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In the end you dismiss the idea of killing Vicitra. He's still just a boy, probably no more than seventeen. He died fighting to defend your brother's holdings first from bandits and then from an otherworldly incursion. You gave him a second chance at life, admittedly more out of curiosity than any sense of obligation, and even if some supposed representative of the Gods deems that a crime against the natural order you still consider it more then justified. Looking back on it now, you learned that it's possible and indeed quite simple for a man of your talents to create a new shell for a soul rendered bereft of one. You also learned that without a self-image one's memories are forfeit.

To go back now and kill him simply because it would ease your journey through Elaudia would seem improper. Vicitra served as your test subject and regained his life as a result, but in the process lost all which made him who he was. His personality, his memories, and his family were all lost at the moment of his death. Robbing him of the only tangible benefit he derived from your brief meeting just as he's beginning to find his feet in a world he no longer recognizes would be inordinately cruel. Even if he will be plagued for the rest of his life by the constant meddling of divine entities which seek his death.

The decision made, you relax and permit yourself a brief nap. The undulations of Zahak's immense frame through the air, combined with the unceasing roar of the air rushing past, prove surprisingly soothing. You sink easily into a pleasant languor, stuck somewhere between awake and asleep. Only as a hand grips you firmly by the shoulder are you finally stirred from your lethargy, feeling decidedly well rested.
>Vys Pool: (71/71)

Fulvia hangs precariously from the saddle, her inhuman voice banishing what last vestiges of sleep clung to your thoughts. You note that the long gash you earlier saw her carve into her arm is gone, and has left no evidence in its wake. {We're about to fly over the walls of Nazir, I felt it wise to inform you, as Zahak will soon be changing course to land in the palace courtyard.}

You offer her a nod, sitting up in Zahak's saddle and grabbing firm hold of the metallic lip at its front. Chryssa has since maneuvered herself off of the side of Zahak's neck, instead arranging herself in what looks to be a rather awkward position between his heaving shoulders. True to Fulvia's word, he pitches forward just as you've seated yourself firmly upon his back. You might have been thrown were it not for her warning.

(1/2)

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Rather than just plummeting to the ground, your son's usual landing strategy, he does something rather curious. You and Fulvia are heaved forward as he extends his legs, and his wings start twisting back and forth like two great fans. The sheets of metal which serve to armor his wings likewise begin to behave oddly. The hundreds of tiny little bronze scales peel themselves away from his wings, twisting themselves forward to form what almost look like two additional wings. Thus with uncharacteristic grace, Zahak alights at the center of the palace courtyard. You don't even think he cracked any of the paving stones for once.

Probing the connections afforded by your brooch, you're able to quickly ascertain that Mortia and Profectus are asleep. You can't detect Darzi, so she's probably not wearing her brooch. Meaning she's either asleep or in the baths. Not surprising, considering the hour. The thin sliver of the moon has nearly reached its zenith, though it provides so little light that torches have been lit to provide for the guards in its absence.

It occurs to you belatedly that the new moon must have been only a few days ago, at the start of the month. It's almost hard to believe you've spent a bare three months on the road and accomplished so much in such a short period. Grandmaster of the second order, and on the cusp of the third, wealthy beyond imagination, and the first man to be unbanished while still alive. Your place in history seems almost assured.

Chryssa's voice distracts you from your thoughts of the future, and from the vault of the stars above. “Should I wake the others, or shall we wait until morning to set off? I admit my own eagerness to depart, but trust your judgment in this matter considering you are the only one to have seen what lies on the other side of the portal.”

It might not be wise to wake up the whole temple with your arrival in their... well, you don't really know where the portal opens up precisely. It appeared to be a confluence of several different hallways, perhaps a major avenue of transport through the temple grounds. Yet it also seemed to be underground. The basement, perhaps? Regardless, you were also thinking about having one last conversation with the Paramatma before leaving. You have questions, and there's a good chance they have answers.

>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.
>Tell Chryssa to fetch the others while you head down into the tunnels beneath the palace to open the portal.
>Write-in

>>302591
>Tell Chryssa to fetch the others while you head down into the tunnels beneath the palace to open the portal.

>>302591
>Tell Chryssa to fetch the others while you head down into the tunnels beneath the palace to open the portal.
let's bounce

>>302591
>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.

>crack open a few beers to prepare for Thread 200
>forget all the theorycrafting you did
>too tipsy to read fast enough

Goddammit. I'm probably gonna get banned for shitposting too, once I'm through the sixth bottle.

I'd like to preemptively suggest convincing Vicitra to have his soul experimented on for the noble purpose of restoring his memories, but before doing that, experimenting on his shell in a wide variety of ways. Y'know, channel all elements and various combinations thereof.

Oh, and reminder that we have three lumps of iron ore in the cloak that would let us invent the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbTyTyizz1s

I'll work through the OPs now.

>>302591
>>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.

>>302587
>>302591

>meet the other version of you.

I have a bad feeling that other Mik has somehow taken control of the Paratamana.

Wait, can we.....sacrifice this other Mik to the gods? Or would creating a body, thrusting the other Mik into it, and then trying to kill it, piss the gods off even more since we created life?

>>302591
>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.

>>302591
>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you

>>302591
>Tell Chryssa to fetch the others while you head down into the tunnels beneath the palace to open the portal.
Full speed away from this hellhole and all the side quests in it!

>>302591
>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.

>>302591
>>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you

>>302591
>>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.

>>302591
>>>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.
>Write-in
We need to meet with the Paramatma and Vicitra.

>>302585

Soma, I always wanted to know.

How crazy is Mik compared to other Vatis'? Like a 1-100 scale? Have then or are there any other Vatis' that have done all the stupid and crazy shit that he has done repeatedly?

>>302591
>Drop our brothers tailors a note to make us a few sets of robes
We're running low and we'll blow through some in eludia

Reminder to get some jewels so we can make some vys batteries

>>302655
Well, if a 1 is way saner than average, a 100 is batshit fucking crazy even by Vatis standards, and a 50 is average... Mik would probably be somewhere around an 80.
He's at 5/10 right now in terms of actual insanity.

>>302591
Visit Paramatma or whatever that name was.
>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.

>>302591
>You'll leave in the morning. Head up to your brother's chambers to meet with the other version of you.

>>302672
>>302662
>>302654
>>302649
>>302647
>>302642
>>302635
>>302623
>>302615
>>302607
>Leave in the morning.

>>302593
>>302602
>>302640
>Leave now.

>>302658
>ey yo nigga I need some clothes.

Writin' for a meeting with the Paramatma.

>>302591
>>Tell Chryssa to fetch the others while you head down into the tunnels beneath the palace to open the portal.

>>302684
>>302684

Wait guys, wait.

Can we teach the guys who are in the Paramatma how to create bodies?

Cause if we can, and they are basically downloaded intelligence of Vatis, Can they basically just create clone armies of the strongest Vatis of Hiacia and El-Amin?

All it takes is a large Vys reserve and possibly knowledge of how to create something similar to a soul, like the Rhynians knew with Fulvia.

>>302717
Why would we do this

>>302717
Do you really think they don't know how to do that?

Reminder that our soul is super interesting, so we should haggle with the hivemind if it wants another copy. It's due for a further alteration soon, so they'll be wanting it now, before we GM in a third element.

Some of the souls in there should know something relevant to our current predicament, or avenues of interest. I'ma go ahead and brainstorm now.

They have their own reality, which means they probably exited the layers surrounding this reality and visited the realm of the gods. What can we expect? What's the best way to get there, and what precautions should be taken?

Do they know about our tattoos? I've a number of ideas on useful designs, and if they know an easier way to engrave runes upon one's soul, we'd benefit greatly from learning it. We can have our vys and soul be permanently hidden and reinforced. We can rig up an auto-heal array. Some more shit I forgot. Anyway, we've a lot to gain from enchanting ourselves.

Is the chimeric spirit representing the Paramatma an artificial being? It definitely has divine essence. How does one grant a being divine essence? It's the most important thing we need to learn to do regarding Fulvia. She lacks divinity, which is pretty much the only thing preventing her from becoming a real boy, as far as I can tell.

