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You lean back into Tzanzi, and speak loudly for her benefit. “A dragon – a powerful dragon of the ilk that is Yzia's! One who masters the power of time as she masters the power of the stars....and has the Elder Power like Yzia and myself, as well.” You point down at the red-headed girl. “The elan Skattish; she would be the greater threat, and I doubt even the three of us could take her. The dragon I am more confident about!”

Tzanzi leans forward, her hand sliding up to cup your breastplate along the under-curve that stretches across both breasts. “To consider such a beast the lesser threat,” she trills in your ear as she fondles Siobhan's hilt, “speaks of an ego that outstrips that of any knight, Akko.”

You grin wildly at the compliment. Or the accusation; she's not wrong.

[] Cast all your defensive spells; better safe than sorry.
[] Suggest to Yzia that she use her Lesser Wish to grant herself and Tzanzi the protections of the spells you cast upon yourself, as you would be able to do with a familiar.
[] Protections be damned; if they wanted to kill you there are less bizarre ways to manage such a thing.
[] Have Yzia wing close enough for Telepathy and have the elan dismiss the dragon.
[] Message the dragon and greet it yourself from afar, see what it is doing here.
[] Write in?
Siobhan thinks that your assessment is basically correct, but the unknown powers the dragon may possess could turn the tide of battle all too easily.

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/XsQuestmistress

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Previous Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2346293/

Akko, Akatmosoko, like all her kind, has a measure of psychic ability. She will simply use most of these powers without prompting, instinctively, when appropriate. Her spells are another matter.
>She is a high ranking Gish, and may give orders to low ranking Knights; mid-ranked Warriors; high ranking Spellcasters, Skulkers, and Murderers; and any Gish lower ranked than herself.
>True Silver Sword: Siobhan
Siobhan offers her opinions and advice on matters when a vote is called for, drawing on Akko's potent intellect and voicing subconscious thoughts for her to consider.
>Current Spell Selection
Warrior's Mix: Combat+Defense+very few Utility

>Current Cadre:
Yzia, Yzidriava:: Ancient Mythic Solar Dragon, lover and companion. She may carry Akko and nine others, being gargantuan.
Yashi: High-ranked Illusionist (your Spellcaster); Class: Illusionist Wizard, Bound by Oath.
>notSilver Sword: Fehr Vaed
Tzanzi, Tzanziarette: High-ranked Murderer (First in Command); Class: Pureblade Slayer, Bound by Oath and Friendship.
Auena: Mid-ranked Gish (Yzia's new toy); Class: Psychic Warrior, Bound by Oath.
Schechei:: Mid-ranked Gish(your acolyte); Class: Magus, Bound by Oath
>Silver Sword: Tiagothe
Kteine: Mid-ranked Gish (adoptive daughter and acolyte); Class: Psychic Warrior, bound by Oath
>Silver Sword: Achris
Lywedra, Lywaerdrae: Mid-ranked Warrior (an adoring and even doting fan); Class: Steel-Breaker Brawler, Bound by Oath and Debt

>Akko's Current Supreme Leader
Dunzamn, a Lord Knight with a True Silver Sword (Voorsi), leader of the Raid upon the Elven and Human Kingdoms of Iridaiya and Boggsteading, respectively.
>His dragon companion Jacinth, whose true name is an unknown, and is an ancient creature.

Character Sheet always In Progress: https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1009380

Spell Book: http://pastebin.com/WjH8UfyY

>>2361830
>[] Cast all your defensive spells; better safe than sorry.

>>2361830
>[] Cast all your defensive spells; better safe than sorry.
Even though I'm pretty sure they're not looking for a fight, no real reason not to.

>>2361830
>[] Cast all your defensive spells; better safe than sorry.
>[] Message the dragon and greet it yourself from afar, see what it is doing here.

>>2361830
>[] Cast all your defensive spells; better safe than sorry.

>>2361830
>[] Cast all your defensive spells; better safe than sorry.
>[] Message the dragon and greet it yourself from afar, see what it is doing here.
>If (when) the dragon proves non-hostile, land within speaking distance.

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[X] Cast all your defensive spells; better safe than sorry.
[X] Message the dragon and greet it yourself from afar, see what it is doing here.
[X] Write in? Show no fear, nor balk in view of the enemy, or the dragon – as the case may be. Predators like fear.

It takes you a moment to cast all your defensive spells, and while some may not last very long, others will last plenty of time. As an added measure, you refrain from casting Haste and use Adjustable Polymorph, transforming yourself only slightly, increasing your flexibility and reflexes further rather than refining your musculature. This also affords you the benefit of the increased skill the Elder Power brings to the table, making you the equal of any warrior.

Yzia swoops in, giving you that extra time to prepare, while Tzanzi moves her hand to your belly, and murmurs loudly in your ear. “Surely you don't expect a battle, Akko.” You shake your head and she nods, used to your over-preparation. Though, it isn't over-preparation when you've taken out surprised attacks, ambushes, and attempted assassinations through preparation, is it?

A tiny bit of arcane force and you layer a spell – a cantrip, really – over the others in your mind, casting it with the force of a much more powerful spell (relatively speaking). The Message spell is simple, but gives you a much greater range than your telepathy can reach. Hail to thee, great wyrm of age and eon, you say in greeting. Yzia can undoubtedly hear the whispered conversation, as can Tzanzi. What brings you to this place of power and secrets; surely more than the mere desire of an immortal woman-child or the presence of our kind here and now!

Her whispered response is prompt. Akko, Githyanki, Master gish and Leader; to you and to your Blade I give greetings, and say to you that I am here to observe a possible wonder. I am here at the behest of a friend, but it serves my own will and desire to be here.

You urge Yzia down and she complies readily enough. You let her know she should land close enough to speak with the dragon – or attack, for that matter. I take you at your word, great wyrm, and trust that there shall be no blood shed between us this day, this night.

She merely inclines her head and watches as your own great wyrm swoops in for a landing.

Even as Yzia lands within striking distance of the other dragon – who is unimpressed by the threat – you release yourself from the straps and unlimber Siobhan – still sheathed, but moving her from your back to your hip. You land lightly, and rise to your feet, fully armed and prepared for anything at all. The elan waits at the doorway, while her draconic friend watches Yzia with a combination of curiosity and amusement. The amusement fades when she sees you, however, her simpler Detect Magic revealing your power layered protections and defenses.

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“Skattish; I see you've brought a friend.” Tzanzi dismounts with a leap and lands near you, rising to her feet and looming ominously despite not being anywhere close to the elan. Yzia transforms into a strange and rather becoming combination of dragon and humanoid, once more leaving her eyes untransformed.

