually hurts us more than anything.

>>453196
The thing we felt was almost certainly the oath. It doesn't prevent us or her from using the magic. Just lets us know the instant she breaks the oath, and vice versa.

That said, the fact that the Dragons Shadow wants her to investigate "Something he sensed" IS troubling. Also, its quite obvious she's trying to work around her limitations with the topic shift. She doesn't want us asking about her investigation, possibly, and so decided to first attempt to develop a bias towards her point of view, so that when the topic is broached in full (her true objective, we'll be inclined to side with her or tell her what she wants to know.

Clever girl. Topic shift:

"That he hasn't lied to you that know of, I believe. That could just as easily mean he's just a very good liar, of course.

That said, I must admit curiosity. I can't imagine something that a Primordial/Titan/Whatever, beings said to have birthed creation, has never encountered before can something to be glossed over so."

By shifting the topic back to this, we can possibly accomplish two main objectives:

1. She can't deliberately mislead us, so it becomes very dangerous ground for her if she DID manage to discover something about us. If, for example, she found out exactly what we are from her magic or whatever, she can't up and tell us that she's found nothing, or that it's not relevant to us.

2. It gets us out of the shaky situation we're in, and is a topic of potentially mutual curiosity between all relevant parties, and is a subject only WE have full knowledge of. This gives us control of information, which can lead to us being able to influence the other parties.
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No. 453259 ID: 04b86a

I imagine Akatrina would feel that the Dragon's Shadow isn't all that bad. After all if he hadn't changed then he'd already be planning on betraying her, which is something she wouldn't want to think about.

And hey, we only said we wouldn't use our Hero magic to influence her. Can't we still use it to buff our resistance against her attacks?
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No. 453267 ID: 100061

reason why the shadow is still not trustworthy.

"you've made a good argument why honesty would be the most practical strategy in the long term, but the nature of the dragons shadow is to be an inversion what is considered good and holy. so honesty being the best overall strategy does not necessarily mean that the dragons shadow would be honest, It is after very hard to go against ones nature. "

our main advantage in this argument is that we are in the right, the dragons shadow is by its unchangeable nature evil. it defines itself by figuring out what good is and doing the opposite.
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No. 453281 ID: 334456

>>453267
Actually, it's nature is not unchangeable. Titans can change their nature by destroying their souls and crafting new ones, as Askalaff said.

It's just a long process, and not one a titan is likely to take.

There was a titan in the war that fled for several centuries after the war, then came back with every soul it had that was not conducive to battle removed and new ones made for combat in their place. It just takes time.

Not that the Ebon Dragon is likely to really change his nature. He likes what he is, and became it by choice.
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No. 453283 ID: 2b7692

"Deceiving others is more then just lying and being believed though. Partial truths that can lead to incorrect conclusions, such as him never lying to you that you know of, are a fine example of how to deceive without them."

>>453197
Currently Askalaff isn't the major social threat, and is actually healing the damage done by the major social threat. Healing that is reduced due to our hostility.

>>453267
Primordials don't really have unchangeable natures. Murdering their own devas and making new ones to replace them works as has been said just now. And given that the Ebon Dragon was basically betrayal incarnate, only not betraying others at times because doing so was betraying himself, I rather expect he murdered some of his own Devas when he escaped Malfaes and went to the underworld, if only to make sure he was truly betraying ALL the Yozi by hijacking the reformation.
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No. 453287 ID: 334456

Another major point: She uses the raising of the red sun as a protector as a point in the Dragon's Shadow's favour, but why then does the red sun seem to bear it so much hostility? The red sun, a protector incarna?

The merits of actions can't really be used to judge ones character without knowing the reasons behind those actions.
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No. 453314 ID: cee89f

"It's true that it's in the Ebon dragon's interest to be in a good relationship with his neighbors. That does NOT mean it's in his interests to be a good person (for lack of a better term), nor does it mean he's honest with his intentions beyond improving said relationships."

"You seem very loyal to him, to assume that your employer - let alone betrayal and lies incarnate - has never lied to you. Am I overstepping myself when I suggest that perhaps, just perhaps, you only like the Dragon because he's not the massive pricks your previous masters were, and does not object to your existence, such as moon or sun heroes do?"
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No. 453383 ID: 14d963

>>453253
>1. She can't deliberately mislead us, so it becomes very dangerous ground for her if she DID manage to discover something about us. If, for example, she found out exactly what we are from her magic or whatever, she can't up and tell us that she's found nothing, or that it's not relevant to us.
And that's a problem. Askalaff and Garmir are still here, and we don't want them to know what we are. So even if Akatrina has found out or has suspicions, we'd rather she stay quiet.
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No. 453410 ID: f2c20c

...hang on. I noticed something here.
>However, I do admit I'm a little early; the Dragon sensed something... interesting... happen out here, something he's not quite encountered before.
The Dragon sensed Saulanna. The question is, did he sense our initial creation, or did he sense us using a Power Word? The fact that she said that while being sworn to truth ALSO means that these two Moon Heroes know that something's up! We are quickly becoming a Person of Interest. This is Bad.

Also I'd like to note here that she shifted directly from "Why are you here?" to "The Dragon's Shadow isn't so bad!". She's actively trying to convert us, because that's why she was sent here. She knows that you're special. She will likely try to find out why, if she is unable to convert you. Or at the very least, determine if you're a threat.

We need a plan to dissuade her from continuing that line of inquiry. Maybe we can say that Saulanna and Peregrin have a long-term agreement, and Peregrin is not an enemy of the Ebon Dragon, so that should be enough for her.
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No. 453412 ID: f2c20c

>>453160
I'd also like to point out something odd. We started at 7, had our topic get yielded, got hit for 11, regenerated 7. Why do we have 10/14? Shouldn't that be 3/7? Where'd the extra 7 come from, and why is our max 14 suddenly?
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No. 453415 ID: 334456

>>453412
Its a new topic, on which we are harder to budge. Naturally we'd be more resistant.
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No. 453418 ID: 2887a4

I believe it was because the subject changed.
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No. 453599 ID: e148db

Our original reason for engaging in this conversation was to defuse the tense situation that was brewing, which it seems we may have done. We should likely bring the conversation back to herself and what she is doing here. When she says something about herself, complement her. If she thinks well of us, that can leave an avenue we can exploit later as well as make her a possible ally. With the subject focused on her we can bring back up why she came here in the first place (even though we already know this). Once she says this we can say something to the likes of being a distraction from her purpose, and will leave her to do what she came her to do. With that we can have Peregrin take her off to do whatever it is they do, while we continue to converse with Askalaff.
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No. 453609 ID: 7393a9

Even with our tricks, we're clearly outmatched.
We're not currently playing to our strength. If we want to dish out meaningful arguments we're going to have to rely on our stolen knowledge of intimidation or deception to stand a chance. I rather doubt we're in a position to intimidate anyone, so our 7-dot dickery + deception will have to suffice. Fortunately the knowledge we've devoured combined with wordblood's knowledge and way with words should allow us to craft any plausible lie we might find use for.
But even so we'd only be dishing out 3 wp a round unless she mistakenly believes we are also truth-bound. We're going to need more drastic measures if we wish to stand a chance. Besides allowing us to lie freely, our twisting of words also has only stopped us from utilizing hero magic. Of course, using obviously titanic magic would ruin the whole point of the exercise. Wordblood, is there any way to discretely utilize our titanic magic? Could we, for example, hide words of power mid-conversation?

Also of note is that Peregrin and Garmir have refrained from entering the conversation.
Garmir's clearly not much of a conversationalist. Though it's also possible he's simply saving his power for a possible violent confrontation.

Peregrin is a more interesting case. He's bound to aid us and has some experience in dealing with the dragon's emissaries, so we want to bring him into the conversation. Him staying out of it right now may simply be a matter of politeness and protocol.

Since we're currently discussing the Dragon's shadow, perhaps we could combine an argument or refutation with an invitation for our ostensibly neutral vassal to give his opinion. Something along the lines of:

"Whether he's deceptive or not is only part of the question, isn't it? Disposing of the deathlords is all well and good, but from what I hear from many of the ghosts here is that the underworld has far from only changed for the better. Peregrin, you must've been thinking about these matters for some time. What are your thoughts on this?"

I'm sure some of my fellow suggestions could phrase it more eloquently. Also keep in mind that due to our particular soul-devouring habits, the system rewards us for deceit. Perhaps we can enhance the account of the underworld's current issues with some of the memories wordblood extracted, possibly enhanced further by a few plausible embellishments, word choices or omissions? Come to think of it, just reviewing those memories may reinforce our own willpower on the issue.
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No. 453672 ID: 14d963

Incidentally, the fact that our best social skills are Deception, Intimidation, and Torture is something we should work on fixing at some point. I've looked over our skillset, and this seems to be the biggest hole we have right now - we otherwise have a good mix of combat, sneaking, crafting, magic, and knowledge Competencies. Sneaky skills are only average but that's enhanced by Mask Sneak and Black-stripe Thief anyway. We might also want to up our Natural Attack since as a Moon Hero we'll probably use that more than Knifework or Clubbing (though Clubbing is useful for those situations where you simply have to smack someone with a tree).

Unfortunately, this isn't something we can do in the middle of a conversation.
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No. 453676 ID: 4a328b

>>453672
I dunno, a good clubbin' may turn out to be the perfect solution to some conversations! One never knows!
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No. 453679 ID: 334456

>>453609
Strictly speaking, in public we should be referring to him as Lord Kaan, since they think he's still the master of the house and we a close acquaintance.
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No. 453827 ID: 02084b

Interesting. the key to this will be finding her vulnerabilities while hiding/faking our own and asking questions where avoiding the question is more damning than the truth. As Askalaff mentioned she is essentially a salesman for Death-cum-Dragon's-Shadow so we have to break off the highlights reel and get the whole picture with as little spin as possible.

"I find your interest in inexperienced and impressionable Moon Heroes quite bizarre Ms Dulahan. Since you have been here you have tried to tempt me with an alternate solution to the chimerism problem, attempted to garner sympathy and respect for [i]the[\i] most pitiless and selfish being known to man and all but admitted to deliberately seeking me out to do so. Bluntly speaking, you are trying to recruit me and others like me. So tell me, What does the Dragon's Shadow want with us and what, exactly, has happened to those who have accepted?" (maybe even: "and what do you get out of it?")
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No. 453837 ID: fcc78d

>>453160
> Askalaff
> Beauty 3

Wait, what? I thought 3 was "above average"?
>>
No. 453859 ID: 6c7463

>>453837
Sounds about right. His sour mood isn't doing him any favors right now, but I'm sure he cleans up nice.
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No. 453879 ID: cee89f

>>453837
Just barely. Remember, the captain (completely covered in full plate) had 2 dots. As I understand it, 2 dots would be completely ambivalent, 1 would be physically repulsive, and 3 would be something like 'yup, thats a guy.'
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No. 453899 ID: cee1fb

"I hate to say it, but all this talk of titans and old wars and changing the face of the world is a little above my pay grade. When I'm about a hundred years older we can have a -wonderful- conversation about titanic psychology and motives, I'm sure. His servants are something I can see. Something I can touch."

(Leaning on her shoulder at this point is strictly optional.)

TOPIC SHIFT: Akatrina is a pretty chill babe

"Now I'm sure Askalaff would be happy to talk about Rider and the bad, old days, but what about you since then? What is your life like? Riding around everywhere on your own sounds like it gets lonely sometimes, hmm?"
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No. 453902 ID: cee1fb

Forgot to include the reasoning!

She's a bit afraid, and although she's clearly a confident woman she's right to be - she's surrounded by hostile foes. We can put her at ease a little and give her the opportunity to talk about how she's no longer a horrible monster. If she takes that opportunity, that could also reduce Garmir's and Askalaff's hostility.

Meanwhile we get to hear a bit more about a Modern Major Death Hero. Meanwhile she gets to choose between playing up the perks of her service (to help recruit us) or trying to establish emotional rapport (to try and get us loyal to her). That way, we can see which she prioritizes and can use that later.

The threat of personal loyalty to Akatrina is also less dangerous than thinking the Dragon is a great guy (both to us and the observing Moon Heroes) as well.
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No. 453944 ID: 8247d0

We should refrain from mentioning anything about titans - I didn't see her specifically state that it was a titan, just something interesting. Besides, suggesting a race that is supposedly dead or seeming to know about the interesting thing when Saulanna is very young and should not have very good senses would just raise suspicions.
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No. 453983 ID: 6dfbd7

Ah yes, my mistake. "All this talk of dragon's shadows and old wars" etc. etc, then. I wasn't aware the Dragon's Shadow was no longer considered a Titan.
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No. 454000 ID: 14d963

Askalaff called the Ebon Dragon a Titan, so broken Titans are still Titans. The Dragon's Shadow is currently topical, so yes, we can mention Titans without tipping off our nature.
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No. 454003 ID: 6e44d2

>>453899
Looool! Hell yes. This.
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No. 454241 ID: cee89f

>>453899
>>453983
>>454003
Agreed. It's pretty obvious at this point we aren't going to win this particular line of discussion because of Akatrina's skill in the social circle. Since any subsequent healing would occur AFTER her 'attack' we'll be beaten with her next point unless we can beat her first. Which is unlikely.

>>453609
Wordblood has stated that "in order to tell the world what to do, you need to get it's attention" Power Words are loud, obvious affairs.
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No. 454389 ID: b08105
File 134758551488.png - (289.30KB , 1200x600 , socialbattle3.png )
454389

>Topic Shift
>Challenge: Inspiration/Leadership vs. Inspiration/Leadership: 4 vs. 7
>Challenge failed!

Saulanna feels she should try to divert this discussion into different lines, but... oh, but it's... such a reasonable topic! This issue is essential to the tensions she's trying to resolve here, after all. And Akatrina is making a lot of good points. Saulanna doesn't want to talk about something else.

>"I did say Topic Shifts used Challenges, my lady! Miss Dulahan's presence is too strong for you to steal the show from her; not without enhancing yourself somehow. Since you can't use your Boost, that would have to be in the form of Emotion or Heroism bonuses. You could still Yield the Topic to gain the initiative, but then you'd have to accept being convinced of what she's arguing."

>Wordblood, I suspect she did something to us then, that was somehow getting around her violating her oath. Can you find out what that was?
>"I don't sense anything except the oath effect. However, my senses are still very poor."

>can [Wordblood] also provide encouragement, manipulating her emotions and opinions?
>"I could, yes. My efforts are still relatively weak, however, so for any appreciable effect, it's one or the other."

> If we had won the roll, could we have stopped her from yielding? Why would we want that?
>"Yielding allows you to control the extent of your loss, depending on the difference in the Challenge numbers and the amount of Will you have remaining. If we had won the challenge, she would have still "lost", but would have revealed more than she did. Instead, she retained the ability to hold back on some information."

>Wordblood, is there any way to discreetly utilize our titanic magic? Could we, for example, hide words of power mid-conversation?
>"No. For a start, they're in a different language, the True Speech. Aside that, the only applicable option right now is to directly use our supply of Titan's Will to bend reality. Heroes were made to fight Titans, so they are likely to have defenses against such shaping - the Moon Hero's tattoos prevent physical alteration, for example - but perhaps not when it comes unexpectedly? If you're willing to reach in and try to directly rewrite someone's identity to your advantage, my lady, you can. You'll need to touch them. Any magical senses will detect it, however."

>"I... do, also, still have the ability to prevent compulsion by rendering speech meaningless. I don't think it will be useful, however, in this situation. And... I would prefer not to. It hurts me.
"

Saulanna decides not to keep poking around the "why are you here" region, fearing that Akatrina's oath might make her spill something about new Titans. But she can try questioning her, taking advantage of the oath to find holes in the Dragon's Shadow's moral defense.

>Ask her direct questions about the Dragon's Shadow's motivations and long-term goals.

"Oh, well, really now! With your even-tempered friends standing right beside you? In general, his goals are to ensure his own security and accumulate resources, as you might well guess. I can't go much more into detail than that, though, really. I can assure you, however, his foremost concern for the foreseeable future is one that almost every living creature should approve of."

Ah, yes. An oath against deception still doesn't stop her from simply not saying things.

>Isn't he going to go after the Gods? For revenge?

"No, I don't think so. How would that profit him? I'm not saying he doesn't bear them any ill-will, of course, but it's a complicated subject. He's opposed to the Sun, for example, by metaphysical law, so no change to that without changing reality. The Maidens of Fate he can't get along with because it's his nature to slick the bonds of destiny. Is there a personal grudge there? It is in his nature to obsess over some things, but at the same time it's also in his nature to let go those things that tie him down, contrary as those two might seem. He can hate, assuredly; but with those he considers enemies, I find he appears to develop a strange affection for them. Titans do not quite think like humans do, and a certain element of paradox seems to come easily to them."

>How would he treat Moon Heroes living in his lands over the long term, and what tasks does he use his Abyssal Exalted for?

"If they didn't cause problems for him, I'm sure he'd have no issue with Moon Heroes in his domain. As for what he sets his Death Heroes to, well, lots of things! Problem-solving, mostly. Some of the duties of running his realm. Again, I can't really talk about specifics, now can I? Security and such, you know."

>"How else has the Dragon's Shadow developed good relationships since the affair with these Deathlords? Peregrin's people are refugees, so he can't be that benign."

"Oh, that's quite a complicated question! He's done quite a lot of things. He refrained from involving himself in the world of the living for a long while, to reassure people who think of him as meddlesome, and spent that time sprucing up the underworld for habitation. He started into trade, tracked down rogue Death Heroes, and extended the possibility of mutually beneficial arrangements to any number of fortunate people. I would like to present such an opportunity to you, or at least the opportunity to arrange one. And I can tell you, everyone's who's kept faith to such agreements has walked away with a profit!"

"As for the restless dead here... well, I can't speak for them, really, can I? I can't say I've had much interaction. I can tell you my theory, that's all, with no guarantees. To be brief: the nature of the old underworld and its old ghosts was stasis. Memory, that's what it was all about. The Dragon, however, is rather fond of change; he promotes transition and transformation, the exploration of new things, new ways of doing. It would be natural for most ghosts to be afraid of such things: they're rather conservative by definition, aren't they? It doesn't mean it's bad for them. Of course, some refugee ghosts have more personal reasons to have fled. Former servants of the deathlords, slavers and so on. The Dragon really doesn't like slavers since he got out, I'll tell you. My word. And I suppose there's some issue with the Dragon's lowermost souls, but he hasn't really much more responsibility for them than, say, Gaia does for bears and sharks and such. Or humans, for that matter. The old underworld had more than enough dangers to match that sort of thing, anyway."


>"I hope you'll understand when I defer to Peregrin's experience with the Dragon's Shadow. I'll follow his lead and stay neutral. Speaking of Peregrin, I noticed how you rushed to put yourself between him and danger. What feelings do you have for him?"

"Ohh? Hmm...! I do have a bit of affection for him, but don't worry. He's a little like a younger brother to me, I suppose. Really, though, I think of most of my juniors that way."

>"Am I overstepping myself when I suggest that perhaps, just perhaps, you only like the Dragon because he's not the massive pricks your previous masters were, and does not object to your existence, such as moon or sun heroes do?"

"Not at all. And I do like him for that, yes, but there are further bonds of joint enterprise between us. We understand what we want from each other. We're... friends? No, I suppose friendship can't possibly be the right word. But I like him, and he approves of me."

>Attack damage (Inspiration + Sleuthing): 5
>Defense (??? + ??? - Fear): ???
>Damage: 1
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No. 454394 ID: b08105
File 134758594151.png - (314.58KB , 1200x600 , socialbattle4.png )
454394

>The dragons shadow is by its unchangeable nature evil. It defines itself by figuring out what good is and doing the opposite. It is after all very hard to go against ones nature.

"First of all, much as I know how learned Askalaff is, he doesn't know everything. His view of the Titans comes from the old studies of those who were imprisoned, and the information is flawed. Of course the Titans had such difficulty changing themselves - if they could, they might have changed into something that could escape! The gods severed them of their ability to grow and alter themselves - spiritually castrated them! - to prevent the possibility of their slipping their bonds. In even the time I've know the Dragon, however, I've seen his nature shifting in new directions. He is changing, no matter how different the process is from a human's. In fact, I can prove it! The Ebon Dragon was known for being a purely selfish being, a coward at heart, concerned only for himself. But when the Dragon's Shadow burst his bonds, he could have escaped! Fled the world entirely, out into chaos, to build his own new world for himself or whatever he wanted. Or he could have added a new layer onto the world for his own use; a reflection of the Celestial City, perhaps. Instead, he chose to put himself in danger, and to continue putting himself in danger to this day, to the benefit of all living things!"

"Second... I hate to use such a cliche line, but: what is evil? Really, now? Is it always absolute, unfixed, unchanging? I'd say the Dragon's nature is opposition. He's a Shadow, after all; a dark mirror, but one that shows what you're not normally allowed to see. Does adherence to the law always result in happiness? Should all fathers be respected, all masters shown loyalty, all forbidden things remain unexplored? He is opposed to the Sun, the chief of all the gods, and yes, he's supposed to be the definition of virtue. Yet somehow he sat back while the world was nearly destroyed twice, and allowed his Heroes to build their lovely law and order into such a twisted, dangerous edifice that their advisors and their underlings felt compelled to cut them down and their partners abandoned them. As a Death Hero, dear, I know what life is about, believe me. And mostly, it's about balance. "Evil" can be anything, taken too far."


>Akatrina splits her attack!
>First attack damage (??? + ??? + beauty + truth + evidence - multiple action): 12
>Defence: (Dis + Det - Fear): 3

Oh my goodness. This is incredibly convincing.

>"How strange. Dividing her focus gave her a penalty - minus the amount of actions to the first action, and an additional one to each subsequent action. If she hadn't done that, she'd have had us, not that she'd know that. I wonder what she's up to?"

"Abandoned? Now you-"

"Oh, a few Moon Heroes stuck by their solar partner's side, but most of you fled. Don't deny it! And you know why? Because you failed, that's why. You were supposed to be the balance to the Sun Heroes passion for perfection! The night to their day, the chaos to their order, the necessary cruelty to their smothering compassion. You messed it up, and the Star and Dragon Heroes did what you couldn't bring yourselves to do!!"

"I-! B- nrgh!"

Stricken, Askalaff is reduced to momentary, stuttering speechlessness.

"I've nothing personal against Moon Heroes. I have a lunar partner myself, and we get along just fine! But the attitude your Silver Pact has against the Dragon is little more than justification for a petty grudge. Because you're supposed to be the protectors of the world, aren't you? The defenders, the survivors, the shield wall? You fought the deathlords when they came to the living world, fought them with everything you had, with everything you'd been saving up, with even the lives of your most powerful elders, and it still wasn't enough! You needed the Dragon's Shadow to do your job for you, and you've never forgiven him for stepping on your territory!!!"

>Akatrina makes a ROUSING argument!
>Second argument effect: (??? + ??? + beauty + truth - multi): 9
>Defence: (Dis + Sympathy - Fear): 3
>Saulanna's HOSTILITY and CONTEMPT for the Moon Heroes significantly rises!