What do they know of the Shaping Arts? Can it be used to gain strength? Can it be used to copy and assume another's self-image? Can self-images be mix-and-matched?

Have they heard of Mahana? Just in case he's been known to fuck people over.

Did we ask them about dragons yet? I doubt they know anything, but we should ask them just in case, providing we didn't already (I don't remember). Anything we can get on dragon physiology and customs would be great. Like why they have a varying amount of limbs.

Do any of them have experience with Namek and its natives? Their souls are weird, man.

Do they have a world map? In fact, shouldn't Fulvia?

We should also ask them everything they know about the use of magic in fornication. For scientific purposes.

This probably isn't even half of everything I want to know.

>>302728
fuck off rob

>>302717
They're probably helping the gods in the war on outer layers with their massive clone armies.

>>302728
The Paramatma does not haggle for shit.

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>>302739
Please take your shitty IRC memes back to their containment channel.

Why does the Banished quest playerbase seem to get stupider with each thread?

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Anons, Anthus is going to be in real trouble soon. The Cat was stated to be a little greater in power than Sehzade when we first met him. That makes him roughly originally 6 or so units of manpower. With the two times we've double his strength, that means he and his are roughly worth 24 units of Manpower. The Dracolich is far beyond that by himself. He's not the only Ancient Dragon around.

We do have a solution however. We don't need to turn Anthus into a major power. We just have to make it too costly for a Dragon attack. And we can do so with our good friend Demetrios. He's recently achieved Grandmastery in Metal. If we pop over there using our Cat's key and use our formidable +26 in raw metal meditation bonuses, we can turn Demetrios into the ultimate Dragon deterent, well more than enough to defend Anthus until we return from the Elaudia. He's been a close friend, faithful business partner, and is even taking care of Aylin for us. Anthus itself and it's Academy opened its doors to us and treated us fairly, even when we were banished. It's time to return the favor against the threat that we unleashed, in both the draconic horde and the Dracolich whose phylactery we gave up. The affair will take no more than 4 to 5 hours, and it'll save an incalculable amount of lives.

>>302660
We already have jewels. Read the goddamn pastebin. Nigger.

>>302764
It's like drinking alcohol. As the tolerance builds you must have a bit more each time to reach that same result.

>>302770
or we could not do any of that and just solve the problem after we're done with elaudia.

>>302770
>we can turn Demetrios into the ultimate Dragon deterent
Yeah, that's not an actual plan. Come back when you have something concrete.

>>302754
Except it will have to if it wants our soul.

>>302770
I am not seeing any sort of concrete plan in that text.

>>302784
It'll take roughly five hours to insure that Anthus will even be there when we return.

>>302791
>>302792

I apologize. I was arguing with the others. What I meant to say was, we'll use our +26 bonus to teach him Ascension.

>>302793
No it will take several threads and at least a few side quests to do it.

>>302782
But the last was especially stupid there was no downside to voting to kill the kid and had every reason to kill him.
>>302793
I rather Anthus destroyed.

>>302793
Honestly with his twitchy attitude and possibly fear of some boogyman I doubt Deme would be down for that. The man learned Metal to protect himself and works as a teacher, he's not really nuke material.

>>302793
>teach him Ascension
I'd rather have Anthus burn down.

Sure, Aylin might die, but then again, so might Aisha and her bastard child. Far as I'm concerned, those two cancel each other out.

>>302803
It's a simple meditation, to teach a technique. Channel Husk into the Shard. Also, check the image in my previous post. >>302770
Using the cat's key will allow us to instantly access Anthus.

>>302808
Well, he's a metal GM now. Metal Magic has the effect of reinforcing it's practitioner's personality. Besides, I'd rather him than someone else. He's personally loyal to us.

>>302820
>>302804
Your personal preferences are meaningless. At least try to play the character. Mik has strong ties to Anthus and friends there, as well as possibly a child.

Updated the Companions pastebin. Mortia got all her potions strictly defined. Various companions got boost to vys, bumped up in their elemental schools, or finished some reading. Mainly Profectus and Darzi desu.

>>302829
>At least try to play the character
I am. I rather Anthus burn than give a humie the power of a god.

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>>302823
>teaching him the mechanics of souls
>teaching him to perceive souls
>showing him how to separate, manipulate and channel a portion of hus
>preventing his first-timer ass from fucking it up
>telling him what to do and what not to do with the soul so he doesn't tear himself or reality a new one
Oh, and
>implying ascension immediately solves all of Anthus's dragon problems
Nigga please.

>>302829
>At least try to play the character
No. I will vote for whatever it is I want to happen, so long as it is justifiable in-story. I will disregard what I think Mik would do and instead have him prioritize according to my personal preferences. Don't like it? Go fuck yourself, it's exactly what you do yourself. Your in-character-ness argument is merely a flimsy justification for it I don't have a reason to care about.

>>302835
Well done, senpai! Now do the Aylin pastebin before it reaches the 1-year-landmark of remaining incomplete.

>>302835
Oy what about Skullkid?

>>302845
You are hilariously naive. Firstly, Ascension puts Mik in parity with the Cat. It also allows him to act like a Spirit high in the hierarchy.

>Apr 20 18:46:29 <Adalwulf> So what you're saying is we reduce ourself to our base being and then slam our soul into spirits?
Apr 20 18:47:24 <Soma_QM> Sort of, if you could find a way to reinforce the shell without reducing your soul, that would work too.
Apr 20 18:47:42 <Soma_QM> Basically reinforcing the shell allows a mortal to act a lot more like a spirit than usual.
Apr 20 18:47:48 <Soma_QM> For a limited time, of course.

True Divine Power is Divine Magic, Direct string manipulation like the Gods and Childs. http://pastebin.com/ibi8j7Md

>These 'Children of the Gods' as you call them. We refer to them as Servants, and this is an umbrella term for all beings which serve the gods directly or indirectly. Separate from spirits, which once served the gods but do not any longer. Regardless, these most powerful servants which the Gods created possess a form of divine magic. It is akin to enchanting, in that it relies upon directly affecting the strings which bind reality... The insight you gleaned likely pertained in some way to this form of magic the Children employ. Directly affecting the strings which bind reality without using vys, or the husk.

>>302866
I'm sorry I ever compared you to Rob. You're alright don't come to school tomorrow.

>>302871
>Ascension puts Mik in parity with the Cat
Because Mik GM in it. Seriously most mortals will be unable achieve the same level of power Mik can. And the cat is consider a "god" so my point still stands.

>>302866
Then obviously, you're a terrible player who can't make choices in character and can't be trust to make choices at all. No matter what great magical breakthroughs you make or strategic victories you win, you'll always be second rate. Character first, Kouhai.

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>>302892
Thank you for expressing your opinion. Which I care about. Promise.

>>302892
>Kouhai
Lets not pretend

>>302871
>Ascension puts Mik in parity with the Cat.
For all of 10 seconds.

>>302887
shit point, autismo
off yourself

>>302892
>Character first, Kouhai
>He's thinks he's Sempai
Not even liberals are this delusional.

>>302911
>>302898

We're participating in a role playing game. The role comes first. Otherwise, we're nothing more than a Munchkin. "That" guy. The very worst of roleplayers, the people who turn everything into a miserable march of numbers and power sperg. They are beneath me.

>>302870
What ABOUT Skull Kid?

>>302866
>>302829
>>302804
>>302820
>>302770
Since there seems to be a lot of shitposting just to spite the other side flyin' around, I'll say a few things on this topic.

First, I can think of no reason why Mikhael would conceivably want Anthus to be destroyed, and several reasons that he wouldn't.
>Invested a lot of money in the city, and has a lot of business going on there.
There's a few dozen, maybe a few hundred gold waiting for you in Anthus the next time you visit. Profits from your Siege! business.
>Friends, and potentially family.
Even though Mik is a little suspicious of exactly how genuine Suresh has been, he wouldn't want him dead. Nor would he want Aylin, Demetrios, and Aisha dead. He seems to hold obvious affection for Aylin, and even if he's fairly neutral regarding Aisha he wouldn't want one of his children to die. Considering the level of affection he has for his adopted son, I can only imagine he'd hold similar feelings for his biological children. Then of course, Demetrios has been a faithful ally and reliable business partner nearly since the moment they met.
>Political concerns
The dragons have been so consumed with besieging Anthus that they haven't paid any mind to El-Amin and its outlying villages. If they successfully take over the city, that may quickly change. A defeat, on the other hand, would likely dissuade the dragons from simply invading and enslaving the lowly smoothskins.

