[Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

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Vagrant Orpheus
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Vagrant Orpheus »

Heretic, your math is wrong. Aside from not even including Aspect at all, Form 1, Craft 3, Company 4 and Domain 5 add up to 32 (1 + 6 + 10 + 15). You need to drop a level in something, and I'd recommend it be invested in Aspect at least a little. I'd drop Domain to 4, invest in Aspect up to Level 2, and have a spare 2 EP to put additional features in. Speaking of which, not only are your features too lenghy in description ("They can be keywords, objects, characteristics or suitably evocative quotes up to a sentence in length") but you don't have enough of them. With my reassignment of points from Domain to Aspect to make the character legal, you're allowed 1 Form Feature, 3 Craft Features, 4 Company Features, 4 Domain Features and 2 Aspect Features, plus two more features to be distributed where you choose.

Which reminds me, anyone here tempted to put 1 point into 1 Attribute, leave the rest at 0 and then just give that attribute 30 Features? :P
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Heretic »

Well, I knew I overexceeded my points, and was wondering if a massive disadvantage would help even the odds out,being the lazy ass I am to rewrite the whole thing. But to forget another attribute? How embarrassing. :oops:

I'll get right to the editing.

Edit: I didn't seem to read the part about special features having points..whoops again.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Vagrant Orpheus wrote:Which reminds me, anyone here tempted to put 1 point into 1 Attribute, leave the rest at 0 and then just give that attribute 30 Features? :P
Except that would leave all those Features powered by a level 1 in that Attribute - all at the "fairly average guy who split his time to learn 30 skills" level.

EDIT: And technically, the "one sentence" limit on Features includes the name of the Feature, so even Ford was technically breaking the rules there. Seems more fun this way, though. ;)
Last edited by Invictus on Sun Sep 27, 2009 5:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Vagrant Orpheus »

Of course, but it would still be hilarious.

Or, you know, boot one Attribute to 5, leave the rest at 0, and then just give him 20 godly features in that Attribute.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Or I can just change the rules!

"All EP must be spent on Attributes if possible. If you have enough remaining EP to purchase another level in any of your Attributes, you must do so. Only when your EP is insufficient to buy further Attribute levels can you spend it on extra Features."
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 2 - Advent Rey Returns: REVERGELTUNG
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Ford Prefect »

Siege wrote:The Great Sultan says: "May a thousand donkeys shit on your enlightenment!"
The nature of the Great Sultan was irrepresible! One of my two other character builds would make the perfect foil for the Great Sultan, but she is quite complex, whereas the following is not (though it is a bit overlong):

The Senile Celestial Emperor, Tianshén (30 EP)

5 Form (15 EP)
- God Emperor of Dragons
All dragons in the world are descendants of Tianshén, born like many mythical creatures from his deific blood mixing with elements of the world. He possesses all traits known to dragons, but on a scale which they cannot match ... assuming he remembers that he possesses them.
- Spine of the World
Tianshén possesses a vastness that dwarfs the greatest mountain ranges, and it is said that most of the mountains in his hemisphere were the result of him crashing to the earth in dim and distant ages.
- Unfathomable Resource
Tianshén's titanic body contains an incredible volume of precious material resource: raw ores and gem stones created by distant stars, alloys forged by the god-dragon's metabolic processes, alien gases and unusual phases of matter created by the densities of his deepest organs. Because Tianshén's innards are naviagble, and because he is only awake rarely and even then doesn't really move, vast numbers of entrepeneurs have come from far and wide to mine the god's body: boring into his crustal flesh with white hot magics, dropping taps into his deepest arteries to sap the miraculous Water of Life, sending expeditions into the very synaptic clefts of Tianshén's brain to chip away at his crystallised thought.
- A Little Slow
With a brain the size of a small country, wearied by billions of years of existence, Tianshén cannot said to be the sharpest blade in the armoury, and is effectively - and terrifyingly - senile.
- Strange Aeons
Though settlements, even cities, have been constructed within Tianshén's body, this cannot be said to be a particularly safe practice. Setting aside the fact that Tianshén is still a living creature and has been known to twitch every couple of decades, his interior is a space from another time, and not everything conforms to known rules about the world: the deeper one travels into the recesses of the celestial body, the more unusual and dangerous the journey will become, and the more likely one is to encounter the lurking star-spawn that have taken up residence.

5 Aspect (15)
- First Emperor Among Heaven
Tianshén is a major deity from primordial eras and, while not exactly all there any more, is still an undisputed authority in the heavens. Though most deities tend to distance themselves from the senile emperor, they all still possess some form of respect for him.
- Pillar of the Sky
So ancient is Tianshén that it is said that his very existence holds the sky in place, and magical scholars are fairly certain that he is a keystone of the world, part of the status quo which has been here since Creation. Precisely what would happen if Tianshén was killed is thought to be spectacular.
- Rhythm of the World
The beating of Tianshén's five hearts is in part responsible for the tides, the weather, plate tectonics, the flow of time and the expansion of space. The elemental power of dragons over creation stems entirely from their blood relation to the Celestial Emperor, and they rely ont he existence of Tianshén to possess these powers. However, Tianshén is old, and not in the greatest of health; heart murmurs are becoming worringly frequent, and scholars dread periodic heart attacks.
- I Was Old When the Universe Was Young!
A matter of great pride for Tianshén is his advanced, and at time unfathomable, age. Though in truth his span of years has left him decrepit and a shadow of his past glory, it is also true that his memories contain experience of almost everything there is to experience about the universe; the cantankerous old god is perfectly willing to regale people with these tales of past eras ... assuming he can remember them.

God + senile + useless + dungeon. Tianshén is less a person and more a location. He's so useless he can't even be used as a plot device. I know I'm missing a Feature, but it's hard to come up with something extra, and it's basically all there.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

First two of five:

Governor Luwei Dragonspeaker, Warlord of the South

2 Form (3 EP)
- Callused Fighting Arm
Luwei is a campaign veteran beyond his years, experienced in battle but not yet weighed down by the ravages of age and the wounds of war.
- Blessings of the Pearl
It is impossible to be wed to a family of dragons without some of its nature rubbing off you; Luwei's fatigues shed quickly and he hardly seems to have aged since his marriage.

2 Craft (3 EP)
- Just Magistrate
Call him naive, but Luwei has a talent for treating his petitioners fairly and lightly without appearing haughty or remote.
- Artist of War
Well-read in the myriad stratagems of the ancients, Luwei is a virtuoso in applying them to the battlefield although it does sometimes render him unimaginative.
+ Spear of my Fathers
Luwei is a master of the Lu-style spear school, a solid fighting style which pass been passed down his family for generations.

4 Company (10 EP)
- Beloved of the Dragon Court
After accepting the hand of the Princess of Nine Depths in return the rescue of her court, Luwei now counts a brood of mighty Water Dragons as his family-in-law. Though pacifists, they have great powers over weather and water.
- Battalion of the South
Luwei's army consist equally of campaign veterans whom he took with him and fresh recruits raised in his province. They are not particularly ferocious fighters but are sure-footed and tenacious, adapted to the South's humid weather and treacherous terrain.
- Hillfolk and Valleyfolk
Luwei's province is highly populous for their size, filled with folks living off every cranny of the bountiful land.
- Ludan Dragonborn, the Young Warlord
Luwei's half-dragon son, now come of age. Already his strength is many times that of his father and he can traverse the between the realms of land and water with effortless ease.