>"Oh, oh dear. Please calm down, my lady! Remember that Akatrina's oath only triggers if she thinks she's deceiving you. Just because she holds these opinions herself doesn't necessarily mean that they're true! Her information on Moon Heroes in particular is probably quite slim. You need to think about all this calmly, reasonably. Your mind is powerful and swift, and you need to be making use of it, unfettered. Try to distance yourself from your feelings. Goodness, but I wasn't expecting contempt to show up. Another negative emotion, like hostility."

>Wordblood makes a CALMING argument.
>Argument effect: (Inspiration + Smoothtalking): 5
>Defence: (Passion + Determination - Affection): 1
>Saulanna's Hostility and Contempt take a moderate dip.

>"I hope that was the right choice over a Refutation. I don't think it would have been enough against another attack like that, in any case."

Askalaff seems to be holding his tongue for the moment, perhaps waiting to see Saulanna's reaction to this.

>"Hmm. If he's holding his tongue, he'll have the opportunity to interject his turn between yours and Akatrina's. We can't Shift the Topic, but perhaps with his magic free to Boost him, he can. If Akatrina doesn't use hers to counter it. Can you think of a way to manipulate him into doing so, while doing the same to get her to allow it? Or somehow getting Peregrin to help us. Something. If not, I fear we're looking at a new view of the Dragon's Shadow."
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No. 454397 ID: f2c20c

>>454394
Okay, I just realized something really important. Social Combat is like mind control, but it goes both ways. Victory on either side means the topic will penalize the losing side. For this topic, in order to avoid getting convinced, we have to convince HER that she's wrong. That is something she will not budge on, because she obviously believes that he's not a bad guy. If she didn't think that, she wouldn't be able to say most of what she just said without being deceptive.

We CANNOT win this topic. Her Will is probably at like 30 or something for this. We have to change the topic.

We can't change it ourselves, so get someone else to change it. How about we try that by saying that if she's right, then you shouldn't trust the Moon Heroes at all. Pick a fight with him. Make this Social Combat be you vs him instead of you vs Akatrina. If we lose, that's fine! We WANT to be on his side. By losing against him, we indirectly foil Akatrina's plan to convert us.
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No. 454399 ID: 4a328b

This isn't gonna be fun, but if we can't get Askalaff to change the topic or Peregrin to step in, we will probably need to use WORDBLOODTECH: LALALA CAN'T HEAR YOU

Pick a fight with Askalaff, make HIM change the topic by confronting him! Losing to him would likely be in our best interests, at the moment!
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No. 454400 ID: 0c2247

>>454394
"Oohh! You have a Lunar partner? So it's true that Death Heroes are altered Solars? That's fascinating! Has Dragon's Shadow explained how that works?
You have to introduce me; I'd like to know what your Lunar Partner thinks of all this.

Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Peregrin? Every person here else is giving their opinions, why don't you share yours? The dog doesn't count."
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No. 454401 ID: 2b7692

... A topic shift Ask might want, that she might allow, that Peregrin could get in on...

Moonsilver tattoos, and developing alternatives to them. She wants to convince us to have Dragon's Shadow take care of it, Ask wants us to get them and I doubt he likes this topic, Peregrin is a sorcerous/crafty type and thus have relevant things to say on the topic of researching and making alternatives to an artifact and should know pretty easily that we don't want either the Dragon messing with us or the Moonsilver Tattoos, which should compel him to act in our interest on this topic.
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No. 454444 ID: b6edd6

I think our best bet is to go for the one about the trustworthiness of moon heroes. She seems eager enough to attack their credibility without a sign of an opening for it from us, and Askalaf would want to defend himself for obvious reasons.
(There might be a better way to say it though, depending on some things I need to ask in /questdisc/.)
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No. 454460 ID: 14d963

That the Dragon's Shadow didn't run away doesn't mean anything conclusive. It was at least in the Ebon-Dragon-as-he-was's nature to want to inflict torment upon every living thing, and he would not simply leave behind a large collection of people who aren't yet suffering as much as they could be.

But there's one thing that Akatrina is right on: "evil" can indeed be anything, taken too far. The Ebon Dragon was evil, not just because he opposed things, but because he opposed everything, everywhere, all the time. Can the Dragon's Shadow keep his inner nature in check? How does he decide what to oppose when his overriding motive is opposition itself? Even before the Primordial War and their transformation into Yozis, the Titans were not known for their ability to exercise restraint in their defining natures.

So no, trusting the Dragon's Shadow isn't a good idea, especially based purely on the words of one representative who is clearly not telling the whole story, since she's sidestepped several important questions.

Another thing to remember: not only did Askalaff not promise to refrain from using magic, but we also didn't promise to refrain from using magic against him, only against Akatrina. While his magic is stronger than ours, we can potentially catch him by surprise with a sudden Moon Boost at the right moment, especially if he overlooked that detail of the oath. So a useful strategy could be to get Askalaff to change the topic, then use magic to either win that topic or yield favorably (the latter is a single roll and so would give us the advantage of surprise), giving us the initiative. Then we need to figure out how to use that initiative wisely. Also we still need a way to goad Askalaff into changing the topic, without actually changing the topic ourselves, of course. Following on Akatrina's accusation and making this personal seems like a decent idea (we were already annoyed with Askalaff's behavior before Akatrina walked in), does anyone have any better ones?

Worst-case scenario, even if Akatrina convinces us the Dragon's Shadow is trustworthy, that doesn't mean we have to stay convinced. If we find some means to contradict her information - such as doing our own research, or asking Peregrin about his experiences, then we can potentially deprogram the idea once she's no longer here to offer counterarguments and her eloquent words have passed into a haze. (Wordblood may give us perfect recall but only when he deliberately concentrates on it.) As long as we don't actually meet the Dragon's Shadow during the period where we're inclined to trust him, that shouldn't be much of a problem.
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No. 454464 ID: b6edd6

I don't think we can bring up the tattoos right away, but "won't I still need Moonsilver tattoos from the Lunars" would make a good backup topic if we lose or yield on this one.
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No. 454465 ID: 6a1ec2

It needs to be something that strokes her ego, but allows Askalaff to change the topic. Heck if she thinks she's winning she may change the topic herself. Um, I'm not sure it's a good idea to fall for Askalaff though, because then we get the tattoos and a short leash, whereas Akatrina hasn't made any demands at all.

Social combat is confusing... I'd just say whatever it takes to defuse the tension and let everyone stop arguing so much, especially about old hurtful things like that. Is that an attack against someone? What stat would it use?

"You shouldn't be so hurtful. I don't think the Dragon's Shadow sounds all that bad. You are very convincing, so you don't need to make fun of Askalaff."
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No. 454473 ID: 1da170

Well, one thing is clear at least. We really need to eat some sort of leader.
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No. 454475 ID: b6edd6

>>454465
Unfortunately, saying (or implying) that you agree would either mean yielding the topic (which we want to avoid) or making a deception/dickery based topic change. Since challenges seem to be met with the same stat (the inspirations ones matched with inspiration at least), and Akatrina works for the living embodiment of dickery...
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No. 454476 ID: bf54a8

>>454475
except we SHOULD get the true oath bonus if we word it right.
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No. 454477 ID: f2c20c

>>454476
We don't get a bonus. We didn't make an oath to speak truth! She did, and it was to her advantage. That was her gambit.
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No. 454478 ID: b6edd6

>>454476
We only swore not to use Hero magic on her. She was the only one swearing not to lie or deceive.
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No. 454481 ID: 334456

>>454465
DO NOT concede the point.

>>454397
This is a very good point.

Additionally, it could certainly be pointed out that it wasn't likely particularly easy for the Lunars to act as protector's of the world at the time. What with being forced to the edges of Creation and the Wyld an all that pleasantness.

Lunars were supposed to act in conjunction with Solars, Sidereals, and Terrestrials. Their role as protector was meant as part of a cohesive whole, but combatting the threat posed by the deathlords and, however much she insists its different NOW, the Abyssals was drastically hindered by the fact that

1. The Solars were actively being hunted into extinction whenever they surfaced.

2. The Sidereals and Terrestrials were waging war against both Solars AND Lunars rather than supporting their bretheren

And 3. The order of the Terrestrials was being thrown into the bin by the disappearance of the Scarlet Empress, the lynchpin of the Empire, leaving the most of creation in chaos and confusion. Whether or not she would eventually become the Red Sun, the Dragons actions here drastically destabilized only remaining functional aspect of effective resistance against the forces of the Neverborn and Deathlords.

So yes, while he may have stepped in, it certainly seems like he did so only after CREATING one of the key problems crippling effective resistance. Which actually makes it seem like this was his plan all along. Reduce Creations ability to defend against a threat, step in and save the day, take credit.

As for the Lunars failure to defend creation, well, can you really blame them for being caught under such conditions?
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No. 454482 ID: bf54a8

also also the great curse is mucking things up.
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No. 454488 ID: 23133a

Ouch. Poor Askalaff, that was such a low blow.
Actually, why not make a big show of being outraged? Akatrina`s the only one here who thinks old Shady is a swell guy, and if she`s willing to be so offensive, her opinion is hardly one we should sympathize with, even if her logic seems sound.
If she`s using such awful verbal tactics, what else can she find acceptable?
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No. 454490 ID: 334456

>>454482
No one knows about that, though, cept the Titans that did it.
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No. 454500 ID: b6178d

Well, isn't this interesting?

Multiple action this shit up for a social gangbang. Give a bone to Askalaff, bring in Peregrin subtly (we can value his advice and opinion, as he'll have OUR best interests in mind) and have Wordblood help you form a LOGICAL ARGUMENT versus Miss Katarina (if possible). Try to target likely vulnerabilities with your Refutation. Say, such as: Katarina never being lied to! If the Dragon's Shadow wanted her to make him appear like a good guy, she would -have- to be sincere in order to be convincing, particularly when playing to her strength of being able to enforce speaking the truth. Therefore, and considering the difficulties any sensible person would have in trusting the Dragon's Shadow, we should rely on something a little bit different than her word alone: She should tell us of the negative things concerning the Dragon's Shadow that she has had the most trouble trying to refute... if those are tame, non-trivial things, we know she's in the right here (or more likely, that she's cheating somehow, but let's not discount all possibilities). If she refuses to do so, then we know she has encountered things too difficult and damning to succesfully refute and would be well within our right to remain suspicious of the Dragon's Shadow.

"Mmmhh. But, Madame, your strong and, yes, sincere position, as well as your earlier talk of Titan aid to not turn into a ravenous murderbeast, make you seem to be recruiting, and that does give food for thought. Let me throw out a purely theoretical hypothesis here. During the fall of the primordials the Dragon's Shadow had to yield to the Heroes and suffer Ages of imprisonment and servitude. If -I- were him, changed or not, I would not let that happen again and take steps to prepare against it. Logically, having a large number Heroes of my own to call on would not be foolish and to have sincere representatives on hand for recruiting more of such would be useful--everyone knows the value of Heroes--no matter one's true intentions. There is a very real possibility that you could literally be endorsed, encouraged or otherwise convinced to have a... different view of things than the Dragon's Shadow itself does. Nothing you have said up until now is proof evidence against that, and it would explain how you are so free as to speak honestly. That being the case, I will attempt the sin of being clever. Could you sincerely list the three hardest things you have had trouble refuting regarding the Dragon's Shadow having everyone's best interests in mind, in your encounters with people who are not as... understanding of the Ebon Dragon's 'new' nature as you? I know, I know, it's a blatant attempt to trip you up, but I think hearing of those would be interesting."

"Oh, anyway, since this discussion is leaning heavily towards turning into a recruiting pitch--and what else is new?--why don't we just hear what everyone has to say? I'm sure Askalaff has more to say, and, ah, let's not forget poor Peregrin, so sidelined. What opinion does your mind have on the current argument, Lord Kaan? I'm sure your personal view, in light of your greater experience with the Dragon's Shadow AND its emissaries, would be a boon to have in this conversation."

[Translation: I'm subtly implying that you're getting something out of helping me here (and in the end you are, after all!) to throw the others off our real relationship, so just roll with that.]
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No. 454510 ID: cee89f

"Evil can be justified, you say? Spoken like a madwoman. The Dragon opposes EVERYTHING. That's his nature. He created the emobidment of virtue SPECIFICALLY so he could embody EVERYTHING OPPOSED TO IT."

"I find it interesting that, under an oath of truth, you choose to say that the dragon COULD run away - COULD go recreate a world. But WOULD he? The Dragon is a being of unparrelled power and the embodiment of dickery, why should he go make a new world to screw around in when he has THIS one?"

"And i'm not gonna lie: That was a dick move. If we're going to blame Askalaff for running in a war he never participated in, then how about we blame YOU for sneering down from your throne on high and treating your subjects so poorly they cast you aside like a rag doll?! (er, no offense Lord Kaan)"

"The Lunars failed in their mission to protect Creation because they and the Solars were hunted wherever they went! The Dragon's shadow may have fixed the war, but only AFTER causing it in the first place!"

"But I will admit that my knowledge of the war is second-hand. Askalaff, what can you tell me about the war, specifically Akatrina?"
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No. 454515 ID: 1da170

Oh, she is audacious. She is -really- pushing her luck here, though, because even if she's very, very convincing, she's still got some combat-oriented Moon Heroes right in her face and won't have as much support as she thinks she will.

Hmm, and she doesn't know about the healing we receive from Wordblood, and because Askalaff is a participant as well the Topic doesn't end when we ourselves are convinced. We might want to turn on him (his defenses and Will are much better than ours), play possum as it were, and let her think she's convinced us.

Maybe something that will seem helpful to her, but play up that little bit of fear she has.
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No. 454517 ID: 7393a9

Challenging an elder hero in the area of their expertise was a foolish mistake. We've got a number of factors stacked in our favour, and she's still arguing circles around us. There is no way to win this argument. Being convinced of the goodness of the Dragon's shadow is a fairly nasty fate, and one we should be willing to risk and sacrifice so as to avoid. As I see it, we have three options for doing so:

Most conservatively, we can do as worldblood suggested and try to get Askalaff to switch topic. This likely requires the consent of both of our interlocutors, but Akatrina just provided us with a topic both are likely willing to switch to: the wisdom and capability of the moon hero elders. Getting hostility and contempt against them implanted into our minds is far from ideal, but is certainly a better option than taking a liking to the shadow. It's also a topic in which we're less outmatched in terms of willpower and knowledge.

The second option would be to attempt bring Peregrin into this. Peregrin would certainly be on our side, and be helpful to a significant degree. However, given the sheer scale of our disadvantage I doubt it would be sufficient to win. We'd need something more.

A third option occurs to me, however. Akatrina has faint traces of fear, likely because while she can run social circles around the moon heroes, she fears them as combatants. Garmir clearly despises death heroes and seems quite quick to violence. Akatrina just went out of her way to insult moon heroes. With a bit of moon-boosted dickery and deception, we might just convince him to shank our esteemed emissary, giving us an excuse to grab Peregrin and flee.

I am fond of the Garmir option for several reasons: First, simply because it's audacious, devious and really quite lunar. Second, unlike our current approach which plays into our weaknesses and our enemies' strength, this one plays to our strengths: (Deception, manipulation, moon-boosting, word-twisting) and Garmir's weaknesses (overt contempt of death heroes, lack of discipline, the fact that there's a high chance he's already planning to do this anyway). Third, because the possible results are very much to our advantage: it will likely end in the death of the moon heroes who are attempting to control us or the death of the death hero who knows too much and is attempting to control and brainwash us, the weakening of the other side, and even an excuse to cooperate with neither.

We might be able to combine the Askalaff option and the Garmir option. Thus tricking Akatrina into further insulting moon heroes would certainly make Garmir easier to persuade, but if Akatrina refuses to yield the topic we might just be done for. Of course, attempting to manipulate Garmir right now is also a risky affair. Either way, we'd have to word things cleverly so as to provoke the desired hostility, preferably while maintaining plausible deniability. Not a trivial task, but one suited to our skillset.
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No. 454538 ID: 4a328b

Let's really get Askalaff feeling like he has to act or we're gonna just do whatever this death hero says. Force his hand.

"Haha, you guys are really all bark and no bite, huh? I can't even remember why I wanted to impress you--shouldn't it really be the other way around? Anyway--[start to make an arguement on-topic, hope it gets interrupted]"
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No. 454556 ID: b6edd6

When I think about it more, baiting Askalaf to switch the topic to Moon Heroes is not only our best available option but the best option form making Akatrina lose.
This is because despite Akatrina's obvious eagerness to bash Moon Heroes and confidence (which would be boosted further by our speaking against them), the topic of the trustworthiness of Moon Heroes is the most dangerous topic for Akartina for the same reason she is winning so thoroughly on the topic of the Ebon Dragon's trustworthiness.
As a diplomat and recruiter for an often mistrusted entity, arguing the virtues of the Ebon Dragon has been a core function of Akatrina's job, and she therefore will have spent years continuously honing her arguments on the topic. However, judging by his statement about the tracking of new Lunars, Askalaf is in essentially the same position for the Moon Heroes, and will have spent years of his own arguing the virtues of the Moon Heroes. In other words, having Askalaf switch the topic to Moon Heroes would mean using his current position of weakness and her high confidence to lure Akatrina out of her argumentative home territory and into his own.
(Askalaf does not have the benefit of the Truth Oath, but as Wordblood pointed out the Truth Oath depends largely on the evidence the swearer has prepared, which will be much less thorough and convincing outside her topics of expertise.)
>>
No. 454587 ID: 6a1ec2

>>454517

Well obviously Garmir's been sneaking around for a backstab while we've been sitting here frivolously chatting our heads off. The question is, does the horse suspect something?
>>
No. 454676 ID: 14d963

You know, the problem here is we're trying to do too many things at once. We're simultaneously trying to avoid becoming beholden to either Askalaff or Akatrina, while at the same time convincing Askalaff we're capable of taking care of ourselves, and we're trying to do all of the above while keeping our true motivation for doing them hidden.

Ideally, we would not defeat either Askalaff or Akatrina, but rather get them to fight each other to a draw, so that we can claim that they both made good points and we'd like time to think it over before deciding whose offer (if any) we'll take up on.

Right now Akatrina is obviously doing better than Askalaff, so we need to inspire Askalaff to a resurgence.
>>
No. 454839 ID: fff73c

Asking Peregrin his opinion of the dragon's shadow is certainly the best way to weather the storm on this topic. KNOWING that he has our best interests at heart will definitely boost whatever he has to say.
>>
No. 454840 ID: 4a328b

>>454839
He only healed us for three will with his last refutation, though---unless he can heal over 11 will Akatrina will convince us with her next argument if we go this route.
>>
No. 454851 ID: 9fd04b

Yeah, encouraging Asklaff to make a heroic comeback would probably be the best right now.

If we can get him to try to switch topic, then he could possibly get some sort of teamwork bonus from us, since we're encouraging it as well. And since Akatrina herself moved the discussion towards Lunars, there might be a situational bonus if Asklaff continues with the natural course of the discussion: Defending Moon Heroes, as above posters have suggested.

How do we decrease Akatrina's resistance to the switching to that topic? Tying it to her mate somehow?
>>
No. 454887 ID: 06dae0

>>454840
That was Askalaff, not Peregrin. Peregrin would most likely be able to heal a fair bit more in part from that true name oath he made. We certainly trust him more than Askalaff after all.
>>
No. 454911 ID: ab831c

The Dragon's Shadow is defined by his opposition to the Sun, so he made a new sun to oppose.

It's like lighting two candles. There are more shadows, and they're almost invisible. By acting in opposition to the Red Sun, the Dragon's Shadow expands his range of possible actions.


If this trend continues, then there will be no limit to the Dragon's Shadow. His fathomless depths shall reach up to the Heavens themselves. After that, he'll be free to do as he pleases to everyone and everything.

Including you, Ma'amselle Dullahan.
>>
No. 454914 ID: fcc78d

Demand Askalaff speak, before you go any further. He's the one with the bigger picture, he's the one who knows what's going on. IF what she's saying is misinformed, he's the one who can make it right.

If it isn't, maybe we should be considering why we're fighting her instead of him.
>>
No. 455045 ID: b6178d

>>454911

That's... actually diabolically clever. And probably true, or if not true, sufficiently worrying to be a really powerful argument.
>>
No. 455057 ID: cee89f

>>454911
>>455045
Agreed on both counts, except in one area: we should NOT try to turn Akatrina against the dragon's shadow. She's fiercely loyal to him and she KNOWS she knows him better than we do, trying to imply we know of a hidden motive she doesn't will just weaken our argument.

As an extension, point out that the Red Sun - good or not (we don't know the answer to this) - seems to encourage it's followers to be as free as possible. They hold no obligations, no affiliations. So he created the red sun to oppose freedom and fluid responsibility. The opposite of freedom is tyranny.
>>
No. 455078 ID: b6edd6

>>455057
From what we read in that book ( >>420916 ), the Red Sun is all about selflessness and martyrdom, not freedom. Her heroes avoid holding office because they took an oath to not grab power, not because they don't want responsibilities. That would make Shady the avatar of ambition and selfishness rather than tyranny as such.
>>
No. 455099 ID: cee89f

>>455078
Ah. Good point.

...Still think the argument should be made that the red sun was created so Shady could be even more of a prick, not to help the world.
>>
No. 455104 ID: 14d963

>>455057
>the Red Sun - good or not (we don't know the answer to this)
The Red Sun IS the Scarlet Empress, ascended to divinity. So her morality depends on how you feel about the morality of the Scarlet Empress.

I don't particularly see her as a role model.
>>
No. 455161 ID: ab831c

...The Red Sun could be a part of him. If he encourages freedom via his proxy, and frees slaves...

This is all rather confusing.
>>
No. 455204 ID: 5b79fc

>>454914
I really think we're better off asking peregrin. We have reason to TRUST peregrin, for one thing.
>>
No. 455207 ID: 9fd04b

Assuming we can get Asklaff to switch topic, maybe Saulanna should hint to Akatrina that insulting powerful Lunars to their faces might not be a good a idea. The fear would probably lower her resistance and willingness to refute any attacks Asklaff makes on the topic of Lunars.
>>
No. 456095 ID: fcc78d

>>455204
Oh, well sure, but he isn't here right now, and is a death hero, no matter renegade or not.

Even if we trust him, he has reason to view the Dragon in a kinder light than we might like.

Also, Askalaff is right there and actually part of the combat, so there's that, narratively speaking.

Depending on what he says, it may come out that it's actually wiser to trust her than him, in this crazy mixed up world of ours.
>>
No. 456121 ID: 06dae0

>>456095

Uh, what? Peregrin came into the room right after Akatrina; he just hasn't entered the social combat yet.
>>
No. 456159 ID: a0d301

>>454397
This is absolutely brilliant. Do this.
>>
No. 456180 ID: c21a8a

>>456095
Askalaff is right there, but we have no reason to trust him. If we want him to beat Akatrina out of our head, he's fighting at a disadvantage. Peregrin SHOULD have the raw numerical ability to counter Akatrina.
>>
No. 456331 ID: 2b7692

>>456180
And if he doesn't, he can also use magic.
>>
No. 456499 ID: 368bd2

"Does the Dragon intend to harm me, or take my will away?"
YIELD TOPIC:
"If not, I would be willing to meet him or his agents for a discussion of what he wants. But in a year's time, I am too new, poorly informed and easily manipulated at the moment."