Thus, it makes significantly more sense for him to want to help the city than for him to want dragons to destroy it.

However, helping the city need not necessitate his personal action. Mikhael can delegate. Mikhael has allies and people who owe him favors, and thanks to the brooches he can more or less stay in contact with all of them.

That's all I'm going to say on the matter.

>>302892
>>302916
>muh in-character
Any action Mik takes AKA whatever action is voted upon is in-character. Soma vetos anything that is out-of-character, which is only extreme shit like voting for dumb shit like killing our friends out of the blue. Not going to Anthus is just as in-character as going to Anthus because both are actions Mik would take. You're bitching entirely because we aren't agreeing with what you want us to do, not because it's "out-of-character".

>>302917
We're not letting you write a dragon war.
>>302916
No one is beneath you

>>302922
>>302917
Guess who's on the QM's side, and who's not, Kouhai?

>>302928
Theres a very clear line between "He wouldn't want them to die" and "He is going to drop everything and run to help them"

>>302928
I'm not on anyone's side, I mean you could conceivably bank on Anthus surviving the draconic invasion through its own means. It's not powerless to resist the draconic threat, it's held them at bay for several weeks now. Plus they'll eventually get help from the Elven Warlord and Chiron, since Anthus allied with both powers to destroy Polopp, the city which controlled Chryssa's village. However, regardless of what happens political power is shifting rapidly in the city.

If anyone actually wanted to find out anything concrete about what's going on in the city, they'd want to contact Demetrios via the brooches and just fuckin' talk to the guy. He's the one with answers.

>>302917
Yeah just phone our master to tell him Anthus needs help and phone Demetrius to teach him a few things and fuck off to the jungle.

>>302928
I'm still voting on not doing anything for Anthus. It can easily be blamed "in-character" on absent-mindedness, callousness, or underestimation. It's been a good enough reason for a lot of things so far, and I really wouldn't mind an El-Amin vs. Dragons arc anyway.

If that triggers you, all the better.

>>302954
Putting the shitposting aside, Mik is extremely personally connected. I was trying to make the cost of intervention as low as possible, but I'll be fine with routing El Amin reinforcements. The war there isn't going to improve unless we do something.

>>302954
There is also still the fact that we have to put an expedition together to the Elaudia. We'll have to put logistics together, hire guides, and they will be the monotonous march. In either periods of low activity, we can spare a few hours to route resources to Anthus.

>>302962
I doubt it would matter. Especially since the Emissary said this

>you refuse both of my offers, know that I will stalk you across the landscape seeking at every turn to bring about your demise. Your death will be neither quick nor pleasant, but rest assured eventually you would succumb to the forces or nature, beast, or mortal rage.
>mortal rage
It like you people don't even read between the lines.

>>302971
Burning a hole through a jungle is fairly easy, especially with a nature gm to guide us through it all and a megaman.
Just accept your faggotry isn't happening right now

>>302975
And the boss has stated that this will be "harder random encounters and planned events." The Divine Beauracracy is hardly an expedient organization, as they are effectively immortal. Anthus can very well become a collateral casualty, and many people of Anthus will die. We can reduce the chances of both.

>>302978
>megaman
it's a shame about what happened to that game and inafune. so many people got jew'd by a jap.

>>302971
>put logistics together
We have months' worth of supplies in the cloak.
>hire guides
More than enough nature expertise in the party to find our way and even more fire expertise to burn anything in our way.
>monotonous march
If you think a march through an Australian forest on magic steroids will be monotonous, you're even dumber than I thought.

>>302984
>planned events
Seriously do you even understand the words you are typing?

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>missed the last thread
>huh they voted to not kill the kid even though we did worse shit for lesser reasons
>surely the next thread will prove to have better decision making and conversations

>>302999
take off the proxy rob

>>302999
Not killing the kid was one of our best decisions.

>>303001
Is that the guy Soma deleted off his twitter?

>>303004
IF we take the opportunity to study his soul and advance our knowledge

IF

We should go back to Anthus to put on the mask

>>303009
What's this about Soma's twitter?

>>302999
The only decision we've made in this thread is visiting the Paramatma. And you're not exactly improving the conversation here with your bitching.

>>302993
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/243850/#p265345
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/243850/#p265345

Being Maligned isn't an immediate threat to our life. Random encounters and planned encounters with specific entities shall be altered.

>>302991
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/44965019/#p44968934
The portal places us at Majhaya, a temple in the mountains north of the Elaudia. We'll still have to travel, downtime we can spend to help Anthus.

>>303014
He met his Best Fan™

>>303016
Nigga fuck you

>>303019
>downtime we can spend to help Anthus
Yeah, I'm still voting to spend that downtime on reading either Shaping Arts or Breaking the Ninth Barrier. The former has helped us more than any book excluding the Metal Codex, and the latter is for the co-GM in fire I'd like to do with Profectus.

>>303004
>Not killing the kid was one of our best decisions.
I give it ten threads before you start regretting it.

>>303019
>OH NO BQ MIGHT ACTUALLY BE CHALLENGING!

>>303048
>regretting things
I bet you actually regret the mask you cuck.

>>303033
>and the latter is for the co-GM in fire I'd like to do with Profectus.
I rather try the gate since the Heart of Surya seems to alter the self-image.
>>303057
>Implying I did.
Hope you like TPKs.

>>303056
fags like you already make it challenging

>>303048
If a Child emerges in the very next thread and strikes us down personally with no rolls allowed, I'd still not regret not being a bitch to those shitty gods.

>>303061
>the Heart of Surya seems to alter the self-image
You're pulling that out of your ass. We know very little about the gateway and even less about the realm beyond. At least until Soma finishes writing and we ask the Paramatma. Which I'm guessing will be never ever.

do we even have an actual method to do inside the gate? if not what stops us from just doing the co-gm inside of it?

>>303083
The immense strain it puts on our soul.

That said, we don't know if that's the case if we enter it with a physical body- we've only done it in soul projection so far, and all it got us was a fire insight and soul AIDS.

We're good enough at metal to prevent the AIDS, so I suggest we try again before the fire GM. We need a couple more insights anyway.

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“I want to speak with the Paramatma one last time before we leave, so for now I think we should probably wait until morning.” Zahak's head nuzzling into your side briefly distracts you, but a quick jet of flame across his underbelly contents your son for the moment. “Plus, it would be a little rude to just barge into the temple in the middle of the night, waking everyone up in the process. I'd like to at least try and make a good first impression on Majhaya, even if we'll only be staying there a few hours or a few days at most.”

Chryssa nods brusquely. “In that case I will endeavor to meditate until the party assembles to leave. I believe that, having at last mastered channeling, I should be able to break through whatever barriers I've been struggling to overcome in my attempts to advance Nature magic.”

She bows her head and then turns sharply, leaving you with your son in the courtyard. Fulvia has already left, though you're not quite sure where she's gone. Exerting some modicum of Nature magic reveals she's retreated to the foyer and set off up the stairs already. She's probably going to continue her experimentation upon the body she currently inhabits, if you had to guess. You seemed to have interrupted her quite in the middle of her efforts. You wonder, passively, why she hasn't mentioned it to you or brought it up at all. You'd be more than willing to help her if she did.

{Are we leaving soon, Papa?} Zahak ask, once more nuzzling into your side. {I'm coming with you, right?}

Why would he think otherwise? {Of course you're coming with me, Zahak. I couldn't leave you here while I go running off to have adventures with the others.} Your hands, sheathed in flame, run along his enormous neck. He'll be too big to bring inside at all fairly soon. It's fortunate you made the tunnel down to the teleportation array so much larger than was strictly necessary. {What made you ask?}

He doesn't answer immediately, a strong sense of apprehension colored with hints of fear consuming his thoughts. Then at long last you get something coherent. {It's just a little scary. Everyone is nervous about going to Elaudia, except Papa and Fulvia. Even Chryssa is a little nervous and she's never nervous about anything. Fulvia told me that the jungle was full of all sorts of monsters and crazy people and trees so large you can't see the sun. I guess I'm worried I won't be able to fly or help you fight or consume the flesh of our enemies.}

(1/3)

>>303101
the strain might start getting reduced each time we enter in it anyways, the parasite was the only long term negative consequence, and GM meditations are supposed to be difficult.