3 Domain (6 EP)
- Grand Province of Yu
A significant chunk of Old Seres, now independent in all but name. It possesses a well-oiled bureaucracy as with all provinces and functions surprisingly well as a state of its own.
- Magnificent Lake Azure
Home to the Princess of Nine Depths, the waters of this lake are deep and forbidding, but endlessly sweet and pure.
- Land of a Hundred Rivers
The land of Yu is criss-crossed with valleys and rivers, allowing for thriving fisheries and boat trade. They also form highly defensible barriers against invading foes.
+ Terraces of Bounty
Through generations of painstaking labor of its farmers, even the green hills of Yu have been tamed to provide extra farmland, reinforcing the region's breadbasket.

3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Veneration of the Spirits
Luwei always pays the proper obsequience to the small gods and spirits who dot the land. As a result, they also allow him their small benevolences
- Match Made in Heaven?
If a man has the fortune to wed a grateful dragon, clearly fate does not intend to cut his life short so soon.
- A Banner Raised 'gainst the Stars
Luwei is the first and only Warlord to openly claim the Mandate of Heaven. With that act, gears have been set into motion; and the dynastic destiny underlying the Seres Empire will not easily let it stop.

2 Spare EP - 2 extra Features in Craft and Domain


Lord Castellan Kaijun, Warlord of the North

2 Form (3 EP)
- Statue of Old
Kaijun stands a head taller than any man, his tall and weathered frame seemingly from an earlier age of heroes.
- Third Eye
Born with an uncanny intensity in his eyes, Kaijun's glare can pierce falsehoods and expose the hearts of men.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- Liege of Lightnings
Kaijun's knowledge of cavalry tactics is unmatched in Seres. Horsemen under his command strike like lightning yet with the discipline of a moving wall, never overextending themselves and never missing an opportunity to charge.
- Miserly Administrator
Pinching every coin that is tributed from the resource-poor northlands, Kaijun excels at making the most out of a red account but spends what he has with slow caution.
- Sidereal Hexing Arts
The sword is not Kaijun's only forte. From his apprenticeship in the Tian Mountains he has learnt a series of spells to harm and slay his foes from afar.
+ Secrets of Flight
When Kaifun runs or rides, he knows how to make the very winds carry his weight.

3 Company (6 EP)
- Ten Thousand Lances
Kaijun has painstakingly built up a massive corps of elite horsemen over the years. All those who have met it on the field speak of it in fear.
- Hardy Herdsmen
The people of the north are nomadic and self-reliant, occasionally willful but naturally adept riders.
- The Void Circle
Kaijun has gathered about him a cadre of sorcerers and black magicians to help carry out his magical attacks. Both their powers and loyalties are dubious.

4 Domain (10 EP)
- Grand Province of Xiang
A significant chunk of Old Seres, now independent in all but name. It possesses a well-oiled bureaucracy as with all provinces and functions surprisingly well as a state of its own.
- Pastures Beyond Sight
Endless grassy plains form the terrain of the northlands, ideal for the raising of horses and denying any cover for invading armies.
- The Wall of the North
The only break in the monotonous steppes is the sight of the Wall, a seemingly endless fortification of stone and mortar that signifies the northernmost boundary of civilization.
- The Three Brazen Wards
In his quest for sorcery, Kaijun was gifted three small amulets of brass, each of which his mentor said could shield him from a single calamity. One has already been used.
+ The Stone Sentinels
Lining the Wall are statues of soldiers in full regalia. In dire circumstances the commander of the fortification can order them to awaken and fight.

2 Aspect (3 EP)
- Apostate Disciple
A former pupil to the immortal sorcerers of the Tian Mountains, Kaijun left his studies incomplete to pursue worldly power. It was not an act looked on favorably by his former masters.
- Knows the Names of Demons
Kaijun has not forgotten the wonders he has seen in the immortal realms. While his spellcraft is only half-learnt, his knowledge of unworldly creatures is considerable.

2 Spare EP = 2 extra Features in Form and Domain
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
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REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

Mental note, revise the GLADIATORS under this point system.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Ford Prefect »

The Feature system really is useful. Luwei and Kaijun have very similar builds, but their features give them a lot of 'life', so to speak.
FEEL THESE GUNS ARCHWIND THESE ARE THE GUNS OF THE FLESHY MESSIAH THE TOOLS OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION THAT WILL ENACT THE LAW OF MAN ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Mobius 1 »

I just realized this, but Vic wins the thread for using Zordon from Power Rangers.

This system is great fun, I spent yesterday converting some of my TE villains over to it.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Middle two of five!

March Marshall Anshan, Warlord of the West

3 Form (6 EP)
- Half-Barbarian
Product of a union between a Serean and a barbarian from the far west, Anshan’s frame is wide and gangly, his hair golden and his skin dusky.
- Folded Steel Skin
Masses of scars crisscross Anshan’s body, forming almost a natural suit of armor.
- Fearless Impetuousness
Face forwards and never balking, Anshan’s response to danger is always to meet it head on and with all his might.

2 Craft (3 EP)
- Whirlwind of Blood
Anshan’s black-iron greataxe has thus far harvested hundreds of heads. Opponents fear to meet him in single combat.
- Leader of Men
Tall and roaring, Anshan is always found at the forefront of his army, his presence spurring his men to perform great acts of courage.

4 Company (10 EP)
- First among Equals
Wide and sparse and mountainous, the westlands have always been difficult to administer. Thus they are in the hands of a loose alliance of generals, among which Anshan’s fiefdom is the greatest.
- Blood Brotherhood
Rude men like Anshan and his subordinates make allegiances in the only way they know; swearing to each other bonds of loyalty only broken by death.
- Battalions of the West
Armored like porcupines and just as well equipped with stringing arrows, Anshan’s armies are hardy and adept at fieldcraft.
- Redbeard the Seer
A mysterious counselor who is always seen at Anshan’s side, his predictions have yet to fail the warlord so far and his prophecies never stop casting Anshan into greater and greater destinies.

4 Domain (10 EP)
- The Western Marches
This wide swath of territory is strategically vital to Seres and is administered with a heavy hand despite its inaccessibility.
- Fortified Cities
The population of the westlands is concentrated in densely settled valleys and plateaus, easy to defend and precipitous to attack.
- Deep Mountain Mines
Rich with veins of iron and other useful ores, the westlands are at no lack of weapons and armor to equip its legions.
- Desert Outposts
Beyond the fading foothills of the Western Marches stretch the dry steppes. Serean military outposts there provide both early warning and a trading post for exotic barbarians.

1 Aspect (1 EP)
- Simple Superstitions
More and more assured of his destined greatness, Anshan interprets the smallest events as omens towards his success or failure.


Grand Duke Wenwan, Warlord of the East

1 Form (1 EP)
- A Well-lived Life
Fulfillment marks the existence of the fantastically wealthy Grand Duke. Years of enjoying luxury and power has dulled his ambitions but smoothened his temper.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- Enterprising Statesman
A businessman as well as a ruler, Wenwan has an uncanny eye for profit and opportunity and his governments are generally so awash in funds that his officials do not feel the need to resort to corruption.
- Gentlemanly Pursuits
Wenwan knows to varying degrees of proficiency all the skills that a nobleman of his station is expected to know, from riding to artwork to song to archery to all-important protocol.
- A Friend in High Places
The Grand Duke is an expert at making deals and acquiring friends with charm and power. He has made his wide reputation as a patron whose favors can be relied on.