If he does not relent, FLEE SOCIAL COMBAT.

If needs be, point out that he is in danger of attracting the ire of at least 3 Moon Heroes, and possibly one Death Hero in a rather more physical argument he won't win.
>>
No. 456728 ID: 14d963

>>456095
Peregrin isn't on the Dragon's Shadow's side. This is what he had to say on the subject:
>>400745
>"All the ghosts who dwell here are effectively refugees - as am I. The underworld became a different place when the Dragon's Shadow took over; a land of darkness, filled with his demonic children. It's a more, ah, lively place than it was, paradoxically, nor is it exactly hellish, but... Well, aside the possibility of being made the plaything of a bored Titan's souls, remaining too long in the Shadow will... change you. Those of the dead who can't pass on but don't want to remain in the Dragon's domain are forced to come to lands such as this."
>>401118
>He tells her that the inhabitants of the Land of the Dead - the demons descended from the Dragon's Shadow, or ghosts who stay and eventually become SHADES - come here sometimes to buy or sell, and that in support of this, one of the Shadow's own Heroes will come by once every few months make sure things are acceptable. They do tend more toward the stick than the carrot during negotiations, but he's managed to keep things civil enough.
Basically, Peregin's relationships with the Dragon's Shadow are peaceful, but strained.

>>456499
>"Does the Dragon intend to harm me, or take my will away?"
Asking this isn't a good idea. Remember, the oath only prevents Akatrina from deliberately lying. Akatrina doesn't have perfect knowledge of the Dragon's Shadow's intentions, so her word, even under oath, can't be trusted. Especially since the Dragon's Shadow hasn't heard about us yet (Akatrina only just found us and hasn't reported back yet), so he hasn't even decided what his intentions are yet, nor would he be able to communicate them to Akatrina immediately if he did.

Plus, Akatrina herself is basing her argument on the fact that Titans can change. And if there's any one Titan who would happily change his mind after making a promise, it would be the Dragon's Shadow.
>>
No. 457342 ID: 368bd2

If this looks much more desperate, Saulanna should quickly ask WordBlood to create a magically empowered compulsion/Motivation in our mind - either to "Avoid and where possible oppose the Shadow Dragon" (useful only against Akatrina and other agents of the Dragon) or to "Maintain our independence" (Less specific, and circumventable, but works against the Lunars too)
>>
No. 457511 ID: fcc78d

>>456180
> If we want him to beat Akatrina out of our head

Do we? Everyone seemed pretty set on our course even before the fight began, but I'm wondering if there isn't a point to what we're saying and metaknowledge is working against us here. I guess a third opinion couldn't hurt, mind, but I worry at how we're discounting her out of hand when they're BOTH our enemies at this point.
>>
No. 457533 ID: cee89f

>>457511
TBF, GARMIR'S the one behaving like our enemy. Askalaff is at least trying to be cordial (is that the right word?) and friendly, and they've made it clear they are trying to help us. We can't tell them why we don't need/want their help but that doesn't make them the enemy here.

Akatrina herself doesn't have to be either, but if she tries to convince us to come with her to the Dragon's Shadow, we're screwed.
>>
No. 457548 ID: 100061

our main advantage is that she has sworn to tell the truth, so if we press her on very simple points she might have trouble dodging them.

"even if it the dragons shadow has changed his nature, and even if what he oppose had become corrupt he remains a titan. while I admit reliable information on titans is somewhat hard to come by, most sources agree that titans lacked empathy. has the dragons shadow changed to the point that it has both empathy and compassion?"

if she says yes we can refute that
"I have heard tales of some of the dragons souls making playthings of the dead in his lands. that is to say forcing things on the dead to amuse themselves. why would a compassionate being allow such a thing?"
>>
No. 457550 ID: 4a328b

>>457548

If we continue this argument we will lose--only one point left. She doesn't even have to make a very good argument at this point--even if Akatrina gets zero points with her argument itself her beauty bonus alone would win this topic for her. This is not a normal conversation, it's social combat.

In this case, it's better to look for ways to get other people to change the topic or something similar, since we cannot do that by ourselves either.
>>
No. 457569 ID: 6a1ec2

>>457550

So basically Saulanna has fallen head over heels for Akatrina and doesn't care what she says next as long as she does it in that sexy voice?
>>
No. 457590 ID: cee89f

>>457569
No, of course not
yet.

=P
>>
No. 459308 ID: cee89f

>>457569
Wait, actually... yes.

Our defense is 3, her beauty bonus is 4... so unless she makes a really bad argument or says something that makes us rebel hard against what she says... Yeah, Wordblood's our only real advantage here, and she can convince us in one attack.
>>
No. 460339 ID: 5bf190
File 134939497226.png - (84.16KB , 450x550 , saulannaconsiders.png )
460339

Goodness. It's a good thing Saulanna's so smart, or she wouldn't be able to keep track of all these different ideas, much less consider them all without having to actually stop to do so! Switching into her own "internal time", she weighs the options that have occurred to her by this point.

Her first thought is to persuade someone else to change Topic for her. Her options are Akatrina, Askalaff and Peregrin.

She can openly give them space for it - "what do you think", or "let's hear your opinions", regarding something like Lunar history or the possible alternatives to the tattoos - but it might come off as a show of weakness on her part, and in Peregrin's case it might signal that she's more in cahoots with him than the others yet realize. Both Akatrina and Askalaff seem the types to read deeper meaning in such things. Akatrina would likely resist such a Shift if she's not convinced she won the last one.

She can also try to use trickery to get Akatrina or Askalaff to shift Topic, including Boosting herself in the latter case; however, Saulanna doesn't know how perceptive they are. Akatrina is probably well equipped to catch manipulations, and as for Askalaff... hmm. She thinks her ability to provoke him into it would depend on her small Sass competence; Deception seems much more reliable, but persuading him that she's been convinced of anything by Akatrina might not be a good idea for her longer-term relationship with the Lunars. In Peregrin's case, she can try to come up with a way to communicate with him secretly, but her options are slim. Although she can sense she possesses the knowledge of hundreds, even thousands of secret systems of messaging from across the ages, ready for use in some convenient compartment of her conjoined Titanic soul, the trouble is knowing which, if any, Peregrin would be able to understand.

>"With an expenditure of Titan's Will, my lady, I believe I could reclaim my ability to speak into the thoughts of others. I used to be able to read thoughts, as well, but I am not near strong enough for it as is."

Aside changing Topic somehow, she could try to trick Garmir into opening a physical assault on Akatrina, but if it fails they'll have at least three Heroes tearing up the place, likely ending with one or more deaths. If it succeeds, Akatrina will be dead, and Saulanna, Peregrin and everyone living here will likely be in trouble with the Dragon's Shadow; the Lunars would likely seize the excuse to kidnap her for her own good.

She could also try to use Titan's Will on herself, to make herself more resilient; giving herself a Heart's Desire, maybe. But the idea of doing so seems... very, very uncomfortable. Once the change was made, she'd no longer have any will to change it back, and beyond that it just... feels really wrong. Like... urgh. No.

>"I should hope so! To directly manipulate a Titan's innermost being in such an unnatural fashion is a perversion at the most primordial foundations of existence, and far too reminiscent of what the gods perpetrated against those who surrendered to them. In any case, it probably wouldn't be sufficient to defend you at this point; not unless you made yourself actually hate the Dragon's Shadow, or something similarly direct to the situation."

...

All of this seems like it carries a lot of risk, and is a lot of effort to expend simply to avoid thinking that the Dragon's Shadow isn't such a huge villain. Maybe he has really changed, and become a force for... not-so-terribly-evil. If he put a stop to the soulforge vileness she was so unfortunate enough to become familiar with, Saulanna's even inclined to give him a pass just for that. So what if she does get convinced of it? She's not going to rush off into the Underworld to hook up with him. Not right away, anyway: no, she gets the impression that this isn't even Akatrina's main argument to begin with, and this Topic is just a set-up for something else.

Considering that, Saulanna also has the option to Yield the Topic and take the initiative to hopefully lead the conversation somewhere else. Maybe even try to call a stop to the whole thing for some reason, even temporarily, with sufficient promises to make the others acquiesce? She'd need to come up with something really persuasive. But if she could sneak off somewhere quiet to form her new deva, or... or even maybe eat a few more of the souls Peregrin said he had available, perhaps... and power herself up a bit, she's sure she'd be much more secure in her capacity to handle all this. Her ability to so rapidly increase her capabilities seems to be her chief advantage over other Heroes, and she's not currently in a position to use it well.
>>
No. 460348 ID: e3f578

>>460339
Could you excuse yourself to go to the little ladies' room for a moment? Maybe then we could go eat those souls you want?
If not, I don't see anything wrong with Yielding, and if our opinion changes in favor the the Dragon it's not like you can never change your opinion back after this if you really need to, perhaps with a TERRIBLE revelation or careful manipulation of personal future events. What's truly important in the long term goal of this conversation is just to convince others to take a break themselves so we aren't forced into any decisions immediately. So, yeah girl, give up on this topic. Seriously.
>>
No. 460351 ID: 6e44d2

>>460348
Guess it's time to yield.

"Alright. You win. Maybe he's not so bad. You two, please, make yourselves comfortable. Have you noticed the beauty of this library? I have to use the restroom."

TIME TO NOM SOME SOULS!
>>
No. 460384 ID: eab5ff

Well, I'd rather not include a yield, but if it winds up being what we go with, I'd like to limit how much we yield.

Rub your temples, growl, and head for the door. "Ug. Okay, fine, it's at least worth looking into what he's like now without making a snap-call to try to oppose him because he used to be the ebon dragon, but right now you're bashing Moon Heroes, and I just so happen to be a Moon Hero. I'm going to take a powder. Peregrin, show me where the powder room is."

Then it's time for an upgrade, including a bit of om-nom if you can get it, though the glowing might be a bit of a clue.

Except for the yield, the above is actually ideal, I think.
>>
No. 460385 ID: cee89f

I think - to keep the Lunar heroes happy - we shouldn't say the Dragon's shadow is a good guy... so let's just say that the Dragon's Shadow isn't our enemy, yield, and tell the others you need to go to the little Raccoon's room or something equally inocuous yet private. Once outside, give wordblood the ability to talk through thought and ask Peregrin where the souls are. (If there's a range issue, pretend to ponder it while doing so and ask Peregrin as you leave)

... I don't like killing people who have done no wrong to us, but we don't have much choice here.
>>
No. 460415 ID: f2c20c

>>460339
Let's yield the topic by saying that FINE, I guess the dragon's shadow might not be totally evil.

Then get Peregrin to show you the bathroom, and on the way ask him what sort of secret message systems he knows of, so we can use that. No eating souls, because we'll get soulfired up and they'll notice. We probably SHOULD boost Beauty at this point though. Since we just left to go to the bathroom we can pass it off as cleaning ourselves up.
>>
No. 460418 ID: 0c2247

>>460339
YIELD: "I suppose the one who put an end to soulsteel can't be all that bad."

YIELD TOPIC: "But enough about that, I want to hear more of this lunar partner of yours. Do you mean you work together, or do you mean a lunar mate? I'd like to meet with them, if they could find the time to visit."

BACKUP YIELD TOPIC: "Peregrin? It's not like you to stay silent for so long. What's wrong?"
>>
No. 460470 ID: 14d963

Frankly, completely ignoring the numbers involved in social combat, I out-of-universe find Akatrina's argument pretty convincing. It's mainly the Ebon Dragon's reputation weighing against it. But it is a pretty significant and unambiguous reputation. It's hard to trust an entity that has "deceit" as one of its primary characteristics.

A controlled yield (acknowledging we're not currently interested in opposing the Dragon's Shadow, without actually expressing any trust in him) sounds good, except for that bit where, since Akatrina's Leadership + Inspiration beats ours, we can't perform a controlled yield. Yielding means completely agreeing with everything she says.

If we yield, we also need to pick a good topic to switch to. Akatrina can yield too (that's how we learned about the maneuver in the first place), so we'd have to pick a topic that she's reluctant to yield on (or where her yielding would give us a tangible advantage) to hold the initiative for long.

Incidentally, if we're squeamish (I am - seriously, rushing off to go kill some people as soon as things go badly for us?), eating souls isn't the only way we can power ourselves up. We can also absorb books that teach the skills we need - though it would need to be a pretty good book to give a high competency.
>>
No. 460580 ID: 404f8a

Couldn't we try using our DICKERY to trick Akatrina into thinking we're convinced so she'll "yield" the topic because she thinks she's won?
>>
No. 460588 ID: cee89f

>>460580
You mean like glaring at Askalaff and Garmir and storming off without saying a thing? I'll admit I like the idea...

But the problem is that we're trying to keep the Moon Heroes from dragging us off as well. So we need to keep BOTH parties happy here - or at least not-angry. I'd say it's more important we keep the Moon Heroes happy - they think we're going to go mad and turn into a monster if we don't come with them, while Akatrina is just trying to take advantage of an opportunity that has presented itself.
>>
No. 460643 ID: af25e0

>>460588

Glaring at everyone and starting to leave would be less damaging than yielding this topic.

It leaves the other Lunars thinking "Okay, she has a temper, but she's smart enough not to just fall into the Dragon's trap."

It leaves Akatrina thinking "Okay, so she didn't completely agree to me, but I think I reached her somewhat."

There's a good chance that Akatrina will simply drop the topic in order to coax Saulanna into staying to hear whatever main argument she has. She isn't just a door-to-door missionary who has other houses to visit.
>>
No. 460663 ID: b24894

I'm still not clear on why liking the Dragon's Shadow is a bad thing. Or even considering him a valid ally. I get why we don't want to be tattoo'd - it might fuck with our titanic potential. But, throwing in with the Dragon might have the opposite effect.

I mean, there does seem to be at least a little camaraderie between the Primordials. The others are aware, for instance, that the Dragon's Shadow is betrayal and shitheadedness incarnate and they don't bother, I dunno, doing whatever Exalted Titans do to each other when they're pissed. Like, Exalted Lashing him to an Exalted Rock where an Exalted Bird will eat his Exalted Liver for all eternity.

Because titans are chill like that. Ebby might very well be interested in getting Wordblood back on his feet, if only to snub the same Gods and Exalted that tried to murder his entire family and lock him in Hell for eternity.

So. One vote for teaming up with Akatrina to gut the Lunars, eat their souls, and then ride off into the Underworld to mingle with the Ultimate Darkness of our won volition. =D
>>
No. 460686 ID: 404f8a

>>460663
You... don't get what "Betrayal incarnate" really means, do you? The Shadow of All Things will betray anyone just for shits and giggles. He will betray HIMSELF -just because-; he'll betray himself by not betraying people. He'll betray his component souls, those souls will betray him.

The Ebon Dragon's nature of betrayal is best summed up by comparing it to the parable of the Scorpion and the Frog: it's simply his nature.

He is also a LIAR. The Dragon lies not because of any greater purpose, but just because he CAN. And he's GOOD AT IT. The only time the Dragon is truthful is when the truth is worse than any lie could possibly be.

Akatrina says he's changed: that's bullshit, and that's what his Titanic magic has convinced her into thinking. Titans can't change that way, they are not merely the concepts made manifest, but also a living thesis on them. A Titan is a living Cosmic Principle; their power is literally culminated by imposing THEIR reality over reality ITSELF. The Dragon cannot stop being The Betrayer, The Deceiver, The Antithesis, because he isn't merely MADE of those things, he IS lies, he IS betrayal, he IS opposition without a cause.

He isn't merely a bastard, he is THE bastard.
>>
No. 460693 ID: cee89f

>>460643
If they knew about the game mechanics that would drive such a decision, sure. But they don't - consider how this would look to them. After hearing an argument displaying that the moon heroes are douchebags because they ran away in a war we were never a part of and hate the dragon because he stepped in to do their job for them (true or not) we storm out.

That's not going to look like we're running off before we get convinced - that looks like "she's pissed BECAUSE she was convinced"
>>
No. 460751 ID: d13ea4

>>460663
If the ebon dragon were interested in getting wordblood back on his feet, that would be BAD for us, because it would involve ripping him out of us and shoving him back in the rest of what WAS he who bleeds the unknown word.

On a more relevant note, I don't think asking peregrin about his opinion shows any deeper ties than we have already given an impression of, AND if he argues against akatrina then that gives the lunars slightly more reason to be willing to let us stay.
>>
No. 460813 ID: b3952d

>>460663
In Exalted, the game that this quest is based on, The Ebon Dragon is pretty much just about the closest thing to an "ultimate Evil" they have. He's a cosmic jerkass who doesn't mind losing as long as he loses less than everyone else.

Now, that said, he's done some stuff and become the Dragon's Shadow or something now, so it's possible he's less evil than he used to be. Still, he's a bit worrying and probably still a jerk.
>>
No. 460827 ID: fcc78d

>>460813
>>460686
So "Because metaknowledge"?
>>
No. 460839 ID: 2b7692

>>460663
You're taking the way a Deva tied to aiding others with words as his concept thinks of his kin and applying it to the entirety of the Titans, specfically the escaped embodiment of dickishness who had been spiritually mutilated.
>>
No. 460880 ID: eab5ff

For those that didn't know, or have forgotten, we have a discussion thread that the game-runner has requested be use.

http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/8407.html

For those that knew, and didn't forget, but are posting here anyway... *bonk with a pool noodle*
>>
No. 460939 ID: cee89f

>>460827
It's a BAD IDEA to throw your lot in with dick incarnate. Which the Dragon's shadow is.

Saulanna might not know this, but her past lives would, and I'm pretty sure WE respresent her past lives. At the very least the idea of working with the Ebon Dragon should leave a sickening feeling in her stomach (Unless i misunderstand how this past life stuff works?) if we all know it's a bad idea.

So yes. Because meta-knowledge =P
>>
No. 460946 ID: 14d963

Saulanna also knows about the Ebon Dragon through the souls she's eaten.

I think our attitude should be something along the lines of "Look, I'm new to this Hero stuff. I'd rather not make any powerful enemies already, and that includes the Dragon's Shadow. But I'm not just about to trust him with anything important if I can help it, either.".

If Akatrina tries to offer Titanic soul-surgery as an alternative to tattoos, that's easy enough to resist - we know we don't need such measure for reasons that Akatrina is unaware of, and so can't argue against. Her superior stats mean nothing on a subject where we KNOW for a fact we're right and she doesn't know what she's talking about.

Still though, this conversation would be easier if we had a real goal, rather than constantly letting the others set the conversation topics while we defend ourselves. It doesn't have to be an epic, life's-purpose goal, but we should work out some sort of end point we're trying to steer to.
>>
No. 461023 ID: 71d48a

Maybe we could pretend that we're convinced?
Or... At the least, imply it?
>>
No. 461032 ID: 404f8a

>>460946
That's what you think. Exalted can be REALLY persuasive, even when they're talking out of their ass.
>>
No. 461085 ID: 368bd2

Take WordBlood's offer, communicate silently with Peregrin and tell him to "Either help me, if you can, or get me out of here with some excuse RIGHT NOW."
>>
No. 461091 ID: eab5ff

If there is enough left over to create the Feeding Deva afterward, then Wordblood should generate the power to communicate with Peregrin, as he suggested, and get Peregrin to help support a tactical retreat.

Excuse yourself to take a powder. Optionally, state that you need to calm down a bit since there are accusations against all Moon Heroes flying around right now, and you happen to be a Moon Hero.

I'd rather not include a yield, but if it winds up being what we go with, I'd like to limit how much we yield. Something along the lines of "It's at least worth looking into what he's like now." or "Maybe he's not as bad as people say, but I need to look into it more."

Once you get away, then it's time for an upgrade, including a bit of om-nom if you can get it safely.
>>
No. 461103 ID: 14d963

The accusations are against the Moon Heroes that fought in the Usurpation or the war on the Deathlords. We aren't one of those.

And using Titan's Will mid-conversation is risky because it tends to cause our Soul Fire to flare.
>>
No. 461105 ID: b24894

I'm not really hearing anything truly discouraging about this Dragon fellow. Perhaps yield this topic, and throw Akatrina off by starting a new one along the lines of "The Shadow of All Things doesn't seem all that bad, sure. But how difficult would it be for me to take some of his darkness into myself and become a bushy-tailed harbinger of the end times? Just, hypothetically. If I were keeping my options open."

I don't see what could go wrong with that.
>>
No. 461119 ID: 460361

I think handing things over to Peregrin right about now would be a good idea. I don't know how bad it would be to be convinced on this topic, but avoiding it would be... Preferable.
>>
No. 461126 ID: cee89f

>>461103
Askalaff didn't fight in the Usurpation either, but Akatrina still accused him as if he was.
>>
No. 461194 ID: 1b9dbb

>>461126
Regardless of whether anyone present fought in the Usurpation in their current incarnation, it's pretty reasonable to assume that everyone's Hero's Soul did.
>>
No. 461212 ID: cee89f

>>461194
True, but she's treating the two as the same being. As >>461103 points out, we are not.
>>
No. 462810 ID: d0bebe

Due to the fact that there are parallel discussions going on along the same ends, I'm just going to post my response in the discussion thread, and link to it in the main thread. I'm doing it that way due to Jukashi requesting that discussions/arguments occur in the discussion thread. It can be read here: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/8407.html#62114
>>
No. 462880 ID: 64b729

>>461091

This is Good.
>>
No. 463064 ID: 39ef48
File 135026838583.png - (92.16KB , 450x550 , saulannaspends.png )
463064

>The treachery of the Dragon

It sounds like he's less about treachery and more about... rebellion? A rebel is also a traitor, by definition. If he opposes the Sun, who is the source of all authority, then he's more like the embodiment of defiance. So all manner of forbidden things are his domain. Not a huge difference, really, but it seems less objectionable.

>Being offended

Saulanna's not sure how much offense she should be taking from these slurs. She doesn't think Akatrina was actually drawing a link of blame between ancient Moon Heroes and their descendants, just using it to build her argument for why modern Moon Heroes would themselves feel a legacy of shame, which itself would fuel a baseless grudge against the Dragon. Even if she was, though, it's pretty clear Akatrina wasn't including Saulanna.

... These thoughts might be the Death Hero's charisma speaking for her, though.

Doubts such as that are why she decides it would be better to abandon the field, so to speak, and return when she's better prepared. She'll Yield, and use the initiative to try and escape. Hopefully, Akatrina won't be too resistant to taking a break, but Saulanna needs to make sure. She'll need some help.

>TW 6 -> 5
>Wordblood gains the VOICE IN THE DARK ability! Level 1. He can deliver messages into people's thoughts, provided Saulanna can see them. Upgrading this ability will increase its range.