>>303075
>You're pulling that out of your ass
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/155090/
>According to surviving accounts the Child would pass through this gate, and the vortex would pull them forward into a realm wholly unlike ours and entirely dissimilar to the void. They describe it as overwhelming, but with the powers granted to them they walk through a realm of spiritual fire. They return to the mortal realm altered by the experience. Some have fire burning constantly just beneath their skin, others grow larger horns or gain markings upon their skin
How do you explain this?

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He brings up a good point, you suppose. He probably won't be able to walk very well in the cramped confines of the jungle, meaning he won't really be there to help if you get ambushed or attacked. However, that doesn't mean he'll be useless. He can scout ahead for you, and from so high up he'll be able to determine far more about your surroundings than any other member of your party. Plus, if he can't actually enter a temple complex or some other ruined structure he can always stand guard outside to make sure nothing else decides to disturb your party of adventurers. Then of course there's the intimidation factor. You almost feel sorry for whatever poor tribe of natives first ends up on the wrong end of Zahak's breath.

{You don't have anything to worry about, Zahak.} The flame shoots out across the underside of his membranous wings, the
bronze scales having bunched up around his shoulders. He seems to enjoy fire on his wings more so than anywhere else, the scales on his neck flaring out and rattling loudly as what just might be a purr rumbles through his throat. {I'm sure you'll prove invaluable on our journey as either a scout, a combatant, or a big scary dragon to strike fear into anyone who'd dare challenge us. Get some sleep, we'll be leaving early tomorrow.}

He bobs his head, and you cut the flow of vys through your arms. The flame dies down and you leave him there to curl up at the center of the courtyard, his wings folding around him like a blanket of sorts. Satisfied that you've put your son's fears to rest, you pass through the foyer and begin the seemingly endless climb towards your brother's suite of rooms. Why in the name of all the Gods he decided to live in the highest room of the tallest tower, you'll never understand.

After several minutes of walking your calves burn and the only things separating you from your brother's office are two guards and a door. They both bow low, permitting you to pass through unmolested, and you find his office darkened and empty. The Paramatma hovers, as always, just a few feet behind his death. Its soft hum is the only thing disturbing the silence of the room, the vys it exudes creating a visible distortion in the air around its smooth, black surface.

The merest exertion of will is enough to manifest a small ball of light just above your right shoulder, providing enough illumination to navigate by. Your heels click loudly against the marble tile as you cross the room, coming to stand just before the surface of the flawless sphere which houses the collective consciousness of all the world's greatest enchanters, or at least all of Hiacia's greatest enchanters.

(2/3)

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Channeling a bit of vys, you tap lightly upon the orb's surface. Much as you expected a doorway unfolds from a section of the sphere just a few feet to your left, a short flight of stairs leading into the thickly padded interior of the orb. The needle sits ominously poised to stab through the occupant's skull, but you trust that you'll emerge unharmed by the experience. Your thoughts turn towards what exactly you intend to ask the Paramatma, as you climb inside the orb and take a seat inside.

>Write-in questions for the Paramatma, and the other version of you.

>>303132
Is our child of Surya thing actually going to lower our lifespan?

>>303132
How did the whole humie fucking incident go over with them?

>>303132
We should really ask why void entities don't personally enter the mortal realm to deal with troublesome mortals and of course about how to make Spice and how to shape the worm carapaces.

>>303132
>The Dragons underneath Elaudia have awoken. Is there a way to arm an Academy with a roughly a hundred GM's and many hundreds of vatis to fight them?
>I've attract the attention of an emissary, and he's proclaimed it his solemn duty to terminate my life. Is being Maligned so a thing that the Divine Beauracracy engages in? What can I do against him? What can I do to placate them?
>I'm embarking on a Journey into the Elaudia. What advice can you give me about the spirits who reside within, and surviving there?
>How has my other self been fairing?

>>303132
Jungle when?

>>303132
Where can we find the whatever armor that the cult wants us to get

>>303132
How do you kill a lich?
Do they know of the kitty?
How do you modify specific portions of your soul and other stuff about shapeshifting in general?

>>303132
ey bby can I get your number?
>>303148
never

>>303132
What is the quickest and safest way of taking Chryssa's super strength?

>>303132
Why is it that the gods got to assblasted that we revived ourselves?
What are the three stooges?

>>303132
Soma, How many rounds of lore-sex-with-your-sister are you gonna have this time?

>>303117
Jesus Christ Bananas, Zahak gets a bester every time he does anything.

>>303122
>inb4 the wings are where the mates groom, like parrots with heads
>inb4 he develops severe daddy issues

>>303132
Okay, here's all the shit I wanted to ask:
>>302728
Relevant bits:

>They have their own reality, which means they probably exited the layers surrounding this reality and visited the realm of the gods. What can we expect? What's the best way to get there, and what precautions should be taken?

>Do they know about our tattoos? I've a number of ideas on useful designs, and if they know an easier way to engrave runes upon one's soul, we'd benefit greatly from learning it. We can have our vys and soul be permanently hidden and reinforced. We can rig up an auto-heal array. Some more shit I forgot. Anyway, we've a lot to gain from enchanting ourselves.

>Is the chimeric spirit representing the Paramatma an artificial being? It definitely has divine essence. How does one grant a being divine essence? It's the most important thing we need to learn to do regarding Fulvia. She lacks divinity, which is pretty much the only thing preventing her from becoming a real boy, as far as I can tell.

>What do they know of the Shaping Arts? Can it be used to gain strength? Can it be used to copy and assume another's self-image? Can self-images be mix-and-matched?

>Have they heard of Mahana? Just in case he's been known to fuck people over.

>Did we ask them about dragons yet? I doubt they know anything, but we should ask them just in case, providing we didn't already (I don't remember). Anything we can get on dragon physiology and customs would be great. Like why they have a varying amount of limbs.

>Do any of them have experience with Namek and its natives? Their souls are weird, man.

>Do they have a world map? In fact, shouldn't Fulvia?

>We should also ask them everything they know about the use of magic in fornication. For scientific purposes.

>>303132
Wait do they know how to make combat enchanting feasible?

>>303172
Those have already been answered, the latter by the Paratama itself

>>303172
>What are the three stooges?
They already told us what they know. A better question would be: If one of the gods were maimed and pieces of it broke off, which one would the Three most likely have originated from? I'm hoping for Srsti.

>>303132
>What are the effects of channeling different kind of husk into the self and the environment?
>What are the effect of GMing on the soul

>>303132
At what point will we stop taking aspects of our ascended form or will it keep continuing until it is indistinguishable from our normal appearance?

Are we asking all of these, or do we need to second shit? Because I'm seconding everything.

>>303132
Ask them for all knowledge they have on forming dragon magic rituals.

>>303132
is there anyway to bring matter from one layer of reality to another?

>>303223
well considering you can bring yourself to a different layer, probably.

>all these questions
Welp thread's over for tonight, see you guys next time

So, just picking out a few questions here
>Will I die young?
>Do you hate me now for being a degenerate?
>Why don't void entities fuck up shit in the mortal realm on a more regular basis?
>What can I do about an Emissary of the Gods trying to ensure my eventual demise?
>What are Elaudian Spirits like?
>Has anyone heard of Mahana Atma'agaprthvi?
>How does altering the self-image work?

That's a lot of questions, I'm going to focus on:
>How does one alter the self-image?
>What can I do about the Emissary?

That being said, I'll touch on all of them. If anyone is violently opposed to this, speak up now.

>>303209
It'll keep going until the difference between Mik and his ascended form is minimal.