The other dragon slowly circles around you to join the delicate elan, who smiles and shrugs. “I thought it prudent, given that you might bring Yzia with you.” You don't bother asking how she knew the name of your companion; you suspect there is very little that she doesn't know about you and your doings over the past hundred or so years in and out of the Astral Plane. “This is Soliqui; as you undoubtedly know, she possesses the Elder Power' as well, though her kind is quite different.”

“A Temporal Dragon, yes.” The elan's delicate eyebrows arch in surprise, but you don't explain further. “She has reassured me that there is no need to concern myself with bloodshed today. This is Tzanzi, my friend and companion, a warrior of more than great renown.”

“She who slaughters entire enclaves with little more than claw, fang, and will. Her reputation is well known.” You note that she doesn't say exactly where or among whom her reputation is known. Tzanzi smiles, baring the tips of her spurs; she caught it too. “I take it that she is the one you wish healed truly, in return for using the crystal I gave you?”

Tzanzi pulls off her obsidian and glass mask, and even goes so far as to remove the false eye as well. Neither dragoness nor elan flinch, unsurprisingly. Too bad.

“The true injuries are much deeper, and beyond my meager magics and skill,” you reply. “But yes, I will use your Solipsism Crystal in return for the complete healing of her wounds.” Yzia steps close to you, her talons sliding along your shoulder as her tail winds about your leg, her eyes fixed on the other dragon. You can feel the flow of Telepathy between them, but that isn't a conversation for mere mortals, you suspect.

[] Fix my friend first; then I'll play the pet su-monster for you.
[] I suppose you'll want me to use the crystal first, as a show of good will.
[] How shall we manage this trade, pretty little creature?
[] You heal Tzanzi, I use the crystal, and our dragons oversee; fair enough for you?
[] I can see you're still hoping I'll take your offer sooner rather than later, from the looks of the cavern.
[] Write in?

>>2361869
>[] How shall we manage this trade, pretty little creature?

>>2361869
>[] You heal Tzanzi, I use the crystal, and our dragons oversee; fair enough for you?

>>2361869
>[] You heal Tzanzi, I use the crystal, and our dragons oversee; fair enough for you?

>>2361869
>[X] She know us well and might let us see her heal Tzanzi first.

>>2361869
>[] You heal Tzanzi, I use the crystal, and our dragons oversee; fair enough for you?

>>2361869
>[] You heal Tzanzi, I use the crystal, and our dragons oversee; fair enough for you?

Rolled 17 + 30 (1d20 + 30)

Spell (psi) craft on Akko's part.

>>2361869

>"By curiosity, how will you heal her? And you will only heal her, yes?"

Hi! How are you, XS?

>>2361892
Taking the fifth on that.

>>2361882
Pretty great!

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[X] You heal Tzanzi, I use the crystal, and our dragons oversee; fair enough for you?
[X] Write in? For safety's sake, she should allow me to watch her begin the healing process, knowing I will not tolerate a betrayal as she does....

The elan walks over, undaunted by Tzanzi's damaged visage, and looks up at her, drawing coppery bangs from her blue eyes. With the Arcane Sight up you see no particularly obvious energies – psychic or magical – around her; if she has any defensive magics, they're well hidden. She reaches up, while Tzanzi looks down at her with the one pale umber eye she possesses. Her hand stops some inches away from the left side of Tzanzi's face. “May I examine you?”

Tzanzi stares down at the youthful figure, then nods once. The delicate hand slowly comes to rest along the terrible scars that consume your friend's face; she doesn't limit herself to hose on her face, but the ones just past her ear, align her ruined hairline. The ones that are the source of the damage done to her living brain. The soft hum and the faint shimmer that erupts around Skattish's hand and eyes is undoubtedly a psychic power of some sort, but certainly nothing standard or well known. You unravel the ability's nature easily in your mind; an in depth examination, using a combination of Touch Sight and Post-cognition, exploring the injury during it's infliction and feeling exactly what was done during the attack.

Tzanzi's hand twitches and you snatch it, holding her hand fast as the examination continues. Her grip is viciously tight; she can feel something happening, but probably not on a psychic level; her instinctive reaction to assault the person inflicting the sensation means it is probably a physical sensation she's receiving. You step close, slipping free of Yzia's grasp (but not her tail), and press along her right side, letting her grip your hand with terrible, bruising strength. “Let it pass, Tzanzi. It is a chirurgeon's duty and need.”

Her hand releases for a second and you grip it tighter, moving behind her to take hold of her other hand. You grip both her hands tightly, and she squeezes, hard enough to make your armor creak unhappily. Her voice is strained as she trembles. “I can feel her inside my head.” Sadly, you think she's talking about a physical sensation, not some psychic effect. A psychic effect she wouldn't actually feel.

“If she does anything untoward, you may use Siobhan on her,” you tell the murderer, and she hisses laughter.

“Stop talking, I need to concentrate.” The elan's voice is distant and cool, and you refrain from baring your spurs at her.

Soliqui claims she is here to witness your ascension into immortality. She seems certain you'll do so. Yzia's thought interrupts your annoyance and her tail slides up and down your armored thigh reassuringly.

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She is mistaken. Perhaps she stepped into the wrong time line. Yzia's laughter is silent, though she does smile, baring a mouthful of wickedly sharp teeth.

The elan steps back, slowly, and lowers her hand, which ceases to glow. “I can repair this,” she claims softly. “It is....extensive damage, and I cannot replace the memories that she lost, but the damage can be repaired entirely. It will take some time – about an hour. The result will be that she regains her psychic capabilities and talent, but she will lose her resistance to magic and psychic powers.”

Keeping hold of Tzanzi's hands and kissing the side of her neck to calm her, you glance at the elan. “So you have said. You will begin the process, and I will undergo your crystal's self-contained reality.” She knows why you are demanding this; if she doesn't, then she hasn't been paying attention. Tzanzi slowly relaxes as you rub her palms with your thumb and breathe warmth along her neck. There are twitches, nervous tics you haven't seen in ages, but she nods finally.

“Please come with me,” the elan asks of you and your companions. As she leads you into the temple, you glance back to see Soliqui following. She gestures to the alter she was sitting upon last time you were here, and looks to Tzanzi. Your murderous lover lays herself down on the alter, and Skattish takes her place at the head of it.

“You will only heal her.” You make the question a statement. “By what method?”

The elan looks to you as she takes a pouch and slowly pours the contents in a circle around Tzanzi's head. “The only way possible – by Altering Reality. The examination told me what I needed to know, and I can unmake the injuries and damage. As I said, it will take some time, but it will be complete.”

“Very well.” You would soothe Tzanzi, who has once again become nervous, but she's immune to your telepathy. “Trying to drug or sedate her will not work very well either, by the way.”