Saulanna lets Wordblood have a point of Moon Power so that he can send Peregrin her request: she wants to get away and increase her powers so that she can handle this better, so she wants his assistance with that. Hopefully, if successful, he'll also be able to hook her up with some more souls and she'll be able to regain her strength; and her own new soul will, also hopefully, be able to handle the Soul Fire that comes from consuming them.

So, plenty of hope.
>>
No. 463066 ID: 39ef48
File 135026844848.png - (303.48KB , 1200x600 , socialbattle5.png )
463066

"Alright, everyone calm down. I'm not going to go swearing my allegiance to him, but I wasn't intending to grab a sword and rush for his throat, either. I, personally, have no problem with the Dragon's Shadow."

>Challenge! Inspiration/Leadership vs Inspiration/Leadership: 4 vs. 7
>Failure. Saulanna Yields the Topic, but is not able to control it.
>Saulanna is now neutral towards the Dragon's Shadow. Future persuasion attempts related to him will be adjusted accordingly.

"As for all of this about Moon Heroes... I don't know what to think. I feel like I should be getting offended, but I only became one yesterday, and most of what I know of them, or us rather, I learned just before you arrived. It hasn't settled yet, and I wasn't really prepared to take it all in in the first place. This is all terribly sudden for me."

>TOPIC SELECT: Let's leave this for another time.

"I need a bit of time to clear my head for all this. Plus, I need to use the bathroom."

>Attack damage (Dickery + Deception): 7
>Defense (??? + ??? - Fear): ???
>Damage: 0

"Hmm. Really?

"This is hardly the best situation for a debate, Akatrina. You - and I include you Moon Heroes, too - have all arrived recently, and after long, strenuous journeys, I'm sure. You could all do with some rest, and as your host, I'm happy to provide! I'll set you all up with something to eat and whatever else you might need to recuperate, and we can continue all this discussion in a more comfortable setting, where we can all stay calm and amiable with each other."

>Attack damage (??? + ??? + Boost!): ???
>Defense (??? + ??? - Fear): ???
>Damage: 8

"I... suppose..."

Oh dear. She might suspect something; she doesn't seem entirely-
>>
No. 463068 ID: 39ef48
File 135026853518.png - (291.08KB , 1200x600 , socialbattle6.png )
463068

"I agree. It was a long trip here, and I know I'm not feeling at my best; I'm sure others here are feeling some strain as well. We've clearly gotten into some sensitive topics, and we'd all benefit from being a little cooler under our collars. We'd be glad to accept your hospitality, sir Kaan."

>Attack damage (??? + ??? + Boost!) ???
>Defense (??? + ??? - Fear): ???
>Damage: 3
>Victory!

"Ah. Well, that sounds reasonable."

... That was a surprise.
>>
No. 463069 ID: 39ef48
File 135026858410.png - (254.09KB , 1000x500 , library16.png )
463069

"<Hey, hold! What you trying to do!?>"

>Language challenge auto-success!
Garmir is now speaking in a tribal dialect, very distantly related to the language of the far East of the world, with significant loans from the South. He's having a lot of difficulty with the grammar, and not using the subtler sounds.

"<We can't leave until the sun comes up, in any case. Anything we can do to stall until then is good for us. And it is a good idea for us all to calm down; I keep seeing you thumbing your sword. We don't want that kind of trouble. Or any trouble, for that matter!>"

Askalaff, on the other hand, speaks it with perfect fluency.

"<Can you not just thief us from here with your magic?>"

"<I've never tried it from inside a shadowland at night, and I don't want try it, especially if the Dragon's got an eye focused here. But he can't keep the sun down forever, and we'll be in a better position all around when it's up.>"

"<Something strange is here! The girl and the death man smells too close. Girl still smells strange herself. I don't like it!>"

"<She clearly isn't our usual young wild thing, no. As for her and him, well, maybe they're bondmates. This is the sort of thing we need more time to find out about, you see? I'll tell you if I need you, don't worry. Now be quiet, we look rude.>"

"Sorry about that."

>>
No. 463086 ID: 629257

Relay a quick summary of that conversation to Peregrin. If we can imply the bondmate angle subtly that might help confirm their assumptions. Too much would be... awkward, but an exchange of glances and a comforting smile would be enough for our moon hero friends to notice.
>>
No. 463090 ID: bf54a8

hmm, yes, a little nudge in that direction would go a long way to making them think THAT is why we like peregrin so much. then sneak off with him to the basement and eat.
>>
No. 463092 ID: 86c3a7

Obviously, don't do something stupid like let them know you understood that (as momentarily satisfying as replying in the same language would be).
>>
No. 463103 ID: f2c20c

We can relay that to him without spending moon power on it, by simply talking to him about it once we're in private.

Bow out since we're supposed to be going to the bathroom. Ask Kaan to show you the way, if he would be so kind.

I'd like to reiterate again, that if we eat more souls we're gonna get another flareup. We still have no way to prevent that, and making a Feeder Soul for that purpose would leave us very drained, and that's noticeable. We can and should use some TW to boost our Beauty a point, that won't arouse suspicion.
>>
No. 463106 ID: bf54a8

>>463103
no w make a feeder soul and then eat them. would leave us FULLY CHARGED.
>>
No. 463110 ID: 629257

>>463106
I wonder if there is some other effect we could blame that surge on. Not that it is a good idea to take that risk, but you never know when we might need a cover story.
>>
No. 463114 ID: f2c20c

>>463106
We don't have the TW to make one anymore.
>>
No. 463116 ID: 86c3a7

>>463114
If we're going to consume multiple souls, we will. Wordblood eats the first one, then we use the points to make the feeder to eat the others. We get one inefficient meal, followed by somewhat more efficient meal(s).
>>
No. 463118 ID: bf54a8

we have enough, we just don't have enough to increase our soul force again afterwards.
>>
No. 463120 ID: bf54a8

we have enough, we just don't have enough to increase our soul force again afterwards.
>>
No. 463122 ID: f2c20c

>>463118
Oh, you're right.

Okay, then that just leaves the problem of being drained by it.
>>
No. 463135 ID: 04b86a

I think our biggest problem right now is that one of these three might sense what we're doing. Askalaff doesn't seem to be especially skilled at sensing magic, but Garmir can already smell our Titanic nature and Akatrina works for a Titan. Hopefully Peregrin has a trick he can use to hide us while we work.

We should also try to eat a soul that has a good competency in Leadership, since Saulanna doesn't even have basic leadership yet. If we can get at least an expert in that then Akatrina won't be able to win topic challenges anymore.
>>
No. 463138 ID: 14d963

Well. That went pretty well.

I'm still not comfortable with us coming to rely on soul-eating as a crutch. It's a slippery slope, and besides, we've already eaten one of the most powerful and experienced souls around, which came with strong ratings in many competencies from nearly every category, and so further souls will provide only minor improvements over what we already have.

If we need to kill someone in self-defense, then we might as well munch on the soul while we're at it, and I suppose it would be okay to eat serious criminals IF they have been sentenced to death in a fair trial. It's not right to let people's fates hinge on whether we happened to need more power/skills that moment.

This soul-eating is threatening to take over from all the other stuff we can supposedly do as a Proto-Titan of Language. Is this really how we want to define ourselves?

(I'm not so great on the feeder soul either. First, if at all possible, the expenditures of making a new soul would be more worthwhile if it enabled us to do something we couldn't do previously, rather than just to become a little more efficient at doing something Wordblood is doing pretty well already. Secondly, it would be more useful to have our first new soul provide a service that we can actually USE regularly without getting into ethics debates every time it comes up.)

Though a question I've been meaning to ask Wordblood: Can we eat living humans with the same ease that we've been eating ghosts?

Also, since we're ending the conversation, it's important to take note of whether this terminates our oath with Akatrina, or whether it'll still be in effect when we resume discussion.
>>
No. 463156 ID: b24894

We shouldn't look at feeding on people as a slippery slope - more like the obvious and natural path to take.

What's wrong with eating things as fuel for growth? It's our right as an apex predator. We didn't ask to be the top of the food chain, and it's not our fault that prey is too weak to defend itself. But it would be denying who we are and misappropriating the gifts we've been given to just ignore that.

Do we blame the lion for eating a lamb? Is there more difference between a lion and a lamb, or a human and a proto-titanic shapeshifting superhero? And that's not even to speak of the vestigial *shade* of a once-human in the form of a ghost.

We can philosophize on the tragedy of the circle of life later - what we need now is power, and it's just laying there, waiting for us. Saulanna should cowboy up and gorge herself on whatever Peregrine has to offer us.
>>
No. 463161 ID: b6edd6

>>463156
>Do we blame the lion for eating a lamb? Is there more difference between a lion and a lamb, or a human and a proto-titanic shapeshifting superhero? And that's not even to speak of the vestigial *shade* of a once-human in the form of a ghost.
There are in fact two major differences to keep in mind, The first reason is that humans and titans are intelligent while lions and lambs are not, and the second (and more pragmatic) reason is that unlike lambs humans often have allies with weapons and occasionally superpowers of their own.
Besides, even if we could successfully fight and/or eat everyone, the fact that we can do something doesn't automatically make it who we are.

In this specific case, we do need the power but the long-term effects of eating too many souls is a legitimate concern we should ask Wordsblood about.
>>
No. 463162 ID: f2c20c

HEY. We already had the soul-feeding argument! If you want to discuss moral dilemmas AGAIN, take it to questdis!
>>
No. 463165 ID: 888f37

I think we have enough TW to create the soul, but not to restore our soulforce.
We could possibly create a feeder soul, consume a ghost and THEN restore our soul force. That would probably be more efficient.
>>
No. 463173 ID: b24894

I don't wanna discuss moral dilemmas. That's just my suggestion for how Saulanna should be thinking in this instance.

Aren't we her thoughts or something? We suggest things? That's what we do? Is there some kind of in-character out-of-character tag I should be aware of?
>>
No. 463199 ID: 2008db

Create feeder soul, consume slaver ghost(s), upgrade soulforce, internal debate about other upgrades.
>>
No. 463350 ID: dd287a

We need time to think, and perhaps do some upgrades to ourself, frankly we're poorly equipped compared to all these other hero's knocking about the place now, we mentioned a possibility of additional beauty earliar, lets do that for starters, since that hussy is showing us up, and then actually do clean ourselves up, like a bath or something, from what I know we basically spent all our previous time running around the woods bare ass naked and havn't really done much to remedy that other than obtaining suitable clothing.
>>
No. 463419 ID: 334456

Eating souls while ANY party of exalted not in our confidence is housed under the same roof is incompetent at best, completely shitballs stupid on average, and suicidal at worst.

The thing about Exalted is you have no idea what they can and can't do with certainty. It is entirely possible for them to find a way to spy on us to determine what is "off" about us.

The moral dilemma isn't of any importance besides that fact (though the position in >>463156 is objectively twisted. Its little different from cannibalism)
>>
No. 463465 ID: d3c653

Look, we can argue ethics until the sun rises and falls, but we are still in one HELL of a situation. Right now, we are dealing with two parties that want to deal with us and we are smack dab in the middle. Both sides are seasoned pros and very much skilled at what they do. Not only that, but we just managed to scoot pass a very sticky situation just by the one guy giving us that last push and that was with wordsblood and Peregrin on our side. We pretty much played with all our cards on the table in a favorable arena and we still barely passed.

That's not good and it can get worse fast.

A feeder soul based around etiquette, social functions or diplomacy can give us an edge we need badly, same with finding some purpose to give ourselves a steadier foothold in debates. However, whatever we need to do, we do NOW. The moon heroes are planning and should be focused on that for a bit, and Dulahan will likely be taking a break herself. If we need to plan, eat souls or make the feeder, we do so before the other two parties are ready. Hesitation is not going to help, and they are likely sticking around for a bit.

In the end, while eating a soul is not the 'best' option morality wise, we are not in a position where we should be thinking about them. If the moon heroes win, they take us back to where ever they came from and we run a high chance of being found out. Dulahan and the dragon's shadow is no better. So if want to avoid that sort of scenario, we either have to find a way to avoid every form of contact with them, or we suck it up, nip a soul, and try to be strong enough to defend ourselves. Either way, we must show ZERO hesitation.
>>
No. 463481 ID: cee89f

>>463465
If I may - eating a soul is basically murder. So yes, there IS a moral dilemma here, one Saulanna's going to have to face at some point.

The thing is, at this particular juncture, it's also rather irrelevant. Neither one of the 'pro' parties knows this but if we go with either of them, we have a very good chance of being killed ourselves - the Dragon's Shadow isn't going to act in our best interest, and given that Wordblood was grafted onto us, there's a chance he'll just be pulled out to be placed into another titan fragment. If not... well, Shadow is, whatever Akatrina believes, the embodiment of all dickery, and even if he IS changing (possible but unlikely) it would take longer than we could afford to sit around. And if our titan nature gets out to the gods AS WELL AS the knowledge we work for their mortal enemy... we're COMPLETELY screwed.

The moon heroes... oh boy, the moon heroes. They're our only two examples to draw from as far as analyzing the Lunar Exalted goes. Askalaff seems reasonable but Garmir doesn't seem the kind to wait around and let us prove we mean no harm unless Luna herself intervenes, and if she DOES, at that point we've got all of Creation's Gods at best mistrusting us, at worst arrayed against us as they would be in the Dragon's shadow scenario. That is a very bad position to be in.
>>
No. 463571 ID: d1d807

Forget the soul eating debate for now, we have something much more important to take care of first. We need to get Peregrin up to date on what has happened. I think this is the first time he has had direct contact with wordblood. We should share our relationship with wordblood and how the titan's will thing works and what we can improve with it. He's a scholar; he'll know Akatrina and the Moon Heroes' capabilities better than we do. Tell him about the whole feeder soul thing. If he understands our capabilities he should be able to give us helpful advice.

Tell him our concerns about the Lunar tatoos. It seems like both factions are trying to offer us 'help' with a problem that doesn't exist (at least for us)! And definitely tell him what the Lunars said just now. At least "Voice in the Dark" allows us to contact him if we get separated. Ask him if he has any long range communication spells (Infallible Messenger).

Then... ask him what crimes his ghostly prisoners committed. That will inform our decision as to whether we should eat them or not. Fair trials as we know them don't really exist in Creation. In this case it pretty much falls upon the exalted (us!) to determine what is and isn't just.
:/
>>
No. 463581 ID: 84df54

I would suggest holding off on the feeder soul for now. Unless it can eat the very lies and half truths coming at us it isn't going to help us right now. (Actually, that would be amazing! Someone lies to us and our feeder soul digests it leaving behind the grain of truth, if any. Can we do that?)

For now I would like the chance to talk with Peregrin, He might be able to tell us more about Akatrina and her plans for us. We have a bit of explaining to do as well. All Peregin knows about us right now is our new telepathy ability and that we can eat souls and books when the reality is far grander. If we tell him about Wordblood, our ability to spawn more souls and become a full blown Titan he will be better able to understand and help us. Plus we gave him quite a fright and an apology and some gratitude would go a long way.

If we can swing it I'd also like to talk to Askalaff about Moon Hero society and the war with the Dragon's Shadow, getting a more balanced view of those could relieve us of some of these negative emotions.

>Soul Eating
I thought we'd dealt with this already... One thing I haven't seen come up is the fact that souls reincarnate, that big soul we ate would have been wiped and returned to the world as a completely new person. By destroying the soul we're not ending the existence of one evil being, we are also preventing a potentially infinite number of lives from ever occurring. If we ever want to be accepted by the Unconquered Sun we need to think about the consequences of our actions. No one wants to be lobotomized and thrown into hell.

>Bath
Awesome, maybe we can get all the twigs and grit out of our hair and I bet that part of the markings on our face are not there because we are part raccoon! If we do a good enough job maybe we'll earn a bishi sparkle! They're like seals of approval for sexy!
>>
No. 463602 ID: 14d963

>>463571
>We should share our relationship with Wordblood and how the titan's will thing works and what we can improve with it. He's a scholar; he'll know Akatrina and the Moon Heroes' capabilities better than we do. Tell him about the whole feeder soul thing. If he understands our capabilities he should be able to give us helpful advice.
>>463581
>We have a bit of explaining to do as well. All Peregin knows about us right now is our new telepathy ability and that we can eat souls and books when the reality is far grander. If we tell him about Wordblood, our ability to spawn more souls and become a full blown Titan he will be better able to understand and help us. Plus we gave him quite a fright and an apology and some gratitude would go a long way.
Peregrin knows about Wordblood, he's the one who stuck him into us in the first place.

However, he does not know the exact extent of what we (Saulanna and Wordblood) are capable of, either currently or in long-term potential. Discussion on this could be useful.

>If we do a good enough job maybe we'll earn a bishi sparkle! They're like seals of approval for sexy!
But we're a raccoon, not a seal! ;)
>>
No. 463607 ID: 44f93b

>>463581
We're basically reincarnating souls into us, though. I'm not convinced that's wrong. And so what if we're not handing over a blank soul to the reincarnation engine to stamp a new person out on? We can't judge our acts in the light that anything that stops a future person from coming into being is immoral. That's a pretty debilitating philosophy.
>>
No. 463685 ID: 4a328b

>>463607
I agree

Plus, souls came from titans in the first place--once we're a big powerful titan we can probably manufacture lots of new souls without it damaging us at all.

Right now, however, we are a weak baby titan, and we need to absorb some energy so that we can stand up for ourselves and not have something unfortunate happen to us.

Souls provide that energy. We need to eat some souls.
>>
No. 463896 ID: cee89f

...We're not telling Saulanna to take a bath for the gratuitous fanservice involved in a bath scene, are we? >.>

...Just making sure.
>>463607
atm, with the way the world works, I'd say it's no worse than murder which we're probably going to have to do in spades.

But as we've said before, this is a discussion for another time. Right now, we NEED more power.
>>
No. 463940 ID: 334456

>>463607

>We can't judge our acts in the light that anything that stops a future person from coming into being is immoral

That is hardcore, inarguable evil.

Like, seriously. I'm not arguing, not telling you your position isn't the most beneficial one, and not telling you that its even particularly unwise.

I'm only telling you that if you honestly believe in this idea, that your moral sense is utterly skewed toward what is commonly considered evil.

Yes, I believe I am aware of what you're trying to imply, and why you think its not so bad. But the fact is, you are insinuating that a person, past present or specifically future, has no worth beyond being a resource for you to consume.

Thats all.
>>
No. 463946 ID: e8d96f

>>463940
Wow it seems to me that you completely miss read that. I think he was using it in a more general sense in relation to the second half of the comment. There are many things that fall within that description that one would not classify as evil depending entirely on the conditions under which it occurred.
>>
No. 463949 ID: 04b86a

>>463940
>We can't judge our acts in the light that anything that stops a future person from coming into being is immoral
>That is hardcore, inarguable evil.

No it isn't. Something that doesn't exist as anything beyond a potential to exist doesn't have a right, moral or otherwise, to be more than that. A "future person" isn't a person in the present, it's just a thing or collection of things that could be a person. It's the difference between thinking about doing something and actually doing it. If I were to think about killing someone that doesn't make me a murderer since that person didn't really die. Likewise, if someone does something that has the result of preventing a person from ever existing they aren't a murderer because the "person" never existed any more than the one I hypothetically imagined killing. For the record, included in the list of ways to prevent a potential person from existing is for a woman to abstain from procreative sex during fertile periods of her monthly cycles. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you horribly misinterpreted him and not outright say that you're the evil one here, but if you didn't then yeah.
>>
No. 463956 ID: e8d96f

We likely hold within us greater potential for good within creation then probably any other entity in existence right now. We are essentially a blank slate with the potential to eliminate many of the debilitating limitation held by exalted titans and gods. And truly within the exalted setting absorbing souls into ourselves, which is basically what we do, is not really that immoral, seeing as exalted by definition seem to hold themselves far above such petty concerns. We just need to make sure not to let such choices define us.

Damnit its one in the morning and i have almost no idea what i am trying to say anymore.
>>
No. 463963 ID: bf54a8

god dammit, do i need to explain this AGAIN? titans MAKE souls. they made the reincarnation machine so they didn't have to constantly eat the grown up souls and spit out new ones. but it was never meant to recycle people so many times. basically, a titan eating souls is MORE moral then letting the reincarnation machine do it!
>>
No. 463977 ID: 06dae0

Plus, the argument kind of falls apart when you realize that (at least so far) all of the souls we've consumed are ghosts/spirits, souls that are either incapable or unwilling to move on.
>>
No. 463996 ID: 06e25f

For the love of Gaia please take this to the discussion thread!
>>
No. 464018 ID: cee89f

>>463996
You're right. FOR LUNA!!

...

...OW! Who threw that?!
>>
No. 464033 ID: 14d963

>>463940
>>We can't judge our acts in the light that anything that stops a future person from coming into being is immoral
>
>That is hardcore, inarguable evil.
>
>Like, seriously. I'm not arguing, not telling you your position isn't the most beneficial one, and not telling you that its even particularly unwise.
>
>I'm only telling you that if you honestly believe in this idea, that your moral sense is utterly skewed toward what is commonly considered evil.
>
>Yes, I believe I am aware of what you're trying to imply, and why you think its not so bad. But the fact is, you are insinuating that a person, past present or specifically future, has no worth beyond being a resource for you to consume.
>
>Thats all.

No, that is totally wrong. There is absolutely no reasonable way that preventing the creation of a hypothetical person who does not yet have even a sliver of existence could be evil. If you follow that line of thought, then it would be the height of villainy to not have sex at every conceivable opportunity.

(...Wait, judging from what everyone keeps wanting Saulanna to do, that seems to be what a fair number of posters here actually believe. My bad. Then again, many of those requests were for lesbian sex, so people aren't trying very hard to create children here.)

And I'm the one who objected to soul-eating in the first place.

Bottom line: any moral concerns about eating souls are about the current holder of the soul, not a hypothetical future holder.

>>463956
>We likely hold within us greater potential for good within creation then probably any other entity in existence right now.
We also hold a great potential for evil. It is important that we know which side we want to be on.

>And truly within the exalted setting absorbing souls into ourselves, which is basically what we do, is not really that immoral, seeing as exalted by definition seem to hold themselves far above such petty concerns. We just need to make sure not to let such choices define us.
And a Titan is defined by her component souls.

So having our very first soul (that we're designing from scratch, that is) be a feeder soul is going to be defining us in a direction we don't want. Both because it's wrong and because it doesn't earn us any brownie points with the Unconquered Sun.
>>
No. 464147 ID: e297bb

Guys, this is clearly an argument/discussion. You want to have it? That's entirely fine. But it doesn't belong in the quest thread, it belongs in the Discussion thread, where Jukashi has told folks to take this kind of stuff. It's here: http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questdis/res/8407.html

By refusing to use the Quest Discussion thread, you are undermining Jukashi's authority over this thread, and likely frustrating him, which is going to make him less likely to want to give us this wonderful free entertainment he is so graciously providing to us.

You are also setting us up to possibly have Saulanna Rockblossom go into another panic attack. You are risking both rekoval of priviledge, and application of pain. At the moment, having the argument here harms any course of action we may advise, and makes you out to be ungrateful, spoiled gits.