>>303122
Or we could've just been teaching the nigga how to use nature this whole time

>>303132
Bring up our Ascension. Ask about any and all effects it may have on us, what benefits it may bring, etc, etc

>>303229
Can we also inquire about Dragons and Dragon slaying?

>>303229
Add some general questions about the new things we've learned about husk casting and the ascended form.

>>303229
ask if the other elements have ascension forms of their own or at least complement them?

>>303229
>>303236
I guess I'll support this. But not for Rob. He's a fag. Just for our personal use.

>>303229
Hey Soma inform them about our success of husk channeling through an artifact. IIRC you said that was the first time someone did that.

>>303236
>>303241
I'm sort of trying to limit the number of questions, because the Paramatma has some questions of its own to ask Mik.
Suffice to say, it'll come up. Don't worry.

>>303229
Can we ask about Hiacian enchanting techniques and creations? Like Spice and the worm armor.

>>303229
>>303236
>>303239
>>303246

These please.

>>303229
Ask them for all their runes and knowledge of enchanting.

>>303132
Would channeling fire vys into our soul to create a pocket reality be really dumb inside of a Spirit's realm?

ask him about the Ascension as well

>>303229
Ask them about potential benefits/risks of our Ascended Form too.

>>303246
Only as far as Fulvia knows. I think our dagger has a full-on spirit in it, DE and all.
>>303247
You could do what you did last time, write for the most relevant stuff and do an infodump pastebin on the rest after the thread. I mean, you did label the thread "into Elaudia" as unrealistic as it is, so maybe we should move this along.

>>303261
Yes.

also husk casting with the pistol

>>303269
>I mean, you did label the thread "into Elaudia" as unrealistic as it is, so maybe we should move this along.
Keep in mind, this thread is going to be up for a week and probably play host to at least one more, perhaps two or even three more sessions.

>>303229
what are soma alternative meditation techniques that will help with our magical progress.

>>303224
Then couldn't we make thinks in the spirit realm, then bring them to our reality?

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>>303277
It's like you don't even realize we're not actually entering Elaudia until thread 220.

>>303289
we made our body in our realm and it did not disintegrate.

>>303299
It was altered by our soul, however.

See, this is why I said to create some gold in there and bring it outside with us. It was worth it just to answer some questions. And also possibly gold.

>>303342
I think in the beginning Soma talked about how vatis got in trouble for making magically created gold. Although this is a wildly different method than they are used to detecting.

>>303355
He did. Too bad the authorities don't know about our magical realm and can't catch us doing anything in here.

>>303370
since we are gm in metal we could do an experiment to see the differences between regular gold, magically created gold, and our special gold. To make sure we will not be caught, since we are also known adventurers we can probably get away with large sums of gold anyways.

>>303389
Yeah, good luck convincing anon for that.

>>303277
Unless I shitpost it into oblivion.

>>303436
You have my axe

>>303457
AND MY SPEAR!

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Teaching Zahak nature fucking when

>>303507
>implying he doesn't know nature
Chill the fuck out, he's already more powerful than we need him to be. Him surpassing us is the last thing we want at this point.

>>303507
He's better than us.

>>303520
Zahak is the only character who it's fine if he surpasses us.

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>>303520
>Wanting your son to get raped by sentient trees

y tho

>>303526
If he can't part the forest canopy at will then he sucks

>>303532
So we can join him for some father-son bonding activities.

>>303542
>hey son, wanna spit roast a human?

>>303528
That's the opposite of true, you retarded nigger. He's consistently been testing us for strength, expressing relief whenever we turn out not to be a pussy despite not having any scales. Like, since before he was even born.

update never

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>>303594
Golem Mount fucking never

>>303564
This.

The last thing you want is for Zahak to feel as if he's stronger than us.

>>303594
im actually waiting on us to discover an ancient undergound bunker filled with nothing but war golems form an ancient war that never actually happened and have just been gathering dust for eons

>>303622
Fortress of Eshnuk is the most likely place you'll find it.

>>303622
Lets just do it ourself

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>>303669
>ever doing anything fun
>in banished quest

You snuff out the light hovering over your right shoulder, and just as before the orb seals itself off from the outside world. Being submerged in black with a needle poised over your forehead isn't nearly so terrifying now that you know what to expect, and as the metal of the ball flows like liquid to encase you from the neck down you don't struggle against its advance.

Even with your eyes closed, the illumination which fills the chamber once the needle begins to gather vys is painfully bright. Yet even as your instincts rebel, struggling to jerk your head away from the light, you find yourself locked in place. The metal of the chamber has wrapped around to lock your head in place, and soon you feel that slight pressure of the needle's tip against your forehead. It pierces skin, sending a jolt of pain down your spine, but that's merely the beginning. Your skull cracks loudly as the needle presses on, your thoughts suddenly muddled and indistinct.

The entire process of the needle sliding deeper and deeper into your brain tissue, splitting your skull ever wider as it plunges on, can't take more than a few seconds it feels like an eternity. You can taste nothing but copper, blood streaming readily from your mouth and nose thanks to the trauma caused by the magically charged needle. Then there's a jolt of electricity through the whole of your body, and suddenly you're unable to breathe or think, or do much of anything really. Yet even though you want to succumb to the blessed relief of unconsciousness the needle won't let you. You're forced to experience every torturous moment.

At long last, you open your eyes. No longer are you confined within that hellish prison, no longer is your body wracked with pain. Instead, you're surrounded on all sides by the endless black of the void, except this isn't the void. You know that intuitively. You're far too comfortable here, far too at home, for it to be the void. “Welcome back, Mikhael.” A familiar voice intones from somewhere behind you. Turning, you find that strange chimera seated upon the floor.

“You will be pleased to know that the Paramatma has finished incorporating your memories into its collective consciousness.” The topmost of its three heads announces. If your guess is correct, that means it's the chimera itself speaking rather than the Paramatma.

(1/2)

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The lower head responds before you're able. “And we must say, it's quite a life you've lived thus far. So much of it packed into the last several months.” The tone shifts suddenly, taking on a gruffer, more masculine tone. “Though it pains me that we're forced to include among our number so blatant a degenerate. He already violates the terms of his agreement with his ruler, he ought to be executed.” Suddenly the third head's voice grows soft and lilting, decidedly feminine in nature. “Of course you'd be the one to bring it up. It's not as if he's the first among our number to bed a member of the lesser races. At least Mikhael's filth seemed to enjoy herself, unlike your slaves.”

It seems your past indiscretions have sparked quite the controversy within the Paramatma, a fact you find curious. You really would have thought that a collective consciousness would be able to sort out whatever disagreements it might have in the week and a half they've had to come to terms with the knowledge they've gained from you. “In all honesty, I haven't come here to discuss my sexual history.” Even though it's you speaking, and your mouth moving, you don't make a sound. Rather the Chimera's middle head seeks to mimic you, its lips always slightly out of sync with your own.

“We apologize for our indiscretion. Privacy is something of a foreign concept after so long spent as one unified entity formed from the minds of many.” The lower head has resumed speaking in its usual tone, without any obvious identifying characteristics. “Have you come here to speak with your other self?”

(Still writing, but figured I'd post this bit.)

>>303694
DID you now???

>>303694
Now that I think of it we should shove the orb into our personal realm. It would be nice to be able to speak to the Paramatma whenever we want.

>>303780
we could do that I guess.

>>303780
>Dare you enter my magical realm, gestalt consciousness-chan?

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>>303780
DO IT FOR MAGICAL SCIENCE

>>303694
inb4 other mik is jealous of our newfound power

>>303780
The passive Vys would probably be a boon to our cat friend too.

Did reaching grandmaster in metal magic change our personality at all like water grandmastery did?

>>303830
Yes.

>>303830
It made Mikhael more stubborn and intractable.

Once he's settled on a course of action or an opinion, it's supernaturally difficult to sway him from it.

>>303780
Not a bad idea, though it may get quite angry that it doesn't have any access to potential minds to incorporate, especially if we bite the dust for good.

with it being thread 200 I thought Soma might post slightly more regularly than a post every 8 hours, alas such dreams will never happen

>>303780
dooo eeeettttttttt

You nod your head, the Chimera's own mimicking yours. “I have, but first I was hoping you might offer some advice regarding a problem I've recently faced. It's a continuation of a problem I'm sure you're already well aware of, the apparent disdain Surya holds for me. You see, I died yesterday and resurrected myself by copying the body of a companion, stripping away this replica's shell, and inserting my own in its place. Apparently this has caused Pani great offense, and now with both of the Gods deeming me anathema I have a creature claiming to be their emissary trying to kill me.”