The elan nods absently, holding her hands some distance from Tzanzi's head. When the psychic effort begins it is incredibly obvious – the diamonds start to glow, and her hands erupt in shimmering light, her bones clearly visible through flesh turned crystalline and pale rather than glowing red of flesh and blood that is lit from within. The psychic power seems correctly used, it's not new or different, and it contains no added strangeness.

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Satisfied that the elan is doing her part, you walk over and settle against the alter, sitting with your back against it. You look up at Yzia. Who follows you, looking quite serious. You look beautiful, my love. I leave myself in the care of yourself and Siobhan. Do not hesitate to do whatever you feel necessary – on my or Tzanzi's behalves. You draw Siobhan and lay the softly singing blade across your lap. You spare a glance at Soliqui, and take out the crystal with the psychic power trapped within.

[] Use it now.
[] Wait a little longer; just in case.
[] ….you could change your mind, dragon or no dragon....
[] Ask Siobhan to care for your body right from the start, inviting her to possess you.
[] Kiss Yzia goodnight – it will only be minutes for her, but it might be a lifetime for you.
[] Write in?
Siobhan is curious, and is tempted to 'follow', regardless of how disruptive that might be to the crystal's power.

Select one of the following.

Art of the Dragon and the Blade (Unchained Dragonscale Monk)
Blade and Black Magic (Bladebound Hexcrafter Magus)
Phantom Lover (Phantom Blade Spiritualist)
Warrior Witch (Sword-Bonded Witch)
Scion of Yzidriava (Dragon Blooded Bloodrager-Solar Dragon Disciple)

>It is worth noting that outside of class-specific functions, Akko will retain her mythic abilities, which includes the one that gives her full warrior attack bonuses when Polymorphed or using her Battlemagic Sense – she will be as effective as a fighter or slayer in combat regardless of her class otherwise.

>>2361901
>[x] Kiss Yzia goodnight – it will only be minutes for her, but it might be a lifetime for you.
>[x] Use it now.

Hmmm...
>Scion of Yzidriava (Dragon Blooded Bloodrager-Solar Dragon Disciple)
Sounds strong!

>>2361900
>[] Kiss Yzia goodnight – it will only be minutes for her, but it might be a lifetime for you.
>[] Use it now.

>Art of the Dragon and the Blade (Unchained Dragonscale Monk)
This seems like an entertaining departure

Also when Skattish mentioned memories, there isn't going to be some kind of weird side effect with Tzanzi losing her memories from her injury to being healed, will there?

>>2361901
>[] Kiss Yzia goodnight – it will only be minutes for her, but it might be a lifetime for you.
>[] Use it now.

>>2361901
>Phantom Lover (Phantom Blade Spiritualist)
>[X] Kiss Yzia goodnight – it will only be minutes for her, but it might be a lifetime for you.
>[X] let the best sword follow.

>>2361901

>Wait a little longer

>Kiss Yzia goodnight

>However, you'll try to make this "trip" as short as you can

>Phantom Lover

>>2361903
>>2361901
Actually I'll change to
>Phantom Lover (Phantom Blade Spiritualist)
Though I don't really think it's a good idea for Siobhan to come along, due to the potential for things getting unstable. At least not without checking first.

>>2361903
No, the elan would have told us.

>>2361901
>[] Kiss Yzia goodnight – it will only be minutes for her, but it might be a lifetime for you.
>let the best sword follow.
>[] Use it now.

>Scion of Yzidriava (Dragon Blooded Bloodrager-Solar Dragon Disciple)

>>2361908

A deal is a deal, but Akko has really no interest in the wares the elan asked her to sample.

>>2361901

Adding to my vote here:>>2361908

>Do *not* allow best sword to follow

>>2361901
>>>2361901
>[] Use it now.
>Blade and Black Magic (Bladebound Hexcrafter Magus)

>>2361901
>[] Use it now.
>Blade and Black Magic (Bladebound Hexcrafter Magus)

Looks like you made the classes too juicy, now nobody can agree on one!

Just to know, this is just deciding of what the dream will be about, right? It won't change anything outside of it?

>>2361922
It seems like two options are leaning towards Yzia (Monk and Bloodrager), two towards Siobhan (Spiritualist and Witch), and one seems to be pretty close to what Akko is now (Magus).

I guess I feel like if we're going to be trying out a new life, we may as well tread new ground, which is why my strongest preference is still the monk (even if it does sound like it's from Ryukuza Quest), but spiritualist sounds second-best (I don't really know Pathfinder well enough to accurately determine that though).

>>2361903
There will be no side effectsfrom her memories, she can't restore those lost during the assualt.

>>2361909
Siobhan isn't coming along, but she might peek.

>>2361922
As usual. Means I'm doing my job....um. anyways.

>>2361924
Correct, it will change nothing.

>>2361906
No vote?

>>2361929
Fuck, I'm too hung over for this. Completely missed the last part of the vote.
>Blade and Black Magic (Bladebound Hexcrafter Magus)

>>2361901
to break the tie, switching >>2361911 to
>Phantom Lover (Phantom Blade Spiritualist)

>>2361901
>[] Use it now.
>Warrior Witch (Sword-Bonded Witch)
Late as fuck but at least I made the thread this time.

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[X] Kiss Yzia goodnight – it will only be minutes for her, but it might be a lifetime for you.
[X] Use it now.

You look up at Siobhan, and reach up as she automatically kneels before you, allowing you to slide your hand along the back of her neck. Her scales are smooth and polished, and her eyes shimmer with flame, glowing in the dark cavern. The mystical lights of the labyrinth and the shine of the diamond powered psychic powers of the elan's work make her scales gleam and shimmer like blood crystals and rubies. You enjoy the shocked expression on Soliqui's face as you kiss the inhuman half-dragon full upon the lips, deepening the kiss eagerly and without reservation.

Yzia moans softly into the kiss, her tongue sliding into your mouth, wrapping about yours and tickling the roof of your mouth as you taste her quicksilver tainted kiss and purr for her. You bight down lightly, and she shudders, feeling your spurs against her tongue. Your hand slides from her neck to her full breast, and you pull back slowly, feeling her powerful heartbeat through the armor or her flesh and the shimmering silk she wears.

It may only be moments, but it will feel like a lifetime, I suppose.

It will not be as long as it seems, my love. I will await your return. We will all be safe and present. You have my Word.

You grin wickedly. I don not want your word, my lovely dragon, I want your body. She snorts, a tiny puff of white flame erupting from her nostrils.

And you have the nerve to call me incorrigible. she accuses as she rises, looking at the elan and then settling next to you, not needing to have her eyes on the elan to watch her.

You take the crystal in one hand and lift it up, looking into the shimmering depths as you place your other hand on Siobhan's hilt, drawing her from her sheath without looking. You lay her atop the sheath, and concentrate on the crystal, opening your mind to it and allowing it's power to enter yours.

