The savory smells of frying oil and fresh meat fill your nose as you lounge in your chair and chat with the man across from you. The man introduced himself as Perillos, but you doubt that that’s the name of his myth.

“So,” you ask, trying to confirm his abilities without revealing your intentions too much, “Can you show me something you’ve been working on?”


He ponders for a second before waving his hand in the air, adding a bit of theatrical flair to what in most likely was just him grabbing an item from his inventory. At first, you just think he’s goofing off, like one might snap their fingers or wave a hand in front of an automatic door, but in actuality, making it look like a magic trick would probably do well to help avoid suspicion from mortal onlookers.

Turning your attention to the object he grabbed, you set your eyes on a sleek black cane. A golden leviathan-esque serpent wraps itself around the shaft, its partly-open jaws serving as the cane’s head. You notice that some of the scales, rather than being golden, are glittering crystals of various colors. A flickering light resonates within the multicolored gems, almost like-

“Authority crystals,” you whisper, a sense of genuine awe leaking into your tone.

“You catch on quick. This is my magnum opus, <Rainbow Serpent>.”

>Rainbow Serpent (Fable <Gamma> Relic)

A master artificer’s attempt to create omnipotence in his forge. Can hold up to 102 authority crystals, each of which can be used as if you possessed it while the <Serpent> is awake. However, other than the two crystals inlaid in the eyes, none of the authorities can be upgraded with influence, nor can they be used while the serpent is awake. While the serpent is awake, it consumes divinity proportional to the number and grade of the authorities it uses. The project remains incomplete.

“How…”

“Most so-called ‘item makers’ have completely misunderstood the way to create relics,” he explains, “Let me ask you this- what do you think runs better, a horse-drawn chariot with an engine clumsily fitted to it or a real car?”

“The car, obviously”

“Exactly. What most other incarnations do is essentially like the former- they take or make items- mortal items- exactly like they normally would to carry out their normal mortal functions. This limits most of what they can do to party tricks or mindless damage instead of a real relic.”

“So <Enchant Item> isn’t enough.”

He nods, “These things require technique, that’s all the hints I’ll give you- the rest is a trade secret.”

You spend the next few minutes chatting before your food is ready. He eats with relish, inhaling food like he hasn’t eaten in months. You begin to eat and, as the umami of the oil mingles with the rich flavor of the meat and the tang of the lemon juice, your face loosens a bit- it’s been a while since you’ve been able to enjoy the pleasures of food.

>>6004704

Typo correction:
>nor can they be used while the serpent is asleep

He finished his plate before you’d even gotten through half of your own. He orders another, sits back down, and sips on his beer, seemingly observing you.

You meet his gaze- unlike the jovial, almost childlike expression he wore before, the young man’s eyes seem completely different. You’ve seen those eyes thousands of times, staring back at you from the silvery surface of a mirror. Instantly, you realize two things- firstly, his guard was probably never dropped- it’s not impossible that he may have been able to see through your stealth with those goggles, but at the very least, he’s been cautious of you since you sat down. The second is that he was so willing to chat with you because he, as you did, recognized a familiar experience.

This man has given up on the world.

>Ask him a question
>Keep eating
>Let him talk
>Write-in

>>6004706
> Let him talk

A brilliant engineer, overlooked over and over in favor of nepotism and politicking bootlickers?

>Ask him a question
Are you going to be content to be subservient to one of the major players of the world? Because I won't.

>>6004706
>"What caused it? What got you to the point the system chose you?"
As well as what >>6004729 said. Is this the making of a true ally like Pheme, and not a minion?

good to have you back, and thanks for fixing the formating thing I asked you last thread.

>>6004706
>"Do you have a sponsor?"
>"You know, like, in the renaissance, some rich guy would sponsor an artist, provide them with fancy pigments and all the paintbrushes they need while only occasionally asking them to paint a ceiling where the dudes have their dick out."
>"You could do your own shit and be mostly left alone by the rest of the world."

>offer connections
>>We have access to mortal money
>>We have people that can get us easy nectar
>offer epithets
>>We have in the order of magnitude more epithets around than we know what to do with immediately and are wondering what would happen if an epithet holder is used as an enchanting ingredient.
>offer human test subjects
>offer humans who do his captchas for him because god damn, it's the fourth time

as a stygnian pact (which either party is allowed to opt out at any time):
>both parties keep quiet about the pact to the outside (exceptions must be agreed upon by both parties)
>we provide him with everything he needs, within reason
>we protect his life
>he does commissionsfor us, within reason
>he won't do commissions for anyone else, except with our approval (for example to keep up the appearance of him being independant)
>he shares the results of his own fundamental research

>>6004706
>>6004729
>>6004731
+1 supporting these two.

Don't want a pact atm, would rather have something closer to an equal and an ally if possible.

>>6004706
>>Let him talk

>>6004706
>Ask him a question
Where do you see yourself, when this divine power struggle for the world is resolved?

>>6004729
>>6004731
>>6004762
>>6005208
>>6005231
>>6005299

As you polish of the last of your schnitzel, you decide to spark the conversation back up:

“You’re aware,” you begin, “That a handful of incarnations are vying for world domination.”

He takes a clumsy sip from his comically large beer mug before nodding in affirmation.

“What do you plan to do? I know you won’t stand for that sort of life.”

He pauses, seemingly contemplating something.

“Before I answer, let me ask you something: who was it?”

You instantly know what he means. You pause, deliberating whether to lie, keep silent, or tell the truth, before he interrupts your thoughts.

“The fact that someone came to mind for you is enough. For me, it was a couple of things: My dad was an alcoholic. Not subtle, and not very smart- child services got a hold of me pretty quick.

So, I ended up at an orphanage. That… was the happiest time of my life. The director was like a mother to me- to us, rather, and even though we didn’t have much, we had enough.

I got to uni on a scholarship. We were way too poor to afford tuition without one, obviously. While I was studying engineering, I found a mentor- he was kind, or at least I thought he was, and we got very, very close. I kinda thought of him as the father I never had.

Everything was perfect until the director got sick.

I won’t delve into the specifics, but the disease was technically curable. However, the treatment was experimental, and the only place that was doing the trials for it was in the U.S.

In short, it became a problem of money.

So, I got to work. I thought to myself, if I could just design something impactful enough, I could sell it off to some megacorporation and get my hands on enough money for the treatment. Stupid right? I worked nonstop, missing days of sleep every week just for a shot at getting things right. And d’ya know what the worst part is?

I did it.

You might have heard about it- the invention, obviously, not me- an internal combustion engine schematic with a whopping 15% theoretical decrease in fuel usage per unit energy. Ecstatic, I rushed to my mentor to show him my work. Immediately, he recognized the profits to be had and, weighing it against his connection to me, he decided he’d much prefer the engine."

>>6005913

"So, he stole the design and, to ensure I’d never have a leg to stand on in that world again, had me blacklisted, accused me of plagiarism and, ultimately, had me expelled.

Just one month later, Ms. Bovet died. That day, I deified.”

He extends his gloved hand towards you,

“My name is Perdix.”

>Shake his hand without speaking
>Introduce yourself as Atë
>Introduce yourself as Rosa
>Introduce yourself as w̴̡̜̭͈̹̼̫̺̍̾h̵̬͔̣͇̮̿̄̇̔̌̇͝ͅò̵̢̻̝̳̳͉̗͎̥͈͍͖ ̶̛͖̥̾̃̆̾͂̓͊͗̌̀̎͋̿̚y̷̢̟͊̽̀̀̈͌̐́̇̇̓͗̚o̷̡̧͚̱̫̳̠̥͍͚̿̾̑͠ü̶͍̳̟̩̮̘͔̏͜͠ ̴̯̐̃̈́̏̾͂̈̒̂̇̃̕ṛ̶̡̢̼͔̥̩͕̫͍͖̆̾̎͛͆̌̍̔͜͝ͅȩ̵̣̰̜̺̙̳͇̓̏̂͗͒̆̂̉̀̄͐͆̚a̶̹̦͂̂̉̽̇l̷̨̩̦̩̠͎̼͔͙͓͔̈́̾͜l̴̢̧̧̛̩͚̯͎̺̝̟͚̬̍͛̀́̈́͐̀̆͜͠y̴̢̌͊̃͂͜ ̶̫̞̥̞̭̞̙͉͋͐̒̐a̸̧̟̖̻̜̹̜͙̻̔̍̌̀͠r̴̺̣̣̱͉̙͗̉̃̚̚ę̸̛̩̼̳̟̻͎͋̄̆̓̿̊̑̿͋̄̎͠
>Write-in

>>6005915
>"I don't think I can use my true name without something bad happening. Not risking it here."
>Introduce yourself as Atë
OP summary says "In her own eyes, she is no longer human", and that is the path we decided on as players, but I think deep down it's some advanced larp as a form of cope. But this is not the time or place to come to a reverse Raiden moment.

>>6005913
Also this guy is super cool already. I seriously hope he's not some master ruseman working for somebody powerful and we're falling right into their hands. Our girl needs some REAL friends

>>6005915
>Introduce yourself as Atë

Perdix, student of Daedelus. Yeah, that could be useful.

>>6005919
When we killed the Hind I think that was a symbol of Atë killing her past too, the parts of her that she thinks are too weak to survive in this world.

>>6005941
But they'll always be inside her, just not outside in the world they're too weak to exist in. Pheme knows what she was like before, and I remember we brought this subject up to her didn't we? So we get to world domination and turn the planet into an influence farm and then...? No sense in thinking that far, huh?

>>6005948
The safety and security to just be the person she wants to be, free, under no one's heel.

Maybe one day.

>>6005915
>Introduce yourself as Atë
As much as I want to know our original name, he used his myth name so it would be weird.

File: sketches_oiq.jpg (1.17 MB, 2647x3806)

1.17 MB JPG

>>6005919
>>6005923
>>6005941
>>6005948
>>6005958
>>6005961

Picrel is Brigita, Isabella, and Dorota. I'm not super pleased with the previous refs for them (or in Isabella's case, no reference at all) so here's the mental image I'm working with

>Introduce yourself as Atë

“Atë,” you say, firmly grasping his hand. He smiles, apparently feeling your sincerity.

“One more wienerschnitzel for the lady, on me!” Perdix calls back to the restaurant owner.

“Now, let me answer your question. I don’t plan on sticking around. Have you seen <Divine Domain> in the shop?”

You shake your head, he continues:

“World domination is fine and all, but, ultimately, it’s kinda pointless unless you’re gathering power just for the sake of it. Once you hit the higher levels of <Divine Domain>, you basically become a god in there. Remember that orphanage I was talking about?”

You nod, “The one you grew up in, right?”

He smiles, “That’s the one. After Ms. Bovet passed, I had to pick up the slack on paying for things. Apparently, Bovet incurred quite a bit of debt just keeping things afloat, and with some pretty unsavory people at that. At first I just ‘cleaned up’ the problem, but after a certain amount of time it became unsafe for the kids to go out. So,” a madness flares in his eyes, “I moved the orphanage.”

“...to your divine domain?” you ask, unable to completely hide your shock.

He nods, “I leveled up quickly by doing quests- at first, it was only big enough for one building where I could safely house the kids before I dropped them off at school, but eventually,it got so big and so customizable that I was able to take an entire village. It was easy- the place was already in the dumps, and they were basically being harassed out of their homes by some mining company who wanted the land they were on.”

“So you just took them in?”