Now, get your rear ends over to that discussion thread, where I'm sure more people will be happy to engage in the discussion you obviously want to have... or kindly shut your muzzles. Continuing the argument here will only make a number of people more resistant to your points of view. I happen to be among that number.

-----

Now, as for our immediate course of action: I recommend bowing out. Once we are outside, verbally ask Peregrin Kaan to take Saulanna someplace to freshen up.

Add, through Wordblood's new Voice in the Dark ability, for the place we are taken to be someplace secure, as the boost she is going to go through may be painful, and Saulanna doesn't want to tip her hand.

We can debate (in the discussion thread) whether to go for the Feeder Deva (my preference), or Beauty (also acceptable), or something else (????) once Saulanna is in a safe location, and what, if anything, we should do after that.
>>
No. 464233 ID: 334456

>>463949
You're insinuating that this is in any way, shape, or form vague.

Its not, and that alone destroys your position and demonstrates the truth in what I said. You wish to consume souls because it makes us strong, and argue that it's not immoral because "its not fair to judge me for preventing another possible existence from coming into being".

It's not "thinking about murder". You are actively pursuing a course of action that you KNOW, not think, not suspect, but KNOW will remove something from the wheel of incarnation.

Its not a grey area, don't pretend it is. I don't care if you want to do evil acts, but don't piss on my head and say its raining, and don't pretend its anything other than what it is.
>>
No. 464234 ID: 334456

>>464033
Not creating something is not the same as preventing something from being created. Don't be obtuse, you have a brain, philosophy isn't so simple as that.
>>
No. 464292 ID: cee89f

>>464233
>>464234
Guys.
Discussion thread.
This isn't it.
Linked several times by other people.
No idea how to link cross-board.
>>
No. 464718 ID: f3bd64
File 135074812110.png - (98.81KB , 1000x500 , saulannabackinherroom.png )
464718

>[[AUTHOR: Discussions with other suggesters should be done in the quest discussion thread ( >>/questdis/8407 ), particularly for such complex subjects as morality. Having that sort of thing in this thread makes it a lot harder for me to sift through suggestions!]]

>>464147
>>463571
>>463086
>explanations to Peregrin

Saulanna shoots another message off, relaying what she just heard as well as explaining the what and why of her intentions. She's pushing the limits of her Moon Power again; spending any more will light her up fully. With that - taking a moment to smile at Peregrin in attempt to reinforce Askalaff's theory - she takes her leave and makes her way back to her room. She spends some time collecting her thoughts, allowing the distant sounds of the visitors getting settled in to wash gently around the edges of her awareness.

A bath would be nice, but she doesn't think she has the time.

>morality

Saulanna's getting a bit of a headache.
>>
No. 464719 ID: f3bd64
File 135074819645.png - (151.47KB , 500x600 , saulafrets.png )
464719

Currently, Saulanna's thoughts run like this:

First, that anything she might want to do, she can more successfully do with fuller development of her Titanic powers. Or other powers. Strong as she is compared to a normal human, she is still, by the standards of magical creatures, quite weak. She needs to improve herself, and gaining Titan's Will is the quickest and best way to do so.

She has three, maybe four options for gaining Titan's Will. One, to find and absorb lost Titan fragments, which will probably involve long and complicated adventures to various parts of the world; two, to consume souls, which is various degrees of reprehensible; and three, to make herself a Feeding soul, which can generate Titan's Will by itself, albeit slowly, and potentially open up less objectionable sources of extra power. The possible fourth option is to find a fully grown Titan and beg for power off them, but the only one that's halfway easy to get to is the Dragon's Shadow.

So, of course, she has resolved to make herself a Feeding Soul.

Technically, she doesn't have to consume any more souls. She has enough Titan's Will to make one as is, if she doesn't mind having her Moon magic being weakened by the process. Then she could just hole up and wait for however long it takes for her new Deva to make its own Titan's Will, for free.

>"I'm not certain of the problem, myself. A full-grown Titan contains thousands of souls, and reabsorbs and remakes them all the time. It doesn't seem such a huge transaction to do the same with human souls, especially when they've been diverted from their original purpose to begin with. Why not use them for something else, particularly the higher goal of feeding a new Titan's growth? However, I am not human, so perhaps there is some insight I lack. Regardless, if you want to avoid consuming souls, you had best create a Feeding Deva."

The trouble with the hermit plan is that she has, right now, the representatives of two particularly mighty powers each trying to rope her into their own agendas. The Moon Heroes probably only want what they think is best for her, but going with them will at best severely curtail her Titanic development; the Dragon and his agents, on the other hand, would likely be happy to help her with that, but would probably pull her into some terrible vortex of manipulative exploitation, also at best. Barring some clever strategy or lateral thinking escape, she needs new abilities if she wants to reach a solution to this that she's comfortable with. However, if she powers herself up to deal with them with what Titan's Will she has, she won't be able to make a new soul without consuming any first; if on the other hand she creates her new soul first, she won't be able to make herself strong enough to fend them off, again not without consuming another. Unless perhaps she were to make her new Feeding deva in such a way that it enhanced her ability to escape the situation...

>"That sounds to me like an attempt to make our new deva serve two jobs, my lady. A deva whose Element was Culture or the like would develop powers in that area, yes, but that wouldn't be what it's for. It would need to be upgraded considerably before it had anything very useful."
>>
No. 464720 ID: f3bd64
File 135074824398.png - (56.84KB , 400x500 , wbreacts.png )
464720

>"And if you were doing that, you would be better to just invest in me, you know. I would have lots of useful abilities for social interaction, if I was stronger. I could read people's thoughts, or tell you their innermost motivations, or plant ideas they thought were their own. I have plenty of potential. I'm not just here to explain things."

>"..."

>"We need to be stronger, in short. I know it must not feel like it, but you are still only barely stronger than a newly chosen Moon Hero, and I am utterly pitiful even compared to a Common deva. A Feeding soul will not be any stronger initially, but it will be great assistance to our growth in the long term."

>>
No. 464721 ID: f3bd64
File 135074828442.png - (103.05KB , 1000x500 , pereshadowhops.png )
464721

"Saulanna?"

Wh-? Oh.

Saulanna didn't know Peregrin could do... whatever he's doing?

"Sorry to surprise you! I never had the chance to explain my own powers. This is one of the Shadow Arts that the Dragon released into the world; I can move almost instantly within a certain area, given sufficient darkness. I assumed you would want as much security as possible? I can bring you down to the hidden rooms in the dungeon. Or, if you prefer, I could just about manage a trip beyond the town and back."
>>
No. 464722 ID: 44f93b

>Wordblood
Oh, I'm sorry! Of course we plan to upgrade you and allow you to make better use of your powers in the social realm. I was just thinking of how to best exploit the opportunity of a new deva (pushing it into two roles, regrettably) and our current disadvantage was weighing heavily on my mind. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was taking you for granted or overlooking you. You're important to me, and that's not going to change once there are more of us floating around in here.

(And for the record, I don't like 'culture' as the feeder's element at all.)

>shadow step
What would we need in town? Dungeon seems a good place to sneak away to.
>>
No. 464723 ID: bf54a8

i agree, the doubling down on the feeder sounds like it could bite us in the ass.

what about of things UN-written? wordblood has domain over what exists, it will have domain over what does not.
>>
No. 464725 ID: 14d963

Wordblood's text:
"EVERYTHING WAS MADE FOR A PURPOSE [second half is largely illegible]"
"I DON'T SEE WHY YOU W[OULD?] NEED [rest is illegible]"

>She has three, maybe four options for gaining Titan's Will. One, to find and absorb lost Titan fragments, which will probably involve long and complicated adventures to various parts of the world; two, to consume souls, which is various degrees of reprehensible; and three, to make herself a Feeding soul, which can generate Titan's Will by itself, albeit slowly, and potentially open up less objectionable sources of extra power. The possible fourth option is to find a fully grown Titan and beg for power off them, but the only one that's halfway easy to get to is the Dragon's Shadow.
Okay, that does make a feeder soul sound useful, though how much would we need to invest in it before it generates Titan's Will at more than a glacial pace?

Regardless the feeder soul is only useful in the short term if we plan to use it to eat souls. We can't afford to wait several months before talking to our guests again.

Plus:
>Technically, she doesn't have to consume any more souls. She has enough Titan's Will to make one as is, if she doesn't mind having her Moon magic being weakened by the process.
We shouldn't approach our guests with a lower Soul Force than we had on our first meeting. I'm pretty sure suddenly lowering their Soul Force isn't something Heroes normally do, and Garmir would probably be able to detect something like that.

So our options are either (A) make feeder soul now, snack on one or more ghosts, use new Titan's Will to power ourselves up, or (B) use Titan's Will for other stuff for now, put off making a feeder soul until much later (probably when we find another Titan fragment). I don't think a compromise is going to work.


>"Sorry to surprise you! I never had the chance to explain my own powers. This is one of the Shadow Arts that the Dragon released into the world; I can move almost instantly within a certain area, given sufficient darkness. I assumed you would want as much security as possible? I can bring you down to the hidden rooms in the dungeon. Or, if you prefer, I could just about manage a trip beyond the town and back."
Here is fine while we talk. We may want to go farther away if we're going to do something that makes our Soul Fire act up.

Right now, I think our top priorities should be improving our Leadership (we need Advanced to tie with Akatrina and Expert to beat her), and becoming better at making social attacks that aren't keyed off Intimidation or Deception.

(Soul Force and Titan's Will are useful for long-term growth, but less immediately pressing than relevant Competencies, except in as far as they would help us gain those Competencies. Improving our Beauty is low-cost and low-reward, so it may be useful, but it's not going to save the day on its own.)

Ask Wordblood and Peregrin about any alternatives for accomplishing these goals.

It's also worth asking Peregrin, in private, how he feels about the subjects he overheard us discussing with Askalaff and Akatrina, and whether he thinks there's anything we've been misled about.
>>
No. 464727 ID: 14d963

>>464722
>Oh, I'm sorry! Of course we plan to upgrade you and allow you to make better use of your powers in the social realm. I was just thinking of how to best exploit the opportunity of a new deva (pushing it into two roles, regrettably) and our current disadvantage was weighing heavily on my mind. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was taking you for granted or overlooking you. You're important to me, and that's not going to change once there are more of us floating around in here.
And yes, this. Wordblood, you've already been very handy, both for your advice and for your magical and linguistic abilities, and you're just getting started! I definitely appreciate your abilities and intend to improve them once we can afford it.

I'm just stressed out from trying to keep up with Akatrina in conversation and feeling conflicted about this whole soul-eating thing. It'll be easier to plan our future growth when we're not trapped in present concerns.
>>
No. 464728 ID: 0c2247

>>464721
An alternate option:
Cuddle up in the bed and whisper to each other with interspersed giggling. Boosting their senses to hear what's being SAID would be hard to do, and would likely involve a detectable power surge.
It would also 'completely confirm' Askalaff's theory if he tries to eavesdrop or pay her a visit for a private conversation, and when the mutt smells them on each other tomorrow. No sex, just sleep.
>>
No. 464729 ID: 4a328b

To the dungeon!

Voting no on culture element, sounds like WB's got that covered. Maybe have it's element be Darkness, so it can eat our soulfire? Or would that be Light meaning it feeds off light? Ask WB.

Once we make the feeder deva we should eat some souls to gain enough TW to at least put us back to level 3, and improve some social skills. Discipline and Determination seem like good candidates for increasing for defense there.

Getting a Heart's Desire could help, too. Maybe something like "Convincing Sol that you are awesome and should totally not be destroyed" might help with our self-interests.
>>
No. 464730 ID: bf54a8

>>464729
yes exactly.
>>
No. 464731 ID: 085efe

>>464729
throwing my support in with this.

Make a feeder soul, buff yourself, and buff wordblood.

I'm not so big on forcing a heart's desire though.
>>
No. 464732 ID: 0c2247

>>464729
I'd like to get her into a proper mother/daughter relationship with Luna. That, of course, requires Luna to know of her titanic nature and for Sol to tolerate it.

So I guess the heart's desire would be "Become completely accepted as Luna's daughter", since that has Sol being ok with it as a prerequisite.
>>
No. 464733 ID: 34d817

>>464721
Thank Peregrin for coming by- it's a huge relief to be able to talk with someone freely after that clusterfuck. If he can take us to a location where we can be sure that no one is listening, that would be much appreciated. The dungeons would be fine.

Once there, explain that we must grow stronger. He can help us with this in several ways:
1. Provide us with safety and security while we create at least one Lord Deva, and possibly pursue other upgrades.
2. Provide us with souls, particularly those of individuals who are highly skilled, which we can absorb for skills and Titan's Will. Someone stubborn or otherwise socially resistant would be great about now!
3. Give us more information on what is going on and his own capabilities, so we know what resources are at our disposal and what dangers face us here.
4. Talk to us and help us quickly decide on our Heart's Desire. Without one we are socially unbalanced.

We also need to fill him in on the details of what we learned and implied during our conversation Moon Heroes:
1. Getting moonsilver tattoos will bind and limit our powers, rather than protect us as it would a normal Moon Hero.
2. We have passed ourselves off as a scholar type and implied that we came here, stole something, Peregrin took objection, then we manifested and resolved the conflict on better terms.
3. The Moon Heroes, at least, know that we're hiding something- and Garmir thinks we smell strange.

I don't think that it's that practical to act like we have a bond as Askalaff speculated, but we might have to let slip that we have at least some solid positive relations, though we should try to mostly hide it. A primary story is that we agreed to help him with his research in exchange for teaching and resources. If they blow through that- particularly if they pick up on Saulanna's sudden power-up- then we can perhaps pin things on the research we're supposedly helping Peregrin with? His caste are capable of some incredible things; it wouldn't be entirely out of the question for him to be secretly delving into some method of accelerating or modifying the growth of Hero powers- and the Moon Hero type is known to be the most mutable. From there we can act like the "real secret"- which we will fight tooth and nail to keep hidden, of course- is that Saulanna is serving as Peregrin's aide and experimental subject in exchange for the power she gets out of it. The best lies are those quite close to the truth, after all, and it could explain all kinds of... abnormalities.

Of course, that cover story would attract serious attention, but not so much as being a newborn Titan would. I'd hope we don't have to use it at all, but if it comes down to the wire I'd like to have a coordinated cover story in place. Layer deception on deception and hope that they stop before reaching the center of our onion of lies.
>>
No. 464739 ID: cee89f

>>464719
Wha- we didn't mean it like that! Of course we're going to invest in you too, Wordblood. The moment we have the TW for it. But getting extra abilities from this deva would be a bonus, not the main point. The main points are twofold: the first is to get us an option for gaining Titan's will other than eating souls.

And the second is - correct me if I'm wrong - if we gained a second deva it would be able to heal us as you do in social combat, right?

...

Actually... Come to think of it, this soul would only know what Saulanna and Wordblood do about the world. While Akatrina probably couldn't convince a lordly deva to actively work against the whole, could her arguments, for instance, convince our new soul that going to the Dragon's Shadow would not be a bad thing?
>>
No. 464802 ID: 629257

Sorry Worldblood, but when we get right down to it we're still quite clueless on how these elements and purposes effect the both of us. What could be a useful synergy, or redundant, or even a conflict. We had thought of many possibilities for feeder souls already, perhaps you could advise us on how some of those would actually play out?

In any case we are going to need one, and we need to do it sooner than later. The destruction of a few imprisoned souls isn't much of a sacrifice, all things considered. Let's head to the dungeon and get to soul feeding.
>>
No. 464899 ID: 575dba

Make the feeding soul
>>
No. 464900 ID: 2eac65

On the morality of consuming souls: That would be as bad as forcing a soul to reincarnate. Metaphysically, it's the same thing, except instead of being reborn into another human, they're reborn into you. It's not something to be forced on an innocent against their will, but it's not the worst thing in the world. Some people might even prefer it; after all, people do choose to be reborn at times, don't they?

Plus, some souls are so malicious that "killing" them is the best you could do with them, and if you're going to do that anyway, eating them is no worse; you've already done so, and your choice was the right one to make. Might even be better than transmigration, strictly speaking, as you can personally see to it that their new lives (that is, your current lives) are good.

Thus, I recommend that you focus on the immediate problem (social aptitude) because the long-term goal (personal growth) will almost certainly remain obtainable.

Other matters:

Peregrin Kaan seemed worried about something during the conversation, but didn't speak up. Ask him if there was something he didn't want to talk about.
Reason: There's a chance he's somehow oath-bound to Akatrina (or another), in a way that prevents him from sharing important information. If we ask the right question, we'll give him a chance to convey this to us without triggering the oath.
>>
No. 464911 ID: f2c20c

Go to the dungeon. We don't want to risk the other moon heroes smelling us somewhere outdoors after they leave, and getting suspicious. Get Peregrin's take on the soul eating thing while you're at it. Our perception of it being bad is only being countered by Wordblood, and although he is definitely worth listening to and has our trust, it is apparently not enough to fully convince us.

No need for cuddling and stuff, just make sure to actually go to the bathroom at some point, and clean yourself up.

Speaking of Peregrin and Wordblood, have we introduced Peregrin to him? I feel as though it is something he should know about.
>>
No. 464963 ID: 3fc386

>>464718
Sorry Jukashi.

>>464720
Sorry Wordblood, got caught up in the whole 'new soul' idea.

We could learn some interesting information if Askalaff and Akatrina thought we couldn't hear them, maybe even enough to kick them out if we get angry about what we hear. Could we use Voice in the Dark to trick them into talking to each other? Probably not, what would we have to do to restore the Inception ability to Wordblood?

Also, By the words of our oath we can not use our moon abilities to influence Akatrina, we said nothing about defending ourselves against her. we should only do it when it's important though, she has that option as well and if she hasn't already realized it, doing it once would be enough to clue her in.

Can we talk (in the discussion thread) about what outcome of this situation we are aiming for? It always helps to have a goal (case and point: our lack of a Heart's Desire). Personally I'd rather be rid of both of them until we are good and ready to deal with them on our own terms. Second best would be going with the Moon heroes, learning how to improve our moon abilities without Titan's Will and other such things, declining the Tattoos and moving on.
>>
No. 464972 ID: 9d3dcd

Eat the souls. All the souls.
>>
No. 464978 ID: 8247d0

To the Dungeon!
>>
No. 465006 ID: b3952d

Currently, our best avenue for success and freedom seems to me to do the following:

1. Head down to dungeon.

2. Create Feeding Deva

3. Ask Kaan if he has another "evil" soul for us to eat.

4. If yes, eat it, then use generated TW to improve ourself and Wordblood. More Soul Force = More Better.

Also, allow Kaan to observe the entire process. He might be able to help us become more efficient.
>>
No. 465008 ID: 44f93b

>>465006
Sounds like a plan.
>>
No. 465095 ID: 925aa6

>>465006
>>465008
Yeah, sounds good to me as well.
>>
No. 465096 ID: 520da2

>>465006
Sounds good to me as well.
>>
No. 465195 ID: cee89f

>>465008
>>465095
>>465096
>>465006

You aren't all the same person, are you? =p

...

Yeah, it's short, concise and gets our immediate problems (and one long-term problem) solved quickly. Just make sure that if we start screaming like a maniac, the others won't be able to hear and won't come running.
>>
No. 465196 ID: 44f93b

>>465195
Well, I can vouch that I'm one person, at least. My ID may stumble all over the place like a confused drunk, but not that quickly.

>make sure screaming can't be heard
I'd expect a good dungeon to be pretty well soundproofed, although it's possible possible the other Lunars could have enhanced senses on, or the other Exalts might feel the magic (or titanic proto-magic, whatever) going on.
>>
No. 465197 ID: c9a9bd

I do worry that all the commotion and moving essence will get some attention but they all think we are more than meets the eye anyway.
>>
No. 465199 ID: b33427

It's also vitally important that once Saulanna and Peregrin are in his secret room that they obliterate all the shadows in it, no matter how small, before they do anything. They should do this because it's almost certain that Akatrina can perform Shadow Arts at least as good as Peregrin can, and the last thing they need is for her to step in in the middle of things. Even having her peek or listen in through a shadow would be bad.
>>
No. 465214 ID: 14d963

Speaking of which - remember when we shook Akatrina's hand and we felt something weird? That may have been a Shadow Art. Ask Peregrin if he can detect anything.
>>
No. 465222 ID: cee89f

>>465214
That was probably the oath to not use moon power to influence her.
>>
No. 465226 ID: b33427

>>465222
Which means Akatrina was technically free to slip some form of tracking or remote listening magic onto Saulanna with that handshake. This means she shouldn't go anywhere with Peregrin until he and Wordblood do a thorough examination of her for trickery. In fact, Saulanna shouldn't even speak to Peregrin until that's done; She should shush him, and communicate through written word until then.
>>
No. 465232 ID: cee89f

>>465226
You based that theory on the 'weird feeling' Saulanna got when Akatrina touched her hand. That weird feeling was most likely her using her contract power. We have absolutely no other evidence of her using any other spell, and she is part of the death hero's diplomat cast (Bloodmoon), not spy cast (Day Caste). Your argument is flawed.
>>
No. 465529 ID: 7fa633

>>465232
Don't forget, just because an Exalt is of the X Caste doesn't mean they can't learn Abilities or Charms of the Y Caste. (If that WAS the case, then out of the Solaroids nobody but the Dawn, Dusk, and Slayer Castes would be able to fight) Akatrina might be a Moonshadow - sorry, Blood Moon - Caste, but she can still train Day Caste Abilities and learn Day Caste Charms. There's no hard evidence that she has used such a Charm, true - but we can't rule it out, either.
>>
No. 465542 ID: a69257

>>465529
The point was that we have absolutely NO reason to think she's spying on us. She's not a spy, we have no evidence that she did anything to us but the contract (which shouldn't apply now that we're not conversing with her) and we probably would've felt it on us already. The only thing we felt was the contract, and this whole theory is based on that feeling. A tracking charm/spell would probably be impossible to sense anyway.

So yeah, we MIGHT be being tracked. There's no reason to suspect it, though.
>>
No. 465546 ID: 14d963

The exact words were:
>>453156
>Upon taking Akatrina's hand, the Death Hero's divine brand bleeds into view on her forehead. Saulanna feels... did she imagine it?... the brush of something smooth and slick and long, slithering up over her back and around her neck, gone before she can be sure it was there.
"Smooth and slick and long" sounds suspiciously like the shape of the Dragon's Shadow. That's why I think this might be a Shadow Art rather than a normal Death Hero power.

Of course, it could be nothing, but it's worth asking.

I'm saying no to the extreme don't-even-talk paranoia, though.
>>
No. 466708 ID: 84b8a7

Go with Peregrin. Gain some fast titan's will with consumption of souls. Spend it on improving your own and then Wordblood's soul force. And even make a feeding soul too. No reason you can't have it all so long as you have enough souls to absorb. Think of this as a necessary jump start, once you have enough strength you'll be able to grow on your own.

Hearts desire at the moment seem to me like you want to gain strength and grow into a new titan, protecting wordblood and yourself. Also you seem to want to honor Luna. Combine these into becoming a titan and finding a way to serve Luna in you titanic capacity. That hug shall be earned!