The universe implodes around you, onto you.

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[X] Phantom Lover (Phantom Blade Spiritualist)

You climb to the hilltop, looking down over the sunlit valley. The flowers are sparse, mostly groupings of clover or lion-manes, with the occasional flash of taller thistle. It's amazing how lovely the countryside is, and how terrifying the things hidden within its depths are. Siobhan giggles in your mind, her presence a warm and comforting fullness within you.

Are we going to hunt them down in their lair, or ambush them on their way to the township? Her eagerness to deal death and destruction hasn't changed at all, nor has her penchant for singing to you.

“I have not decided yet,” you say aloud, your voice youthful and bright. You're physically only a little younger than your physical age previous; your features vary only slightly, though you've let your hair grow long and partially pleated it. Eyes you have been told are darkly sapphire scan the hillsides slowly, looking for the telltale signs of underground construction or stonework that is not part of the bones of the world. It doesn't take long to find it: a grouping of four stones, two of them at odds with the natural lay of other stones and boulders in the area.

It won't be long now, will it? she murmurs wistfully into your mind, making you smile. I miss her.

You concentrate, recalling the sensation of cool alien mists, the softness of reality within the Ethereal Plane, the warmth of blankets and bodies along yours, sleep and silence. You set your heart and mind at peace, calming, slowing your thoughts, setting them towards dream and rest. At the same time you recall long nights and days of vigilance, wariness and knife edge tension, your heart steady and strong, your mind alert and aware. The unusual combination of thoughts would be troublesome for most other minds, but you're so far beyond what could be considered normal now that it barely registers as a paradox.

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We will return to her soon, and she will remember us. It will be a terrible mess, stealing an entire dragon from the githyanki. It will be good to see our pretty children and the lovely warriors we fought along side once again, though. You grin as the ectoplasm cocoons you, wrapping you in safety as well as drawing you into the Ether, leaving you semi-aware of the goings-on in the material world while you meditate safely, restoring the crystalline and psychic matrices that form this immortal body.

You waken instantly, alert and aware. You only have a few desperate seconds to prepare before the Ethereal Cocoon collapses and thrusts you out into the physical world once more, but that's time enough for two spells. What woke you is obvious: the derro are on the move, driven out by the enemy that has come for more slaves....and food. The derro can't be controlled, but they can be driven, and once driven, they are a threat to any living creature.

And all of sanity as well.

[] Protection from Chaos and Shield are a good start.
[] Aura of Doom and Greater Invisibility makes for a terrifying threat to the paranoid!
[] Haste combined with Black Tentacles is an excellent opening.
[] Mythic Heroism combined with Blur will make you a deadly enemy.
[] Write in? Tactical suggestions will be backed by appropriate spells, if any are known, or combinations of the above can be used.
Siobhan is looking forward to seeing how you manage these little monstrosities.

>>2361957
>[x] Mythic Heroism combined with Blur will make you a deadly enemy.
Time to kill! An interesting start to our dream-adventure.

>>2361957

>You've seen enough. Time to go back to your actual self in the real world.

>>2361957
>[] Aura of Doom and Greater Invisibility makes for a terrifying threat to the paranoid!
Oh right the Derro. Exploiting their racial insanity to get them to turn on each other sounds good.

>>2361959
>>2361961

I'd rather not spend more time under the hospitality of the Lotus-Eaters than necessary. We have done our part of the deal, let's get the fuck out of here.


It's not like we're getting those powers, anyway.

>>2361957
>[] Aura of Doom and Greater Invisibility makes for a terrifying threat to the paranoid!

>>2361966
That's a nonoption. We're in, and the only exit is at the end of things. Even if we could bail early it would defeat the point and purpose of our agreement and would rightly be considered bargaining in bad faith.

>>2361957
>[] Aura of Doom and Greater Invisibility makes for a terrifying threat to the paranoid!

>>2361966
I don't particularly want to go along with Elanification, but I'm having fun with this vision anyway.

>>2361970

No. We agreed to see the thing. We saw. Nothing more was bargained.

>>2361957
>[] Aura of Doom and Greater Invisibility makes for a terrifying threat to the paranoid!

>>2361973

That vision's nothing but a blatant attempt at getting us hooked.

>>2361966
I'm pretty sure that's not how this works, this isn't like when that Githyanki priest, or whatever he was, gave us that fake ending illusion. Also there's nothing to lose since we already verified that there aren't any traps built in.

>>2361978

The trap is to make Akko live this long enough that it becomes attractive.

>>2361977
>>2361981
No shit, but that won't actually impact our choice when we leave, and as it stands we still have a Githzerai to defeat, a princess to steal, a couple members of our cadre we promised to train more, a sword or two to forge, and (while we don't know this in-character yet), Illithids to slay, and for most of those I don't think Akko wants to wait for a detour to get sufficiently good in her new form.

>>2361966
Why so opposed to taking Akko down this road? It would suck to separate from the cadre but it does solve the issue with getting Akko out of danger with the Gith. And do we know for sure said separation would even occur or is it just one possibility?

>>2361983

Recent experience have thaught me to be warry of voters accepting that kind of things no matter how little sense it makes.

Not to mention you can bet some will want the opportunity to remain open for later, when Akko is less busy, because there's always someone who hates doors being closed for good.

>>2361990
I am sure your recent experience was not with XS though?

>>2361984

Because this road is against everything Akko is. Akko spends a lot of time affirming her self in spite of adversity, even when it'd be more convenient to make concessions.

Akko is Akko, not some kind of born-again someone else.

>>2361974
We have seen nothing. The deal was to experience the possibilies offered by the transformation. That entails more than simply poking one's head in and reading the class name.

>>2361992

Your point? XS is not the kind to shield players from consequences.

>>2361995
That's completely wrong and opposite what you've said. Akko is Akko, and therefore remains Akko even if no longer Githyanki.

>>2361990
I mean the way I see it, the preferences are
>1. Akko continuing on as she is
>2. Akko becoming an Elan
>3. Akko being discovered as being too strong by Githyanki standards and either dying (or whatever Vlaakith does), living her life on the run, or starting a revolution

>>2361996

Akko has seen everything. She has the knowledge of all the capacities and history this new form has.

We readers may not have seen it, but it's pretty clear the MC has the memory of what lead to this "fight Derro" situation, in-simulation.

>>2362001
1 is untenable. We're already known to the Queen and crossed over the Wish-food threshold while on this raid. The Stronghold is functionally closed to us.

>>2362003
A: That's just metagaming. Booo!
B: The Elan would rightly protest that the events of this simulation is more important than whatever background information Akko acquired simply from entering it.