“Yep, just like that. The best part- nobody in the domain can break the rules- of course, they can leave any time, but why would they? Shops that constantly restock with free food and supplies doled out by robotic clerks that do all the manual labor for them- but with the option to make money in exchange for luxury goods, beautiful scenery, no pollution or debts or homelessness or worries. The place is a paradise- my paradise.”

This guy might be a bit insane.

>>6005980


“I still pop into the “real world” to get incarnation things or do quests- and stop by for really good schnitzel- but I basically don’t live here anymore.”

“But if all of those people depend on you to exist, what happens if you get hurt or get old?”

“Ah, well, that’s why I still bother with the incarnation world. I need <Immortality>. I don’t like the idea of my people worshiping me- although some do anyway- so I kinda have to venture into the “real world”. What about you? Are you throwing your hat in the ring for world domination?”

You nod,

“No disrespect to your goals, but I can’t be satisfied with digging a little hole and hiding in it. I want to be able to do what I want, where I want, when I want. I-” you pause for a second before allowing yourself to continue, “I never want to be beneath someone ever again.”

“Let me ask you this: when all is said, and all is done, do you think that what you have will make you happy? You’ve made it very clear what you want to avoid, but what do you actually want? Where does your road go?”

What are your desires, Atë?

>Retribution
>Power over others
>Divinity
>Recognition
>I don’t know
>Deflect from the question
>Write-in

>>6005984
>I don’t know
Spend long enough without choices and you forget how to make them.

>>6006004
+1 that's a solid line
All of Ate's choices go towards domination and control and manipulation and evil acts of chaos. When are the times she ever acts for herself? When doing stuff with Pheme. Enjoying this schnitzel. Human stuff. Because people forget even the deities of old were people too and had personality and flaws and things they cared deeply about no matter how evil or morally black they were

>>6005915
>Retribution against the worlds bastards
>But honestly, we don't know
>Maybe hit the reset botton and go full Noah's arc there, then implement a post-capitalist society. Robots sound nice to fulfill the peoples basic needs like food and healthcare
>Maybe just rid the world of the pest called humanity entirely
>Maybe build a divine spaceship and just fuck off

>>6005984
>Let me ask you this: when all is said, and all is done, do you think that what you have will make you happy?
Not sure, but I know I'll be unhappy if I don't try.

>Power
Not even over others, but more that no one would have power over us.
+
>Retribution
Against all the engineering mentors of the world and their ilk.

>>6005980
yo wat dat mouf do tho?

>>6006047
>belly mouth
>doesn't even bother giving blowjobs with it
>too capital S Sadistic to ever do it
Missed potential, no lie

>>6006047
She imprisoned someone in it once, and then we took his soul. Suffice to say he was having a bad day.

>>6006047
>>6006051
>>6006059

I do take comms, gents (Although I'd probably mark up NSFW ones by a good bit)

>>6006004
>>6006018
>>6006026
>>6006028

>I don’t know

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Thinking about it, almost everything I’ve been doing has been reactionary- I want more power just so that I don’t have less than others, I hurt people just because I know that’s the only way to survive. I guess if you live long enough without choices, you forget how to make them.”

He shrugs, “I get that but let me give you a word of warning. Power, control, revenge- these things aren’t bad in and of themselves, but, at least for me, it’s always been bad to pick them over whatever makes you happy.”

You remember the night you spent with Pheme, contemplating whether or not you should stick a dagger in her sleeping body.

“Well, enough with the self-help therapy talk bullshit,” he says cheerily before downing the last of his drink, “Let’s talk business.”

“So, with <Enchant Item> you can use authorities you have instead of consuming authority crystals?”

“Well, you need to supply the power, that is to say <Dice>, from another source which you can then override with your own authority, but that’s about right.”

“And <Enchant Item> exists as sort of the finishing touch of your process?”

He nods, “I construct the underlying mechanisms for the divinity circuits and the actual functionality of it with the final product in mind, but the enchantment is usually the last or second to last step, yes.”

“In that case, I have a proposal.”

>Bring up <Folly’s Grasp>
>Bring up <Life Insurance>
>Ask for a specific type of item without offering a crafting based quid pro quo (But you’ll need payment of some kind)
>Write-in

>>6006108
I was just thinking about this

>Bring up <Life Insurance>
Life Insurance, plus a tidy sum and a steady flow of worship or souls can basically let him acquire Immortality without trips to the primary world. And with his skills he might be able to improve the basic authority considerably. If his goal is to live in a paradise of his own creation, then Life Insurance is basically a win. He never has to leave again if he has a flow of influence and enough years to get Immortality. Even the 1,000,000 influence required gap will be bridged in 30 years if he has a 100 passive influence gain per day. And he does have worshippers. So I suggest we offer him a million dollars (if he needs it?) and Life Insurance, which should buy him quite a bit of time, especially if he levels up the authority.

In exchange he crafts us items and tools. He grants us access to visit his realm, we both agree to various non aggression stipulations for everyone's comfort. We provide materials, he provides expertise and labor.

He agrees to loan us Life Insurance for use within his realm only, in the event we need to drop a few years.

>>6006108
>>6006129
Pretty much agree with this, we're planning on going big enough to just buy Immortality, we shouldn't need life insurance.

Just need to make sure he's bound to us. With the amount of money he can make as a crafter with auction access, Life Insurance is really all he needs. We don't want him to drop us after we hand it over.

>>6006129
+1

>>6006129
>>6006229
>>6006234

>Bring up <Life Insurance>

“You said that the main reason you were coming to the ‘real world’ was in order to prolong your lifespan, right?”

Perdix nods as his second round of food is placed in front of him. You continue to speak while he shovels the hot food into his mouth.

“Well, if your description of <Divine Domain> is correct, the only things threatening your life are age and disease, right?”

He strokes his chin- “I guess I could also be susceptible to mental illness, but yeah pretty much.”

“In that case, as long as you stop aging and have some way to prevent getting sick, your vision is basically complete, yeah?”

His eyes widen- “Are you saying you have something that can grant eternal youth?”

“Well, kinda,” you say before explaining the functions of <Life Insurance>.

As he hears out your proposal, his eyes sharpen into a serious gaze.

“What are your terms?”

You lay out the following set of stipulations:

1) You may take this authority and upgrade it as high as you wish- however, you may not upgrade it past the point it can be returned to an <Authority Crystal> by you

2) You may not use <Life Insurance> to create any artifacts, relics, or weapons

3) You may not give <Life Insurance> to anyone else

4) If you should ever hit an age past 45 without enough currency to make use of <Life Insurance>, enough currency will be provided in order to reduce your age to at most 25 within 1 year of a formalized request. If the request is not met, this will be considered a termination of the contract

5) This contract may be terminated at any time. Should the contract be terminated, <Life Insurance> will be returned to its former owner, the incarnation of Atë

In exchange, I want… (Select as many of the following as you wish. Note that, the more you ask for, the less likely Perdix is to agree to the terms)

> Exclusivity as a customer
> Free crafting services (Not including the cost of materials)
> Relics, authorities, or epithets of a similar value as collateral
>Some specific relic or weapon craft (Specify)
>Write-in

>>6006513
idk what else, but I want some sort of formalised alliance or something along those lines.

>>6006513
> Free crafting services (Not including the cost of materials)
>Some specific relic or weapon craft
What does he think he could do with improving our ability to project sounds, or improve voice/sound based authorities?

Alternatively I wouldn't say no to a high tier stealth relic, especially one that let's us Whisper at a target without them perceiving us.

Exclusivity doesn't concern me, there are other crafters out there. And collateral is unimportant given we'll certainly enforce this via the system.

>>6006549
I can't imagine a guy who uses his divine power to protect a his home village and a bunch of orphans is going to be ok joining up with us completely. Like, we're enabling him to complete his goal of abandoning the world, and he's enabling our goals of WORLD DOMINATION, but I don't think he would handle the details well. We've reacted to our shared trauma very differently.

>>6006513
>Limited exclusivity as a customer, you'll not sell anything above Super Rare to anyone else
>Cheap crafting services (Not including the cost of materials)

>>6006513
> Exclusivity as a customer
> Free crafting services (Not including the cost of materials)

Arguably, since the guy is a recluse we might not even need to get Exclusivity, as I don't believe he'll have many other opportunities to get out and mingle from his domain once we've eliminated his need for Immortality.

>>6006549
>>6006568
While the man may have moral compunctions, us having the key to his immortality and mostly leaving him alone does provide a valuable incentive for keeping the both of us apart unless one has a need for the other.

>>6006513
>Free crafting services
>collateral relic of similar value - to help him agree to this one we can have it under the same terms, we can’t lose it or give it away and it’s returned to him upon pact termination


No customer exclusivity because he’s gonna want to be making the big bucks to stay young


>>6006568
Lmao just don’t tell him bro
He lives in an isolated pocket dimension
When we take over we’ll maintain this town just the way it is

>>6006513
Hey QM, how does the life insurance authority handle the fluctuating value of the USD and what would happen if the USD lost its value to to some unforseen calamity
>>6006555
+1
Exclusivity does seem like the one thing he wouldn't agree on due to us just giving him an incentive to grow his wealth, he seems too clever to chain his life onto us, also might hinder his growth capability thus lowering how much we could gain out of him in the long term

>>6006555
+1

>>6006830
> USD lost its value to to some unforseen calamity

I'd guess the system auto corrects to handle region and inflation. I bet you could use anything if enough mortals value it and use it for currency.

>>6006830
>>6006883

The value of any given currency is based on how much gold you can buy with that amount of money.

>>6006836
>>6006819
>>6006709
>>6006614
>>6006555

It seems like exclusivity is a tossup so we'll swap it to
>Priority as a customer (my stuff first)
>Free crafting services
>Some specific relic or weapon craft

"Sure, that works for me. I remember, though, as per the agreement you'll need to provide the materials to make whatever it is you want."

What kind of item do you want? Feel free to elaborate if you want something specific

>A weapon
>Armor
>A relic (specify the broad strokes of the effect)
>Write-in

>>6006928

>A relic (specify the broad strokes of the effect)
Something that lets us project Whispers remotely without being incredibly obvious about it.

>>6006928
there's a few things I can think of immediately
>order Pallas in to see if she has some suggestions
>a relic to supercharge our ability to go about unseen
or help give false information to information gathering authorities
right now most are simply blocked, but even a level 5 beast incarnation had "animal instinct" or "preservation instinct" that told them we were dangerous
>a network of relics that allow the remote transfer of divinity
say, we have subordinates around the world that pay tribute
>A weapon that increases the effectiveness of touch based authorities when inside an enemy
>a relic that lets us extend touch based authorities outward a lot farther
for touch of madness
>a relic to drain divinity from passing mortals
nothing too severe, but place it at a busy intersection or train station, from thousands of people that barely feel the miniscule effect it has on them

>>6006958

Divinity maxing could definitely be useful, being able to suck it from incarnations and mortals under our control.

We can already get a foot of reach for two divinity on ToM, and that goes up an inch per divinity per level. We can, at considerable divinity expensive, lunge out over 200 feet with Touch of Madness already, but I have to admit being able to go farther wouldn't hurt.

We really ought to max ToM soon.

>>6006968
>Divinity maxing could definitely be useful,
we have a few items that take divinity now, I want their charging to be streamlined
if we always keep 1k divinity in the gown of eris we have a get out of jail free teleport

>>6007055
I bet we could pass items through a gaggle of ensouled mortals and train their divinity into items. Might need a lot of mortals, but....