(P.S. not a discussion just voicing my vote for actions)
>>
No. 466750 ID: 629257

Clearly a feeder soul is vital to our long term plans. But according to Wordblood it seems that right now it won't matter one bit, unless we can quickly consume enough souls right away to make a profit or, at least, break even.

If we can't then I say we scrap the plan for the time being, and put titans will into empowering both Wordblood and ourselves to get out of this mess.

Relate this conundrum to our shadowy friend, see what he thinks.
>>
No. 466779 ID: cee89f

>>466750
The long term purpose of this feeder soul is to gain Titan's will without needing to consume souls.

The short term is fourfold:
-Get a second 'healer' inside our world-body to make us more resistant to persuasion. Our social combat against Akatrina went horribly, but Wordblood was able to help us considerably by healing every round.
-Get a more effective feeder for the souls - Wordblood told us that a Feeder Deva would ultimately be superior at soul consumption than he would be
-(Possibly) do something about our 'soul fire', which is too uncontrollable at the moment.
-Increase our ability - Wordblood granted us perfect understanding of languages at SF 1 - that's nothing to shake off, especially when you consider that we'll probably get something similar with our first one...

So yeah, we've got a TON of reason to make this thing.
>>
No. 466780 ID: 44f93b

>>466779
A fifth reason would be that in addition to gross generation, this deva would be in charge of fine energy regulation and management.

Manipulating a greater degree of control over our various mystic energies potentially makes us more efficient- allowing us to do more with less. (I think the potential here is far greater than simply doing something about the soul fire 'radiation leaks' our current energy expenditures incur).
>>
No. 466785 ID: cee89f

>>466780
...Ah. True, i forgot about that. Though i think that would fall under point 2 =/
>>
No. 467243 ID: 689652

If Peregrin can sneak up on us like that, Akatrina could easily be spying on us.

1. Do we have any magic that might be able to scan for trackers? We should turn on beast senses and its enhancement that lets us see immaterial things, and check ourselves out.

2. Can we get Peregrin to "scan" us? He might know some tricks we don't.

3. Can we target an effect we aren't sure is there? Like, say, with Power Word: STOP? We should do that even if we don't find anything with 1 or 2, just for good measure.

After doing all of the above, have Peregrin take us down to the dungeon. Put up any wards or other anti-scrying magic either of us have. Eat some souls, spawn a feeding soul, and then eat some more souls. Power up ourselves and Wordblood, and prepare to kick butt.
>>
No. 467441 ID: b3f65a

>>467243
1. If Akatrina is powerful enough, it won't matter in the slightest. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a high lev el exal- sorry, HERO would be able to conceal any of her tracking spells, especially against weaker heroes like Saulanna

2. Agreed, though we should probably make sure he's alright on Death Power first... Or Shadow Power.

3. We're trying to AVOID setting off our Soul Fire, and the 1 more dot to use Stop will lighten us up "fully" which i assume means "bonfire". OPPOSITE of safe.
>>
No. 467604 ID: 03ee4d
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467604

>Sorry, Wordblood!

>"Yes, well. That is... I know. We need more resources. It's frustrating, that's all."

>Pretend intimacy
Ah. Er, uh, hm. Maybe... later?

>Go to the dungeon!
>Go somewhere as secure as possible.

Saulanna lets Peregrin take her hand and lead her through the darkness. It's like stepping through a waterfall, only instead of getting cold and wet, it's... hard to describe. Silk and oil and smooth smoke, and a brief thrill through her heart, as if she were doing something that's not allowed. The sensation is one she is beginning to suspect is associated with the essence of the Dragon's Shadow.

She reflects for a moment on the fact that she has never stepped through a waterfall, to her knowledge. One of the souls that have become part of her must have done so, at least once.

It's dark.
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No. 467605 ID: 03ee4d
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467605

>Eliminate shadows

The only light source Saulanna has is the moon brand on her forehead. It's pretty strong as is, but she could light it up further?

... What is this place?

"As I was telling you before, this whole town is built on top of a broad swathe of ruins. They were half-buried when settlement started, and practically pulverized, though a lot of the devastation seems far younger than the structures themselves. I suspect whatever catastrophe did it is responsible for the tear that let the shadows spread in the first place. Still, they're the only place we can dig; tunneling into the actual earth can break into the Labyrinth, and you might not even notice until you're already inside. It's a one-way trip."

"This room is the lowest that's been dug out. It's the most secluded place within easy range that I could bring us to."


>Tell him about the tattoos and their problems.

Saulanna brings him fully up to date while she's at it.

"Ah. I knew there were Lunars that became monsters, and I knew Lunars wore tattoos, but I never linked them together before. Yes, that would cause problems for you. I'd say to trust your... friend's?... advice? I'm sorry, I'm still feeling a little off-balance about that. About him, rather. I didn't expect the titan fragment to manifest as an autonomous dem... er, deva."

"I can hardly wait to see you actually make one. Unfortunately, I suspect I'm going to miss a lot of the process, but even what I will be able to see is sure to be fascinating."

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No. 467606 ID: 03ee4d
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467606

>Anything he wanted to say that he couldn't?

"Ah, yes. I was worried about the deal you made with Akatrina. Or, well, not the deal itself, precisely: it was a good one, if not quite sufficient. It's just that if the Dragon sensed your titanic essence somehow, and he must have done to take this trouble, I'm sure he'd send someone who had some way of investigating properly. I was already reasonably sure that Akatrina has learned some strange magical sensory abilities, and since she was his choice to send here, I'm certain of it."

"However, my own sensing abilities can't notice anything strange about you unless you're actually doing something strange, so I'm not sure she would have gotten anything. Still, she was making... allusions. At the very least, she must be suspicious of you."


>What does Peregrin think of The Dragon's Shadow?

"I... have to admit I might not be entirely reliable as a judge. I am a Death Hero, after all; I'm not one of his servants, but then if you asked Akatrina, she'd say she wasn't, either. They make rather a big deal about only being "employed" by him. It's... er, well, you probably don't want to hear the whole philosophy, and I'm not a Nadir. Most of the whole "Lawbreaker" idea is self-serving nonsense, anyway. Still, though they've not been too rigorous, I have been getting visits and lectures from other Death Heros for decades, and I wouldn't have been Chosen if some aspect of my soul weren't aligned with the Dragon to begin with. My opinion might be tainted. Still... you're not likely to get an unbiased view of him from anyone. You should understand: the Dragon's Shadow exists in opposition to all forms of authority. Any nation, king or god will despise him. Beyond that, as well, the two most common religions in the world of the living are worship of the gods, who hate him as a Titan, and worship of ancestors, whom he upset by his domination of the Underworld. It wouldn't be amiss to say that all of creation is turned against him."

"If you still want to hear what I think... I'm rather glad for the precise wording of the oath you had me give, because I've actually been sworn to secrecy on a few things. Mostly, what I know of the Dragon's current plans, and the reasons for them. On that note, by the way... If you ever find out the Dragon or his agents are trying to get some sort of power source into his possession - places where magic flows up from the land, cults that provide him with prayer, that sort of thing - let him have them. He needs them for... something important."

"Really, it's hard to know what to think of him. He created free will, if the stories are accurate. He tormented everyone, including his fellow Titans, allegedly. He was the first to surrender in the war with the gods, and without him there may have been no surrender. He had a hand deep in creating whatever process corrupted Sun Hero Souls into their abyssal and infernal forms, and then he somehow severed them all from their masters when he escaped. All scholarly accounts describe him as the most cowardly of the Titans, but from every telling of his escape, it's clear that he did himself a massive injury in the process, with all evidence that that was part of the process, like a wolf chewing off its leg to escape a trap. None of the imprisoned Titans were supposed to be able to do such a thing, and him least of all! Yet he left a trail of blood across the Endless Desert that exists to this day, more than a century later. He cast down all the forces of Oblivion and freed millions of souls from bondage and torment. He's known to be a manipulator, but are his ill deeds for good ends, or his good deeds for ill ends? Ultimately, I don't know. There's only a few things of which I'm even partly sure of."

"If you're not in his way, he'll do you no harm. If you could be useful to him, he'll treat you well. I've considered having stronger dealings with him, in the past, but... the stories about him are too persistent, too numerous. They can't all be just propaganda from the gods. At the same time... I know he has changed. He's the Dragon's Shadow now, not the Ebon Dragon, despite how many people refuse to use that name. I've been to the Underworld, met the new souls that have been born from him; I've read old accounts of his nature in the demon realm and measured the differences to what he is now. I just don't know how significant the changes are, or whether they're ultimately good or bad."


>Souls?

"I have two, here. Slavers. Slavery in the Underworld was once very common; some cultures practiced the burial of nobles with their servants, or a warrior with his enemies, or the killing of a spouse with their partner's death. Such tomb-sacrifices would become slaves in the world of the dead, doomed to serve for eternity! It was considered normal, though, at the time. Sorry, I'm rambling a little; the point is, some such slaves would make attempts to escape, and ghosts like these here would drag them back. More than that, though, they also captured free ghosts, and along with reclaimed fugitives, would sell them on; in the latter days of the old Underworld, the end of the trade chain was usually the Deathlords, and the ultimate fate was to be bound in toil or imprisoned in soulsteel. Even at best, their existence was derived from the misery of other souls."

"However... I have no evidence they ever sold slaves directly to the servants of Oblivion, and my only evidence that they captured free ghosts is the testimony of a handful of witnesses. On the other hand, I can't let them out to live here, because their fellow ghosts hate them; can't let them out to go back to the Underworld, because the Dragon hates slavery and anyone involved in it; and they're supremely unlikely to pass on by themselves, if they didn't do so when the Dragon took over. They've no other fate save imprisonment in these crystals."


...
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No. 467608 ID: 03ee4d
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467608

>Feeding Soul

>"If I may intrude on the tide of moral deliberation that I sense is sweeping in, my lady, I believe we are set on our course to make a new deva? As such, the time has come to begin considering the form it will take. I think you already understand a Titan's relationship with their component souls?"

[>>/questdis/58020]
[>>/questdis/58102]

>"The foremost qualities of a Titan's highest souls are the Purposes that they fulfil, and the Elements through which they fulfil them. I, for example, am your Aide: I assist, support and serve. My element is Words; all forms of communication, all symbols and signs, are the devices through which I perform my duties, and the sources from which I can draw my strength. The purpose of our new deva is decided: to feed, and to manage our Will and Power. Thus, the choice you face is to decide its Element."

>"Despite its simplicity, this is a decision of tremendous importance."

>"Select an Element based on your existing nature, and you will retain more of your humanity, both its insights and limitations. Choose one more distant from your mortal condition, and your new soul will grant us a broader range of potential powers, along with knowledge that would otherwise be beyond our reach; but, at the same time, the blinders of your mortal perspective will begin to slip away. If your Element is already claimed by another mighty force, they will be able to exert power over you; but in time, and growth, so too could you exert power over them. The Element should be one suited to the Purpose; one that you can feel well drawing strength from, or else one that will provide unique powers which no other combination could give you."

>"Most of all, the Element you choose must be of great, primal significance, be it material or conceptual; Fire, Deception, Blood and Pride are all examples of Elements that have been held by Titanic forces before. A Titan full-grown is a world in and of themselves, and the Elements of their Lordly souls must be able to serve as the foundations of that world."

>"Do not make your final decision yet; it is wise to take advice. Tell me your thoughts, and I will answer. Peregrin, too, may have valuable opinions to offer."

>>
No. 467610 ID: c15bbc

Hmm, maybe...Morality? Hahaha, I jest. Seems like one of the things we most frequently worry about, though. I'm having a hard time thinking of any other significant theme to our adventures, really. Maybe we could do something that would help us with things like that, like decisions? Maybe Logic or Rationality, but preferably tempered with Compassion or something? Also, discuss with Wordblood and Peregrin too, of course.
>>
No. 467611 ID: f2c20c

>>467608
Oh dear. If we pick an element that a different Titan has, they can influence us? That is very worrying! Do we know which elements are already picked? Please say yes, Wordblood. Right now we're thinking about something from this list:
Civilization
Desire
Light (or Moonlight?)
Raccoons (yes, Raccoons)
Time
Will

I'd like to add Souls to that list, too.

As for the slaver souls, if they are doomed to eternal imprisonment then eating them would not be a much worse fate. Plus they would serve a higher purpose.
>>
No. 467614 ID: 629257

>>467608
It is difficult but not impossible to decide on an element appropriate to us. However, deciding on an element for this souls purpose is most vexing.

One thought though... we are a mix of things that have never existed together before. What would an element of combining elements mean as a feeding soul? Like Fusion or Union... maybe not those exactly but something like that.
>>
No. 467615 ID: 14bafe

I'm surprised no one has suggested the most primally significant element know to humanity:

Love

Making our elemental affinity something that is close to mortality should let us keep our perspective, and the widespread idea of love as a good thing might passively influence opinions of us (Say if the gods find out about us, then go "oh snap, a titan of Love? Is it moral to strike down the very embodiment of the greatest emotion of the little people?" For four threads), and not to mention the power gained from the element.

Though putting it in a feeder soul might make it so we draw the love out of the world to grow in power... Meh, just paranoia talking there.
>>
No. 467616 ID: 0c2247

>>467608
Maternal.
Nurturing.
>>
No. 467617 ID: 409abf

Love sounds like a neat idea, but how about Bonds? The bond between friends, rivals, family,lovers, and of course, a queen to her people being what I meant.

It's the sort of thing I can see that could help us the most. Focusing on love doesn't help when surrounded by hate. Vice versa with hate. However, bonds are something we do rather frequently. Heck, we are still pretty young and we made several of what I mentioned. Flexible enough to provide a steady feed, but close to who we are so we do not lose our humanity.
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No. 467645 ID: dd287a

yeah lets not distance ourselves from our humanity, someone in this world has to keep their head grounded, as for the shadow wotsit... frankly I think we'd prefer to be way more powerful before we even reveal ourselves to anyone important, Right now, we're not in a position to do a hell of a lot of people get insistant, oh speaking of, we should get a weapon or something so we don't have to go war form or pop moon claws every time something kicks off, does knifework competancy involve using them as weapons? a pair of them would be good, otherwise we could go with a standard ye olde shortsword, or whatever we can get our hands on down here.
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No. 467653 ID: 256d52

Why not Determination? This is the soul that marshals your Will and disciplines your growth. Your actions have converged towards seizing the tiller of your fate and setting your own path. You want to decide what will be and gainsay any who would stop you on your path. You want to be free.

Determination. Fixing yourself upon a purpose, definining boundaries and limits, investigating the nature of things and sitting in judgement. You're clever and perceptive and thoughtful. You have been plagued by lack of purpose, by uncertainties of self-metamorphosis and morality, and by unclear boundaries and limitations between your mortal, heroic and titanic souls.

It seems fitting.
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No. 467658 ID: 886a4d

>>467617
I like the idea of Bonds \ Connections being our Feeder's element. Not only would it be strengthening the Bond to our Titan soul by managing that energy, but its also gonna be useful with dealing with our current predicament. Since both sides want to bond us to them.

Also I say we do go ahead and eat those Slaver's souls. With the options being Eternal Imprisonment or reincarnation through Saulanna I pick reincarnation. Even if its only to her own world.
>>
No. 467665 ID: cee89f

>>467611
Sorry mate - you need 2 other posters to support it to add to that list =p

...

Wow that sounded pretentious =(

>>467653
I like determination, but honestly that sounds enough like Will that we could just go with that.

Moving the list from the discussion thread:


Civilization
Desire
Light
Raccoon
Time
Will
>>
No. 467669 ID: 3338b5

For now, Worldblood, we've brainstormed a list of potential elements. >>467611 We'd appreciate your thoughts on how they might work as a feeder deva.

I don't suppose it's in our power to manifest Wordblood externally, or Peregrin internally? If we're discussing this with the two of them, it'd be nice to do so on a plane where all parties can converse.

>Also I say we do go ahead and eat those Slaver's souls
Preferably after we've crafted a deva who's primary purpose is efficient energy regulation and consumption.

>I didn't expect the titan fragment to manifest as an autonomous dem... er, deva
From what we've understand, all the titans seem to work this way. More collectives than individuals.
>>
No. 467673 ID: 2716dc

Since we're creating this soul so we don't have to rely on an act we find morally dubious, devouring souls, what about using compassion as its element?
>>
No. 467682 ID: cee89f

>>467669
Peregrin's, too.

Also, could we offer to take him into the world-body so he can actually watch the process? We DID agree to teach him about titans...
>>
No. 467702 ID: 13ba2b

The obvious element, hunger would be ill-advised. It's too much a compulsion, and you see a lot of monsters in various genres associated with the idea of hunger (Darth Nihilus, the Faceless Man, Hollows, etc.). Nothing good comes out of it.

Perhaps something like evolution or self-perfection? Those synch well enough with being a moon hero, are broad and useful, and don't have the built-in negative association.
>>
No. 467706 ID: 13ba2b

Maybe Unity? That's a powerful ideal, caries a positive tone, would fit nicely with our social focus? Many souls become one being? Might even help keep the balance if/when we expand our soul hierarchy a bit, make sure everyone's moving in the same direction.
>>
No. 467709 ID: 3338b5

>lots of new ideas all over the place
Remember guys, the primary purpose of this new Deva is the generate and regulate our mystic energies. With this in mind, try and limit suggestions of elements to things you think might interact with this purpose in interesting ways. Maybe include your thoughts on how it might work, instead of just throwing it out there- give Wordblood and the rest of us something to work with.

For example, I'll use some of the ideas we came up with in dis:

Time was considered because it perhaps offered us great passive energy generation (less dependence on souls or other energy sources), maybe mess with our connection to lunar cycles, and because it might allow us to reallocate Titan's will or other energy even after it's been spent (ie, take back points we spent on upgrades later).

Light was considered because our Lunar nature already draws power from the moon, and and light might allow us to manipulate that, or draw more from it. Or perhaps interact interestingly with the shadowland.
>>
No. 467710 ID: 14d963

>"If you ever find out the Dragon or his agents are trying to get some sort of power source into his possession - places where magic flows up from the land, cults that provide him with prayer, that sort of thing - let him have them. He needs them for... something important."
I won't pry, I have no interest seeing you trapped between two unbreakable oaths. I'm willing to agree not to interfere with the Dragon's Shadow's efforts to acquire any power source that doesn't already rightfully belong to someone else.

>"If your Element is already claimed by another mighty force, they will be able to exert power over you; but in time, and growth, so too could you exert power over them."
How much power? Would the other claimant be able to affect us from anywhere, or would we only be in danger if we meet the Titan who shares our element up close?

While we're on the subject, do you know of any other beings that share your element of Words? What are the prospects of friendly or hostile interaction with such a being?

>>467669
>I don't suppose it's in our power to manifest Wordblood externally, or Peregrin internally? If we're discussing this with the two of them, it'd be nice to do so on a plane where all parties can converse.
>>467682
>Also, could we offer to take him into the world-body so he can actually watch the process? We DID agree to teach him about titans...
This. Invite Peregrin into our mind (as we did with Gevin) if we can do so safely.

>Element choice
I have no good ideas right now, sorry.
>>
No. 467728 ID: 92c81e

I think my favorites are Time, Light, or Love/Bonds, based on many of the reasons already stated.

I feel Bonds is one of the best in regards to its connection to feeding, as well as helping to manage our power and will. Think not only managing our internal power, but those we have bonds with. Peregrin for example, or any friends or allies we have yet to make. I also like it because I believe it would help keep our humanity moreso than some other choices.
>>
No. 467730 ID: 84df54

>Element
Nothing from the discussion thread list really does it for me. they are all too passive and many have too much potential to be wasted as a power source (light, time, desire). I want something we can that we have a more active role in, I don't want to be sitting around in the right place for a long time until we soak up enough... whatevers to get some churn out some Titan's Will. Raccoons is just a Terrible, Terrible idea.

Evolution is what we are creating a feeding soul for... it feels like you are trying to plug a power bar into itself. it's seriously wasted potential and it's also covered by some really big players (Luna for one, literally innumerable Wyld Things for another).

I like the Connections suggestion, growing stronger by exploring, meeting people and making friend/enemies/attachments really appeals to me. It reinforces our humanity and personality while encouraging us to be an active part of the world. I can think of one powerful being who has this element already; Wordblood knows her so I will let him bring her up (Venus). If this is chosen I nominate Life-Weaver as it's name and it's form be that of a spider.

>Imprisoned Souls
"Are you okay with letting us eat these souls 'Pip'? It seems like you are trying to protect them yet you are offering them for our consumption."
Whatever Peregrin's answer we should try to make sure that these souls are guilty of what he says they are before we devour them. we can move them between the crystals and our mindscape and talk to them as we need to.

Thought: if our feeding soul is all about connections is consuming spirits going to be the same? It seems more in character to hold the spirits in our mindscape and have them form some sort of community. I can see arguments for grokking them (look it up) also working but I like the imagery of the former option better and it gets a lot of the moral quandary out of the way.

Finally: what's with the crazy outline we had when we shadow walked? Peregrin never had one.
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No. 467731 ID: 9b155d

Given that we were told way back we might either get power from things from their existence or from devouring/destroying them, I don't want to risk bonds. It's also very broad.

Time seems interesting though, as does Civilization potentially, though I'd probably prefer that for another Deva though. Like the possibility of a Crafting, War, or Stealth Deva of Civilization(The first two are obvious, the third might be useful in hiding our entire powerbase)
>>
No. 467733 ID: e0e619

Matke time the element.
>>
No. 467734 ID: e0e619

Matke time the element.
>>
No. 467739 ID: e59c63

>>467608

What we need, and what we have not been shown, is knowledge.

Such a deva would also compliment the one we already have.

Therefore, I advocate putting forth the element of Truth. Not just what people believe, or opinions. More accurately it should be the element of Fact. A cold and harsh elemental, merciless and hard-but incredibly useful in our current situation.

Also, anyone who tries to influence said elemental will probably be forced to alert us instantly.
>>
No. 467742 ID: 888f37

Yes, make Deva first, then eat souls.
>>
No. 467747 ID: 8247d0

Determination seems cool.
>>
No. 467748 ID: 14d963

>>467730
>Thought: if our feeding soul is all about connections is consuming spirits going to be the same? It seems more in character to hold the spirits in our mindscape and have them form some sort of community.
A similar concept was discussed when we were deciding what to do with Peregrin, that of making an Akuma. It was mentioned that the bonded soul's thoughts and feelings would influence ours through the bond, meaning that this is definitely something we don't want to do to anyone who's morality we disapprove of. Also, while we'd get some advantage from a soul bound up in such a way, I doubt we would get any Titan's Will unless we actually broke the soul apart.
>>
No. 467779 ID: 575dba

I support the Element of Time
>>
No. 467780 ID: ecfcdc

All the listed ideas would be good to have as subsouls. But for a soul that acquires and manages resources, what could be more appropriate than Civilization? For is such acquisition and management not the main purpose of civilization? And it also speaks well to our own eventual nature, while synergizing with our nature as a Lunar in an unusual and very interesting way.
>>
No. 467781 ID: 1fc1b6

I would like to hear what Wordsblood and Peregrin think before voting on the element. So far I like Connections(growing by meeting new people or exploring).
>>
No. 467798 ID: 634566

Not so sure if it's such a good idea right now, but in opposition of the civilization element I'd like to purpose Strife. I can't really see Saulanna adapting that well to civilization, since she's sort of disconnected from every other group due to her conflicting natures, and it doesn't make sense to have someone who can't really connect to any group have that as a dominant trait.