>>2362003
No, she knows everything. She has seen nothing. More to the point, WE have seen nothing, and the point of this vision is so the players know what choosing the "Become Elan" option actually entails. Bailing now is a waste of narrative potential and their entire session of playtime.

>>2361999

No. Akko is Akko because she is who her whole is. Turn her into something else inherently, including her soul, which is what the elan-process does, and she'll be someone else.


Same way that Scheshei isn't the person she was before the wish.

>>2362010
You are factually and explicitly wrong. It has been expressly stated that Akko's mind, personality, and memory will remain intact and unaltered. That is the sum total of what defines the self.

>>2362009
Good. Let's leave.

>>2362001

I don't see how Akko stopping to exist is any better than her getting killed.

>>2362001
Like the third part just doesn't really appeal to me and the only reason I might pick it is if the Inquisition would kill our whole Cadre due to being tainted by association which... Doesn't really match how pragmatic they seem to be.

>>2362005
I thought we managed to hide how far we've come from the Queen, and due to being very hard to scry, should be able to keep walking that tightrope as long as we mind how advanced our spells are when around non-Cadre Githyanki?

>>2362013
>Good. Let's leave.
Fuck yourself. I want to see where this goes. I don't give a rat's ass if the idea of a class change triggers you. Quit whining.

>>2362012

And that's wrong. Of course Akko will be altered.

Githyanki are stated to go bonkers from the centuries they spend existing. The elan wouldn't make Akko immortal without changing that, for starter

>>2362015
We barely managed to hide our advancements when we met her in the Nightmare, and we have advanced still further since. As I recall XS mentioned that the sigil is straining. If we ARE still safe, it's only because we are remote and that many of those who would be watching us are distracted by raid concerns. The Stronghold has too many eyes.

>>2362016

It's not a fucking class change.

>>2362017
Also wrong. Akko received the offer specifically because she has the personality and mindset to NOT go nuts over the centuries. That's their selection criteria, not an add-on to the process.

It's very possible we will find some other way out of the Queen's grasp. Also possible that always holding out for better will go wrong in the end. Either choice has its own risks.

>>2362022
It functionally is. The character's personality remains the same. The players remain the same. The primary interpersonal relationships remain the same. The only things that change are mechanics and opportunities available.

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[X] Aura of Doom and Greater Invisibility makes for a terrifying threat to the paranoid!

Fully aware that this Solipsism is a momentary reality created solely in your mind, it feels seamlessly real; you have memories extending back a decade, traveling this world – not the one you were transformed upon, but a different and just as alien world as any other you have been on – and learning about a new and somewhat bizarre version of psychic phenomena. The spells you know you spin from thought and emotion by turns, the Elder Power making you a significant threat despite your relative weakness....at first.

You wrap yourself in thoughts of nonexistence and let the sense of emptiness and loneliness overwhelm your heart for just a moment, disappearing from sight. The derro, scrawny and sallow creatures with large, shining eyes and smelling of fungal rot and acrid poisons, crawl from the secret doorway. A mere half dozen of them. From the safety of Invisibility you draw upon older, more potent experiences from a past left behind, but not forgotten. The terror that you inspired, thoughts of the death and destruction you laid in your wake, the power you possessed then and strive for now....unleashed in a wave of fearsome dread that surrounds you far better than any armor.

You draw upon Siobhan's presence, feel her arms slide along yours, feel her insubstantial presence flood your body. A bit of the Elder Power, a mote of psychic force, and your hands are no less lethal a weapon than Siobhan herself is should you call her forth and spin her back into the weapon she was.

This is more intimate, and her crooning songs of blood-lust and death in your mind are intense and beautiful.

You finish with Haste, the silent nature of this strange magic easily conjured with but a thought and evoked feelings, and you rush among them. They die explosively, the first two, even as several others scream and cower at the eerie dread that emanates from you. Your hands slide through flesh and blood with ease, shattering bone like glass. The lash out at you, but none connect, your unseen presence terrorizing them almost as much as the magical aura. They die easily, and you cleans the remains from your body, shivering at the sensation of Siobhan's pleasure in battle.

Not that your own is much less.

You smile, and look down into the opening they have left. Within are the enemy and you are fully prepared to take this battle to them....

>>2362024

Akko specifically has to work hard to avoid that. About half of her interractions are to make sure she avoids the existential ennui of the Githyanki

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You open your eyes again, breathing heavily, the blood-lust still strong. She was right about there being no difference in your sense of self, only experiences laid on to f memories with no sense of experience from those memories. Though the vision was momentary, the sense of years of study and effort – and your phantom lover's affections – was quite real. The efforts of exploring the strange magics were difficult and satisfying, but you are fully aware that it was a manufactured memory, and unreal. Still, the concepts are easily translated, and will undoubtedly prove useful later.

The crystal, cracked and blackened, is bereft of magical power now, and Yzia looks at you with interest. You can see the light of the elan's power reflected from the walls of the room and crystalline pillars, and the presence of the other dragon is strong as she sits across the pattern of the labyrinth from you. Leaning back, you allow Siobhan to scour your thoughts and memories of the experience; she finds many of the concepts and experiences intriguing, and likens them to her possession of other bodies. Other than the fact that it was a shared experience with you, more intimate and potent than you could have imagined on your own without more experience in possessions, she isn't terribly impressed by that existence any more than she is with this one, outside of sharing it with you.

On the whole, interesting, but nothing particularly overwhelming or appealing, nor unpleasant or off-putting. An option, one you are not interested in currently. As the elan said, you have time, and so do they.

[] Share the experiences with Yzia as well, if she's interested.
[] Time to go speak with that dragon; you don't have much else to do for the next hour.
[] Start studying the labyrinth; perhaps you can learn a few things from it with True Sight.
[] It might be interesting to see if there might be a way to effect a similar phantom transformation in Siobhan....
[] There were spells you can recall enough of to formulate new magical effects with....
[] Write in?
As always, Siobhan only desires to be with you in all ways, in all things; she does not care what transformations or strangeness you explore.

>>2362013
The ship of Theseus doesn't work when souls are an explicitly existing phenomenon. Your objection makes no sense in that becoming an Elan wouldn't trigger a game over and thus we would still guide Akko's actions. You're just picking a weird place to refuse to suspend your disbelief.

Well what better way to check if we'll keep our personality intact than see what happens if we go ahead with the transformation. Of course you could go full shadowrun and claim it's a conspiracy and the vision is being altered to show us what we want instead of what will happen. Also I think it's a pretty good out from the whole getting eaten by our Queen situation if we can't keep our cover and/or convince her we're absolutely loyal to the cause and without aspirations to godhood.

>>2362030
>[] Start studying the labyrinth; perhaps you can learn a few things from it with True Sight.