A silence grows between you and the Paramatma, eventually broken by your own voice, though it's not you speaking. “I honestly don't know why I'm surprised, if anyone should be used to the shit I get myself into, it should be me. You'll be happy to know that we're in good company. Some of the most powerful enchanters to ever live have struggled with this same issue.”

When next the lowest head speaks, it is no longer with your voice. “Indeed, as Mikhael has pointed out this is an issue many of us faced at one point or another while we were still alive. As you're already aware, Servants adhere to a fairly strict hierarchy. At the top of this hierarchy lie the gods, and below them are their Children, and so on and so forth. However, even within a generation there are lines drawn between the weak and the powerful, between the favored and the disdained. Everything is highly regimented, and all exist essentially to serve the gods in whatever capacity they're able.”

“In practice, this often entails merely repairing the barriers which separates layers of reality or fighting off incursions from creatures beyond creation which manage to get through one or two of the outer layers. None have ever managed to breach past the third, for any capable of doing so are soon destroyed utterly by Surya's fury. However, occasionally a mortal will grow troublesome enough to merit some manner of response from the cosmic bureaucracy.”

“In such cases it is not usually the gods themselves who interfere, instead if they deem it necessary they will assign it to one of the Children to see the issue handled. If that Child deems it unworthy of their personal presence, they will assign it in turn to their descendants. So on and so forth until one among their number decides at long last that it it something worth addressing. If they do not kill the mortal outright they may try to enslave them to their will or try to blackmail the mortal into performing some other task on their behalf, so that they do not have to degrade themselves dealing with it.”

(1/3)

The Paramatma's voice shifts once more, growing higher pitched and adopting a weary tone. “Understand, it is not that Servants disdain mortals. They feel nothing, have no true emotions that I've been able to discern. Rather entering the mortal coil is painful to them, as is interacting with mortals. It introduces a measure of corruption which they would typically wish to avoid. It's this corruption which spirits as we know them embraced, thus losing their connection to the Gods in the process.”

“Can you tell us anything about the creature you encountered?” The collective ask, any hint of individuality once more subsumed. “Perhaps with more information we might discern how powerful this 'Emissary' is, and thus give you an idea of what challenges you might face.”

That seems a simple enough request. “It was towering, twenty feet tall or more, with four arms and its head obscured by a silver mask carved with intricate patterns. Candles covered its back and shoulders, and it wore heavy armor obscured by richly decorated robes. There was only a single hole in the helmet for its eye and it seemed to glow with a sort of warm internal light. I never got the impression that it wished to do me harm, even when it professed that it sought my demise it seemed almost affectionate in its tone and mannerisms.” Performing a quick mental review of your encounter with the Emissary, you try to think of anything significant you might have left out. “Oh, and it was surrounded by an enormous cult of followers. Hundreds of them, all dressed similarly to the Emissary itself but clearly once mortal.”

“Based upon your description, you would seem to have encountered a Child. However, were this the case you would not be standing here before us. We have theorized in the past that perhaps a younger Servant might gather a following not dissimilar to the cult which inevitably surrounds a Child, but we have never encountered such an entity. Regardless, it is safe to say that the creature you met was powerful, it would have to be if it wished to maintain such a large stable of worshipers. Did it ask anything of you?”

You explain in brief the conversation you had with the Emissary, its offer of death or enslavement and then its quick reversal when you asked whether there was anything you might do to repent for your alleged crimes against the natural order. The chimera is silent for several long moments, before at long last the Paramatma offers its response. “It would seem a simple enough arrangement, then. Kill the boy you resurrected, kill the man it wants dead, and be done with it. Most likely its insistence that it must first speak with its superior before offering you any official terms is merely a ruse of sorts, an attempt to create some avenue through which it might make you perform yet more task for it in the future.”

(2/3)

“I would rather not kill Vicitra.” You almost feel a little guilty professing your reluctance, but you've made your decision and you don't intend to bend easily to the whims of others. “Is there anything else I can do to dissuade this creature? Has anyone ever managed to escape divine attention without being forced to serve divine interest?”

“Many of us have escaped from the Gods' wrath by fleeing here, into the Paramatma.” There's a note of reluctance in that confession, but the collective forges ahead regardless. “In fact, several dozen members of the founding expedition which first crafted this reality outside of creation were marked for death just as you are. However, we do not feel that is a practical method of resolving the issues you face. You are not yet powerful enough to flee through all two hundred sixteen layers of reality to join us in the flesh. You would almost surely die in the attempt.”

Part of you bristles at the suggestion that mere void creatures could ever hope to kill you, but then your own voice drifts from the chimera's lowest mouth. “They're right, much as I hate to admit it. I've seen some of the creatures they were forced to ward off in first passing through the many layers of reality. It is not so much that Servants are difficult to kill, it's that there are so many of them. You kill one and ten take its place. Then of course, the older a Servant gets the more powerful it becomes, and the more horrific its appearance. Up to a point, at least. Some seem as though they're exempted from this rule.”

STILL WRITING, it's a big 'un.

>>303939
>You kill one and ten take its place
We could definitely get them to kill Papa Dracolich if we kept ripping reality open on him.

>>303958
>ride papa dracolich all the way to Surya himself

>>303958
>rip open a void hole
>ascend
>drag papa dragon as far as we can into the void
>teleport key home

>>303958
>rip open dozens of holes in reality to let numerous incredibly overpowered descendants of gods through

what could go wrong?

So is Skull Kid's world somewhere in the layers of reality or is it a planet outside our solar system within base reality?

>ask some questions
>watch soma fellate himself while writing the answers for hours
what a fun thread

>>304026
Did you ever perhaps think that it could be a parallel universe?

>>304032
Then how was it connected to the void?

>>304026
Perhaps it is in a different collection of layers entirely.

>>304029
Soma is super happy that he can ejaculate his lore all over us.

>>304036
Magic.

>>304026
Maybe it was made by the god that was banished.

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>>304029
>soma's face when writing lore

Update when?

>>304029
If you didn't get in on the Anthus shitposting earlier, you missed a lot of fun.

>>304106
30 minutes to an hour given the last update.

You're at least somewhat willing to take your own word for it, though you can't help but think you've come far since your initial meeting with the Paramatma. You're stronger now than you were then. You've risen beyond the need for a mortal form, and even brought yourself back after well and truly dying. Surely you would at least stand a chance. Though, that brings up an interesting thought actually. “Speaking of my own mortality, there's been some recent changes to my appearance I'm sure you've noticed. Is there anything you can tell me about Children of Surya? I've heard they died rather young, usually in their sixties, and I was hoping this was something misunderstood in surviving records.”

There's an odd sensation, like a thousand eyes staring at you as one. “You have horns.” The Paramatma suddenly announces, only to be interrupted by your own voice. “What in the name of all the Gods have you done to me?! You look like a freak! I mean, okay, the tattoos look nice and I appreciate how the gold clashes with a darker skin tone, but what the fuck happened to your head? I don't remember having horns the last time I looked in the mirror.”

Drawing yourself up a little taller, you try not to take offense at the fact that you just insulted yourself. This is getting confusing. “It was a side effect of achieving Grandmastery of the Metal element. I was trapped within a spirit's realm as it began to collapse, and was forced to stitch it back together while Mahana fought to subsume the spirit in question. Admittedly, it was mostly my own fault that the realm was collapsing. I channeled my husk into the Rhynian pistol, and when I fired a shot it tore a hole in reality which permitted a rather powerful Servant to intrude upon the battle. Anyway, when I channeled husk into the shell of my soul I ascended beyond my physical body and in the process gained immense power. However, when I returned to my body and next healed my wounds I'd sprouted horns from my head. The rest of this, the golden tattoos and coal black skin, is fairly recent. A result of my dying and resurrecting myself.”