4 Company (10 EP)
- Aristocrat in the Wilderness
Wenwan’s lineage is ancient and prestigious, possibly more so than that of the current Emperor. He is distrusted by the capital but enjoys much entrenched popularity in his homeland.
- Loyalty in Gold
Wenwan’s generosity can almost be mistaken for social welfare. Beyond his employees, men of all stripes owe obligations to him for receiving his gold.
- Thousand Idle Retainers
The Grand Duke’s palace hosts and feeds many house-guests as a demonstration of his wealth. Many of them are of dubious character, but between them one can find a combination of skills and talents found nowhere else.
- Sailors and Traders
The people of the East tend to be familiar with water, making them skilled swimmers and ready sailors.

4 Domain (10 EP)
- Grand Province of Zi
A significant chunk of Old Seres, now independent in all but name. It possesses a well-oiled bureaucracy as with all provinces and functions surprisingly well as a state of its own.
- Bustling Ports
The east of Seres borders the ocean and is a hothouse of commerce. Ships ply the blue towards foreign lands and come back with all sorts of exotic goods.
- Overflowing Treasury
A combination of judicious taxation and competent management of assets makes Wenwan one of the richest men in Seres.
- The Turtle Fleet
The Grand Duke’s navy consists of battleships armored in iron and armed with the best and most sophisticated siege weapons money can buy.

2 Aspect (3 EP)
- The Grandest Guignol
Disapproving of his indolence, a disgruntled ancestor once gave Wenwan a dream tour of Hell. He now knows firsthand the fates of the indolent even as the knowledge haunts his nightmares.
- Honored Ancestors
Wenwan’s collection of famous ancestors almost form a miniature pantheon. Lavish sacrifices are offered to them and any achievements are inevitably measured against those of his forefathers.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
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REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

And the last of five. Plus a bonus!


Elder Custodian Li, Imperial Regent

2 Form (3 EP)
- Wizened Eunuch
Li has accepted the humiliating procedure and spent scores of years working in the Palace to rise to his current height, and he will die before he relinquishes it.
- Forbidden Elixirs
A combination of court alchemists and eunuch traditions produces rare and expensive potions that maintain Li’s vigor and sharpness of mind in his twilight years.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- Master of Intrigues
The Imperial Palace is the highest level where the game is played, where defeat carries unimaginable costs and even victory can plunge an empire into ruins.
- Imperial Housekeeper
Making sure that everything within the vast manse of the Sons of Heaven runs smoothly is a daunting task, and Li has had a lifetime to master it.
- Treasured Sunflower Style
An infamous style of martial arts only usable by castratos, it is surprisingly popular among court eunuchs who constantly fear the sharp end of power plays.

2 Company (3 EP)
- Ears behind Brocades
A network of concubines, servants and junior eunuchs answer secretly to Li, informing him of everything that transpires within the Imperial Palace.
- Tianzi the Young
The Emperor of Seres is but six, and has known the Elder Custodian for all his life. With sympathetic advice and innocent requests, Li can steer the Emperor to his ends…most of the time.

5 Domain (15 EP)
- Regent of Great Seres
With the Emperor so young, it is Li who rules the vastness of Seres in all but name. The incomparable wealth and might of the Old Empire is technically his to command, though few consider his position just or deserved.
- The Imperial Grounds
A number of well-kept estates are administered directly at the pleasure of the Palace, free from the hands of meddling bureaucrats and regional governors.
- The Palace of Eternity
Ancient, magnificent and sprawling, only a man who has lived in it all his life knows all the mystic tools and mundane treasures that the Center of Seres contains and when to use them.
- Archive of the Custodians
Shelf upon shelf of dynastic histories and genealogical records are at Li’s disposal to browse, present and edit. The Empire’s story is as he sees it.
- Duplicate Imperial Seal
A perfect replica of the material proof backing every decree issued and stamped from the Palace, Li knows the possession of such a thing merits a slow death no matter his rank. But he has the suspicion that it will come in handy soon…

2 Aspect (3 EP)
- Behind the Dragon Throne
The Son of Heaven and the Scion of Dragons is separated from Li by a mere few partitions. The Elder Custodian cannot but be well-versed in miracles and portents pertaining to the rise and fall of dynasties.
- Severed From the Root
Having cut himself out of the familial hierarchy of Serean society, Li exists in an odd place which certain traditions and taboos do not apply.


The Nightwidow

4 Form (10 EP)
- Mother of Spiders
The Nightwidow is the oldest and greatest of her kind, her bulk beggaring belief though slow and gnarled with age.
- Whose Hide is Coal
Countless layers of dead starstuff and god-ichor have congealed over her shell, forming a second skin that can turn aside the blows of divinities.
- Whose Eyes See All
The Nighwidow’s many eyes can be mistaken for a constellation in the night sky, if they did not glow with baleful hunger.
- Whose Fangs Lurk Above
Though she is old, her legs are still strong and nimble to propel her back into the sky after lunging down on some unfortunate prey; and though the poison has dried, her stingers are as sharp as ever.

2 Craft (3 EP)
- Primordial Predator
The Nightwidow has had an eternity to perfect the simple patterns of waiting and pouncing, eating and hiding, fighting and running. What more does she need?
- Spinner of Shadows
While her stomach is too empty and her memories too dim to reproduce her Heaven-spanning webs, the Nightwidow’s skill in spinning thread remains second nature to her.

1 Company (1 EP)
- Scuttling Survivors
The Nighwidow has no spawn; for her hunger is such that she eventually consumes the eggs she lays herself. However, a few broods in hidden places manage to hatch and escape, pale and impoverished and holding no love for their mother.

4 Domain (10 EP)
- Sky-spanning Web
Stretched across the night sky, in the empty spaces between the watchful bright stars, lies what remains of the Nightwidow’s first and greatest work. On her Web she traverses, picking off prey from the world below.
- Aetheric Silk
Immaterial yet stronger than any material, these strands of the Nightwidow’s manufacture linger everywhere and no creature is more sensitive to its presence and more familiar with its properties than her.
- Nests in the Sky
Anchored to the heavens are hidden, gossamer-spun sanctuaries where the Nightwidow can rest and slumber in her own memories, studded with many an ancient bone and lost bauble.
- Lairs in Dark Places
The paltry cloying night under the earth is not to her liking, but the Nightwidow is cunning enough to hide where her godly hunters least expect to find her.