>>6006928
>Armor

>>6006928
>a network of relics that allow the remote transfer of divinity
while the passive suck on divinity suggestion was interesting I would say that a network of relics allowing the transfer of divinity would be better since we got divine servant. Divine servant is honestly one of the strongest abilities we have and we ought to level it up and use it more, divine servant theoretically allows us to create 10 minions customized to our needs, at max level we would have +400 divinity from 10 divine servants. If we wanted to we could play the puppet master using Folly's grasp with us never really needing to appear in person. also Philotes should take over the cyber siren persona considering her directive plus her title

on a somewhat related note, QM what happens to people who undergo redeification due to the divine servant skill if we were to use inductee thus removing the miracle?

>>6007191

>on a somewhat related note, QM what happens to people who undergo redeification due to the divine servant skill if we were to use inductee thus removing the miracle?

They would keep their new incarnation status but they will immediately regain ownership of their souls

>>6006948
>>6006958
>>6006968
>>6007055
>>6007071
>>6007158

Perdix leans back in his chair as he considers the request.

“Divinity gathering, huh? It’s definitely doable. There are a number of ways to go about it, of course. What do you think?”

>Harvest from servants

A remote collection relic that can take divinity from anywhere once your subordinates can opt into it

Pros: Efficient, zero probability of the artifact being interrupted or tampered with
Cons: Limited by the number of people whose souls you control

>Harvest from a leyline

A stationary collection relic that collects from one of the earth’s natural divinity hotspots

Pros: Can be hidden completely and away from civilian areas, works consistently at all times
Cons: May be found by accident, especially since incarnations are naturally drawn to hotspots

>Harvest from mortals

A mobile, autonomous relic that steals minor amounts of divinity from hundreds of mortals daily

Pros: Largest divinity influx, can be relocated at any time, can be fitted with other functions later down the line that take advantage of its function to orient itself towards large crowds
Cons: Most likely to be discovered, limited by hours of high human activity

>Epithet-Based Method

A relic that collects divinity based on some epithet you provide

Pros: Unknown
Cons: Unknown

>Write-in

“And what grade of relic would you like? The higher it is, the more <Dice> I’ll probably need to make it. Of course, my crafts are much more efficient than some schmuck with <Enchant Item>.”

>Legendary: 10
>Mythic: 20
>Fable: 21 (Add more dice for a greater letter value)

>>6007248
>Harvest from mortals

>Mythic: 20
How big can we go here actually
Like we'll need to provide materials, but what would we be providing if say we wanted to go with 50

>>6007248

Hmm, there's probably some clever approaches in our epitaphs. I wonder if The Hind would accrue divinity from people escaping danger?

>Harvest from mortals
Screw it, go big.

> Max it out! How many items can he use?

>>6007248
higher priority:
>Harvest from servants
>>Fable

later
>Harvest from mortals
>>multiple Legendary ones
they don't need to be all that fancy when we can have subordinates watch guard them in some capacity

>>6007278
>>6007285
>>6007713

It seems like
>Harvest from mortals
>Fable

How would you like to supply the dice? You need at least 21

>Give items (specify)
>Assess Epithets (specify)
>Buy <Drops of Chaos> (Specify)
>Write-in

>>6008059
How does it work exactly?
Does anything going up to value 21 do?
Are we melting down stuff to reshape the base divine essence?
He's also saying dice in-universe, or is that just for the player?

What does
>Give items (specify)
What can he do with the dud Sword?

>Assess Epithets (specify)
Opaline Offering, Cretan Bull

>Buy <Drops of Chaos> (Specify)
Divine Weapon Ticket (low): 200
200 influence for common tier stuff that's an assured 2 points

the other drops can be authorities, which we'd need to buy crystals for, or traits and titles which we can't even give away

>>6008094

Unlike most other rolls in the quest, <Enchant Item> refers to its units of divinity as Dice in-universe because for most incarnations, <Enchant Item> has probabilistic elements that align with what was explained to you. Of course, real craftsmen can bypass the gacha elements, but they still refer to them as <Dice> since the system does the same

Also, <Common> items provide 2 dice if they're the base, but only 1 as an ingredient

>>6008059
Gambling went pretty well last time, lets buy 5 purified drops of chaos and see where that gets us

for stuff we already have, I'd be willing to toss in the specter's wail authority, Epimetheus epithet, and the Judgement of Tiresias item

He said ingredients make a difference, so I also want to buy Command from the shop and use that as one.

>>6008102
How much to epithets bring?
I'm guessing in the range of 7-10

>>6008109
>toss in the specter's wail authority, [...], and the Judgement of Tiresias item
absolutely not


>ingredients make a difference
then maybe go with a theme that works together

>Wretched Blight, Catoblepas
and some authorities (baseprice+levelup+crystal)
>Fear 3 (100+300+300)
>Command 3 (100+300+300)
>Stealth 6 (600 for crystal, then rebuy it)
something hidden that makes people feel unease

>>6008147
>>Command 3 (100+300+300)
command is 300 base copypaste error
and Catoblepas costs 2000 to buy an epithet holder
so a total cost of 4200 of our roughly 5100

which wouldn't leave us with much to level stealth back up with a base price of 500, we'd only get it to 3

we can also wait to see if we get a cool authority at the auction tomorrow, because we still have points left over

>>6008147
I get that some people are attached to specter's wail, but why not judgement of tiresias? We bought it just to give deer a shot at changing gender when she already has the ability to change genders. Give her a chance to use it and then its purpose is fulfilled.

>>6008059
> Enchant Item (1)
Hah, I think we can let this one go
> Draw Eyes (1)
There are probably uses here, but we have a lot of powers and combos we're juggling as is

> Ichor Drinker (Rare Spear)
Do we need a divinity sucking spear if we have a divinity draining relic? I don't think so.

> Wrath of Artemis, Calydonian Boar
> Epimetheus, Titan of Hindsight
> Opaline Offering, Cretan Bull
I just don't see us getting much use from these.

...our Cretan Bull sync is really high. I wonder what the deal is with that?

> Chaos Drops
At 200 Influence per common weapon we can pull 17 Dice from influence. That feels like our best option from chaos drops, unless max items is a factor.

>>6008358
I agree with Enchant item for sure, this guy is better at it than we ever will be
Draw eyes probably has some super good functionality when upgraded but I can let that one go too


> Wrath of Artemis, Calydonian Boar
Not this one, the boar is one of our big combat authorities

> Chaos Drops
the normal ones have 20% chance of a debuff effect, opening 17 would accrue 3-4 of those, that's why I wanted purified instead

>>6008358
> Draw Eyes (1)
> Ichor Drinker (Rare Spear)
I kinda overlooked those two, they can serve as a good thematic ingredients to what I suggested here >>6008147

for the rest and chaos drops I don't think throwing in random stuff is a very good idea, so...
>>6008059
>Consult Perdix about the different proposed ideas here

>>6008381

To clarify, I meant the epithet, not the Authority.

>>6008430
I know, I just don't want to give away an epithet linked to one of our big authorities

>>6008358
+1 to everything but epimetheus, epimetheus in the myth was the brother to prometheus and implied to be the husband of pandora, due to the nature a divine servant with that epthet would prolly be able to have some skills useful to us
>>6008460
What a stupid reason, also we will probably eventually get rid off the authority itself wventually anyways, so I wouldn't call it one of our big authorities

>>6008094
>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Olympus+Incarnation+Quest
>>6008109
>>6008147
>>6008155
>>6008195
>>6008358
>>6008381
>>6008390
>>6008430
>>6008460
>>6008851

It seems like people are in favor of selling off:

>Wretched Blight, Catoblepas: 10 dice
>Opaline Offering, Cretan Bull: 10 dice

Cost: 4,000 (crystals)

Using Perdix’s staff and a bit of finagling, you spend the appropriate influence to level up:
> Enchant Item (3)
> Draw Eyes (3)

Cost: 600 (Upgrade costs)

> Ichor Drinker (Rare Spear): 3 dice
Do we need a divinity sucking spear if we have a divinity draining relic? I don't think so.

Total dice: 29

Is this acceptable?
>Yes
>No

After negotiating with Perdix and formalizing your contract with a <Stygian Pact>, who has already started sketching some designs on the complementary napkins, he gives you a firm handshake and tells you he’ll contact you in a week or two.

You finish your food and exit, handing Pallas a sandwich which he hungrily wolfs down. The sight of the intimidating man cramming it into his face with such vigor gets a chuckle out of you which he does not notice.

You have four days left before you have to be in Israel. What should you do?

>Attend the next day of the auction
><Crash the party> to meet with someone (e.g. Pheme, Eris)
>Go on a hunt
>Chat with someone at the auction (e.g. Crimson Dove, Tangerine Owl)
>Focus on streaming
>Focus on music
>Find a martial arts instructor
>Investigate the cult Pheme was telling you about
>Write-in

>>6008971
Didn't mean to link the archives there, 4chan copy/paste stuff happened lol

>>6008971
Is this acceptable?
> Yes

What to do:
> Find a martial arts instructor
> Focus on streaming

In that order of priority. I'd really love to pile up enough influence to fashion a miracle out of Awaken the Palladium, but I think some actual instruction in combat would be a powerful multiplier to our skill set.

>>6008971
>keep Opaline Offering
>buy and upgrade Fear to 3

I think I'm done with the auction. Sure it's interesting, but I kinda want to get back into the action

>Give the remaining Points to Pallas and tell her to meet us in Israel
also tell her... him, them, whatever - that won the Judgement of Tiresias and they can use it if they want to
Description says it "creates a fluid", [spolier]the genderfluid![/spoiler], so the item does refill, right? it's not a one use item?
>Pallas should also look for Mouse again
they are still under an stygnian pact

>Leave the auction and try to get the ball rolling on faustian bargain as many people from the mafia as possible
get our max divinity up and try to see if we can get the gown of Eris to 11k
and maybe, far off from the auction hunt another beast to get GT to X

In the 4 days we should get a Miracle of Healing on Philotes, get her a streamer setup, and send her on her way.

>>6008971
>Yes
>Focus on streaming

>>6008971
Backing >>6009074
Except for keeping Opaline and getting fear
I do want to give Pallas back the spare points and let them do what they want at the remainder of the auction, do want to get at least 10k divinity in the gown in case we have an emergency, and do want GT at X

>>6008851
You're a stupid reason

>>6009005
>>6009074
>>6009334
>>6009376

>Yes
>Focus on streaming
>Deal with mobsters

Influence: 5,158-> 558/51,200

You decide to offer Pallas a go at the new relic you bought, but she shakes her head, declining the offer:

“It’s not like I like being a dude- of course, I don’t really dislike it either. Even if I did become a guy for real, I’d probably be too small to be optimal. It’s more efficient to just use my title for it instead.”

Weird girl.

You pocket it, deciding that it could be useful later down the line for the purposes of striking deals.

Having accomplished what you set out to do, you decide to send your mafia men home. Due to Povondra’s mental condition, you order Slavíček to keep tabs on him and, if necessary, make decisions in his stead. You follow them back to the Czech republic, striking deals with the mortals laying around whenever the opportunity arises.

Passive income: 20->60
Divinity boost: 160->220

Max divinity: 610 (+220)

Also, going forward (for the sake of my personal bookkeeping) I'm changing the display to show as max: 830/830 (500+100+230). It's a lot easier to keep track of.