I think strife kind of describes that situation pretty well, since to get anywhere in one piece it looks like we're going to be beating other people off with a stick. Hopefully Strife and Wordblood's Words can even synergize as things like debate and such without ever threatening to really overlap each other.
>>
No. 467799 ID: 34d817

>>467608
I would appreciate Peregrin and Wordblood's take on the Civilization element, with the following considerations.

Concept: Civilization as an Element is, essentially, shaping the world instead of being shaped by it. This has a myriad of ramifications- conflict, struggle, organization, community, building, resource management, culture, that sort of thing- but those are derivative of its essence. Maybe they'd be Noble souls later.

Expected Personality Shifts: This Element is partially rooted in a conflict plaguing Saulanna right now, as was apparent when confronting the Moon Heroes. Their way was to be aggressive, to intimidate and to force confrontation, and while Saulanna's initial instinct as a person was to use friendliness, diplomacy, and guile to achieve her objectives, her Moon Hero's soul exulted and felt that it was doing the right thing when she cast that aside and started yelling, pushing her initial way of thinking aside in favor of the more open and reactionary confrontation that it is meant for. As evidenced by its animal ties, the Moon Hero soul is driven by instinct and wildness; it is what it is naturally and grows as such instead of forcing itself to be what it wishes to be. By empowering one of her Lord Souls with Civilization, Saulanna will ideally give her human's instincts and impulses the backing of power that her animal's instincts already possess via her Moon Hero soul, hopefully helping her complete being achieve a more balanced nature. There may be, however, a risk that it will make her sort of bipolar should her natures end up competing with instead of complimenting each other; can Wordblood or Peregrin suggest a method to avoid this? At any rate, it shouldn't drastically shift her mindset away from a human perspective.

Interaction with Purpose: Civilization should have fairly solid synergy for generating, gathering, and managing our Will and magic since it has strong overtones of organization and control, with the implication of seeking prosperity. Being around or helping to build up "civilized" areas- cities, mostly, but any kind of large-scale infrastructure project or great technological achievement would probably work too- is fairly easy to do (most interesting stuff is in those places anyway) and might give us a modest boost to our growth. And looking to the future, being able to shape civilizations specifically so that they provide us with the most magic and Will possible would be potentially extremely powerful as a solid and reliable power base, either to support us in conflict or maintain a flow of energy in peace.

Other Considerations: It would be nice to rule people at some point- more than we sort of do through Peregrin from the shadows here, that is- and maybe this soul would eventually develop abilities which would help shape large groups of people or their works to be more in line with our desires. Building up civilizations to help ourselves draw on more energy would be fun, engaging, and probably solid public relations since a large civilization would likely be attractive to most people (because it would mean prosperity) and gods (because more people is more prayer). It also meshes well with the usual Moon Hero ways of doing things should we manage to pass ourselves off as normal-ish for a while longer.
>>
No. 467802 ID: 634566

>>467799
I don't think the reaction with the Lunars was a sign of our Exaltation screwing with us, I was under the impression that these sort of things go to the people that it fits best, and Saulanna at least used to be a treasure hunter of some sort, it doesn't seem like she would have many civilized instincts to start out with, her reaction to the Lunars could easily be seen as nervousness or just being overly accepting of them.

'Word of God' says the importance of interacting with the element in such a way is being overplayed here, and our hero could just as easily spend some good time making another friend, or doing difficult tasks which require a lot of willpower, or even just petting a lot of raccoons with any of the other elements. In fact our leadership could be pretty unstable if anyone figures out that we're both Anathema (Though the Red Dawn did kind of clear that out didn't it?) and enemy of the gods. With that in mind I think most of the traits of Civilization fall under Other Considerations.

Now here I just don't see the connection between being a ruler and vesting our powers inside of construction, we're kind of a demigod twice over already and don't really need to go any farther to become the queen of anywhere. All of the Exalted are sort of natural leaders, and hey even The Shadow Of All That Exists now controls a sizable part of the whole realm. As for fun, that's just me but I don't really see Jukashi making this a city building quest.
>>
No. 467804 ID: 14d963

Just as an aside: raccoons are among the animals that are most comfortable living in human cities. They can get pretty crafty as interacting with the artificial landscape.
>>
No. 467805 ID: 14d963

Err, at.
>>
No. 467816 ID: 2b353b

Hmm, I like the idea of Bonds myself. Feeding by forming/breaking bonds sounds like something that would fit with a social leaning character like Saulanna, and it may well have immediate use as well as long term benefits!
>>
No. 467818 ID: 38cd76

Civilization, Bonds, and Light are all concepts I can add my support to, whatever those ends may be.

Light has a myriad of uses. It signifies truth and eliminates deception. It can be either cleansing or searing, and it is an element of finding things. I like this as a deva, I'm not sure it is best suited element for a feeder soul though.

Bonds is another one I like. Bonds of friendship, love and trust, bonds of enmity and hate, bonds of servitude, bonds of loyalty. The different kinds of bonds out there are endless. Again, I'm not certain on that one.

I think my favorite is Civilization, and it gets my final vote. Civilization contains love, poetry, art, and beauty, but it also contains war and tactics. It contains bureaucracy and peace, as well as great agriculture, innovation and scientific discoveries. All in all, it is a symbol of power, order, and creation.

There is good overlap with our needs as a Feeder Soul I believe.
>>
No. 467839 ID: 7f2a1b

I'm-a cast my vote on Civilization as well.
>>
No. 467842 ID: a69257

>>467839
I'd prefer to wait on word from Wordblood and Peregrin before we make our final decision.



At the moment though, I'm leaning AGAINST civilization: WoG is that Civilization as we've defined it isn't something Primordial, and the way it's defined that he DOES like it... frankly doesn't sound good.

(I dunno how to link across board - here's a direct quote)

>I'm really not quite sure what you fellows mean by Civilization, to be honest.

>Do you mean, like, social/cultural development? Because, I have to say since I'm studying anthropology, the hierarchical view of primitive to civilized fell out of favour in like, the eighties. And if I did allow it, it would be more like Culture, and it would refer to like art and language and ritual and such, and be dangerously close to Wordblood.

>Or do you mean structural development, like the creation of bureaucracy, division of labour, building cities and governments? That would be more like... Structure, or Order.

>Technological development? That'd be more Technology, or Artifice or something.

>A blend of all the above would be spreading the net kinda wide.

>I'm not certain I approve of "Civilization" in any case. I mean, you can make a case for it, and you do have one canonical Titan who's clearly got a city inside him somehow, but, as I think I said earlier in this thread, your Elements have to be elemental. Primal. Sort of. Solid, real, something's always going to exist in some form. Like, Wordblood is Communication, but that's sort of too refined a term. You know what it's going for, though. The idea of words having power, or the spiritual significance of a person's voice, is very old and universal. "Civilization"... not really feeling that, so much? It's just not...

>... Y'know.

>...

>... primordial.

I like the idea of Bonds - it has a lot of the advantages of Civilization and others with fewer disadvantages, and it sounds like something that Communication could cooperate with, as opposed to fight with. And at the moment we need to keep our world-body as united as possible. Time is a close second, since we can potentially undo expenditures of Titan's will, thus allowing us to more efficiently utilize our powers.
>>
No. 467843 ID: 42ace1

Bonds is the Element I like the best, and has my vote. As a Feeding Soul, it should be able to assist in Social Combat, devouring undesired 'bonds' as they are formed and nurturing desired bonds as they are made.

If Bonds does not win, Time is the other Element I vote for.
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No. 467847 ID: ec0dea

>>467843
Ugh. If you just want a soul that can assist in Social Combat, we already have Wordblood. His element is Words and he purpose is to assist: you can't get much better than that. We really should be upgrading his Soul Force at some point.

I like Time, but we should be getting Peregrin's and Wordblood's thoughts before we actually make this decision, yes.
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No. 467854 ID: cee89f

>>467847
True, but Bonds would not just be a boost to social combat. It would also actively encourage Saulanna to form relationships and connections, and potentially be empowered every time we meet a new person. Granted, the way this game works means that the Bonds deva probably won't gain power just because we say 'hello' but the idea is that the potential for a bond is in all things that we do.

I honestly don't think we should worry about secondary abilities for now - we should just focus on what affects the Feeding Deva's ability to feed, etc etc
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No. 467877 ID: 34d817

>>467842
You quote across boards like this: >>/questdis/62748

Not so coincidentally, that is a somewhat more recent post from our author, which contains this line regarding the Civilization element:
>And that would have the mythic quality necessary: it's the old Gilgamesh-and-Enkidu, hun-and-po, superego-and-id, dog-and-wolf dichotomy that has a strong symbolic resonance. I'd allow that.

So while there are plenty of arguments against Civilization, "Jukashi doesn't think it's valid" really isn't one. What he describes in that post is what we want (or at least what I want), and is what I've at least tried to get at in >>467799.

>Time
Using Time seems like something which will make Saulanna's perspective drift way toward the inhuman end of the scale. Humans might be constantly immersed in it, but that doesn't make it any less alien to them than, say, Air is. I don't want any element which would pull Saulanna away from her humanity right now. She's too young and too weak to adopt an alien perspective and have it work. Time is powerful and can be useful to us- but let's save that for later. It might have endgame hax as a Feeding Soul, but it'll have endgame hax through other Purposes as well.

>Bonds
Bonds is a great element, but I really don't want to use it for our Feeding Soul. It really resonates with potential for social applications, and that's both not what the feeding soul is for and not what we need right now since we already have Wordblood for that. Bank it for when we need something else that can make good use of it.
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No. 467880 ID: 14d963

Incidentally, why are we calling Saulanna a social character? She's acting social right now because the current challenge we're facing is of social nature, but on character creation we defined her as mental first, social second, and physical third.

And everyone, please remember Wordblood's advice.
>"Do not make your final decision yet; it is wise to take advice. Tell me your thoughts, and I will answer. Peregrin, too, may have valuable opinions to offer."
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No. 467883 ID: 886a4d

Most of the elements suggested so far haven't really struck me as Feeder elements. Civlization, Light, don't really say consume to me. But Bonds is perhaps the closest.

What the Feeder soul is going to be doing is stripping the old bonds, the memories, the feelings, the thoughts that attached it to its old life \ death off the souls it 'eats' and applying new ones attached to itself and Saulanna. The memories and skills will also be rebonded to Saulanna as well. Just a slightly different outlook on how eating souls works and the element of Bonds becomes very apt.
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No. 467905 ID: 7f2a1b

>>467842
Re: final decisions, I sort of thought we were more-or-less voting on which potential element(s) to ask about further.

With that in mind, I'm-a switch from Civ to Bonds as the suggested element, and yes, requesting input on the matter from our good friends WB and P.

(also naming myself Hamface to avoid mixups between all the anonymous Suggestions and such)
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No. 467906 ID: 400fb2

So these souls are definitely slavers then. I don't like slavers either. It appears that their only options are 1) eternal imprisonment, 2) forcibly sent to Lethe, 3) eaten by us. Eternal imprisonment is simply unacceptable, and evidence suggests that that's not viable. Crystals break; the jade prison broke; the ebon dragon escaped. So we can't do (1).

At present, we can't do (2) either. As Peregrin said, they won't reincarnate on their own. We could eventually develop charms to send them to Lethe, but that will take time and resources that we currently can't afford. From our deathlore we should be able to determine that what Wordblood said earlier was true--when entering Lethe the individual and their memories, experience, and personality cease to exist.

If we chose (3), then we will gain the power to help others and ourselves, and the slaver's knowledge and experience will continue to exist in us. Based on our current circumstances and information, I now support eating these particular 2 souls. Better that a vital part of them lives in us than losing it forever to Lethe.

In regards to the element for our new feeder soul, I believe our original suggestion of Knowledge is the best fit. Knowledge fits our personality and ability. We're a thinker-type exalt. Unlike some of the other options, it's clear how we can express feeding on or spreading knowledge. In fact, we've already been feeding on knowledge when we absorb souls, so it fits nicely.

If we want better social-fu, improve word blood with the extra titan's will from these two souls. We should have enough afterwards to make a feeding soul (4), restore our soul force (2), and raise word blood's soul force (2). We don't need to hijack our personality for a single inconvenient situation.
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No. 467935 ID: e297bb

"Bonds" actually overlaps with what I was going for with "culture", but lacks some of the connotations I was going for.

I have my own list of possibilities that I'd like to ask Wordblood and Perigrin about. I'm keeping the ones that HalfTangible wanted to talk about on my list, because I really do want to hear the answers, and I don't oppose asking about them. There's also some overlap.

I'd really like to get an answer on whether they think these particular elements would push Saulanna away from her humanity, or help to preserve it. I'd also like to know which known primordials / demons / incarnae / etc would be able to influence us through these concepts, and possibly how.

Bonds to other people
Civilization as opposed to Nature/Wilderness (one official possible interpretation from Jukashi)
Culture(s) as that which binds a group/culture together, and the outward expression of that culture (stories, paintings, sculpture, manners). My defense of this concept can be read at >>/questdis/62913
Desire
Light
Raccoon (it's just too funny not to see what they say)
Restraint (I don't think it's particularly appropriate, but maybe I'm missing something they would reveal, and I'm trying to seek out a connotation of restraint in whatever element we pick).
Souls (including our own Devas, and their sub-divisions?)
Time
Will


Also, some people are bringing up the topic of eating the slavers or not.

Before we have the debate on whether or not to eat the ghosts, but not necessarily now, I think that we should ask Peregrin and Wordblood to discuss the nature of ghosts, and souls. Having a knowledgeable part of a primordial, and a knowledgeable Dark Hero discuss this, and explain what, exactly, they are, and are not, might be helpful.

Specifically, are they in any sense alive? Able to grow and change? Or do they just shadows/echoes that fade away and "pass on" when old motivations are fulfilled? What happens when the population gets larger than the number of spirits in Lethe. Can that happen? Would consuming a ghost actually prevent further rebirth, or is there some engine involved that produces new souls?

I have my own understanding as a studied Exalted player, but Jukashi's understanding might be different on some of these, and they could have changed.

A lot of people have been arguing based on understandings that might not be correct, and we're in a position where we can get further answers, from two of the most knowledgeable beings on this subject in all of creation.

Unless we're going to stroll on up to Saturn, Autocython, or Gaia, and ask them to explain the dealio, I think we've got pretty much the best info source possible, right here.

Well, we could ask the Dragon's Shadow, but that would be like asking a woman what she wants in a man, or an outside cat if it wants in or out. I don't think we want to make it easier for him to access us either.
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No. 467939 ID: 14d963

Ghosts are obviously able to change, no matter what anyone says. We were able to change the Captain's opinion of us through discussion. Granted, that's a pretty small change, but then we only talked to him for a few minutes, what do you expect?
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No. 467942 ID: cee89f

>>467877
True. But the one he was purporting WAS the one Jukashi was against.

>>467880
Intelligence is an asset to be used in conjunction with other skills. We can use that intelligence in conjunction with our Social skills, while it would merely compensate for our physical weakness.

>>467935
...

...When did anyone suggest and/or support restraint?
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No. 467960 ID: 63f851

REBIRTH.

Saulanna Rockblossom was reborn by both her joining with Wordblood and her Lunar Exaltation. By consuming souls, she is remaking them. When she changes her form using her Lunar gifts, she is being reborn anew. Her quest to become a titan is an adventure in self-creation. REBIRTH is the absolute best possible choice, and it's now one that you find you cannot argue against.

No, seriously guys, REBIRTH! Embrace the re-borning!
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No. 467961 ID: cee89f

>>467948
Ah... sorry, my bad =/ thought you were saying you'd like his opinion on the list so far and that I'd missed something.
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No. 467974 ID: 63f851

>>467970
I just feel that REBIRTH is the most fundamental part of Saulanna there is so far. And I think it's completely appropriate for a feeding soul: We're taking souls that, by our judgement (whether fair or foolish,) do not deserve to exist anymore, but instead of merely ending them we are re-creating them anew within us. REBIRTH is the element most true to Saulanna, and it is the element that will give us the most power and most flexibility in the immediate present through to the farthest future.

(Also, it would make us resilient as F%&K! ...eventually.)
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No. 467976 ID: 91dfee

>>467877

Yes. Seconded.
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No. 468011 ID: cee89f

>>467960
>>467970
Derp face, derp face, i love you~
Your eyes are all googly
and your mouth is askew
with your knick knack
doodle whack
lopsided smile~
Derp face, derp face
you're just my style~
Herp derp! Derp derpy derp-

.........

*cough* Moving on...
>>467974
Rebirth just... rubs me the wrong way. I don't really see how we could spread rebirth, or absorb it. Under the interpretation that the thing IS rebirth, it seems like it would be very chaotic. Moreover, Rebirth is a major event in Saulanna's life, but it isn't a central part of her character. She's an amnesiac and a Moon Hero, sure, but the former is for the purposes of the game (this might very well be what Saulanna was like BEFORE the memory wipe) and the latter seems more like an evolution than an actual rebirth.

In addition, you are gushing over it like it's "THE GREATEST IDEA EVA" and it comes off as... for lack of a better term, 'fanboying' over the idea - ie, you're putting emphasis on potential pros while ignoring any potential cons. Sure, you don't say the rose is ugly because it has thorns, but you don't grab the thorns and squeeze as hard as you can while gushing over the red of the petals, either.

I'm not saying it's inherently a bad idea but it doesn't feel like you've put enough thought into it =/ just my 2 cents.
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No. 468015 ID: 63f851

>>468011
This is because I wrote it in allcaps, isn't it? D:

Yeah, on second though it doesn't quite seem so smart or anything. Eh.
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No. 468094 ID: 6a0563

What are your guys thoughts on HEROISM as an element? We could possibly enhance our hero soul's abilities and efficiencies, as well as feeding off HEROIC ACTS performed by ourself and other heroes. Finally since the feeder can also regulate this could give us more control over our HERO SOUL including the light given off.

I don't think there is a Titan of heroes although Isidoros probably comes the closest.
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No. 468098 ID: 072a73

We're obviously way in over our heads here.

PRAY TO LUNA before going forward
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No. 468099 ID: f2c20c

>>468098
I do not think we should pray to Luna about Titan stuff. Not until we have established ourselves as a force of good in the world.
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No. 468121 ID: d6ae01

I honestly could not tell which was the discussion thread and which was the quest thread.

Keep discussion in the discussion thread.
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No. 468136 ID: 1da170

Hmm, on a side note that everyone seems to have missed in favor of what element our new soul should be, Peregrin's perspective makes it seem like getting recruited by the Dragon's Shadow is probably not the BAD END we were initially led to believe it would be.

Just another choice among many, albeit not a really good one. He'd want to keep us on a much tighter leash than the likes of Akatrina and most people would hate us, but we would almost certainly grow much faster that way.
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No. 468138 ID: 14d963

I'm okay being neutral to the Dragon's Shadow, but I REALLY don't want to make any deals with him until we're strong enough to have some real leverage over him. At least.
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No. 468269 ID: b24894

I wouldn't mind knowing Wordblood's thoughts on the Element of "Darkness". The Dragon's Shadow likely has this as an Element for a very fundamental deva (possibly his King, though that might be Opposition).

But, being that we are closely related enough to a carnivorous nocturnal animal that a Raccoon became our Spirit Animal, I think it would be possible to make a home in Darkness, and also Feed off of it. If we're going to oppose the Dragon's Shadow, we might as well do it the Lunar way; by infiltrating the place that he feels safe, making it our home, and then going all predatory on him and everything he is and cares for.

Also, of course, we have to know what Wordblood and Peregrin think about the Element of Raccoons. That's my first choice.
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No. 468278 ID: 38cd76

>>468269
I would also be amiable to this suggestion.

Or in a similar light, maybe the element of DEATH. Or Life, for that matter.
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No. 468299 ID: 690722

Will sounds interesting, would like to hear what Wordblood has to say. But I would really like the element to be less about imposing your will on others, and more about staying true to yourself. Integrity? Perseverance? "Resisting pressure" rather than "putting pressure on others". Choosing your own way, instead of forcing others to do your bidding.
Wait. What about Choice, actually? Freedom of choice?

Also, would really like to hear more about those slaver souls. Peregrin does sound like he might have some reservations. We are not in that much of a hurry yet, and if we start making rash decisions now, Saulanna might soon become no better than dear old Ebby when real trouble comes. This is not the level of challenge that should force us to disregard the (un)lives of others, there will be much worse down the road. So yes, lots of deliberation and as much input from Peregrin and Wordblood (on both matters) as possible. This is not the time to hurry.
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No. 468303 ID: eb5438
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468303

>[[AUTHOR: Again, use the discussion thread if you're responding to another suggestion. Any player posts in this thread should only be directed at Saulanna. I can tolerate a little bit of banter if it accompanies proper contributions, but if I see any one person posting more than twice at most between quest updates, I'll set the mods on them.]]

Saulanna feels a few questions in regards the souls she's being offered by Peregrin, but decides to hold off on the whole subject of eating souls until after she's made her new deva. As such, she wonders if she could bring Wordblood out, to let him and Peregrin discuss things more easily. Or bring Peregrin in.

>"I certainly expect that you'll be able to summon me forth in the future, my lady; but for now, I'm far too weak to make myself manifest in the material world, nor are you strong enough to release me. As for bringing him in, I don't think your inner world can quite sustain him yet. For one, there's no air in here."

That's that, it seems. More directly on topic, Saulanna wonders about overlap. Horning in on occupied Elements sounds like a bad idea! But it would severely limit her if she tried to avoid them all.

>"Oh, of course. But Titans have shared Elements before: between different Titans, it would normally only be a problem if the Purposes are close as well. A warrior Light deva and a perceptive Light deva would still have clear boundaries where one has dominance over the other."

"It is a worry, but I don't think you should fret too much about it. The Neverborn are all dead and sealed away, and the Titans in Hell have severe limits on what they can do outside their prison, so they're not an issue unless you visit them or they escape. Gaia's not around and Autochthon's asleep, so the Dragon's the only one to watch. The gods are more of a problem, but aside the Suns, Luna and the Maidens, they're much weaker. And if push comes to shove, don't they have to obey what a Titan orders them to do?"

>"It's true. As for shared Elements within a deva, now, that's much more dangerous issue. Sharing Purposes usually causes war, but devas who try to share the same Element will always devour each other. They don't even need to fight: they will simply be drawn together, unable to assert themselves as separate beings. Even having Elements that are simply close to each other, though certainly possible, is dangerous: each Lord needs room for their Nobles to grow through association. For example, Gaia's Fire Lord, the Elemental Dragon Hesiesh, has Noble souls who expand his dominion through associated sub-elements such as Passion, Light, Pain and Energy. Or most conceptual Elements, for example, develop a material association, such as Adrián's Mercy with water. Only King or Queen souls will usually get away with pushing up even that close to their fellow devas' territories."