>>2362030
>[x] Share the experiences with Yzia as well, if she's interested.
>[x] It might be interesting to see if there might be a way to effect a similar phantom transformation in Siobhan....
Oh, shorter than I had expected.

>>2362030
>only experiences laid on top of memories

>>2362029
And? Noone said immortality was easy. The point is that with work she will consistently overcome those concerns, where others might inescapably deteriorate.
It's moot now anyways, since that scene was much shorter than we expected.

>>2362030
[] Share the experiences with Yzia as well, if she's interested.

>>2362035
>>2362037
Yeah I thought it would be at least a thread long thing, I hope it wasn't shortened due to being contentious

>>2362026

Her personality *would* change. Your body influences how you interract with and percieve the world, and having an entire new set of urges and racial instincts will modify her reaction and her mind.

It's a recuring theme in this quest that your nature is tied to your body too.

>>2361998
But she does not spring traps randomly at players.

>>2362040
I'm sure XS is happy with our enthusiastic discussion! Also, I'm not sure how much longer this session will last anyway given XS's usual running schedule.

>>2362030
>[] It might be interesting to see if there might be a way to effect a similar phantom transformation in Siobhan....
>[] There were spells you can recall enough of to formulate new magical effects with....

>>2362030
>[] Share the experiences with Yzia as well, if she's interested.
>[] Time to go speak with that dragon; you don't have much else to do for the next hour.

There will be some explanations after the session.

>>2362030
>[X] Share the experiences with Yzia as well, if she's interested.
>[X] It might be interesting to see if there might be a way to effect a similar phantom transformation in Siobhan....

>>2362030

>Ask Yzia what she thinks and feel about this place, its owner, and this bargain, now that you're mostly done with it.

>Wonder if there was any reason for the vision using relatively Derro as foes. Was facing the *enemy* directly too obvious?

>Kiss Yzia and your delightful lady sword.

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[XX] Share the experiences with Yzia as well, if she's interested.
[X] It might be interesting to see if there might be a way to effect a similar phantom transformation in Siobhan....
[X] Write in? Why no encounters with the enemy?

You end the Secluded Grimoire spell and slip the pen from your spell book's cover. Opening to one of the sections where you have notes, you make a few quick notations, and then a more detailed set of patters describing the sensations, nature, and phantom existence Siobhan had in the alternate reality. You suspect that the lack of encounters with the enemy though you hunted them towards the 'end' of your vision was because Skattish herself has probably never fought them personally. Siobhan's interest and curiosity prompts an explanation.

I may not be able to transform you in the same manner as the elan can, but I believe with some work and care, I can grant you a similar state of existence. It would not be easy, but it would grant you a little more....active participation in the world at large. If, of course, you're interested. You smile faintly at her rather enthusiastic appreciation for the possibility of being a physical or spiritual being able to interact with the world at large on her own. It's only one of the number of potential possibilities, but it is the most attractive at this time.

Partly because it's difficult. It might be a use of the Elder Power to enact that particular transformation....

“What was it like, Akko?” asks Yzia softly, not willing to speak any louder for the sake of Tzanzi's healing.

“It was....interesting. I lived for about fifteen solar years on a planet far removed from most those we know of, in a different material plane. There is some....disorientation at first, immediately after the transformation, but once that is over, it is an interesting situation.” You lean back. “I can share, if you like.” She opens her mind to yours and you share some of the experiences and situations you had while in the Solipsism. The fact that she had to remain separate from you for a while saddens her, but the knowledge you would be willing to return to the Stronghold for her makes her feel warm and loved.

As you share the vision you finish the notes and expends a little of your arcane force to recall the spell that sequesters your spell book safely away. When she finishes reviewing the images and memories, she leans back. So there was no threat of anything like ennui?

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Respecting her wish to make this conversation private between the three of you – Siobhan being included in most of your internal conversations, naturally – you reply silently. No, there was not. For one, the fact that biology and reality is not suspended means that your can occupy body and mind with things aside from physical and mental exertion by choice. Elan do not sleep, but they meditate for short periods of time. They can eat and drink, or sustain themselves with psychic energy. They are more like....solidified psychic energy, an amorphous physical construct of crystal, energy, and time.

What about your mind? There have to be some changes if you undergo that kind of transformation.

You frown faintly, but not out of annoyance. Less than I thought there would be. If the experience I had in the Solipsism is based on her experience, there is no ego death or sense of deconstruction-reconstruction. It is more akin to a mild readjustment of the kind where you take on a new area of study, but you disregard practice of the old one. I could easily refer to my past experiences, but there was no access tot he ability or talent that had come with it. My attitudes were certainly no different. Siobhan concurs with that, affectionately revering to you as her goddess of death and magic. I would not go that far.

I am glad that Yashi's and Auena's investigation of the crystal was correct. It would pain me to kill them for having misled you. You're absolutely positive it wouldn't have stopped her at all, though. You know that the vision is wrong, don't you?

Oh? In what way? you inquire curiously.

I would have come with you. I told you that I would follow you, Akko; I meant it then, and say so now. I will remain with you as long as you dare and care for me to do so. With a smile you turn at the waist, one hand sliding behind her head again as she leans into you, kissing you fervently and deeply. Your hand strokes Siobhan's blade suggestively, and you let her feel your kiss, Yzia's kiss. A suggestion that she can possess an elfling to play with you and Yzia with to share her own kisses brings a tide of roiling lust and desire from her.

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So, you will not undergo the transformation? Both you and Yzia break off the kiss, turning to the humaniform dragon on the other side of the labyrinth from you. Soliqui gazes at you with burning violet eyes, pupil-less, swirling energies forever erupting from the depthless pit of them.

[] Why so interested, Soliqui? One might think you have more of an agenda than Skattish does.
[] No. I have no need nor reason to now; the advantages are intriguing but nothing worthwhile as yet.
[] Eventually, if I survive and if the elan can find me once again. They've done well so far, but I will get better at hiding myself if needed.
[] See if Siobhan can dip into her mind like she did with others; some knowledge might help you here.
[] That is between myself and Skattish, Soliqui. You may be a dragon, and you may have the Elder Power, but you are not my mistress nor my Companion.
[] Write in?
Rude. But very powerful.


>Last Vote.

>>2362088
>[x] That is between myself and Skattish, Soliqui. You may be a dragon, and you may have the Elder Power, but you are not my mistress nor my Companion.

>>2362088
>[] Why so interested, Soliqui? One might think you have more of an agenda than Skattish does.

>>2362088
>[] Why so interested, Soliqui? One might think you have more of an agenda than Skattish does.
If this transformation is the only way for Elan to procreate, maybe she thinks of Akko as her potential child, haha

>>2362088
>[] Why so interested, Soliqui? Maybe once everything I am working on right now is done, starting from scratch is not that easy for someone as precautious as me.