“If what you say is true, you would certainly seem to qualify as one of the Children of Surya.” It is once more the Paramatma speaking as a whole, the version of you within having apparently ceded control of the chimera's lowest mouth. “Have you undergone the Ritual of the Gate? We would guess that you have not, but it's often hard to tell as each Child experiences it differently and emerges from it changed in different ways.”

You think you know what they're talking about, that priest your brother keeps on hand as a torturer mentioned something similar. “If you refer to the process of passing through one of the Gates of Surya, then no I haven't. Frankly I don't quite understand how it could possibly help me, considering after all that the Gates are merely pathways between different portions of the layers of reality. It would seem a useless endeavor.”

(1/3)

The Paramatma seems momentarily conflicted, and then a new voice filters through the lowest of the chimera's three heads. It is old, very much so, but pleasant enough. It almost reminds you of Master Karim's voice whenever he'd get going on one of his rants. “It's not quite as simple as many seem to think. The Gates of Surya are not merely pathways through the void. Those that exist on a permanent basis were created for a purpose, a purpose that as of yet I'm not quite sure of. What we do now is that they're able to determine between regular mortals, spirits, and Children of Surya. This latter category the gates inevitably send to a specific location, always the same location even if it's perceived differently by each individual who experiences it.”

“Inside this realm the Child of Surya will experience one of four possible things. Death, is the first and most frequent possibility. One of the reasons there were always so few Children of Surya is because becoming one is such a grueling and unforgiving process. Perhaps nineteen out of every twenty candidates died upon entering the gates. The next possible outcome is the recovery of an artifact. This is perhaps the rarest outcome, of those who survive, less than one percent ever returned with an artifacts. Then there are those who are changed physically by the event. Seldom are two changes ever entirely the same. Some might have fire burning constantly beneath their flesh. Others might acquire bits and pieces of volcanic rock sprouting across their bodies, growing slowly until they act as a natural armor of sorts. Then of course one man emerged without any physical body, as a being of pure vys.”

“Finally, the last possible outcome is that those who enter never return. Even if the applicant died, they were usually spit back out into the world where they could be retrieved. However, a small portion of those who enter the gate are merely never seen again. We presume that they died, but we can't truly prove this. Thus, we consider it its own separate category.”

“If you want to truly claim the right to call yourself a Child of Surya, you too must submit yourself to one of his Gates, and hope for the best. Otherwise, you will remain a mere freak, and not a man touched by the Gods. Perhaps, considering your circumstances, that may be preferable.”

(2/3)

The voice cuts off, and in its place returns the monotone of the collective. “We hope that that has managed to answer your question, it is an issue we are not wholly familiar with. There has never been a Child of Surya entered into our ranks. As for your earlier question, regarding their lifespan, we cannot truly say. Those Children of Surya who were created, and not born, lived lifespans no shorter than the average at the time, some six hundred years. Those who were born, but not created, often died quite young. Always due to violence. Whether this indicates a drop in the lifespan for the second generation we cannot truly say, for their lives were not peaceful and nobody ever took the time to conduct a study of them.”
Still writing, gonna do the question about altering one's self-image, and then call it good. There will be one more round of questions after this, please have mercy upon my poor fingers.

>>304138
you brought this upon yourself Soma. You wanted to get off on your lore boner, your fingers paid the price for that satisfaction.

>>304135
Didn't we enter one of the gates already? I mean we got that spirit parasite STD that Ricky and friends removed and then ate.

>>304138
FASTER, WRITE SLAVE

>>304152
>>304138
Did you forget that Soma or does that mean something else?

>>304152
That entailed entering the gates, but that was well before yo uwere a Child of Surya.
>What we do now is that they're able to determine between regular mortals, spirits, and Children of Surya. This latter category the gates inevitably send to a specific location, always the same location even if it's perceived differently by each individual who experiences it.”

>>304135
Well fuck, that sounds interesting. We should enter one as soon as possible.

>>304152
Yes, but we weren't a Child then so it didn't do anything special.

>>304138
Get ready for the 332+ paratama questions I saved in a notepad file when we first encountered this guy and I wasn't able to participate in the thread at the time.

I am going to enjoy your suffering while I post 4 maxed out posts full of questions.

>>304135
>Others might acquire bits and pieces of volcanic rock sprouting across their bodies
You mean like a certain degenerate elf?

>>304163
Post now Anon, I wanna see.

>>304135

If death has such a high possibility, we should probably not enter the Gate until we resolve the "ire of the Gods" plot point. We don't need those random event tables to be harder than necessary.

>>304160
We shouldn't enter the gate while the gods still are angry. We also should also have at least 100 max vys.

Wait

ayo

hol up

doesn't the paramatma do a full brain scan of all our memories and knowledge whenever we get the spike jabbed? how come we have to "explain" the recent stuff we did?

>>304171
I'd prefer to be a penta GM before we even attempt such a thing

>>304172
because talking and bickering with other voices and yourself is much more fun to read and for Soma to flagellate his fingers in writing to satisfy his lore boner.

>>304172
They can, but they don't do so as a matter of course. For instance, when Mik first sat in the chair they didn't steal all of his memories or anything like that. He had to consent to it. It's pretty much the same thing here. If Mik wants to make another copy of him in the Paramatma, he'll have to give permission.

>>304172
They have to take time to integrate each iteration first, which they haven't with the latest batch.

>>304166
>Chrys and Prof are both failed attempts at creating Children of Surya.
>We're a self-made success

I feel an intrinsic bond, and a simultaneous overwhelming superiority to our friends.

>>304168
yeah but we might get free stuff

>>304172
nah you're thinking of the process where our soul gets copied and uploaded onto their magical realm. they didn't do it this time

>>304180
>I feel an intrinsic bond, and a simultaneous overwhelming superiority to our friends.

So business as fucking usual? We love our friends but are better than them?

What else is new, son?

>>304131
Pretty funny that they didn't notice until we pointed out

>>304183
Well shit, you got me there

Now that I think of it the Emissary said there was a shitton of heathens we could kill in the Jungles didn't they?

>>304178
so will there just be two miks running around in the collective, or will those two merge, the newer one overriding

>>304178
once a soul enters wizard heaven, is there anything that can remove it or is it there forever?

>>304178
Why don't we just say "Here's a replay of my memories of x event" and give consent for them to view it on the giant DomainTheater(tm) in Full Ultra 40k HD 3D VR quality? Same goes for knowledge, just let them sorta watch it from our memories and that's that.

Sure, having Mik explain it in-character makes for a more "engaging" post but this is by far more practical, accurate, and time saving. It's like updating a save file by overwriting it, you know?

>>304201
There will be two Miks runnin' around. There's one dude with seven different versions of himself in the Paramatma.

>>304207
Not that Mik is aware of, though someone could feasibly just walk into the Paramatma and take something out. Not that doing so would be an easy task.

>>304214
Ehh, it's not really that simple. They can't just pluck memories from your head and examine them. They have to make a full copy and then enchant that copy to be part of the collective and then they have to disseminate its memories to the rest of the collective. This isn't a quick process, even in a realm in which time is accelerated.

>>304214
>run exe.crazyhassanadalettwerking

>>304216
We need to one up that asshole. Make eight of us.

>>304220
we should make a copy after every gm.

>>304216
Huh. In that case we should ask Paramatma!Mik what's up and if he's learned anything interesting during his time here. Like notable persons, "daily" habits, knowledge and stuff. Heck, Mik should do the classic "if you're me then what am I thinking of right now?" question to Paramatma!Mik

>>304216

If we could download knowledge into the Paramantma, can we download knowledge from the Paramantma?

>>304244
Head Explodes from information overload.

>>304244
asking the important questions anon.

i'd imagine it would be like the Ancient Database from stargate. get a shit ton of knowlage dropped into your head, spend the next few weeks in mental agonay as it slowly unspools in your head

holy fuck we already know most of this shit. such a waste of a thread.

>>304252
Technically... this is possible. Soma has said information can be dropped into your head, but it would, in the best case, shatter your psyche, possibly rendering damage to the person's sanity, and take time to integrate fully.

>>304259
I guess you should have asked questions that we did not know the answer to then.