3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Elder Nightmare
The terror unleashed by the Nightwidow among the early civilizations was such that her name among them is never unheard of, merely forgotten. It is synonymous with fear and opposition.
- A Time before the Dawn
Civilizations have risen and gods have been born yet the Nightwidow’s nature remains unchanged, ancient and untamable. Where her shadow falls, fires become duller and the reason of men ebbs.
- Hunted by the Stars
The pantheons of light and civilization have not forgotten her either. It was the gods who broke her nightly terror in the first place, and they continue to keep her at bay with their eternally burning watchfires.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
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REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

Wow. Goddamn treacherous Chinese eunuch grand vizier regent Lis, and evil ancient wicked black widow monstrosities from the fucking depths of space!
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Echirwe Sserewi, Caravan Master

3 Form (6 EP)
- Greater Horned One
Echirwe is a pureblood Outbound One, his antlers straight and his frame magnificent. The strength, swiftness, vitality and beauty of a being of his stature is far greater than a human's.
- Garbed in Sight
All beings known to beauty seek to adore a Horned One; a host of pleasing glamors spring up around Echirwe as long as he is beheld.
- Prior Debts
Echirwe has lived long enough as a trader to have traded away much of his original self; his enemies often find that what they seek to deprive him of are not theirs for the taking.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- Scales of the Heart
Echirwe has grown extraordinarily perceptive of the hearts of men and how much weight is required to unbalance them; disgorging profit.
- Master Musician
Let it never be said that Echirwe extracts value from others but produces none himself. He has great love for music and the passion of his well-practiced performances is quite enough to enchant.
- Weaver of Words
As skilled as music as Echirwe is in language. In his hands and from his mouth they dance and make invisible chains, binding customers to themselves and seeing that Echirwe suffers no disadvantage.

3 Company (6 EP)
- The Rainbow Rêve
Echirwe's commercial operation is large, flexible and entirely mobile. It sustains the livelihoods of hundreds of vendors, guards and various hangers - on under oath or contract to him.
- The Indebtured
Some come to the Rêve to pay for its services, others come simply to pay; Echirwe's company holds the uncanny reputation of enabling a man to work off any debt, no matter how massive or hopeless.
- The Hundred Hooks
Knowing how to sell is not enough. From courtier-spies reporting fashion trends in the royal courts to hermits nurturing drugs that some would kill and others would kill for, Echirwe's vast network of sources always guarantee him lucrative opportunities.

3 Domain (6 EP)
- Bazaar of Wonders
The stock of treasures hawked by the Rainbow Rêve is a thing of legend. While Echirwe would never admit to making kings look like paupers, a spree among his goods would certainly reduce a king to one.
- Games of Fate and Chance
If acquisition is not to the visitor's taste, then the Rêve's extensive host of entertainments may have a hope yet of parting him from his coin.
- The Folding Silk Halls
The very stalls and carriages that comprise the Rêve are no less important to Echirwe as tools of the trade. Wondrously enchanted, they can contain far more than their size suggests and pack with astonishing ease.

3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Keeper of the Hidden Havens
Before he became a trader, the world of old was already well-worn beneath Echirwe's feet. In his memories remain many hidden places and paths men have forgotten.
- All Things Want
All things have hearts, Echirwe has found. All things have needs which need fulfilling and once he realized this simple truth, he is never at a lack for customers.
- Beloved of Gaea
Being one of the last Outbound Ones upon this earth, Echirwe is capable of calling on the favor of his ancient and slumbering creator deities though their powers are diminished and their attention not always welcome.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Ford Prefect »

Man, that's really cool! Very flavourful, like the whole basis for a novel in a handful of lines.
FEEL THESE GUNS ARCHWIND THESE ARE THE GUNS OF THE FLESHY MESSIAH THE TOOLS OF CREATION AND DESTRUCTION THAT WILL ENACT THE LAW OF MAN ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

High Prince Tenyen, The Pretender Dragon

2 Form (3 EP)
- Regal Air
Witness a scion of the Imperial line at his zenith, every grace and manner the fullest reflection of the blessing of Heaven; how unlike the sickly child who occupies the Throne!
- Weapon of Vengeance
Throughout his decades of exile the prince has honed his body to the limits, preparing obsessively for the day he will wage war against his own homeland.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- King by His Own Cunning
Tenyen's name alone might have been enough to win him his initial following, but it has been preserved to today only with the constant exercise of his wit and ruthlessness.
- Dreams of the Dragon Throne
Every scrap of policy emanating from the Imperial Palace that reaches Tenyen's ears raises his ire; nothing is up to standards of the perfect Serean government he has built inside his own head.
- Barbarian Warmaster
Spending so long in foreign lands, the scope of Tenyen's military knowledge exceeds any classically-trained general of his homeland; while he himself strives to formulate the perfect counters to maneuvers he know will be used against him.
+ Long Live the True Emperor
Fueled by both ambition and paranoia, Tenyen has learned dark arts to sidestep death; this blasphemy he has kept a secret from all but his most loyal bodyguards.

2 Company (3 EP)
- The Turquoise Guard
A secretive band of warriors and courtiers who swore absolute loyalty to Tenyen years ago and followed him into exile. Their strength is depleted but their skills are much honed.
- Blood by Betrayal
Future dukes and generals they may be, Tenyen's close followers know that right now they are no more than renegades in Seres' eyes whose lives are already forfeit. This knowledge only hardens them against whatever deeds they will be called upon to commit.
+ The Ridden Tiger
Beyond Tenyen's inner circle are opportunists of all stripes, men unimpressed by his heavenly destiny and merely attracted to his promises. These he must soon fulfill or risk mutiny.

4 Domain (10 EP)
- The Shapay Archipelago
Hundreds of lawless islands to the southeast of Seres, full of jungle and coves and twisting waterways. The area has long been regarded as the desolate edge of civilization, untouched by Serean influence.
- Hive of Scum and Villainy
Shapay is home to outlaws, barbarian pirates, bitter holdouts from abolished dynasties, shipwrecked survivors of the Khanate Armadas, and more. None have much love for the Dragon Throne.
- The Southern Dynasty
Prince Tenyen has surrounded himself with pomp and luxury befitting his status as the true Emperor of Seres. His palaces are a pale imitation to those of the Imperial Capital, but they are more than enough to impress the natives.
- Miracle Weapons
Tireless efforts have gathered Tenyen an arsenal of strange and potent devices of iron and fire, with which he hopes to smash the hidebound militaries in his path.

3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Perpetual Exile
Tenyen's name is a perpetual bogeyman in Seres proper, a troublingly legitimate heir who every kingmaker must regard and whom even the gods cannot ignore.
- Idolator of Fortune
Yet disregarding his duties as a scion of Seres proper, Tenyen has directed his sacrifices to whatever heathen deity will answer his plea for small victories and petty desires. As such, there is an all but declared war for his soul.
- Khan of a Hundred Banners
The discord in Seres have caused Tenyen's position to wax strong, and now lords of many tribes and nations flock to him, expecting him to lead their plunder of the Middle Kingdom. But if the exile prince can harness this heady momentum, he will achieve far more than any mere Emperor of Seres can.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Czernobog »

Wow. I can really picture this guy in my head.
You have ruled this galaxy for ten thousand years.
You have little of account to show for your efforts.
Order. Unity. Obedience.
We taught the galaxy these things.

And we shall do so again.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Wandering Magistrate Xu

1 Form (1 EP)
- Humble Official
Xu's form resembles that of little more than a well-used scholar, his brow grey and his shoulders bowed by the burdens of his office. He relies greatly on his trusted men to carry out his arrests.