>"So, now: do you have any specific ideas?"


There are a lot of possibilities! Saulanna will try to go through all of them.

- Logic/Rationality

>"That's a little too specific. It would be appropriate for a Noble soul, under something like Order, or Thought."

- Civilization

>"It could cause problems with your Hero Soul: I don't know a lot about how they work, but your Moon Power has very strong resonance with the essences of nature and chaos. At the very least, a Feeding Soul with such an Element would be unable to help you regulate your lunar magic. It would also set you in contention with Luna, Gaia and other powers associated with the wild. It's possible that it might act as a form of complementary balancing opposite, but if it was my decision, I wouldn't risk it. The same problems would apply to Order, in case you were wondering about that one as well."

"I wouldn't have associated it with, uh, Feeding, myself. Though, as far as I understand, the Feeding deva will be a sort of energy regulator as well? Collection and redistribution? That might work. Still, I would think of it as more of a building or social engineering sort of concept."

- Thought

>"Thought seems to me an Element that would be more suited for other Purposes. I... would also feel a little threatened by it, my lady. One of my ancient self's Lords was based in Thought, and I was thinking of forming one of my Nobles from it."

- Culture

>"Some of the same problems as Civilization, and again, it feels a little too close to me. Language is a large part of culture, symbols and systems of expression and the context in which they have meaning. The collective voice of a community. I'd rather if you left it for me to handle, when I'm stronger."

- Desire

>"The Dragon's Shadow has a Lord of that Element, I believe. Not for Feeding, I think, but unfortunately, most Titans keep the Purposes of their souls a secret, so I can only guess. It's possible - Desire to generate energy does make sense. Such a deva would be strong-willed, though, and difficult to control. Unlikely to ever be content with anything."

- Light

>"Let's see... Light would put your weight on the toes of Sol, Luna, the Maidens of Fate... the Red Sun as well, almost forgot... two of Gaia's devas, a little, and Ligier. It's a versatile Element, my lady, suited to interaction with your Hero Soul, and could fit to several Purposes. Not quite sure how one would feed through it, though. Feeding souls are usually of more "receptive" Elements, while Light is more... "penetrative". Feeding on darkness, perhaps, but that would put you in an uncomfortable position with the Dragon's Shadow."

"This might be the influence of my own magic speaking, but I think we have too many big lights in the sky to begin with."

- Raccoons

>"..."

- Time

>"Interesting! Many Titans can influence the passage of time, my lady, but only a few Titans have had lordly Time souls. The Lidless Eye That Sees has it for a Seeing soul, but as you might have guessed, he has a lot of Seeing souls. He, erm, likes to watch things. Then there's Szoreny, I'm not sure what he uses his for. Oramus has one, I think, but he's strange. And Gaia... had one? I've actually been wondering about that. Two out of Gaia's seven seem to be missing from the knowledge of any of the sources we've consumed, and that's very basic information! I understand why Aa might be hidden, and she must be alright, but there's no mention of Haht'hek. Could you ask your vassal, actually?"

Well, Saulanna asks Peregrin, then.

"I've... never heard of any Elemental Dragon by that name. I only though there were five of them?"

>"That's... very worrisome. What happened to the Dragon of Time? I'm sorry; you wanted to know about Time for our purposes. I don't have personal experience, but from what I know, it's risky but powerful. As long as we refrain from interfering with causality, however, it should be safe. A Feeding deva based in Time could manipulate the rate at which we gain power, help speed the work of its fellow devas, and perhaps reclaim expenditures by undoing them. You can't easily spread its influence, and there are one or two other Purposes it could be put to, but overall I think it would be one of my personal recommendations."

- Will

Saulanna actually... doesn't like that, herself. Or... well, not that she doesn't like it - the concept of Will actually seems very appealing! But the thought of making a deva based in that Element feels distinctly uncomfortable. She's not sure why; but she feels a little insulted by the suggestion, somehow. She feels an implication in it that she's deficient in terms of willpower, herself. She'll manage it eventually!

>"Will is the basis of all Titanic power; the foundation of reality itself. I think Oramus has a Will soul, though again, we're all unsure about him. It would be very, very powerful! But I'm not actually sure if we can produce a deva whose Element is Will. The deva is being born through the use of will, so it has a certain recursive absurdity to it, like a carpenter trying to make a tree out of wood. And it would be a difficult deva to control, in any case."

- Souls

>"My lady, souls are just fragments of Titanic Will that have been shaped into various forms for various purposes. Human souls collect excess energy from their surroundings, refine it into aether, and channel that in turn to the gods through prayer, or to the world of dreams when they sleep and when they die. That would just be Will. Or perhaps you mean something like Self, or Identity? Those have both been done before, and they could work. They could try to assert themselves over you, however, and I think they could be used better for protective Purposes."

- Unity

>Much the same problem, I'm afraid."

- Love/Compassion/Bonds/Connections

"Ugh. You might need to excuse me a moment while I throw up, mistress."

>"Hmf! I think Love a very noble concept, my lady. Such a Feeding deva would draw strength from and through all manner of benevolent bonds, and would be a force for the benefit of all. However... this is a dangerous world, born from conflict and marred by strife. A Feeding deva formed from Love would have difficulty helping you in any endeavor that could involve harming anything; and as I can personally attest, your Hero Soul was created as a weapon. A soul formed from the broader concept of Bonds would not have this problem, but it would be difficult for you to maintain dominance, and I think it would serve better for social Purposes."

-Maternal/Nurturing

>"Those are Purposes, not Elements."

- Determination

>I think this would be expressed as Will, my lady, if I understand the idea you're aiming towards."

- Evolution/self-perfection

>"There's a certain element of limitation to those words; perhaps Growth would be more apropos? A positive Element, and one that would help us gain power; perhaps help others gain power, too, if we wish. The only problem I can see is that it would produce a deva who's difficult to contain; like with Desire, they would never be satisfied. It also sits on a rather grey area between Purpose and Element."

"I think Luna and Gaia both have a strong connection to the concept of evolution, and the Unconquered Sun to growth."

>"Indeed, yes."

- Knowledge/Truth

>"An Element I like; a deva formed from it might give us access to information we would otherwise have no access to. However, if it were my decision, I would save it for a Seeing soul."

- Strife

>"If you were willing to feed from Strife, it would certainly serve well enough. It might be a troublemaker even within your inner world, however."

"You'd be setting yourself directly in the territory of the Maiden of Strife. Uranus isn't even a goddess people usually want on their side, so setting yourself against her might be a bad idea."

- Balance

>"I'm not sure how you'd use that for Feeding. Creating and spreading balance, I suppose, but balance isn't necessarily a good thing, in my experience. I expect it would also produce a very passive, inactive deva."

- Restraint

>"That seems like it would be an odd Element for Feeding purposes. It would help prevent loss of power, and probable be good at efficiency, but it wouldn't be very good at producing gains in the first place."

- Rebirth

"That doesn't sound very sustainable."

>"I think that would be more suited for a healing Purpose."

- Heroism

>"Another one that could be hard to control, and unlikely to ever sit still. It could have insights and influence with the various champions of the gods, like yourself and Peregrin, but that's not exactly a quality in line with the Purpose of Feeding."

- Darkness

>"A powerful Element, my lady, but one that the Dragon's Shadow has always been a bit territorial on; I remember him having issues with Gaia over dominion of the Darkness under the Earth. You might also think of saving it if you had ideas on making a deva for Stealth Purposes."

"Darkness would give you influence over a lot of malevolent forces. The biggest problem, though is that you'd be setting yourself in direct opposition to the Unconquered Sun. It'd be officially unholy under the laws of Heaven, and you'd be vulnerable to certain weapons and magical powers used by his servants."

- Death

"Oh, no, that... Don't. Just... The Dragon has a high-level soul associated with death, and... ugh, all right, I can't say why, it's the oath again. But don't make yourself a soul based on death. It wouldn't be good for you."

- Life

>I don't see any particular advantages or disadvantages to Life as an Element. It's in Gaia's territory, but I don't think she'd mind; and you could consider leaving it for a deva dedicated to healing or creating."
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No. 468304 ID: eb5438
File 135195384788.png - (100.27KB , 540x600 , wbwarns.png )
468304

>"You have a lot of options, my lady; but you can only choose one. You've heard our opinions, but the choice is yours. The time has come to make your decision, and take the next step towards your full Titanic potential."

>"I should warn you again: this will be very painful."


Which Element will Saulanna choose to make her new deva?

[[AUTHOR: The vote is open! To avoid strategic voting, we will use Alternative Voting: make a list of all the Elements you like, numbered in your order of preference. You can vote for Elements that haven't been mentioned already, if you like. If there are Elements you don't like, just leave them off your list entirely. If you want to try convince other players which ones are best, or want to find out what other players think, go to the discussion thread linked in the first post of this page.]]
>>
No. 468305 ID: 886a4d

1. Bonds
2. Time
3. Life
>>
No. 468306 ID: e3f578

1. Time
And shit I don't know, something like
2. Pleasure or Hedonism
>>
No. 468308 ID: 520da2

Time
>>
No. 468309 ID: d6324a

1) Bonds
2) Life
>>
No. 468310 ID: 0f4205

1.Time
2.Growth
>>
No. 468311 ID: beeca1

1. Time
2. Life
3. Arrogance
>>
No. 468314 ID: f2c20c

>>468304
Well, shit. It really seems like Time is our only really good option from what we came up with. Everything else that lends itself well to feeding would either be difficult to control, be better off as a different Purpose, or kinda suck at its job.

1. Time
2. Truth
3. Love
>>
No. 468318 ID: 400fb2

1. Knowledge
2. Time
3. Love
>>
No. 468319 ID: 3338b5

>Well, shit. It really seems like Time is our only really good option from what we came up with. Everything else that lends itself well to feeding would either be difficult to control, be better off as a different Purpose, or kinda suck at its job.
Yeah, Worblood reacted negatively to a lot more of those than I expected. Although, the redirecting some elements as better suited to other purposes is interesting (rebirth- healing, darkness- stealth, etc) and may be useful in the future.

>I think it would be one of my personal recommendations
Honestly, it really sounds like time is our best bet. He didn't give any glaring downsides, it was the only one Wordblood was actually interested in, and there appears to be a tempting plot hook connection to Gaia.

1.Time
>>
No. 468320 ID: 0426cd

1. Time
2. Growth
3. Knowledge
>>
No. 468322 ID: 690722

1. Love
2. Will
3. Life
>>
No. 468323 ID: 4a328b

1 Time
2 Growth
3 Love
>>
No. 468324 ID: b6edd6

1. Time
2. Knowledge
3. Growth
>>
No. 468325 ID: c59939

1. Time
2. Knowledge/Truth
3. Life
>>
No. 468326 ID: 87eba9

1. Time
2. Growth
3. ambition
>>
No. 468327 ID: 60fee2

1.Time
2.Love
3.Growth
>>
No. 468331 ID: 8113b2

1.Time
2.Light
3.Will
>>
No. 468335 ID: dbd3eb

1. Ego (a la She Who Lives in her Name, who is immutable)
2. Change (a la Hegra, who has no set form)
3. Hunger (a la Metagaos, who devours light, time and everything, even himself)
>>
No. 468338 ID: 14d963

I echo the above. Time sounds like the only reasonable choice. Enough people seem to agree that giving a second preference doesn't seem useful.

We've also gained several promising ideas for future souls (a Seeing soul and a Stealth soul both sound like something we'll want eventually), but that is an issue for another time.
>>
No. 468342 ID: 0c2247

1: Time
2: Love
3: Life
>>
No. 468346 ID: 9f1c77

1.Growth
2.Time
3.Knowledge
>>
No. 468349 ID: 63f851

1. Time
2. Growth
42. Racoons

Time's probably the best choice, but growth would by far be the safest. We really haven't put much thought into the disadvantages that might come with picking time, but it might be too late for that. Still, if you're having second thoughts, Saulanna, I would suggest that you pick growth.

I still wish we could pick Racoons though.

P.S. About how it's gonna be painful... I don't suppose that you, Wordblood, or Peregrin might have some kind of anesthesia for the soul? That would really help here, since this is not gonna be easy.
>>
No. 468350 ID: 925aa6

1. Time
2. Life
3. Hate
>>
No. 468351 ID: b24894

1. Raccoons
2. Darkness
3. Time
>>
No. 468353 ID: b6178d

You have a big choice ahead of you Saulanna. Good luck.

1. Confidence
2. Content/Matter/Substance
3. Time
4. Eternity
5. Need/Necessity
6. Freedom
7. Fear
>>
No. 468358 ID: 9b155d

1)Time
2)Growth
3)Knowledge
>>
No. 468360 ID: 3c4695

Time
>>
No. 468368 ID: e3814c

1 Time
2 Bonds
3 Truth
>>
No. 468372 ID: 84df54

1: Bonds
2: Time
>>
No. 468375 ID: ecfcdc

Man, what's the point in being a titan if it means the only elements and connotations we can use are ones that already exist?
>>
No. 468389 ID: 7f2a1b

1. Time
2. Life
>>
No. 468391 ID: e297bb

1) Will
2) Time
3) Growth
4) Restraint
5) Desire
6) Life
7) Love
8) Bonds

My reasoning on my top 2 can be found here: >>/questdis/63018
I really think folks should read the discussion thread, there's lots of good pondering that goes on there.

Wordblood: I really don't want to step on your tail with these other Lord Devas. I'm sorry the Culture suggestion, and pointing out the need to husband our resources hurt your feelings. You really are a helpful, and special fellow.

Also, Saulanna: Please make sure your forehead light doesn't let shadows back in before making the Feeding Deva, whatever the result is. A bit brighter might be better, yes. It'd be hard for Peregrin to get help that way, but also help prevent you from being accosted.
>>
No. 468400 ID: 784b66

1. Time
2. Will
>>
No. 468408 ID: b3952d

1. Time
2. Knowledge
3. Growth
>>
No. 468421 ID: 0b6cf6

1. Time
2. Change (We are a Moon Hero, why not emulate Luna. It should synergize with our powers.)
3. Fire (Fire is an element that naturally feeds)
>>
No. 468434 ID: aa76fd

Well, Time seems to be the major contender and it's understandable. Plenty of range and safe if we aren't dicks. I can see Bonds being a social purpose so at least that's a idea for the near future.

1>Bonds
2>Time
>>
No. 468439 ID: 575dba

1.Time
2.Poison
>>
No. 468444 ID: 404f8a

1: Time
2: Bonds/Love
3: Maybe some kind of combination of the two?
>>
No. 468488 ID: d1f1b7

1: Time
2: Love
3: Life
>>
No. 468506 ID: 38cd76

1. Light
2. Life
3. Truth
4. Time
5. Bonds
6. Beauty
7. Freedom
8. Strength
>>
No. 468513 ID: e56566

1.Time
2.Space
3.Sass
4.Raccoons
5.Peace
>>
No. 468515 ID: 1da170

1. Love
2. Life
3. (Oh fine, if we have to) Time
>>
No. 468516 ID: da9049

>>468513
really? sass?
>>
No. 468517 ID: ec0dea

Sometimes I wonder if others think you are crazy because of the suggestions we give you (e.g. Raccoons for Element). If only you could tell them about the voices in your head so people won't think you are crazy. :V

1: Time
2: Raccoons

...What? The idea of Raccoonbending is still hilarious.
>>
No. 468518 ID: 84b8a7

1. Time
2. Knowledge

Bear the pain for the rewards Saulanna. We'll build you back up afterwards with some more titan's will.
>>
No. 468533 ID: 610bd7

1. Life
2. Growth
3. Time
4. Raccoons
>>
No. 468574 ID: 6a9fdc

1: Time
2: Raccoons
3: Time Raccoons
4: RACCOON TIME
>>
No. 468578 ID: c7abbb

Given his opinions on the matter, just
1. Time
>>
No. 468583 ID: 5d793f

Time
>>
No. 468591 ID: cee89f

1 - Time
2 - Raccoons
3 - Knowledge
4 - Bonds
5 - Love
6 - Desire
7 - Life
>>
No. 468653 ID: 16d49c

1. Growth
2. Evolution
3. Bonds
4. Love
5. Time

While Wordblood told us a Growth themed soul would likely be restless, a continuous drive for self improvement isn't necessarily a bad thing.
>>
No. 468688 ID: 072a73

1) Time
2) Life
3) Racoons because fuck all y'all.
>>
No. 468695 ID: a744c3

1. Time
2. Raccoons
3. Growth
>>
No. 468750 ID: 2b353b

1. Love
2. Time
3. Life
>>
No. 468770 ID: 629257

1. Time
2. Life

Everything else sounds like a bad idea.
>>
No. 468776 ID: b3143d

1. Time
2. Life
3. Love
>>
No. 468778 ID: 888f37

1. Growth
2. Love
3. Time
>>
No. 468786 ID: fb9917

1. Growth
2. Time
3. Silence
>>
No. 468814 ID: 7758a1

1. Growth
2. Time Racoons
3. Sound
>>
No. 469102 ID: 245d1a

1 - Raccoons
2 - Time Racoons
3 - Time
>>
No. 469313 ID: 3dd855

1. Time
>>
No. 469396 ID: 6a5ddd

1. Time
>>
No. 469698 ID: 522afb

1. Time
2. Raccoons
3. Growth
>>
No. 469845 ID: 368bd2

1) Love
2) Bonds
3) Life
>>
No. 470081 ID: f3fd71

1)Time
2)Bond
>>
No. 470125 ID: c14efe

1) Time
2) Growth
>>
No. 470154 ID: 5c8068

1: Life
2: Bonds
3: Time
>>
No. 470250 ID: c1807b

1.Time
2.Memory
3.Camaraderie

We shall watch and witness with six separate eyes.
>>
No. 470268 ID: c1807b

Ask Peregrin if he likes the idea of a Time-Soul.
>>
No. 470346 ID: 38cd76

>>470268
We already know he likes the idea of a Time-Soul.

What you should ask is if he likes the idea of an AWESOME soul.
>>
No. 470353 ID: f5588d

1. Time
2. Heroism
3. Strife
>>
No. 470398 ID: dd287a

1. Awesome
2. Time

Seems like time would be an interesting one to go for.
>>
No. 470581 ID: d30d0a

1. Time

First time posting, and I just wanted to weigh in my opinion, since Time seems to be the favored one by Peregrin (Who's been helpful) and Wordblood (Who's been even MORE so)
>>
No. 470975 ID: e3a7f8

1. Time
2. Growth
3. Will

Everything else seems better put to use for other types of souls. Time could be used delightfully in many other types of souls, but Time is the overwhelming favorite. Also, it will help us gain power quickly. That's not to be underestimated.

It may also eventually give us a nice "Undo" button. Turn back the clock, as it were, and let us respec should we dislike our former choices. Dangerous, certainly. But we may need to risk it someday.
>>
No. 471046 ID: 67e8b2

1: Comedy
2: Desire
3: Love
4: Time
>>
No. 471198 ID: 67e8b2

1: Raccoons
2: Fuck You
3: Raccoons
>>
No. 471293 ID: 5d98c3

1.)Time Because Akatosh is awesome
2.)Ambition
3.)Knowledge
>>
No. 471350 ID: dd56d7

1. Raccoons
2. Raccoons
3. Raccoons
4. Also Raccoons
>>
No. 471353 ID: 4411c7

1. Time
2. Movement
3. Mass
>>
No. 471459 ID: 266ffb

1. Time
2. Raccoons
3. Compassion
>>
No. 471739 ID: b978d0

1. Time
>>
No. 474209 ID: 3246fd
File 135379849136.png - (221.68KB , 700x600 , devacreation1.png )
474209

>Element selected: TIME

As Saulanna comes closer to her decision, the anxiety over what she's about to do creeps up on her. Having been distracted before, she hadn't really considered that she's essentially going to create a new living being. That is sort of a big deal even for normal humans, and she's intending to make something that will eventually be more powerful than even the majority of the celestial gods! She wants to, of course she does, but... it's pretty huge!

Also, the talk about how much it's going to hurt has kind of put her on edge.
>>
No. 474211 ID: 3246fd
File 135379852569.png - (182.83KB , 500x600 , devacreation2.png )
474211

"You should probably sit down, Saulanna. I would have liked to make you more comfortable before you did this kind of thing, but we'll do what we can."
>>
No. 474212 ID: 3246fd
File 135379856899.png - (176.25KB , 500x600 , devacreation3.png )
474212

"Also on that subject, something between your teeth. And best if it was quick; tensing yourself isn't good for you."

>"Yes, I agree. Right off in one go."

Wait, t-
>>
No. 474213 ID: 3246fd
File 135379860484.png - (121.08KB , 720x600 , devacreation4.png )
474213

**********************!!!!!!!

>Saulanna's Soul force is reduced to 2
>Saulanna can no longer use her SIGHT BEYOND SIGHT.
>>
No. 474214 ID: 3246fd
File 135379865101.png - (2.74KB , 600x600 , devacreation5.png )
474214

********************************************
********************************************
**************************!!!!!!!!!

>TW 5 -> 3
>>
No. 474215 ID: 3246fd
File 135379870259.png - (188.68KB , 700x600 , devacreation6.png )
474215

Saulanna returns to herself with no sense of how long the... the pain... went on for. It might have been just a split second. It might have been longer. It might have been an eternity. Her sense of time feels... strange. Different. Almost uncomfortable, but almost not. Like a new shoe. The sensation begins to fade almost immediately.

>"Rest, my lady. The remainder is easy."
>>
No. 474216 ID: 3246fd
File 135379874776.png - (157.07KB , 700x600 , devacreation7.png )
474216

>"You need do nothing more, simply observe. This is our first true step together to... to... Hold on a moment. Wait."

>"It's- "

>>
No. 474217 ID: 3246fd
File 135379877977.png - (248.22KB , 700x600 , devacreation8.png )
474217

>>
No. 474219 ID: 3246fd
File 135379880627.png - (158.76KB , 400x500 , devacreation9.png )
474219

>>
No. 474220 ID: 3246fd
File 135379884008.png - (97.04KB , 600x500 , devacreation10.png )
474220

"I've... changed."

"Therefore..."

>>
No. 474221 ID: 3246fd
File 135379888484.png - (224.44KB , 700x600 , devacreation11.png )
474221

"... I am!"
>>
No. 474222 ID: 3246fd
File 135379892380.png - (30.37KB , 700x700 , chapterend.png )
474222

>>
No. 474223 ID: 3246fd
File 135379894657.png - (2.31KB , 700x700 , chapterend2.png )
474223

...
>>
No. 474225 ID: 3246fd
File 135379907445.png - (20.55KB , 700x700 , chapterend3.png )
474225

"... Hey!"

"You guys aren't going to leave when I've just been born. Come on and talk to me!"


>>474224
>>
No. 474228 ID: 3246fd

((Just a couple of bumps...))
>>
No. 474229 ID: 3246fd

((Aaaaaand... done.))
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