>>2362088
>[] Why so interested, Soliqui? One might think you have more of an agenda than Skattish does.

>>2362109
Also, do we know about time dragons abilities? like their straight up time travel.

>>2362088
>[] Why so interested, Soliqui? One might think you have more of an agenda than Skattish does.
Hm. Mildly concerned that this guy could potentially try to force our hand by exposing us somehow,
If Akko likes what he's saying, I'm willing to hedge
>[] Eventually, if I survive and if the elan can find me once again. They've done well so far, but I will get better at hiding myself if needed.
>From what Skattish showed me, she was at the end of her lifespan when she was approached, and there is still quite a lot of living I can do as I am now.
I'm mildly worried that the dragon might force our hand by exposing us somehow, but it's probably fine.

>>2362113
Cause now I am paranoid that we know Soliqui from another time and that is why she was a bit take aback at us kissing Yzia. Also why she was sure we would transform if she had already seen us do it before.

>>2362116
That's very high-level paranoia anon!
It would be interesting to know more about them though.

>>2362088
>[] No. I have no need nor reason to now; the advantages are intriguing but nothing worthwhile as yet.

>If anything, this mental trip strengthened my choice.

>>2362116

She's a dragon, and someone with time power. Both can make you rather arrogantly certain about what you *think* is the correct way for things to go.

Rolled 8 + 31 (1d20 + 31)

>>2362103
This is accurate, though that would be Skattish as her 'mother' not Soliqui.

>>2362113
Lets see.

>>2362138
Good thing we have absurd bonuses to rely on when the dice won't cooperate

>>2362146
Hurray for playing a late-game mage

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[X] Why so interested, Soliqui? One might think you have more of an agenda than Skattish does.
[X] Write in? If anything the visions I have seen inspire me to remain true to my chosen course; that said, if I eventually decide otherwise, have completed those things I desire, and have learned how to hide from things such as the elan, Her Majesty, and yourself, I may change my mind. For now, this life is suitable and worth continuing.

You slowly rise, Siobhan in hand and unsheathed. Yzia rises with you, both of you standing before the altar where Skattish works upon your companion and friend. I am curious as to why you are so interested, Soliqui. Do you have an agenda that Skattish is unaware of, or do you know things which prompt you to believe I would decide one way or another?

Temporal dragons, being the guardians of history and dedicated to ensuring those who meddle in time magics cause no damage to the continuum of history, rarely interfere in events of the future tense. Their powers of divination are vast, however, and with enough time they can learn everything about the history of powerful individuals – such as yourself. Their breath weapons are cast swaths of electrical destruction, or terrifying effects that displace on within time. The threat of one can disrupt causality itself, leaving those around it disoriented and staggering. This one clearly knows of you; you suspect it's close to Yzia's age and power....even transformed as she has been.

Which means it's probably more experienced than both of you.

On the other hand, it may not know the extent of your Elder Power; they were significantly weaker and far less honed than they were before you had the Rune of the Unseen enchanted to take the place of the living metal mark upon your cheek. It may know of] you, but it doesn't know you any longer. That is an advantage you must keep.

Will you answer my question, Akko of the githyanki? I would know your thoughts. That's reassuring. To an extent; she rises as well, standing elegantly tall and regal.

You kick Siobhan's sheath into your hand and sheathe her in a single smooth set of motions. The Mage Hand helps. If anything my choices have been reaffirmed by my foray into what-might-have-been. That said.... You affix Siobhan's sheath to your weapon belt at your hip and cross your arms, gazing defiantly at the strange dragon. In eventuality I may decide otherwise. I have time, as do the elan. Skattish herself has claimed it so, and is in no great rush. I have things that need doing and there is much to this life to be enjoyed, especially at this time in it.

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You lean back against the altar, relaxed and calm. So why would confront a dangerously paranoid creature such as myself on the subject of life choices? My cautious nature and the precariousness of my varied situations are of great concern to me, so when a creature such as yourself asks this question....it makes one wonder. Yzia takes a step forward, to protect you and buy you time, if needed.

Indeed Soliqui, why this undue interest in my chosen companion? Of all my kin, that you and yours would be interested in my Akko smacks of otherworldly interest. She glances at Yzia, then turns back to you, her violet eyes shimmering with that weird energy. Yzia gazes back stoically, lowering her hands and spreading her talons wide. If she had been cowed before, she no longer is.

Interesting that you should ask about otherworldly interest. There are others of our ilk with darker, more dangerous desires, who tread the blackness Between, and their far seeing gaze has left ripples in its wake.... She gestures to the labyrinth. Those ripples cross again and again, in the future as they have in the past....here.... She then points at you. ....and there.

You bare half your spurs in mocking amusement. No longer, I imagine. And what of that?

She frowns. “The Void has but one interest, Akko....Annihilation. So it concerns my kind, when one attracts their gaze for so long.” Lifting her hand, violet energies rise up, and then coalesce into a head-sized sphere of sickly green light, raw temporal energies mixed with those of the arcane. We must be certain of your place in things....

>To Be Continued....

Thank you for Reading and Playing; I ran a bit later than intended. I will still answer questions, either now or over the course of time as asked. but first, to address some questions about the Elan Transformation.

>>2362191
Thanks for running! Things are getting spooky.

>>2362189
The Void huh? That sounds bad.

>>2362191
Thanks for running and for the paranoia.

The biggest question about the Elan Transformation is "is it ego death"?

The answer is "no".

The ritual and powers used to transform a living being into the immortal body of an elan are designed specifically to avoid ego death. While their is a change in abilities and capabilities, the mentality of the individual is adjusted only enough to allow for a smooth transition from one species to another, much like a polymorph effect does. As a disgusted and appalled Skattish explained, the entire point of the transformation is to avoid ego death - everything that qualifies one to become an elan must be kept, or the point of becoming one is lost.

The same techiqnues and tools that Akko uses to stave off ennui would serve her well as an elan, but the pressues of ennui would be lessened because she would not be as constrained by her biological needs in the Astral as she would otherwise be. Much of what she practiced on the Astral would be unnecessary for survival as far as ennui goes, but those same qualities - her love of drama, her caution, her hedonism, her sense of adventure and curiosity, and her unique joie de vivre - are exactly the kinds of qualities that they desire and need to keep their 'culture' alive.

>>2362221
I kind of remember that now that you mentioned it, though I wish I remembered earlier.

So was the crystal always going to only be one update long?

>>2362221
Also about Elans, is it possible to design new body templates or are they pretty set on "mostly human" and is that based on the forms of the first things in the multiverse to become Elans?

>>2362221

How is that any different than what we did to Scheshei?