You dedicate the rest of your time before your flight on increasing your online presence, swinging your connections, marketing, and putting out advertisements containing your <Whispers>, inciting devotion, curiosity, and lust. The campaign is an incredible success, bringing in a massive influx of followers in an incredibly short time frame:

Follower count: 152,946
Cult members: 2,003

Influence: 558-> 1,947/51,200

Gown of Eris: 0->3,200

Meanwhile, you task Brigita with getting her hands on <Miracle of Healing> and order her to start making online content. Do you support her as Cyber_Syren? (Will lead to a much faster rate of growth, but will permanently connect her identity to yours.)

>Yes, publicly
>Yes, indirectly through private connections
>No, she can gain popularity on her own
>Write-in

On your trip to Israel, you may bring any number of allies with you. Select as many as you wish from the following. Remember that if you have them with you, they won’t be able to do other tasks like gather intel, run organizations, or gain power in other ways:

(Subordinates)
>Brigita (Philotes/Siren)
>Josef (Phlegethon)
>Benedikt (Phonoi)
>Iwana/Deer (Pallas)
>Manticore
>Sybaris

(Allies)
>Karmenov (Pheme)
>Dorota (Algos)
>Isabella (Amphillogos)
>Crimson Dove (???/Artemis)
>Tangerine Owl (???)

>>6009403
only 3 people? we got to be more aggressive. getting controlled by the soul will never put their loyalty in question and will allow us all to operate more smoothly. They all must have things they desire

>>No, she can gain popularity on her own

>>Benedikt (Phonoi)
>>Iwana/Deer (Pallas)
>>Manticore
>>Isabella (Amphillogos)
>>Crimson Dove (???/Artemis)

>>6009403

>No, she can gain popularity on her own
> But use Many Faces to record "Like and Subscribe!" with her voice and our Whispers to encourage growth.
Once she's established we can do a collab to cross pollinate audiences a bit.


The Crew
>Isabella (Amphillogos)
Lots of chances for her to gamble and grow I assume, and she's pretty strong in combat it seems.
>Crimson Dove (???/Artemis)
We agreed to take her, and she has experience fighting at this level
>Iwana/Deer (Pallas)
Hey, we promised her good fights, and I bet this is going to get crazy.

We gotta hold a fan get together and see if some close exposure can up our cult count.

>>6009403
>Yes, publicly
Much faster rate of growth worth the risk

>Iwana/Deer (Pallas)
>Manticore
>Dorota (Algos)
>Isabella (Amphillogos)
>Crimson Dove (???/Artemis)
>Tangerine Owl (???)

>>6009403
>No, she can gain popularity on her own
>Iwana/Deer (Pallas)
>Isabella (Amphillogos)
>Crimson Dove (???/Artemis)
>Manticore
>Benedikt (Phonoi)

File: 706B2ED1-D2A2-4577-A74E-B(...).jpg (2.05 MB, 2447x3661)

2.05 MB JPG

Votes tallied! Will hopefully update later tonight. Until then, here's a doodle of team Mafia. I'm planning on doing some colored digital art of some of the side characters, so let me know who you'd want to see for that

>>6009654
Looking fresh. I would be interested in seeing Kronos personally.

>>6009422
I'll support this too
>> But use Many Faces to record "Like and Subscribe!" with her voice and our Whispers to encourage growth.
GT to mask our divinity as hers too

kinda thought of another question: how is our current setup for cyber_siren?
while we talked a few times of getting editors to properly cut our content to a video format, in the text of the quest we've only ever called it "streaming" and "posting pictures of cosplay"

We should have the full spectrum of twitch, youtube, tiktok, instagram, twitter and patreon.
But managing all efficiently was likely not in the cards for us as that requires quite some time.
We have the luxury of it not having to pay of in terms of money, like regular people need to worry about.
Or at least that ought to be the setup

>>6009422
that was me this morning (when I thought I was in my wifi, but was on data)
here >>6009929 I only meant to add the other write-in from >>6009466
to my vote, don't count me twice

>>6009422
>>6009466
>>6009505
>>6009527
>>6009929
>>6010275

Sorry for the delay, didn't like what I had last night and rewrote the update in the morning

To answer questions about social media, Cyber_Syren’s main platform is twitch, but she also makes daily tik-toks, mostly cosplay dances and music teasers. She has a youtube too, but it’s mostly just edited versions of her vods, music videos, reposts of her tik-toks for youtube shorts, and the occasional highly produced collab video

>No, she can gain popularity on her own (but record a call to action for her)

>Iwana/Deer (Pallas)
>Isabella (Amphillogos)
>Crimson Dove (???/Artemis)
>Manticore

>Flashback: The night of the item portion of the auction

You keep Pallas and the Manticore with you as you head to parlay with Crimson Dove. You send Brigita enough cash to stay in a hotel in the US for a while, at least long enough until you get back, while the rest of your subordinates resume their previous roles in the Czech mafia.

You knock on the door of Dove’s hotel room, deciding to leave your subordinates out of earshot. She opens the door, dressed in casual clothes- a white tank top which reveals the numerous scars on her tan, muscular arms, baggy sweatpants, and a mess of light brown hair clumsily cut into a bob.

You toss her a card containing the date, time, and location of the meetup in Israel.

“Be there on time- and if you cause any problems, we never met.”

She playfully puts up her hands, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Oh, and what should I call you? I don’t imagine you’ll want to keep going by crimson dove out there.”

“Jackie,” she says, extending her hand. You don’t know whether it’s a real name ro a pseudonym, but it doesn’t really matter. You shake it, replying:

“Huber.”

“Welp, see you in Tel Aviv.” She says, beginning to close her door, “Unless you need something else?”


“Nah, I’m good. See ya.”

You call your subordinates back to your side as you leave the auction house

>>6010297

>Current day

The Commander, this time dressed in his military uniform, approaches you as you make your way to the meeting place- a runway for a recently constructed military air base in rural Austria.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again,”

You shrug at the subtle sarcasm in his tone, “I’m sure it is. Is that the plane?”

You point at what would appear to an outsider like an empty portion of the runway. Thanks to your <Lenses>, however, the jet is perfectly visible to you.

“I see you've gotten your hands on an interesting item. Yes, that will be your transport- a subordinate of mine with whom I believe you are acquainted has assisted in the creation of that <Relic>.”

Though lacking the finesse of a custom item like what Perdix might make, <Enchanting> items like planes or cars really does have decent utility. Maybe you’ll ask him to design a jet for you? Shaking your head, you return your focus to the matter at hand.

“I’m traveling with three others. Is that ok?”

“The plane can carry as many as a dozen, so you’re all set. By my count, though, I only see two?”

“My partner is flying in from the caribbean. She should be here shortly”

As if on cue, Isabella descends onto the runway, decked out in her full armor. It seems like she picked up a low level <Stealth> authority in order to avoid drawing mortal eyes. Deactivating it, she runs up to you.

“Hi! Sorry, am I late?”

“Just on time.”

“Oh, are these your friends?” she asks, referring to your two underlings.

“Subordinates.” you reply. Iwana, currently not in her combat form, pouts a bit.

“Hm, I see. Anyway, you said we were tracking down Isa?”

“Well, ideally the IDF has that part at least a bit covered. We’re mostly there for the takedown.”

“Hmm, I see. Sounds interesting!”

The Commander’s right hand man, the same one from the plane, appears out of nowhere from behind his back. She looks over the four of you before saying: “You said you were bringing four, right?”

You nod, “Including myself, yeah.”

“I see. In that case, the fifth is an uninvited guest?”

“Haha, you caught me,” a familiar voice sounds out from the ground Isabella is standing on. She jumps in surprise, letting out a little sound like she found a spider or roach instead of a godling.

Dorota’s head peeks out from the darkness as she pulls herself out from Isabella’s shadow.

“I overheard your conversation with Bella. It seemed like a fun time.”

This girl either doesn’t get social etiquette or doesn’t care about it at all.

Isabella sighs, “I really shouldn’t have let you take on that shadow controlling guy”

Dorota laughs, “All’s well that ends well- that’s the title in English, right?”

Iwana gives her a thumbs up. Guess she likes shakespeare.

“Anyway, can I come? I promise I’ll help out!”

>Yes
>No

>>6010300
>Yes
Let's rock

>>6010300
> Yes

Oh this is going to be trouble. Should be fun though.

>>6010300
>Yes
Not sure why we didn't invite her to begin with

>>6010304
>>6010332
>>6010336

>Yes

“You won’t regret it!” Dorota says as she slips back into Isabella’s shadow.

“She’s been doing that a lot, actually,” Isabella says with an exasperated tone, “Ashley really isn’t happy about it.”

“How is everyone, anyway?”

“Well, y’know, same as always. Ashley’s not happy that you didn’t attend the last party, though.”

“Ah, right, my bad. I’ll shoot her an apology text on the plane. Alright everyone, let’s go.”

The four- or 5, you suppose- of you file onto the jet. Some lower level incarnation is piloting it and, once you reach a sufficient distance from any major civilian areas, uses it to break the sound barrier. You don’t feel any different from a commercial airline despite the extreme velocity- it must be a function of the jet relic.

Over the few hours of travel, you try to make amends with Eris. You’re not sure how successful you’ve been, but it seems like she was only a bit annoyed.

Eventually, your party sets down at a military airbase near the former capital of Tel Aviv. You exit the plane, after which it refuels and promptly takes off.

A gruff, older officer walks out from the building. With prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline, and an eyepatch covering her right eye, you assume at first that it’s a man, but upon closer inspection, the officer is probably a woman.

“Dayan,” she says, extending a black-gloved hand towards you, “Secretary of the Incarnation Department of the Israeli Defence forces.”

“Huber,” you say, grasping her hand in yours.

“Dayan?” Iwani asks, now in his combat form, “Like, Moshe Dayan?”

She nods, “I’m impressed with your education. Yes, my uncle was one of our country’s most important founding members. Even this,” she says, tapping the place where her right eye once was, “is a point in common. Together, we could have seen both left and right.”

“I have an associate who offered to join in on the hunt. Has she come yet?”

“The girl with the scars, I assume? Yes, she’s inside. Come now, there is much to discuss.”

You nod, allowing her to lead you to a meeting room. There, you see someone who you instantly recognize as crimson dove. Dressed in a crop top and jeans, and even having bothered to put on makeup and fix her hair, she’s much more presentable than you had expected.

Recognizing your confusion, she explains:

“I generally dress up a bit to look more normal on hunts. More inconspicuous that way. I usually hide the scars, too, but I let the general here see ‘em. Kinda like a calling card to show my identity.”

>>6010350

Dayan gestures for you to sit, asks a subordinate of hers to fetch some coffee, and sits down.

“Your mission, as I’m sure you’re aware, is to take down the mysterious religious leader known as Isa.”

She activates a projector, showing a number of slides with blurry videos and images of your target.

“His powers seem to be based on physical buffing, both on himself and on others. He claims that his abilities are a gift from god. He’s amassed considerable power, both military and divine, and we can only guess an invasion is imminent.”

“Why hasn’t he attacked yet?”

“Two things. Firstly,” she says, “The IDF has access to a number of incarnations that, while weaker than Isa, are capable of putting up a fight if we gang up on him. One of them, of course, is yours truly.”

You look to Manticore for confirmation and he nods.

“Secondly, both of us- incarnations in power worldwide, really, have been dealing with a bit of a collective issue that he, a religious man, is particularly concerned about.”

“Oh? What would that be?”