4 Craft (10 EP)
- Sky-Clear Eyes
No injustice escapes Judge Xu's notice. The intents of the high and the low, the uncouth and the cunning alike are as clear to him as though their hearts are glass.
- Sage of Jurists
A lifelong study of the byzantine laws and customs of Seres has made Xu its most learned authority in all the Empire. Yet he also knows when and which strictures to apply to achieve eventual justice.
- Miracle Worker
By wisdom he must and by the slimmest coincidence he will, but Xu can solve any mystery and close any case by bringing his immense array of analytical skills and practical knowledge to bear.
- The Shadows Know
Judge Xu leaves nobody beyond the succor or sanction of the law. Stealthy travel, disguise, misdirection and covert investigation are all skills of his trade.

3 Company (6 EP)
- The Eight Bailiffs
A hand-picked collection of lawmen, gallants and former vigilantes, Judge Xu's indispensable cadre of subordinates share his dedication towards justice and are incomparable warriors to boot.
- Incorruptible Trust
Through a long and tumultuous career, Judge Xu and his followers have earned their absolute trust in each other many times over.
- Loyalty of the Commoners
Though he never holds court in any place for long, the fame of Judge Xu is such that he commands more respect and compliance from the people than their properly appointed governors; they will seek whatever means to aid him even though he is outlawed.

2 Domain (3 EP)
- Rogue Magistracy
Intrigues from a decadent court ensure that Xu no longer holds any official post, and well-connected officials know that he is effectively blacklisted from political life. But Seres is in chaos and this allows Xu to continue carrying out his quisitorial role in many cut-off provinces.
- The Sword of State
A personal gift from the father of the current Celestial Scion, it is known to most that whoever wields this jeweled weapon acts with the authority of the Emperor himself. It is also a blade of superlative quality.

4 Aspect (10 EP)
- Believe in My Justice
Such is Xu's far-reaching reputation that common folk everywhere have started praying to him for intercession. Though forces in Heaven have yet to shift, procedures are being made and the lower branches of divinity already hold out due deference for him.
- Past the Bridge of Death
Xu has died many times from the hired hands of the unscrupulous, despite the best efforts of his Bailiffs. However, the Fatejudges of the Netherworld always insist that it is not yet his time and restore his departed soul to his body, sending him forth once more.
- Earthly Exemplar
As a pillar of justice upheld in a tumultuous age, even ghosts of the unjustly slain, persecuted monsters and squabbling gods seek Xu out to have him hear their case. As a lawgiver, his reputation has grown beyond the mortal spheres.
- Righteousness Unyielding
When fighting injustice, Xu's sureness of purpose resonates thought the heavens. In his presence, malice and bad faith stumbles, and an aegis of his own will deflects all covert attempts to bring him to harm.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Tai the Anchorite, Master of Ascendant Attainment

3 Form (6 EP)
- Transcendent Substance
Master Tai has transfigured his flesh into something purer, an ascendant essence that grants him greatly superior faculties than fallible flesh.
- Immortal not Incorruptible
Master Tai is rendered immune to the opprobrium of mortality, but not to the attention of higher powers or the karma of his own decisions.
- Mastery of Shape
What are the shackles of flesh but a forgotten memory? Under his enlightened will, Master Tai's guise is but an illusion that can be easily overcome.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- High Alchemy
With enough fuel to stoke the fires of his soul-crucible, Master Tai can produce golden panaceas and miraculous potions fit for any ailment. And succoring the right person may pivot the course of an entire dynasty...
- Exalted Geomancy
Master Tai is especially adept at calling upon the natural powers of the earth to craft spells and wards of enormous size. Engulfing entire armies or cities, their frightful efficacy is well worth the labor required to emplace them.
- Fate Mechanic
Long study allows Master Tai to discern the patterns behind the present and deduce the future beyond. Thus, he knows well the right actions to take to tinker with fate and the price he must pay to do so.

1 Company (1 EP)
- Friend of Birds
Unlike other immortal sages of the Tian mountains, Master Tai takes no pupils and has little to do with the world below; he prefers the company of rare and intelligent birds native to the Tian Mountains.

4 Domain (10 EP)
- House of Pacified Tumult
Built into a cave somewhere within the mist-shrouded Tian Mountains, Master Tai's dwelling is a masterpiece of simplicity and harmony, where he and his guests can meditate for maximum effect.
- The Cauldron of Storms
The first of Master Tai's great treasures, this verdigris vessel can grow from the size of a thimble and pour forth an endless stream of inky cloud to rain onto parched fields or scorch a battlefield with lightning.
- The Satchel of Famines
The second of Master Tai's great treasures, this intricately embroidered bag can be opened to release an endless stream of blasting sand to blind armies or soak up rivers.
- The Scroll of Mountains
The last of Master Tai's great treasures, this incredibly detailed painting seems to be a miniature landscape itself, and in fact is; the scroll's power can draw beings into itself where they live in perfect entrapment.

3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Line of the Antediluvians
When he was still mortal, Master Tai was descended from one of the founding bloodlines of Seres, lost and unimaginably ancient. No claim to the Throne has he, but he is far from disinterested in the welfare of his estranged homeland.
- Unfathomable Arcana
Master Tai's incredible age has bought him ream upon ream of wisdom on the subtleties of the world. From the arts and dispositions of the other sages of the Tian Mountains to the deepest intricacies of ritual and sorcery, there is little of the hidden that he is not acquainted with.
- High Remove
However, Master Tai's fate is not the fate of men's. Attuned to the slower pulse of ages, he finds difficulty in directing the brief lives and works of mortals just as few mortals are capable of engaging him on any steady level.
+ The Coming Doom
Nevertheless, Master Tai senses a great shift on the horizon, a celestial reckoning much greater than, though it coincides with, the impending dynastic shift upon Seres. The certainty of it draws him irresistibly as though into a whirlpool to some unspeakable destination.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by speaker-to-trolls »

Goddamn, Invictus you have a cool lineup of characters here.

My attempt, one of the characters from my still-in-development-shut-up-I-have-a-lot-on-and-anyway-dialogue-is-more-difficult-than-you-might-think story/rewrite of Kamin's Knighthood. Translations provided for some of my appalling internet provided Greek epithets and apologies for anyone who speaks or merely likes the Greek language.

Tribune Manlios Varro

Form=1 (1EP)
-Vulturos
The sight of Varro’s thin frame, shrouded by his heavy robes of office, and the hard, sharp cast of his features give him the look of an ill omen’d bird to allies and enemies alike.


Craft=3 (6EP)
-Ferrocardion
(Iron Hearted)
Intimidation and manipulation are the currency of the New Quarters. Unsurprisingly, being such an outsider, Varro has needed a heart of iron to resist any such attempts by the city’s powerbrokers to gain the advantage over him.


-Velocitor
While the feuds of the High Nobility are often fought with great patience over the course of generations, the wars of powerbrokers in the New Quarters tend to be faster paced, Varro has learned to react to every eventuality with lightning swiftness, in particular to anyone who threatens his own position.

-Nomascient
(Knows the Names)
It is a point of great pride for Varro that he knows the names of all the men of note in the Old and New Quarters of Lucia, and much more about them besides. It is said by some that a wise man does not so much as buy a pair of sandals unless he knows Manlios Varro would approve of them.

+Guarantor

As he is swift to destroy his enemies, Manlios Varro has gained a reputation for rewarding his friends and allies, though given the savagery of many relationships in the New Quarters, the two acts are often one and the same.