>>304259
The only thing we learned is killing the kid is the best idea.

>>304260
exactly. just pop the ring on, spend a few threads reinforcing the mind with metal, examining threads composing the mind and bobs your uncle

we would obviously do this when we have a signifigant amount of downtime, and can afford to be incapicataed for a week, possibly more.

though i wonder if the knowlage is selectable, instead of just dumping everything down in there. could we just have the knowledge that our copy gained pumped into there, thus getting a smoother intergration since we would only be gaining the knowlage that they gained instead of having the memories of other being tossed into there as well

>>304292
we probably want to do this when we have picked all the lower hanging fruit so that soma does not jew us out of vys.

So it seems you don't have to worry about your own lifespan, although your children might die young. More than likely it's merely that they lived violent lives and died young as a result. Actually, now that you think about it, if Children of Surya can be born and not created the second generation, and third, and fourth, and so on might lack the magical knowledge of the first generation who had to be created. After all, becoming a Child of Surya entailed mastering a school of magic, not a feat most of the population can ever claim to have accomplished.

Although, your own reaction to your current appearance brings up another thought. Your horns are rather obvious, and it would be very hard for you to blend into a crowd if you were not a Master of Fire magic. However, illusions are only visual, or at least you haven't figured out how to give them a tactile element. Thus being able to change your appearance at will might be preferable. Plus, it would have been a lot easier to retain Chryssa's immense strength if you'd been able to merely alter your self image to include it.

Which brings you to your next question for the ancient collective consciousness you are yourself apart of. “Is there any method you're aware of by which someone might be able to easily alter their self-image? I know that there used to be people capable of such feats, I've been reading a book describing the art, but I haven't had much real progress.”

“We are aware of a certain sect of vatis calling themselves the 'valikatti' who are said to have existed prior to the rise of Hiacia.” The Paramatma seems almost hesitant, speaking on a topic it apparently has little knowledge of. “According to the records that some among our number have seen, they were able to freely change their shape. Some others have read documents which allege that this was a mere fiction, and that they were rather masters of illusion. Others among our number claim that their teachings survived the fall of the previous empire, and that they existed even after the destruction of the Al-Hikar. The consensus we have reached is that in the end it doesn't matter, since it's a topic we probably won't ever hold true knowledge of.”

“That being said, we do know of methods by which one might alter their self-image. It is simply the case that none are easy. You can absorb the husk of another in an intentionally flawed manner and make slow, tedious edits to certain memories in order to reinforce the idea that you have a certain trait or look a certain way. However, this is a remarkably inefficient method often requiring several attempts with the same soul to achieve anything of note. Another option is to erode the shell, as this can introduce a certain degree of error. Your appearance might change, but it won't necessarily be controlled.”

(1/2)

Man i want to ubteract woth past mik more.
Its fun seeing how much of an ass he is, and plus i figured he would help us out.
I wonder if we can put our here in here.
From what we know dragons are our technically supeirs since they were directly made by the gods instead of blessed by them.

“A third possibility is to use the art of enchanting, and this is the method most of us prefer. By carving runes upon the flesh, you can affect the shell. That is the nature of your tattoos after all. That is why they persist even after being burned away. However, it's not possible to make subtle changes via this method. It also requires special preparation, not just any ink will do. The ink has to carry some measure of divinity within it, and there are seldom few liquids which are able to hold vys for very long. The Elves possessed a ritual in our time to create such a substance, as did the nomadic tribes wandering Pidjata. It seems the latter of these two peoples have retained this knowledge. We would recommend speaking with the woman who inscribed your tattoos if you wished to acquire more of this ink.”

So it seems like perhaps through repeatedly draining Chryssa's husk and then editing your own memories you might eventually achieve something similar to her strength, though frankly you're not certain it's worth the effort. You're also not wholly certain that you want to cover yourself in occasionally garish tattoos. You quite like the ones on your arms, but if they extended to cover your entire body you'd perhaps find them excessive. You were a little worried upon waking up to find they'd extended themselves further up your arms than they'd initially reached, but have since decided they look acceptable.

Regardless, you draw something of a blank as to what else you wish to ask them. You recall having asked them about Elaudia previously, they mentioned that tribes of dark elves, your ancestors, still live in the jungle. At least, they did at the time many of them lived. You also recall that they know little else about the Elaudians themselves, except that they were a fragmented people, a vast tribal confederation, which worshiped the True Gods and were dominated by a race akin to humans but with certain aspects of the forest, whatever that means.

>Ask another question (Write-in)
>Allow them to take another copy of your soul, then get some rest until sunrise.
>Hold off on uploading a second version of yourself, you'd rather wait until your return from Elaudia.
>Write-in

>>304323
>Hold off on uploading a second version of yourself, you'd rather wait until your return from Elaudia.

>>304321
Are you okay man?

>>304323
>Ask another question
What about the Shaping arts and Spice/Worm armor?

>>304323
>Ask them about the resurgence of the Dragons, what their goals might possibly be, and how to go about combating them.

>>304323
Bring up what we're about to go do. Completeing the stooges task.

Then ask him if the stooges may have asked him for anything.

>>304323
>Allow them to take another copy of your soul, then get some rest until sunrise.

>>304323
>Allow them to take another copy of your soul, then go fug da waifu

>>304323
>Allow them to take another copy of your soul,
A copy per gm, but ill wait for question anons.

>>304323
>Allow them to take another copy of your soul, then get some rest until sunrise.

>>304337
>>304323
I'll support this too. Also, let's ask them about Ascendancy and the Daemon state.

>>304323
>>304344
as an addendum: did the stooges ask for a favor.

>>304323
Ascendancy, Daemon state, Dragon shit, Stooges and any contact Stooges have made.

>>304350
>>304337
You do realize Soma can and will veto this.

>>304359
Merely asking about the Stooge's task should bring pertinent info about Stooge activity about.

>>304350
>>304357
What's Daemon state? You mean ascended form? Oh! The shit Profectus was talking about, yes. Okay, I know what you're talking about now.

>>304323
>Hold off on uploading a second version of yourself, you'd rather wait until your return from Elaudia.
I'd rather give them a Mik who has more understanding of the Shaping Arts and some Elaudian lore.

>>304323
>>Hold off on uploading a second version of yourself, you'd rather wait until your return from Elaudia.

>>304357
>>304323
This seems to cover everything. Supporting.

>>304323
>Hold off on uploading a second version of yourself, you'd rather wait until your return from Elaudia.

We haven't gain much since last time.

>>304323
>>Hold off on uploading a second version of yourself, you'd rather wait until your return from Elaudia.
Better wait until we understand more about shaping arts.
>>304357
Supporting these questions.

So its agreed we doing gate gm right?

>>304323
>>304336
>>304337
>>304350
>>304357
All this shit boss.

>>304323
ask them about downloading knowlage from them instead of doing the uploading

>>304373
This might be a bad idea to do at the moment.

>>304373
It turns out that we don't get a fire GM out of the gate. Could still mix the gate with the daemon GM meditation for extra hard.

>>304323
>>304336

Seconding Dragon slaying and society tips

>>304323
>Hold off on uploading a second version of yourself, you'd rather wait until your return from Elaudia.
This too boss.

>>304380
what is this daemon shit you keep talking about?

>>304326
>>304363
>>304367
>>304370
>>304372
>Ayo hol' up so u be sayin we wuz hive minds n shieet?

>>304344
>>304338
>>304341
>Allow them to take another copy, then get some sleep.

>>304339
>Allow them to take another copy, then ey baby u wan sum fuk?

>>304337
>>304350
>>304352
>>304357
>>304368
>>304372
>>304374
>Bring up Stooges task.

>>304336
>>304357
>>304368
>>304372
>>304374
>Ask about Dadaragons.

>>304357
>>304368
>>304372
>>304374
>>304350
>Ask about that shit Profectus was reading'

>>304373
Gate isn't necessarily a GM trait anymore. But it has other benefits from being a Child of Surya.

Writin'
After this though, Mik is gonna hop on outta the Paramatma and get some sleep.

>>304379
If by bad idea you mean auto-suicide then yes very bad.

>>304388
NO to sleep. Mik must meditate!