“Heretics that call themselves the Penitent. A strange set of beliefs and common mythologies that have parasitized themselves on strongly religious communities of multiple disparate religions- though with a primary focus on Abrahamic ones.”

“An incarnation’s work?”

“Some think so, but neither Isa nor the IDF are of that opinion. Regardless, his focus is currently on investigating the source of this issue, which is why both we and the Commander believed that we had an opportunity to strike. Your appearance was just… a happy coincidence.”

“So, how do you plan to go about this?”

“Isa is hard to track, but the Penitent are not. Our current plan is to have you infiltrate their midst and, when Isa’s men come, to use it as an opportunity to find and kill him. Of course, if you have some better means, then be my guest.”

You stroke your chin, “I have some ideas but I’ll need more information.”

“What do you want to know?”

>Ask about Isa’s abilities
>Ask about his struggle against the IDF
>Ask about the emergence of the Penitent
>Ask about the beliefs of the Penitent
>Write-in

>>6010351
>Ask about the emergence of the Penitent
>Ask about the beliefs of the Penitent

Gotta know the role to be the role.

>>6010351
>Ask about Isa’s abilities
>Ask about the emergence of the Penitent
>Ask about the beliefs of the Penitent

>>6010351
>Ask about his struggle against the IDF
>Ask about the emergence of the Penitent
>Ask about the beliefs of the Penitent
Physical buffing seems pretty simple. Maybe we'll be able to cognitohazard all over them.

>>6010351
>>Ask about Isa’s abilities
>>Ask about his struggle against the IDF
>>Ask about the emergence of the Penitent
>>Ask about the beliefs of the Penitent
>Ask how their inflitration plan looks like, because given enough time with an individual, we can mimic their appearance and behavior (lie about thousand face's capabilities) Or if the plan was to be new recruits

>>6010402
>>6010458
>>6010642
>>6010760

>Ask about his struggle against the IDF

“Due to his difficulty to track, it’s become essentially impossible for us to send any manned missions into the Gaza Strip,” she begins, “He relies on guerilla tactics, traveling swiftly and discreetly with a small retinue of highly trained incarnations, one of which seems to be a stealth specialist, making it very difficult to salvage useful information even from the few encounters we’ve been unfortunate to have.”

“I also heard his presence has been galvanizing the surrounding states?”

She nods, “You’re well informed. His presence has not only increased resistance in the west bank, but in the surrounding states as well- not only ones which have been actively confrontational to Israel such as Iran or the revolutionaries in Yemen, but even states whose governments we had previously been friendly with like Egypt or Jordan. In short, the situation is dire. If things continue as they are, the destruction of Israel is imminent.”

“Why haven’t they crushed you yet if the power is so considerable?”

“Western support- tale as old as time. The United States has offered to send in Heracles if things got dire enough, not to mention the dealings we’ve had with the Commander and the House of Hades. Isa’s primary worry is that, even if he can take us down, we have the power to massacre a dozen Arabs for each jewish head. This, he cannot abide. That, and the issue of the Penitent.”

“Speaking of which…”

>Ask about the emergence of the Penitent

“As far as we’ve been able to glean, the Penitent began to spring up almost immediately after the incarnation system came into effect. This is why people like the Austrians, for example, believe this to be the work of some sort of incarnation seeking religious fervor to fuel their influence gathering project.”

“But you disagree?”

She nods, “We are of the opinion that the pattern of Penitent cells doesn’t follow what one might expect had this been the work of an incarnation. Rather than starting at a nucleus point and going outwards, multiple cells of similar size and organizational complexity have appeared at once. The only plausible explanation is that some force was lying in wait, seemingly activated by the emergence of the Incarnation System.”
“Do you think that there’s some supernatural element outside of the confines of the system?”

She leans back in her chair, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“Our leading theory is that there was a pre-existing doomsday cult that co-opted the system’s emergence for the sake of spreading their religion, and that one of its higher-ups deified, explaining the super rapid spread. That being said, regarding your question… it’s a definite possibility.”

>>6011284

>Ask about the beliefs of the Penitent

“The major sticking point is a singular myth, usually slotted in or near the creation story of the religion in question. There’s some variance to it, especially between different host faiths, but the story essentially goes like this:

Near the inception of man, some messianic figure approached the singular walled city which humans had constructed. A human came out to meet the figure, who the Penitent refer to as the King, and he gave they shared a promise together:

The king would exchange gifts with the humans- on the first day, he would grant them enlightenment, the knowledge required to grow beyond the walls of their little city. In exchange, the humans would allow him to enter the city gates.

On the second day, he would grant the humans salvation and eternal happiness. The specific details of this are never specified. In exchange, the humans would grant the King a crown of laurels.

The King kept his promise, bestowing upon mankind the knowledge they needed to cure the sick, feed the hungry, and grow their empire to encompass the whole world. The humans opened their gates to the king as promised, but as he approached, the greedy lords of men began to panic, believing that the King would usurp their thrones. So, they turned the humans against the King, closed the gates in his face, and threw mud upon his robes. They taunted him, saying that, though he may fancy himself a king, a crown will never rest upon his head.

Thus, humanity had betrayed the King and thrown away their chance at salvation.

However, the King, in his infinite magnanimity, was still willing to fulfill his end of the deal, so long as the humans would apologize and, as promised, open the gates to the kingdom to him. This is the goal of the penitent.”

Something about the story strikes you as familiar, but you decide to focus on the matter at hand.

How do you want to go about drawing out Isa?

>Take advantage of his care for civilian casualties
>Infiltrate the ranks of the penitent
>Investigate rumors of a demon in the West Bank (One of the potential targets instead of Molotov from the first thread)
>Write-in

>>6011285
>Infiltrate the ranks of the penitent

I'm feeling we might to harness their remains and bring them to our cause if we play our cards right.

>>6011285
>Infiltrate the ranks of the penitent

There's definitely something useful to be found in this cult. They know the secrets to manipulating divinity outside the system, and that feels like the secret to considerable power.

>>6011285
>Infiltrate the ranks of the penitent
infomaxxing

>>6011299
>>6011337
>>6011364

>Infiltrate the ranks of the penitent

“The reason why the Commander recommended you for this operation,” Dayan explains, “Is that you have a set of skills perfectly fitted towards this sort of infiltration. Transformation, stealth, and, most importantly, the ability to alter the color of your divinity.”

“Most importantly?”

She nods, “The Penitent seem to have some means of filtering for incarnations by looking at their divinity- as you know, those who have yet to deify always have white souls. We, on the other hand,” she pauses, holding up her hand as it shines a silvery blue glow, “are “tainted”, as they call it.”

You stroke your chin- it's possible for you to extend the color change to your allies, but the matter is still a bit concerning.

Dove interjects: “I’m working separately from Huber’s team. She and I have a bet.”

Dayan’s mouth unconsciously contorts into a sneer before quickly resetting to a neutral expression.

“So long as you don't compromise IDF interests, you may act however you wish. Do you not have the means to infiltrate the cult.”

“I don’t operate like that. I intend to hunt Isa’s head directly,” she says, drawing a pair of twin daggers from her inventory.

You note a flash of recognition in Dayan’s eyes as she turns her attention to Dove’s weapons.

“Very well. Do as you will. As for the rest of you- by what means do you intend to perform this operation? We will accommodate you however we can.”

>Enter as new recruits (all 4 may enter this way)
>Kill and replace an existing member (only Atë and Dorota may enter this way)
>Stake out the cult using <Stealth> and <Guerilla Tactics> without making yourselves known to the penitent (all may enter this way)
>Use <Folly’s Grasp> to take control of an existing member while the rest of you encamp nearby under <Stealth>
>Write-in

>>6011407
>Use <Folly’s Grasp> to take control of an existing member while the rest of you encamp nearby under <Stealth>

Nothing like the old subvert-convert-kill move. Snap one up, pump them for information, then send them in and see if they can work through the camp enthralling others. I assume we'll see some measure of resistance to mind control effects.

Tainted Divinity eh? I have to wonder if the System is playing us all for fools, gathering power for some unknown entity.

>>6011453
+1
>I have to wonder if the System is playing us all for fools, gathering power for some unknown entity.
Where is all the divinity and influence being spent going? There has to be a recipient

>>6011407
>>Enter as new recruits (all 4 may enter this way)

>>6011407
>Use <Folly’s Grasp> to take control of an existing member while the rest of you encamp nearby under <Stealth>

>>6011453
>>6011480
>>6011702
>>6011981

>Use <Folly’s Grasp> to take control of an existing member while the rest of you encamp nearby under <Stealth>

“I have a method of possessing people- combined with my other powers, I believe that this is the best means of infiltration.”

“And your men?”


“One of them can hide in the shadows of people and objects. The rest will stay with me in a hideout spot nearby- assuming a suitable location exists.”

“The primary issue is that penitent cells co-opt the religious elements of the entire community they inhabit. If you’d like, a mobile RV outfitted with a stealth relic can be provided.”

“That would help, although transport would be annoying.”

Dorota emerges from beneath your shadow, “I can cover that! As long as the RV’s at least a little bit waterproof.”

Dayan cocks an eyebrow, “It should be completely airtight.”

Dorota’s smile widens, “Excellent,”

You’re really glad you picked up a flight relic, otherwise you might have had to ride in the car.

“Can all of you fly, then?”

Iwani sheepishly raises her hand, “I can’t.”

Isabella’s face lights up as a smile spreads across her face: “Dibs!”

“Now that the logistics are settled, you should be ready to head out, yes?”

>Leave for the compound
>Ask Dayan for more intel
>Ask Dayan for more resources
>Write-in

>>6012259
>Ask Dayan for more resources
>Nectars
I want to top off on the Gown of Eris before heading into enemy turf

>>6012259
>>6012291
Coulda sworn I voted to back this earlier
4chan ate my post

>>6012259
>Leave for the compound

>>6012291
>>6012631
>>6012780

>Ask Dayan for more resources
>Nectars

“I have a couple of artifacts vital for this endeavor that require divinity to fuel them,” you explain, “I’ll need some nectars before we go.”

“That won’t be necessary. Follow me.”

Dayan leads you deeper into the base, eventually bringing you to an underground warehouse. She walks up to a wall filled with apparatuses not dissimilar to gas tanks. She picks up two, handing one to you and the other to Dorota.

“These contain divinity- 10,000 to be specific. The accruement method is, of course, classified. One is for the RV, the other is for you.”

Your eyes widen- there had to be over a dozen tanks on just that shelf , meaning at 6 digits of divinity. You wonder just how they’ve been able to gather so much.

Dorota slips the tankard under her shirt, presumably putting it into her mouth. You just toss it into your inventory.

Dayan leads you to an unassuming RV, seemingly designed to blend into the colors of the desert.

“Despite appearances, this is state of the art military tech- bulletproof windows and reinforced walls constructed of a top of the line alloy, near perfect water recycling, electronic systems utilizing solar panels and the ability to run on both gas and divinity, 200kgs of supernatural storage, stealth authorities to the 6th effective level, and an anti-divinity shield.”

Isabella lets out a whistle before turning to Dorota, “Are you gonna do what I think you’re gonna do?”

Dorota grins, taking off her t-shirt. Her torso bifurcates at the belly button, revealing her trademark mouth, but unlike before, the grinning maw spreads across the entirety of her body. As it opens, her entire body bisects, her torso seeming more like an anglerfish’s mimicry than her true head as the opening of her stomach-mouth causes it to be angled sideways. The jaws widen, jutting out far past the natural extent of her torso, large enough to fit the entire RV as a slimy black tongue wraps itself around the vehicle and pulls it into the cavern of razor sharp teeth and rancid ebony mucus.