Company=4 (10EP)
-Mercantiphilos (Beloved of Merchants)
In spite of the scorn he has earned from much of his family and class, Varro’s methods of dealing with the gangsters and powerbrokers of the New Quarters on their own vicious terms has cut the menace such people once presented to honest traders in half. Because of this the Tribunate of Manlios Varro is popular with a good number of wealthy merchants, who are often eager to support his magistracy.

-The Hidden Legions

Lucia is guarded and policed by the City’s Legion, a formidable corps of soldiers 12,000 strong, but Varro has discovered that there are far larger armies hidden among the crumbling houses and filthy insulae of the New Quarters, if only one learns to organise them.

-The Noscynoi
(Night Dogs)
While vast, the nascent legions of thugs waiting to be raised up out of the city’s districts are untrained and unreliable. In executing those endeavours requiring the greatest level of trust and reliability, as well as in guarding his own person, Varro relies on the Night Dogs, a select group of some of Lucia’s most feared men and women, all of whom are unfalteringly loyal to him.


-Yfanthadelphos (Weaver's Brother)
Manlios’ elder sister Gaia is perhaps the only member of his great and ancient family with whom he is on good speaking terms, but as she is one of the Nine Senior Sisters of the Imperial College of Spell Weavers this is still not a contact to be dismissed lightly.


+Kuriptolemos
(Master of Warriors)
For all the unofficial power he wields through the gangs and thugs of the city, Varro would not have attained his current power without the cooperation of the City’s Legion. It is rumoured that he helped the current legate attain his position, and in any case, the Legion is as grateful as the merchants for his efforts in pacifying the criminals of the New Quarters.


Domain=3 (6EP)
-Neoarchon (Lord of the New)
His position, as appointed by the King and his Inner Council, is Tribune of the Sixth District, and his official authority extends no farther than that. However, over the course of his magistracy he has built up such extensive contacts and gained the loyalty of so many powerful men he is known as the Lord of the New, and his word is law across almost the entire city.

-Tharalnytemno
(Bravely Clothed)
Varro’s strong relationship with his sister Gaia and through her the College of Weavers, along with a number of other, less official magicians, gives him access to a vast array of magical equipment should he desire it. It is sometimes said that he never wears anything that has not been enchanted against harm.

-Chrysopotamian
(Gold from the River)
The Various merchants who owe the security of their Lucian trade to Varro have gifted him with a number of extravagant riverside properties, which he has used deftly to increase his own wealth and prestige.

+Mauroklados (Black Branch)
The scorn heaped on Manlios by the rest of his family has earned him the name of the Black Branch of the Grey Tree. Despite this his blood relation to the ancient house has entitled him to a trickle of inheritance over the years, not least because it has kept him out of the family’s wider affairs. In addition, if his father and brothers should ever be struck down he would still be the heir to his ancient house.

+ Master of the Silent House
Unlike most Tribunes, Varro has taken up permanent residence in a magisterial palace in the Sixth District, which he has used all his resources to fortify with mundane and arcane defences of all kinds. Details of his defences are sparse because only three intruders have ever escaped it.

Aspect=2 (3EP)

-Omnitheist

Though he is undoubtedly a believer in the Lantern of Creation, Manlios is willing to indulge and respect the various religions and superstitions of his subjects and allies, and opinions vary on how deep these sympathies go.


-Oramaskios
(Vision of Shadows)
While not a magician himself by any means, Varro has had enough contact with the less safe and more unruly side of the occult that he has developed a keen sense for it, and often seems able to see or sniff out enchantment even when it is hidden from others.
"Little monuments may be completed by their first architects, but great ones; true ones leave their copestones to posterity. God keep me from completing anything."
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Heh, I wouldn't have thought of creating a character that didn't use up as many points as possible myself, not that there's anything wrong with that. It's always great to see how other people make use of my system.


Erichthonium, the City in the Clouds

5 Form (15 EP)
- Matropolis
You are colossal enough to bear a city on your back, your huddled form unrecognizable under countless dwellings and the milky stone of your flesh stained with soot and effluvia.
- Clanking Hives
Your flesh is not only incorporated into dwellings but also numerous overhanging factories and gantries that dock and repair the transports and war-craft of your people.
- Dead but Drifting
Though action is long beyond you in your irreversibly deep slumber, your vast corpse retains in its nature a defiance of gravity that lofts your people far above the squalor of the earth.
- Immortal Wellspring
Though you sacrificed your divine spark to buy you and your people's entry into this world, something of the immortal remains in your moribund corpus. The city mines deep into your body to extract an inexhaustible stream of nourishing marrow, sufficient to placate the hunger of its inhabitants.
- Black Blood
Like your bones, your divine ichor retains a burning potence which your people has accustomed to use to fuel their devastating weapons and awesome industries. Ichor was the queen of all wealth in the old world which has ceased to be.
+ Shackled God
You once allowed your people to install mechanisms in the core of your being, replacing your dying volition with the commands of your new masters. Even if you still live, you no longer have control over all but the basest of your substance.

1 Craft (1 EP)
- Field of Dreams
You seek to quell the trauma of your people in your own fashion by raising a breed of sky-blue poppies from your flesh, tremulous blossoms peeking between walls and cobblestones. When imbibed, your people fall into a trance-dream in which they can relive some of their lost memories.

4 Company (10 EP)
- Last of the Megara
Your people were once great and justly proud of their many achievements in culture and science. After the close of the Final War and the crossing of the Veil, only a battered, amnesiac remnant survives on your back.
- Huddled Masses
The New World is a backwards and frightening place, and your people cling tightly to what they remember of their old order. The laborers abandon themselves to toil and squalor while the rich and the noble dream vain dreams of of conquest.
- Sky Crawlers
Nevertheless, your people's total mobilization during the Final War had left a militant legacy. Well-drilled in body and mind, there is never a shortage of volunteers to crew Erichthonium's formidable flying fleets.
- Engines of Consumption
By the standards of the New World, even the meanest of your people are surrounded by a host of wondrous tools and fascinating contraptions. But such material wealth was never conceived to be maintained without a continuous inflow of plunder.

0 Domain (0 EP)

2 Aspect (3 EP)
- Telegnostic Aura
Your people have learned to harness your residual thoughts for communication; broadcasting and transmitting them in coded waves from your body. But the waves reveal something of your true nature, and your people's devices are not its only listeners...
- Across the Veil of Dawn
You were a god from a dead and alien world, slain by the effort of bearing your chosen people here. However, even the lives you successfully preserved did not make the transition without losing much of their selves; their spirits are vulnerable before they find their place here.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

New Horizon, the Roving Harbor

5 Form (15 EP)
- Matropolis
You are colossal enough to bear a city on your back, your skin and sinew warped and refashioned to anchor the stone and steel they support.
- Dead but Drifting
You have been slain and your volition has been taken from you, but nevertheless your unyielding pride prevents you from sinking beneath the waves which you part.
- Hydra's Nest
Your splayed limbs and tough, barnacled hide provide much-needed docking space for the raiding fleets of your passengers. Cranes and slipways are fixtures on your violated flesh.
- Black Blood
Like your bones, your divine ichor retains a burning potence which your people has accustomed to use to fuel their devastating weapons and awesome industries. Ichor was the queen of all wealth in the old world which has ceased to be.
- The Guns of Babylon
Batteries of massive cannons have been salvaged and mounted on strategic points of your body. Your passengers hesitate to employ them despite their power, for your wrath can cause them to misfire.
+ Harnessed God
You perform the same service as your fellows, but you did not lay down willingly. Nevertheless, your passengers have kept you subdued with their ruthless science and timely sacrifices.