>>2362221
The culture of the elan is essentially this: to adventure and grow, constantly and forever, for the sake of living and growing. The elan transformation is specifically designed to enable a mind, regardless of upbringing, to do just that for the rest of it's existence with the least amount of alteration possible. By removing the base problems of survive - eating, drinking, procreation - and altering the physiology to one which is not biological in processes but can enjoy the biological processes a human can enjoy or suffer from, the elan minimize the potential suffering a creature has. Adding the ability to mitigate damage, illness, and poisoning further increases the suitability of the new elan, while taking away nothing except the genetic contributions to humanity.

the transformation is both reason and cause of the 'skill reset' that occurs. The ability to use the knowledge gained through experience is lost, but that knowledge and experience is retained; essentially the previous murological processes are 'hard coded, becomign ROM, while the body and nervous impulses that could have used those skills is hard rest, leaving it basically a blank slate.

Again, the polymorph like addition to the mind that covers use of the newly acquired abilities also covers walking, talking, eating, drinking, and a basic language or two. Most other skills are simply read-only memory that can be read like documents, but lack the 'programming' to be utilized by the body and mind. Instead of being overwritten, they remain as the base for the ego to work off of, leaving the mind an 'unblank' slate, which can acquire new skills and techniques, which the body and mind must be retrained to do well.

>>2362239
Hmmmm, interesting.
Would it be easier to re-learn something we already know, compared to something entirely new?

How does something like languages work in practice? I can see losing your ability to pronounce correctly, for example. But if the memory is there, wouldn't written mastery of a language be retained?

>>2362230
It wssd going to be an update or two - remember, in real time it was only a moment. Also, the amount of contentiousness was dangerously high. It can be revisited at another time, however....

>>2362233
It's based on humans because those were the first things to become elan. They can adjust to an extent - hair, eye, skin color - but the human template is the only currently known one. If there are others, the cullers don't talk about them with anyone else.

>>2362238
What you did to Schechei was an ACTUAL polymorph any object, complete with biological changes and mental adjustments - without the mitigating factor of specifically avoiding ego death. Akko literally overwrote her mentality to match a githyanki's more closely. Skattish would be actively avoiding changing Akko's mentality, only altering her subconscious to make the new body and abilities a comfortable fit. Schechei''s emotional and mental outlook actually changed, which is something then elan process avoids.

>>2362239
Huh, I didn't really get the Elans before, but I like this explanation. If I understand correctly, they're a self-chosen race based on the idea that life will always have new wonders and to seek them out and enjoy them is not just worth doing, it's worth doing -forever-. ...I kind of like that, even though I am sticking with it not being right for Akko as she is right now. To use a video game analogy, it sounds like sandbox mode or free play, while there's still a lot of the story mode to enjoy.

Well, I certainly hope we're leaving that elan stuff behind for the duration of this quest, once we've dealt with the time dragon and that our darling is healed.

>>2362246
It would be easier to relearn something, but even with writing - the muscle memory is completely gone. You would have one written language, usually the base common language of the locals - and any others your memory might retain (i.e. any others a high int bonus might grant you), but you would only be able to write those retained languages. The muscle memories are gone as well, which is why you would need to retrain your body from scratch on fighting, writing, dancing, lovemaking, etc.

As a side note, newborn elan are not physically virginal, even if they're actually virgins.

>>2362249
>It can be revisited at another time, however....
The phrasing is ominous but I like the idea.

So wait, from our perspective the crystal temporarily(?) implanted years worth of false memories into Akko and was only set to "interactive mode" for the same amount of time that passed in reality, but is that how it works in-game?

>>2362261
Not really how it goes in game, no. Akko literally lived through those fifteen years. The net result is she mentally changed not at all, as evidenced by her preparation for battle and willingness to hunt down and kill illithids for the sake of hunting down and killing illithids. The body may have changed, and her magical and combat styles may have changed, but Akko herself? Still the curious, intelligent, battle-ready mage she was to begin with.

>>2362258
How does space work in this quest? Like is each material plane the size of a universe and containing multiple crystal spheres (or I guess solar systems and galaxies for some) while the Astral Plane kind of connects them all?

>>2362274
Acutally, each material universe is potentially different, with the astral plane connecting them all. Some are built of crystal spheres, others like the universe we live in, and other still stranger - Akko was once in one that was a dyson sphere, and that's the only part of the universe that existed, a single dyson sphere (the raid was cancelled when it was discovered that dragons essentially ran the entire sphere - the illithid race had a draconic patron).

>>2362291
Yeah that sounds like a wise move to cancel the raid, though not sure what use a dragon would have for mind flayers.

>>2362305
The dragons literally used their preferred races as tools to challenge each other for territories and property. Considering each dragons territory was approximately the same area a several earth-like planets, it could get incredibly complicated and dangerous.

I like the concept, but in the current situation I'll still pass on the offer. It's a nice escape plan in case things become FUBAR. I can already think of a way to set the whole thing up and possibly escape with our cadre/ whoever wants to follow us and we trust.
That is if Skattish is still waiting around or something to that effect.

>>2362291
Oh god they landed in the not!Shadowrun verse.

>>2362311
Sounds like a fun setting in the abstract, though probably not for the beings living there.

Also relating to >>2362015
Would the Githyanki decide Akko's associates are tainted by association or is that not how they roll? Like I know that Yashi at least probably shouldn't have that sword, but I'm unsure of the rest.

>>2362323

We should start a Lair.

>>2362378
That does seem like the best option for out situation, assuming we haven't been exposed by the time this raid ends, but I'm not sure how to accomplish it.

>>2362378
I think we bluffed(/seduced?) the queen well enough to get away with a Lair that has limited to no extra surveillance, should get us enough time to prepare for things, whatever those might be.

>>2362340
That is not how they roll, generally speaking. They do not blame another githyanki for one githyanki's doings. Despotism might be their current nature, but it's not necessarily a malevolent despotism. Kind of hard to keep armies functioning when they can literally run away to anywhere in the millions of realities if they decide to take a powder on you. Much easier and far less disruptive to deal with problem children one at a time.

Yashi's sword is an acceptable use of her Master Smith abilities; it ins't a silver Sword, so she can't take on a Leadership mantle, but the fact that it is an intelligent weapon with the capability of damaging the silver cord is respectable. Still not Yashi's fault if Akko is declared rogue or persona non grata by Her Majesty.

>>2362378
>>2362384
>>2362404
Akko has been making preparations for creating a Lair; she has the option to take on Supreme Leadership if she so desires. There are a number of supporters in the Stronghold who would back the idea, and Her Majesty granted that power to her along with the power of a Master Smith.

We should make the Githakko, an of shoot of the main two. We can take in outcasts and whoever else from both major groups.

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>>2362777
What a interesting way to be hunted down by illithids, githyanki, and githzerai all at the same time!

"I'm working."

"STOP."

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>>2362859