Dayan grimaces, but her assistant seems to be on the verge of vomiting. Watching the horror show in front of you, you can’t blame her.

Her body quickly reconstitutes as she pulls her shirt back over her shoulders.

You look to Iwani, who seems equal parts fascinated and horrified. Dove, meanwhile, is looking at Dorota like she’s seen dog poop on the side of the road.

As the four of you are preparing to leave, you see off Dove at the entrance to the compound. Apparently, she’s heading to the West Bank to investigate a lead.

>>6012868


The four of you, with Isabella happily cradling the pint-sized true form of Iwani in her arms, fly to the location indicated, a village relatively near the Egyptian side of the border between it and the Gaza Strip. You land about a half mile away from the village and Dorota, reversing her previous process, spits out the vehicle which the four of you will be calling home for the foreseeable future. Somehow, it’s totally dry.

You enter, surprised by the luxury of a supposedly military vehicle. It seems like Dayan left a surprise for you- the interior must be at least twice the size of the volume of the outside. The seats are comfortable, the beds, though bunks, are quite soft, and there’s even a small, decently stocked kitchen.

Iwani, having transformed to escape Isabella’s doting, sits down on the couch and cracks open a beer.

You follow suit, plopping down on an armchair- if you want to beat Dove, you’ll have to act at least relatively quickly. How should you go about this?

>Replace a townie who you could easily impersonate
>Find the most influential person and capture them as quickly as possible
>Focus on observation and recon until you feel informed enough to take on a role
>Write-in

>>6012870
>Find the most influential person and capture them as quickly as possible
Cut straight to it. Capture, convert, pump, move onto the next target.

>>6012870
>>Focus on observation and recon until you feel informed enough to take on a role
Measure twice, cut once.

>>6012870
>Find the most influential person and capture them as quickly as possible

>>6012870
>Focus on observation and recon until you feel informed enough to take on a role

It's a tie; I'll be out for a few hours anyway but if it isn't resolved by the time I get back I'll just flip a coin

>>6012870
>Find the most influential person and capture them as quickly as possible

>>6012881
>>6012892
>>6013066
>>6013246
>>6013283

>Find the most influential person and capture them as quickly as possible

Masked by <Stealth> and <Guerilla Tactics> and shadowed (quite literally) by Dorota, you fly to the village that is your target. You notice that, despite the lack of any farmland or other productive natural resources nearby, the village- or perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a compound- is bustling, with new buildings being constructed, a marketplace packed with vendors, products, and customers, and large movements of people.

Somewhat concerningly, you also notice a large number of young men, at least 80, training with weapons, both modern and medieval

After listening in on some conversations by stealing one of their forms, you quickly identify the target- a figure that the people refer to simply as ‘the imam’. You make your way to the ornate mosque which marks the center of the town. Entering it, you search the backrooms of the building, eventually locating an office inhabited by a man in traditional Muslim garb.

As you hover over the man, you can tell that he is mortal. He seems focused on his paperwork and laptop and, though he locked eyes once with where you should be, does not seem capable of piercing your stealth.

Oddly, though, both <Omen> and your own natural instincts thrum with a quiet disease.

What should you do? In case the choice necessitates dice, please specify between Normal, Cautious, and Reckless
>Use an authority (specify)
>Appear before him to threaten him
>Attempt to impersonate a divine figure
>Physically incapacitate him
>Leave and find another target
>Write-in

>>6013748
>>Leave and find another target

>>6013748

> Go find someone who doesn't set off Omen, subvert them, and make them attack the Iman. Watch and see what happens.

Minions! Is there anything they can't do?

>>6013748
Nope, don't like that he thinks he noticed something hidden whole in front of a communication device.
immediately intervene
>>Use an authority (specify)
>touch of madness. normal.
make him think he sent out a silent alarm
>assess hamartia, thrall him
find a way to ruin him without compromising his standing in the group to have follys grasp work
if not, replace him, but keep him alive

Ever divided, aren't we? Honestly, I like to see it

As always, I'll wait a few hours for a tiebreaker and, in the absence of one, select between the three randomly

>>6013748
In the interest of not causing a 4 way tie I'll back >>6013835

File: 8F59E5C7-21A9-44CB-9480-2(...).jpg (1.19 MB, 2101x2792)

1.19 MB JPG

>>6009813

As requested, here's Kronos and his right hand lady

>>6013765
>>6013787
>>6013835
>>6014358

>Use an authority (specify)
>Touch of madness, assess hamartia

Without any resistance, your divinity tears into his mortal body. He collapses, frothing from the mouth as your illusions grip his mind.

However, something went wrong

You collapse backwards, clutching your temples as you desperately gasp for air. Your fingers become claws, digging into your flesh and drawing your own blood as you struggle to regain your composure.

What was that? You try to recall but the memory has become a hole in your cognition. Some blockage akin to a self-preservation instinct keeps you from remembering

What did you see?

The system interjects:

>Outside influence detected!
>Due to the victim’s incarnation level, the threat grade has been increased to <Existential>

Threat level? You don't remember seeing such a thing in the FAQ

>As compensation for the gathering of useful information, the victim will receive appropriate treatment and reward

>Gained 1 <Drop of the Lethe>
>You may gain the title <Glimpse the Beyond>

>Glimpse the Beyond (Legendary Title)

A resident of the world who has seen what lies beyond the threshold

It becomes possible to gain authorities based on the gifts given to the followers of invaders

Accept the title?

>Yes
>No

Though your stealth remains unbroken, the Imam upon regaining consciousness immediately recognizes what has happened. As you flee, you hear him call out:

“The Tainted have set upon us!”

You make your way back to the RV to collect yourself.

What should you do now?

>Drink the <Drop>. What you’ve seen shouldn't be remembered
>Try to remember what you saw
>Ignore that for now and resume your operations
>Ask for advice from your colleagues
>Write-in

>>6014387
>Yes
>Try to remember what you saw

so theory time
let's get names in order first:
the system we're using we call system A
"the other incarnation system" which we theorized before with pheme, we call system B

system A and system B are at odds with one another.
system B is related to the penitent,
system A will reward us more for specifically going against system B and help it gather information about it
so far rather obvios

system A is younger, less patient and uses more flashy tactics
system B is older, and has been here for a long time

we got to get rid of the party and fight the balrog alone to keep the exp to ourself.

>>6014387
>Yes
Alien gods from beyond let's go
>Try to remember what you saw
We have No True Face. Ate's true form is now a clusterfuck horror. We can take this. Our broken bitch ex-wagie e-thot can take it

>>6014404
also: system A is the "invaders" (plural?) here, and the incarnations are it's followers
Though maybe somewhat weird if the system refers to itself as the invaders, and not something like pioneers or colonists
so that could also be system B appropriating the workings of system A. A virus, or rather just an unlicensed application, which means "hey, we can give you authorities based on the thingy 'they' would give you."

>>6014387
> Accept the Title

>Ignore that for now and resume your operations
I think trying to see the face of God right this second might be a bad move in a combat zone. We might need to train our soul with Folly's Grasp, or our mind with Pheme's info overload. Or at the very least pick up Divine Will.

>>6014387
>Yes
Awww shiiieet
we fucking with cthulu now

>Try to remember what you saw
We need info if we're gonna contend with this new system

>>6014404
I'd guess that A has more raw power as well, otherwise B never would have let it spread and accumulate so much influence and power

>>6014438
>B never would have let it spread and accumulate so much influence and power
could be that there is a cost related to giving so many people so much power.
For an analogy, maybe the forces behind either treat humans as livestock. So B might have had humanity to itself and played a long game to create the perfect herd. While A joined late, tries to engineer the perfect pretator to kill B's herd, and simply muscle them out of business.

>when our girl wanted
>WORLD DOMINATION
>but then surprise eldritch shit said
>ALIEN INVASION

>>6014387
>>Yes
>Try to remember what you saw

We should simply walk in and take off all our masks. We have No True Face after all >:)

Also thank you for the art. Kronos looks fittingly grandfatherly

>>6014404
>>6014406
>>6014434
>>6014438
>>6014761

>Yes
>Try to remember what you saw

You accept the title and, against the system's warnings and your instincts, you try to recall the millisecond glimpse you took of… whatever it was you saw.

You close your eyes, meditating on your experience

Your first realization is that the memories of the King aren't merely a hole in your cognition- rather, the King itself was like a hole. Your mind quakes

Black, as you were taught in school, is the absence of light. However, black is still a perception. You can look around a pitch-dark room and confidently profess “I see black. There is no light here.” Meanwhile, if you were to ask yourself “what do you see out of your left hand?” You would reply, “nothing.”

If you were to ask yourself, “does your left hand see black?” You would easily reply, “no, it sees nothing.”

The king was not black.

It is completely impossible to comprehend death because lack of experience is completely anathema to the living brain- conceptualizing an inability to conceptualize is as contradictory a task as a dog trying to see red.

Today, you are the exception to that rule.

You feel your soul quiver- continuing to dwell on this could result in disaster, but it could also reveal to you the secrets sequestered beyond the veil.

What should you do? Your authorities and items cannot help you beyond the threshold.

>Leave it for now
>Press on (Specify between Cautious, Normal, or Reckless)
>Write-in

>>6014888
>Leave it for now
We will draw eyes if we go further

>>6014888
>Leave it for now
Melting our brain right here, right now, seems inadvisable. Later though!

>>6014888
>>Leave it for now
We should try and catch up in-person with Pheme, both for Ate's sanity and also so that we can tell her this privately. It would benefit our friend to know that the aliens are real

>>6014888
>>Leave it for now

>>6014888
>Press on (Specify between Cautious, Normal, or Reckless)
RECKLESS

>>6014934
>>6014967
>>6015020
>>6015173
>>6015371

>Leave it for now

You decide not to peer into the abyss for too long- though the potential rewards may be great, the risks are far too severe to incur under the current circumstances

Turning your attention back to the situation at hand, it's almost a certainty that the compound is on high alert after your little stunt with the Imam- it'll probably be impossible to have your colleagues enter as new recruits.

That being said, your stealth amd transformation authorities should still be more than sufficient to sneak your way into the fold

Though your target is still Isa, the threat of the Uncrowned King looms over your mind.

Fully locking back in to your objective, you consider your next move.

>Call a meeting
>Steal the Imam's laptop
>Observe a sermon hidden by the cover of <Stealth>
>Snatch a less <Gifted> follower and interrogate them
>Write-in

>>6016570
>Snatch a less <Gifted> follower and interrogate them

Knowledge is power, and coincidentally breaking all of someone's fingers is knowledge!

>>6016572
+1

>>6016570
didn't we already return to the RV?
>Steal the Imam's laptop
>Snatch a less <Gifted> follower
>return

>>6016570
>Snatch a less <Gifted> follower and interrogate them
Doubt they'll hold a normal sermon under this alert, and we don't have any password cracking authorities for laptops

>>6016572
>>6016575
>>6016604
>>6016750

Snatch a less <Gifted> follower and interrogate them

You call Dorota back to you as you head back to the compound. Even if you can't meddle around in their brains, nothing’s stopping you from taking them down the old fashioned way.

It’s also possible that less specific instances of your mind altering abilities- particularly <Whispers> or an illusionlesd <Touch of Madness> would be safe to use on the targets

As you enter the village, you find the atmosphere to be much less vibrant than before- the townspeople seem paranoid, speaking in whispers and avoiding conversations with strangers as they go about their necessary daily activities.