1 Craft (1 EP)
- Leviathan Lure
Your sloughing flesh draws vast schools of sea life to a never-ending feast, and your passengers in turn subsist by feasting on them - after leaving the choicest catch to you, of course.

3 Company (6 EP)
- Tempest Toss'd
Those who dwell on your back are composed from no single nation of the old world, but a collection of desperate refugees from most of them. They value their tolerance and pragmatism, but are fractious and directionless outside their immediate welfare.
- Salt Priests
Most of your passengers are beyond your influence - only a hard core of devotees attend to you and weave the elaborate traditions that have accrued over the city. Some among them have even gone abroad to spread news of you.
- Engines of Consumption
By the standards of the New World, even the meanest of your people are surrounded by a host of wondrous tools and fascinating contraptions. But such material wealth was never conceived to be maintained without a continuous inflow of plunder.
+ The Freedom Fleets
The fighting sailors among your passengers are feared for their skill and rapacity. Many idealize the grimy camaraderie and opportunities for plunder as a means of escape.

0 Domain (0 EP)

3 Aspect (6 EP)
- The Hungering Madness
Your unquiet repose has made your aura darker and less focused than your fellows. When unplacated, men and creatures in your vicinity are thrust into berserk spells by alien memories of grief and devastation.
- Call to the Deeps
Your presence resonates below as well as above. Things of the ocean bear witness to your leaked death-thoughts and pay you reverence, though few truly comprehend what they sense.
- Across the Veil of Dawn
You were a god from a dead and alien world, slain by the effort of bearing your chosen people here. However, even the lives you successfully preserved did not make the transition without losing much of their selves; their spirits are vulnerable before they find their place here.


Iyronas Lozesse, the Lady of Ruin

3 Form (6 EP)
- Greater Horned One
Iyronas is a pureblood Outbound One, willowy of limb and elegant in movement. The strength, swiftness, vitality and beauty of a being of his stature is far greater than a human's.
- Curse of the Black Queen
Iyronas has traded illusion for permanency and the natural glamor of her race for a second skin of iridescent chitin, no less beautiful in its strangeness.
- Ageless Air
Even by the immense measure of the Outbound Ones, Iyronas will not age. Though she has vowed not to leave this earth, its years fall upon her like rain and do not linger.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- The Hidden Archivist
Iyronas preserves knowledge for preservation's sake. No tidbit of it passes through the Seven Kingdoms without her attention and her memory for it is singularly enormous.
- Unchallenged Sorceress
Iyronas' magic is backed by ages of study and cloistered theorizing, unspeakably lofty. But as she so rarely travels afield, her skills have had little opportunity to meet serious challenge.
- Writer of Prophecies
Iyronas knows that the future must build on the present. From her voluminous library she can predict what will pass of her beloved kingdoms, though she enjoys cloaking her predictions in puzzle and metaphor.

3 Company (6 EP)
- The Seven-Eyed Guild
A network of spies and information brokers scattered throughout the Seven Kingdoms, they are merely the most open facet of Lady Iyronas' cravings for knowledge.
- Sprite and Shade
Dissatisfied from employing merely human servants, Iyronas has bound a variety of familiar spirits to her service. It is said that in the magic-rich Seven Kingdoms, no one can be sure if any zephyr they spot is carrying out one of their Lady's errands.
- Cholic and Mordant
Two reptilian creatures of uncertain providence and unspeakably foul temperament, they are Iyronas' favorite companions. Their formidable claws and venom have been the death of countless assailants.

3 Domain (6 EP)
- The Library of Ruin
There is nothing particularly ruinous about the sprawling underground complex outside Iyronas' sense of humor; it is the largest collection of knowledge in the Seven Kingdoms and Iyronas is its resident and painstaking custodian.
- Matron of Patrons
Iyronas has long since tired of taking a direct hand in the Seven Kingdoms' affairs and limits herself to answering the consultations of their patricians. The cities' rulers however know that no broad policy or momentous decision can stand without Iyronas' favor.
- Grave Panoply
In excavating her library Iyronas uncovered an ancient tomb far under the city's foundations, even older than the Seven Kingdoms she had known of old. She claimed for herself the wondrous array of weapons and treasures that belonged to the occupant - after dealing with the occupant, of course.

3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Web of Her Shadow
Iyronas leaves traces of her power where she goes or bids her familiars to do so, weaving a web of sensitive magical threads through the Seven Kingdoms. No being of power can tread upon her territory without tripping these threads and eliciting her notice.
- Beloved of Gaea
Being one of the last Outbound Ones upon this earth, Iyronas is capable of calling on the favor of her ancient and slumbering creator deities though their powers are diminished and their attention not always welcome.
- Hellbound
But Iyronas' soul is already destined to another place. Dark pacts she had wrought with rituals gleaned from forgotten grimoires, all for the name of wisdom; only her immortality preserves her from eternal damnation.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 2 - Advent Rey Returns: REVERGELTUNG
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Heretic
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Heretic »

My favorite so far is the Roving Harbor. Has that Traction City feel to it.
Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy.
-Joseph Campbell
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Invictus
Posts: 1306
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 11:44 pm

Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Karak al-Antakya, the Holy Foothold

5 Form (15 EP)
- Matropolis
You are colossal enough to bear a city on your back, your mighty branches lined with pipes and gangways and your gargantuan trunk riddled with terraces and warrens.
- Welcome Earth
Unlike your fellows, your roots clutched the silt under the ocean when you fell through the Veil and you have not moved since. Sacrificing your mobility, you are able to draw sustenance from this world to compliment your guttering vitality.
- Fortress Festooned
Your paranoid residents have converted the spaces of your body into an endless series of observation points, supply caches, redoubts, sally routes and escape hatches. You humor this, for such is the purpose that they have found for themselves.
- Black Blood
Like your bones, your divine ichor retains a burning potence which your people has accustomed to use to fuel their devastating weapons and awesome industries. Ichor was the queen of all wealth in the old world which has ceased to be.
- The Grand Chronograph
Much of your trunk is taken up by an immense construction of clockwork that marks time in a strange and complex pattern. Your residents know nothing about what it is counting towards, but have learned to siphon its immense computational power for their own use.

4 Craft (10 EP)
- Purgatory Mists
You project a nebulous barrier of mists around the city and the surrounding sea that blinds and traps both those venturing within and without. As a result, your residents know little about the new world they have landed in.
- Nemesis Mirror
From the mists you spawn legions of phantom invaders in the shapes of your residents' subconscious desires, diametrically opposed yet perfectly well-matched against their own practiced warcraft.
- Leafy Labyrinth
Your body is far less calcified than those of your fellows due to your unique condition; and the trickle of vitality you receive from this world allows you the power to warp the directions of things at will, turning all about you into a supernatural maze should you wish to.
- Mother of Exiles
You do not judge your residents for their needs; what they feel they deserve, you fruit from your all-encompassing branches. This has weaned them off their need for conquest and plunder, a trait still shared by their old-world peers.