You have a number of options for your go-to strategy of capture, interrogate, replace. Who should you target?

>A food vendor
>A seamstress
>A footsoldier
>A construction worker
>A housewife
>Write-in

>>6016907
>A footsoldier
Our goal is to find out how the Penitent can reliably find Isa. The simplest way is probably to just be with a group of soldiers attacking him. Bonus points if we can see Isa in action.

>>6016907
>A footsoldier
Most likely to have gifts and therefore be privy to secrets.

>>6016907
>A footsoldier
Start easy

>>6016990
>>6017063
>>6017162

A footsoldier

You infiltrate the makeshift barracks the village has set up for its soldiers. As you observe them firing guns and practicing with swords and spears, you notice something that you had completely missed before:

Each of the weapons has a subtle not-black aura.

You must have been unable to detect the <Gifts> earlier because, before you glimpsed the Uncrowned King, you were completely incapable of comprehending not-black, so your brain rewrote your perception around it

You wait until lights out and have Dorota swallow your target, a young soldier who performed at about the middle of the pack.

The two of you, your quarry in tow, make your way back to the RV.

What should you do?

>Try to subjugate him with your <Whispers>
>Have Dorota extract information the old fashioned way
>Use a different authority (specify)
>Write-in

>>6018211

> Impersonate the Iman with many faces
> Tell him the enemy got to him, contaminated his mind, things might not make a lot of sense
> He needs to go over everything he knows so we can check for implanted memories

>>6018211
>>6018225
+1

>>6018225
+1

>>6018211
I wanted to test out Whispers against these guys but >>6018225 is in a pretty commanding lead, so I'll just throw in experiment with whispers after the interrogation.

File: 1658363019798343.png (595 KB, 815x1076)

595 KB PNG

OP what if you put your Eris in one room with pic related?

>>6018552
now kith

Sorry for the wait everyone, I've been very busy lately.

>>6018552

Two walk in, one walks out

>>6018225
>>6018291
>>6018377
>>6018541

My mind is a mess.

Some sort of greenish black slime coats every inch of my body. The liquid is cold, and I can feel it in my bones.

I see a familiar face in front of me. It’s the Imam. He smiles at me and strokes my hand. I can feel the wrinkles on his skin.

“My son,” he says, in a tone filled with more warmth than normal, “You must know that the tainted have begun their attack.”

My head throbs. The mucus seems to beat with my heart.

“Yes, sir.” I say, trying my best to maintain military decorum, “We have begun our training against them in earnest.”

He pats my shoulder. His hands are warm. “You are honorable my son, but they are not. Their wickedness, like demons, and like the oathbreakers to which their lines trace back, is deeper than the sea and broader than the sky. They have tampered with your mind, my boy. It is likely that they have meddled with your memories and turned your will against the King.”

As always, his words are complicated, but I believe in his judgment.

~

It seems like the average member of the cult is surprisingly dimwitted. I suppose it makes sense- it takes someone quite malleable to willingly summon something like… that into the world.

Anyway, he doesn't know too much of note- the Imam is the primary driving force behind the community, but definitely not the head of the penitent as a whole, since inspectors- man in “weird suits and masks” presumably renaissance era venetian suits and masquerade masks like in the videos Pheme showed you.

The education level is seemingly kept intentionally low, possibly to keep the congregation from comprehending just how antithetical the emergence of the King is (or would be) to their supposed faiths. Also, as you poke around the now unconscious body of your little subject, it seems evident that a not-black aura pulsates around his body, centralized on his head. If you had to guess, you’d bet that it was siphoning his intelligence to allow for extraordinary feats of strength and agility.

He may have more useful information, but you need him sedated and out of the way for now. Dorota claims to be able to “keep a person on ice indefinitely,” so you pawn the responsibility of babysitting onto her.

Thanks to the low level of knowledge amongst the people and particularly among the fighters, it should be simple to impersonate not only your target, but any normal acolyte who might be more privy to juicier information.

What should you do?

>Impersonate the soldier
>Stalk the Imam in hopes of meeting an Inspector
>Launch a surprise attack
>Write-in

>>6019974
>Impersonate the soldier
Looks like we'll need to repeat this on the Imam to learn anything. Perhaps we can impersonate an inspector? Claim we drove off the invaders, but need to ensure his head wasn't meddled with? Just hope they don't have their own drops of serenity. Maybe we can pass it off as worry over a more permanent effect like Lethe's.

>>6019974
>Impersonate the soldier

>>6019993
>>6020074

>Impersonate the soldier

You and your shadow return to the city under the starry skies of the desert. You land, sneak back into the barracks with ease, and take the soldier’s bed as your own. Taking advantage of the situation, you get as much rest as you can.

~

You wake up, carefully imitating the movements of your colleagues (assisted somewhat, of course, by the mannerism corrections of your <Faces>) as you perform your necessary tasks, change into your new uniform, and file into your position in the ranks. Thankfully, you memorized the placement of your target during your surveillance, so you have no need to draw attention to yourself by asking.

His- now your-commander walks out, dumbed down much less than your unwitting informant was. This guy, the major, is obviously not at all related to the heart of the Penitent, but is at least one step closer to the imam.

“Auras up!” He orders. Everyone around you begins to slowly manifest the white radiance of their untainted souls. However, to your immediate concern, the very fringes of their aura lies a gnashing veil of not-black.

Worse still, the major seems to be able to see the blessings of the king, commenting on the size of it as he walks down the line.

You start to panic a little- you can easily replicate all colors, including white, but not-black isn't a color. In its truest form, not-black is measured in spacetime rather than lumens- it's a hole in reality. Then again, the fact that mortals can't see divinity must mean it isn't really light, right? Maybe, in the same way that your brain makes divinity look like colors for the sake of human convenience, perhaps you might be able to express not-black despite being unrelated to the king.

What should you do?

>Try to mimic not-black
>Try to lie your way out
>Attack the Major subtly
>Wipe out the soldiers entirely
>Retreat
>Write-in

>>6020393
>Try to mimic not-black
We're totally real and not a faker. See our color?

>>6020393
the attribute of divinity that we ascribe "color" to isn't real color either. The system likely only uses color to so our brains can comprehend it without further alteration.
The not-black is just another attribute, and we could "see" it like any other "color" of divinity
>>Try to mimic not-black

>>6020393
>Try to mimic not-black
Not sure how true >>6020442 is as it comes from a whole different system, but if we can't pull it off a quick whispers that we look as we should will hopefully suffice.

>>6020464
I should have maybe done that as a write-in, that this is what we tell ourselves on why we should succeed in our attempt.
Manifest the solution!

>>6020393
>Try to mimic not-black
If we can't pass this most basic of tests then how will we ever push deeper in?

>>6020427
>>6020442
>>6020464
>>6020473
>>6020581

>Try to mimic not-black

You close your eyes, steady your breath, and meditate on the Uncrowned King

In that abyss, there was space or time. However, in the king, there was not. Yet, despite that, something was there. That something had a “color” of not-black. You breathe in the air of the desert. Its dryness claws at your throat.

You see the reddish orange void of your own closed eyes. Light permeates through the thin membranes of your eyelids, creating the color. You breathe out, and your moisture is hungrily devoured by the arid environment.

Where there is white divinity, there is no light. The system’s color assignment refers to something, but it isn't color per se. It’s the essence of a soul.

You ponder the King. A maelstrom of silent whispers fills your mind as you tap into your experience.

>Warning! Intentional proximity to outsiders is not recommended

You tap into the prayers of countless priests.

>Warning! Use of divinity outside of the context of the system may cause serious damage to your soul and thus is not advised

The King’s color seeps out of your own soul. You didn't just imitate it- you invoked him.

The king is unaware of you, but the knowledge that that fact could change sends shivers down your spine. You, in unison with so many others, unconsciously whisper under your breath:

"Praise to the Uncrowned King,"

The inspector seems overjoyed with your supposed improvement- apparently you showed far more of the king’s colors than the man whose face you stole ever did, and you go through the rest of the day without much notice.

You lay down in your bunk and ponder the situation. What should you do tonight?”

>Confer with the others
>Capture the Major
>Tell Pheme what you learned
>Leave the compound
>Forget what you saw
>Meditate on the king
>Write-in

>>6014404
Hmm... change of theory
our system A might in fact be the older one and has created the incarnation system in response to getting invaded by system B

>>6021022
>Write-in
>Ask Dorota what she observed today in regards to that Aura

>Go to the Major.
>Pretend we have had a sort of epiphany the night before, that's why our Aura improved.
>Ask what we could do to further "our career" here
go get a promotion

I think it's better to not do anything hostile for now.

>>6021037
+1
Finally our girl is in over her head

>>6021022
>Meditate on the king
SO A is more like a computer while B has a central will? Curious

>>6021022
>Tell Pheme what you learned

I'm fucking spooked. Make sure to have the conversation privately with puppet feather mouths.

>>6021037
>>6021058
>>6021250
>>6021420

>Talk to the major about your increased not-black output
>Ask Dorota about the aura of the Penitent

“Sir,” you say with a salute, pulling the major aside after your evening training, “may I have a word?”

The man slaps your back, laughing jovially like a proud father, “Of course! You must have shown, what, ten times the king’s color of any recruit here!”

“I know, I… saw, no, more like heard something. A network of prayers and blessings. A storm of silent whispers”

His eyes widen, “You tapped into the current?”

“The current, sir?”

“Ah yes, you wouldn't have been told yet. The current is the stream that pours to and from his majesty the King. He receives our prayers and in return, he gives us knowledge and the power of his blessing. Each individual worshipper is like a little tributary that pours into a mighty river.”

You were right-even if far off, you were genuinely in the presence of the king.

“I want to do more for his majesty, sir. What can I do to help?”

“Tapping into the stream is the most important step towards rising the ranks- you're guaranteed a spot at least as good as mine just on that grounds alone!”

“Is it really that uncommon?”

“In this village, only I and the Imam have even glimpsed it. Once you find a way to access it on purpose, forget this place, you could even get a spot in the court!”

Your hand trembles a bit. You're playing a dangerous game.

“Come back to me later when you’ve decided what you want to do, boy.”

“Yes, sir,” you say, heading in the direction of your barracks.

Before you go back, you decide to have a word with your shadow:

“Did you notice anything about the aura of the penitent?”

Dorota’s head pops out from the chest of your shadow: “No, but based on the context, it seemed as if we were missing something.”

You nod.

“Are you ok? You seem…. frightened?”

“The most important thing to know is that the king is real. And he’s very, very powerful.”

“Comparable to the system?”

“Maybe. We’ll talk about it later.”

She nods, sinking back into nothingness.

You return before sundown and plop onto your bed. What should you do next?

>Choose an assignment
>Confer with your allies
>Share information with Pheme
>Meditate on the king
>Fall back for now and forget what you saw
>Write-in

>>6021547
>>Share information with Pheme
she should know

>>6021643
But won't Dorota know? She's shadowing us

>>6021547

>Share information with Pheme


>>6021688
She'll know we're communicating with somewhere, but my understanding is that puppeting a feather mouth is secure line, it's mind to mind.

And frankly, I think we might want all the insight we can get. We're brushing up against something way way bigger than ourselves. Play our cards right and I think we stand to become something unstoppable. Play them wrong? And we'll be a hollow shell, gutted from the inside.