2 Company (3 EP)
- Absalom Abroad
Your residents still believe themselves to be the outpost of their mother nation, even though contact has been impossible; they have inherited its embattled attitude and proud history in standing against all odds.
- Cult of Purgatory
A growing number of your residents believe the entire city to have departed from the mortal plane altogether and experiencing some sort of postmortem trial. Though they are suppressed, they are closer to the truth than they suspect.
+ Crusaders Without A Cause
Accustomed to perpetual conflict yet content within your mist, disciplined and ascetic but to no particular end, your residents fascinate you and you leave them to their drama, merely setting their stage as an unknown benefactor.

0 Domain (0 EP)

1 Aspect (1 EP)
- Across the Veil of Dawn
You were a god from a dead and alien world, slain by the effort of bearing your chosen people here. However, even the lives you successfully preserved did not make the transition without losing much of their selves; their spirits are vulnerable before they find their place here.


Castellan Yang Erzang, Holder of the Center

2 Form (3 EP)
- Soldier's Blood
Yang's ancestors were neither kings nor sages, but they were quite often soldiers of great renown. Yang has unmistakably grown into all the martial talents and traditions of his illustrious name.
- Snow-White Beard
Age has refined Yang's poise to steel, commanding respect in even his most supercilious critics. It is deserved recompense for a long career which has sapped him of his strength and vitality.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- Honored Champion
Yang once dominated the yearly invitational tournaments at the capitol, proving himself matchless across Seres in every category of arms. Though now he only adjudicates the bouts, and men question how well he would fare today on a real battlefield.
- Campaign Master
As a general Yang takes the long view, spending his men and supplies to win wars instead of battles. He can enable the most daring and grueling of maneuvers with his near-miraculous grasp of logistics.
- Tricky Old Warhorse
Yang's campaigns have carried him throughout Seres and beyond, against all conceivable kinds of foes both mortal and monstrous. He is wise enough to the ways of the battlefield that almost no ploy or stratagem can surprise him.
+ Loyalty of the Hare
In Seres, the key to a general's longevity lies in his political acumen as much as his martial leadership. Yang can navigate the treacheries of the court well enough to survive being distinguished, if not quite to beat the eunuchs at their own game.

4 Company (10 EP)
- Gold-Red Regiment
Raised in his youth and expanded from a hard core of kinsmen to an elite expeditionary force that scores the only consistent victories against the rising insurrectionists, Yang has taken command of it once more and in doing so has elevated it to unprecedented prestige.
- The Capitol Guard
Aside from his loyal regiment, Yang is placed in command of all forces garrisoned at the capitol. The various watchmen, ceremonial guards and covert irregulars are bound to obey him, but they all have other masters to take heed of.
- Imperial War Pavilion
The body of generals, bureaucrats, veterans and dilettantes that coordinate the policy and set the budget of the Imperial military, it was from here that Yang left his semi-retirement and it is still home to many old friends and enemies.
- Commander of the Guardian Beasts
Living symbols of the Mandate of Heaven, only Heaven is the master of these four magnificent monsters. But for now they remain with the capitol and aid its defenders with preternatural cunning, so the fate of this dynasty may not be spent yet.
+ The Fighting Yangs
Yang's children and nephews are all accomplished soldiers and though they all defer well enough to their patriarch's leadership, they make a crop of proud and glory-seeking lieutenants.

3 Domain (6 EP)
- Keeper of the Passes
Yang is Castellan of the capitol, and thus his authority extends to all the fortified approaches to the timeless city, ringing the valuable estates of the Imperial family and its favorites.
- General Extraordinary
Appointed by Regent Li to do whatever is necessary to safeguard the capitol, Yang has been granted unheard-of power for an unlettered military official. The mandarins resent this, even as they find themselves pressured to coordinate their fiefdoms to the city's defense.
- Five-Serpent Standards
Though plainly enchanted, no lesser man could wield the five short spears simultaneously as Yang does. Each spear's shaft is bound with with a flag which unleashes a unique boon or curse when unfurled.

2 Aspect (3 EP)
- Old Guard
Yang is wise to the ways of the world by dint of age and observation, rich as the signs are in the realm of Seres. But he has yet to understand that as the era shifts, so do the signs change.
- Crowtongue
Once when Yang wandered a silent battlefield, a talking crow taught him how to see and speak with the departing shades of those he knew in life.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 2 - Advent Rey Returns: REVERGELTUNG
Coming NEVER
User avatar
Invictus
Posts: 1306
Joined: Mon May 19, 2008 11:44 pm

Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Shadow Rock, Izanami's Demesne

5 Form (15 EP)
- Matropolis
You are colossal enough to contain a small city, your people packed inside the crumpled municipalities of your mossy, inverted flesh.
- Floats like a Phantom
Being dead, you envy and resent the life that litters this world and refuse to be any part of it. Thus you drift high above its accursed beauty and dream one day of marring it beyond recognition.
- Clanking Hives
Your flesh is not only incorporated into dwellings but also numerous overhanging factories and gantries that dock and repair the transports and war-craft of your people.
- Where the Shadow Falls
You already died a bitter death long before the Final War and you did not care for your people's plan to sacrifice you once more. You agreed to enter the new world so you could rain decay upon it, plague and polluting ichor and worse from your oozing orifices.
- Black Blood
No matter how far past your death, your divine ichor retains a burning potence which your people has accustomed to use to fuel their devastating weapons and awesome industries. Ichor was the queen of all wealth in the old world which has ceased to be.

0 Craft (0 EP)

4 Company (10 EP)
- Cipan's Dead Hand
You helped found the ancient nation of your people, bound in tradition and honor and ill-adapted to the disenchantment of the Ichor Age. Through your efforts you have made it so that if it shall die, it shall at least choose how to.
- Wretched Refuse
Your people have sworn themselves to you as the price for their salvation, and now they are slowly being remade by your miasmic innards as they struggle to maintain their old lives.
- The Pure Legion
Your people wage war as they did before: with swift flyers and desperate fervor. But now their remaining squadrons are given over to a purpose elevated from petty mortal concerns.
- Ghostfire Titans
Crudely modified with iron and gunnery, your stillborn children now play the role of undead war-machines for your people. However, their spectral umbilical cords prevent them from straying too far from your bulk.
+ Engines of Consumption
By the standards of the New World, even the meanest of your people are surrounded by a host of wondrous tools and fascinating contraptions. But such material wealth was never conceived to be maintained without a continuous inflow of plunder.

1 Domain (1 EP)
- Grave Goods
Your people have dedicated many factory-lathed icons and sacrificial items to you, and your spirit can perceive their dim penumbras even across the deep gulf of death. Such are the only things among the living world you may touch.

2 Aspect (3 EP)
- Across the Veil of Dawn
You were a god from a dead and alien world, slain by the effort of bearing your chosen people here. However, even the lives you successfully preserved did not make the transition without losing much of their selves; their spirits are vulnerable before they find their place here.
- Her Dark Materials
You embrace your death more strongly than your fellows, however; causing the psychopompery of the new world to slowly align itself to you. You influence over native shades here is growing.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
-
REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 1 - Rey Quirino Versus the Dark Heart of the Philippines
"...a literary atrocity against the senses..." - Ford

REBUILD OF COMIX STAGE 2 - Advent Rey Returns: REVERGELTUNG
Coming NEVER
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