>>6021643
>>6021688
>>6021773

>Share information with Pheme

You close your eyes, placing your hand on one of Pheme’s feathers and allowing her divinity to pass through you. Much more easily than before, you tap into the feather on her end established for communication.

Pheme walks in, surprisingly dressed in her professional ensemble of a vest, dress shirt, and slacks. She swivels the chair of her desk to face your point of view, then plops down on the seat.

“So, having fun in Israel?”

“Actually, I’m in Egypt right now. This isn't a social call- I have important intel to share about the Uncrowned King.”

Her smile stiffens and drops, “The king, huh? So they have you snooping around the Penitent?”

“Got it in one.”

“Based on the way you’re talking about this, I can only assume…”

“That's right: the King is real. I’ve seen him.”

Her palm slams down on her armrest as she jolts to a stand- “What is he like? Is he sentient? Is he an actual god?”

You explain everything you know. Pheme swings between interest, shock, and a state you’ve never seen her in: panic. Eventually, she cools down enough to chat.

“Honestly, I’d get out of there if I were you. It seems like Isa and the Penitent are about to square off, and no matter who wins, it’ll be a dangerous place to be.”

“There's a lot to be gained, though. The gifts don’t seem to work like the system- you have to train them in a way completely anathema to our powers. I might be able to approach real godhood by following his traces. Besides, this isn't a war we can win without information.”

She shakes her head, “Tapping into this ‘current’ or ‘stream’ means you’re already too close. You could be seen.”

“Maybe, maybe not. Before I make a decision though…”

>”Do you have any theories about the king and the system?”
>”Do you know what other incarnations are doing about the penitent?”
>”Do you have any new information about the King’s Court?”
>”Nevermind, I’d like to choose now. (Specify)”
>Write-in

>>6021804
>”Do you have any theories about the king and the system?”

>>6021804
>>”Do you have any theories about the king and the system?”
>>”Do you have any new information about the King’s Court?”
>>”Do you know what other incarnations are doing about the penitent?”
all of the above
and
>"It was kinda vague, but I think the system called the penitent 'followers of invaders'. What do you think of the theory of this world creating the system in response to the invaders?"

>>6021919
+1
"Are we supposed to, what, be saving humanity against aliens?"

>>6021804
>”Do you know what other incarnations are doing about the penitent?”
Unless they're all joining Isa in a giant extermination party I probably want to stay.

>>6021804
Seconding >>6021919

>>6021813
>>6021919
>>6021930
>>6022000
>>6022029

>”Do you have any theories about the king and the system?”

“Well, let me lay things out in order of plausibility.”

You nod. She goes into her closet and wheels out a whiteboard.

“First, assuming that the Court were always worshiping the King, it can be concluded based on my research that the King’s presence on earth predates that of the system- or at least the system as we know it, by at least 1,500 and at most over 3,000 years.”

“How do you figure?”

She nods, “There’s an early 6th century Eastern Roman record about a heresy trial with beliefs near identical to those of the Penitent. It was covered up at the time, but they executed the entire village.”

“And 3,000?”

“It’s a bit more of a stretch, but archaeologists
found these petroglyphs in North Africa:”

She uses magnets to pin a series of images to the whiteboard- a man with 6 arms offerings a swirl, presumably as a gift, to a bunch of tiny men with four limbs, the gift being accepted, and a line being drawn between the eight limbed man and the people.

“It seems like a rough approximation of the King’s myth.”

She nods: “My belief is that the interface point between the King and whatever civilization accidentally contacted it in the first place happened circa 3,500 years ago- long enough for it to become mythologized but short enough for it to be a pretty common set of beliefs rather than the arcane mystery it ended up being for most of human history.”

“Then what of the system?”

“This is where things get a bit more speculative. First, let's draw a timeline. The king appears, offers gifts and knowledge m, and attempts to breach into our reality. Religions following the king appear, but are quickly stamped out and not allowed to gain traction. It can be concluded that, for thousands of years after his appearance, any mention of the king was treated as the height of heresy- eventually, though, the king was forgotten by all but a slim few believers,”

“The court?”

“That's my theory anyway. It seems like they also tried to co-opt Christianity- the religions have similar things after all, hence the heresy records. I believe that the Court had decided to stick to the shadows and slowly prepare for the ritual to bring about the King’s emergence until…”

She draws a line right next to the end of the timeline.

“The system appeared.”

“Bingo. The emergence of the system probably caused the King to panic a little bit and rush the operation before an entity that could either easily stop the ritual or damage it upon arrival arose on earth,”

“<True Gods> like <Nascent God Gaia>, probably”

“Her arrival probably spooked the cult a lot,” Pheme agrees.

“So what do you think about the nature of the system and the King?”

>>6022298

“Well, the King is certainly an entity- you saw it yourself, after all. The system, however… I think it's automated.”

“I’ve speculated as much myself- if you think about it, the use of Ancient Greek civilization as a basis for all of the powers is wildly inefficient- there are absolutely no powers related to modern technology, weaponry, or concepts. Even if you wanted to argue that analogue tech is better for divinity or something, modern bows, swords, and spears are way better than the greek ones, yet all of the weapons provided by the system are at least vaguely period authentic.”

“Precisely,” she smiles, “It is for this reason that I believe that the system is both automated and a completely new arrival that knew nothing of earth or humanity before appearing before us.”

“What do you think their intentions are?”

“Divinity, both ways. I think that the King intends to use humanity like livestock in a much more direct fashion by breaching the veil, eating up souls before leaving nice and fat. The system, meanwhile, takes a much more laid back approach- collecting divinity as it may and sending it back to its parent deity. Because of it being automated and refined to this extent, I also believe that-”

“-There must be multiple universes to target.”

“Exactly. If there was only one universe, it would be completely stupid to make an entire fully automated system like that just to harvest it. It would be easier to just peek in on the universe and throw something together from there. It also makes me suspect that the entity behind the system is much bigger than the Uncrowned King- the act of consuming individual universes has become… beneath it.”

“You're probably right, but the thought’s a bit scary, isn't it?”

She shrugs, “There is another possibility of course.”

“I did have an alternative theory myself- that some entity native to this universe threw together the system as a last line of defense against the king.”

She nods, “You may or may not know this, but it's been recently discovered that objects made by humans before the system’s advent can have <Grades> as high as <Fable Phi>.”

You shout, “What? How!?”

“Objects with great religious or cultural significance apparently get divinity naturally infused in them by the reverence and regard others place upon them. For example:”

Pheme pulls up a picture of a middle aged asian man in a white padded uniform,

“This is Kobayashi Hajime- in his prime, he was the kendo world champion. And this,”

She plays a video of the same man, dressed in what looks like traditional Japanese armor, cutting a sea serpent thicker than a skyscraper in half with a single swing, “is what he can do with the Grasscutter- one of the national treasures of Japan.”

>>6022299

“Surely it must be enchanted.”

“It probably is, but this video happened only a month after the first known deifications started taking place. In other words- there's no way an artifact like that came out of nothing.”

>”Do you know what other incarnations are doing about the penitent?”

“Hard to say. The Commander and Defender are seemingly doing nothing. The House of Hades has been working on identifying and converting them normally, whereas Ye Min and the Americans…”

She drops some reports- mysterious disappearances in the US and the public extermination of all Muslim or Christian communities in China.

“Have obviously taken more extreme measures.”

>”Do you have any new information about the King’s Court?”

“Other than what I’ve told you, no. Their main operatives have been suspiciously quiet- I think they're probably setting up something.” Her expression darkens, “probably the ritual.”

>”I want to fall back”
>”I want to pursue the king”
>”I need more information” (specify)
>”Are you doing ok? You seem tired”
>Write-in

>>6022301
>"So we're kinda at a crossroads if we want to help the king who is maybe the underdog against that automated system, or the other eldritch being status quo."
>"The system sending out warnings about my soul being in danger going with king might just be subterfuge either..."

I think we should at least see how they gain in power. They also have wespons with <Gifts>, so raiding their armory is also a high priority. I wonder if there are ill effects if Kirby goes mouthful mode.

@QM
Is the greek letter for fables counting up or down? Omega being the strongest?

>>6022311
+1

>>6022311

Omega is the weakest a Fable grade artifact can be

unrelated but great beach art in the art general mr olympus. legs 4 days

>>6022301
>”I want to pursue the king”
>>6022311
Following the king is too risky, if it is an automated system it may have a something preprogramed in case

>>6022301
>”I want to pursue the king”
Eat him instead
Then find a way to hack the system

>>6022301
>”Are you doing ok? You seem tired”
Fucking hell, isn't bullshit like this for heroes? I thought we were the villains of this story. Well, can't conquer the world if some other fucker does it first though.

>”I want to pursue the king”
I think an important first step is learning mastery of divinity outside the confines of the system. If we can manifest Not-Black can we push farther? Manifest other powers at will? We should use Folly's Grasp to control ourselves and a minion, then try to mimic their powers with our divinity to learn how to use divinity outside of the system.

>>6022479
Villains have it harder because they have to fight their own side off too :(

>>6022409

Thanks! I might post more in the QAG later as well if you want to see that

>>6022311
>>6022315
>>6022431
>>6022479

>”I want to pursue the king.”

“This might be our only lead to figuring out some really important information and powers. Besides, we might be the bad guys but that thing is on another level. We can't let it breach our reality.”

She sighs, before putting on a sad smile: “I thought you’d say something like that. I won’t try to stop you, just… be careful, ok? And let me know if you need anything.”

“Don't worry- if it's between the world and my own life, I choose myself every time.”

She grins, “I wouldn't have it any other way.”

You disconnect the line and open your eyes. What should you do now?

>Consult with your allies
>Chat with Dorota
>Meditate on the king
>Experiment with connecting to a soul
>Experiment with one of the basic <Gifts> the soldiers are training (you may specify between strength, speed, and sharpening)
>Go to sleep
>Write-in

>>6022584
>>Experiment with one of the basic <Gifts> the soldiers are training (sharpening)
anti-incarnation elemental damage on claws

>>6022584
>Chat with Dorota
We can give her an overview of what's happened so far and ask for her take on it (without talking about the truly important stuff if we need)

>>6022584
>Experiment with connecting to a soul

It's a tie! I'll wait a few hours for a tiebreaker and roll for it in lieu of one

>>6022829
+1

>>6022584
>Experiment with connecting to a soul
Double the gains from exploiting mortals

You guys are still tied, which is pretty fun. Since we're down to 2, I'll probably post some sort of compromise between the two (tomorrow) unless someone breaks the tie

>>6022838
changing to this then

>>6022705
>>6022829
>>6022838
>>6023319
>>6023369
>>6023609

>Experiment with resonating with a soul

You realize after <Tapping Into> the King’s essence that the ties that bind you to other incarnations in the world, from the pantheons to the <Bargains> to the mingling of authorities create a similar stream of connections between yourself and the incarnations in your midst. In theory, the system itself should bind all incarnations together in such a manner, but trying to hijack the system itself seems a bit out of your depth for now.

You imagine it would probably be easier to connect with someone physically present or with whom you share either strong bonds or striking similarities. Of course, you’ll probably also need permission (or ownership) in order to tap into someone else's essence.

Who should you attempt to resonate with?

>Brigita
>Pheme
>Dorota
>Isabella
>Pallas
>Someone from the Mafia (specify)
>Write-in

>>6023628
our favourite shortstack
>Pallas

>>6023633
actually nevermind, probably dangerous for them
>manticore