Introduction
First Quest, Forge of Destiny, here
Ling Qi stood at the edge of the grass grown cliff and looked out over her new home. Mountains and hills stretched in every direction, filled with the mist of an early fall morning. In the distance, she could see the mighty slopes of the Outer Sect, White Cloud Mountain as she now knew it to be called. The vast peak pierced the clouds, almost a third of its span rising high into the heavens.
She wondered how her spirit mentor, Zeqing, who lived at the frozen peak was doing. They had not had a chance to speak since before the qualifying tournament. She would find out soon enough she supposed, as soon as the application to continue visiting her home cleared the Sect’s bureaucracy. Pulling her eyes away from that mountain she scanned the rest of the horizon, compared to White Cloud Mountain, the rest of the peaks were mere hills, barely rising to the level of the clouds.
The mountain she now stood upon was no exception, she knew. It’s peak rose high but not nearly to the same height. The mountain know as Storm’s Repose was the least of the Inner Sect Mountains, and the others were deeper in the range, where every mountain rose as high as White Cloud, or even higher still. Some rose so high that their peaks were deadly even to cultivators of the third realm like her.
“The view is pretty great,” Sixiang murmured in her thoughts, the insubstantial moon spirit’s essence tingled in her thoughts as they peered out through Ling Qi’s eyes. “The house is a bit small though isn’t it?”
It was, Ling Qi thought turning away from the cliff with a swish of silk. Her dark gown swayed around her ankles, and the winglike half cloak which hung from her back flared out, fluttering in the wind for a moment too long for it to be natural. She couldn’t stand here all morning, she had to settle in to her new abode.
The grassy cliff she stood upon was a narrow thing, only a few meters across, the vibrant green grass standing out from the grey stone all around despite the chill of encroaching winter. Her disciples home was built directly into the side of the mountain, visible only by the perfectly set and framed door of darkly lacquered wood which formed its entrance.
“I mean, you’re gonna have a hard time fitting the little big guy in here, aren’t you?” Sixiang mused.
Pausing at the door, Ling Qi grimaced. That was true, but...
“Zhengui isn’t little anymore!... but I miss the garden,” her other spirit, Zhengui muttered sleepily, the tortoise snake had been slipping into lengthy naps more and more over the past few days.
‘I put in the paperwork for a space in the large spirit environment, weren’t you paying attention?’ Ling Qi thought back grumpily to Sixiang.
“Not really!” The spirit replied cheerfully.
‘Of course you weren’t’ Ling Qi thought, giving a mental sigh. Sixiang’s attention wandered at the best of times.
“Zhengui, hang on. I’ll have a space for you soon,” She murmured aloud. She was thankful that Lady Cai had helped her expedite things.
“Zhengui trusts Big Sister,” Zhengui yawned in her thoughts, sinking back into slumber.
The last few days had been exhausting with all the set up for entering the Inner Sect. She had to file paperwork for a living and cultivating space for Zhengui, then there was another stack of forms to give her permission to visit Zeqing, and another allowing her to spar with Meizhen, Lady Cai, and Gu Xiulan.
Stepping inside. Ling Qi found herself in a warm room of polished gray stone. A softly glowing paper lantern hung from the ceiling overhead, casting a soft and welcoming glow over the simple furniture set around the chamber.
...It hung a bit low, Ling Qi noted with mild annoyance, ducking under it as she swept toward the hall leading to the other rooms, the door closing with a soft click behind her. Continuing her exploration, Ling Qi found a small kitchen and a pantry well stocked for simple meals and tea. She lingered a moment, studying the formations on the shelves and walls, meant to preserve the ingredients, clean the space and repel pests, it was a bit complex for her though, that sort of utility had never been her focus.
Next she found an empty room full of workbenches and cupboards. A space meant for craftwork she presumed. It wasn’t much use to her, but poking through the cupboards turned up numerous high quality but mundane tools, from carving knives to needles to tongs and a hammer laid by a small forge in the far corner.
Leaving the craft room behind, she next came upon a heavy wooden door, banded with formation reinforced iron. Swinging the heavy door open, Ling QI sucked in a surprised breath as potent qi washed over her.
“Now that’s a good feel,” Sixiang sighed happily as Ling Qi stepped past the threshold. The room beyond was rough, unlike the other rooms, it seemed like a natural cavern, including a glittering reverse forest of limestone stalactites hanging from it’s high ceiling. The floor was smooth and flat, sloping gently downward until it reached a softly bubbling pool of liquid silver. In the center of the pool rise an outcropping of glittering yellow crystal, shot through with streaks of pale green.
Argent Vent(Lesser): Grants 15 resource dice to spiritual and physical cultivation. Increases successes when cultivating Argent Arts by a factor of 1.7. Grants one virtual Yellow Stone per week(4 per turn) to cultivation.
The qi in the room was potent, very much so. Ling Qi spent a few minutes luxuriating in the mist which rose steadily from the cracks in the crystal outcropping, but soon moved on.
At the very back, she found a bedroom. Appointed with a simple, if comfortable bed a polished writing desk and mirror, as well as a wardrobe it wasn’t exactly a step down from her previous accommodations.
It was hard to imagine that barely more than a year ago, Ling Qi had been sleeping in whatever warm alleyways or corners she could find. Having a real blanket would have been a luxury, she thought musingly, patting the comforter of her new bed.
She shouldn’t get too attached though, Ling Qi thought as she began to put away her few possessions, materializing them one by one from her storage ring. The dress Xiulan had gifted her went into her wardrobe, she hadn’t worn it in months, thanks to the masterpiece of talisman-craft she had earned in defending her liege, Cai Renxiang’s order, but she couldn’t help but feel a little attached to it, the first nice outfit she had owned in years.
“You should change things up more often,” Sixiang pointed out idly as she closed the wardrobe.
“Where am I going to find a dress as powerful as this one?” Ling Qi scoffed.
“...You can wear things for other reasons you know,” the spirit replied dully.
Now that was just silly, Ling Qi thought. What if she was attacked while wearing something less potent?
Sixiang had no response to that, and Ling Qi moved on.
The ornamented comb of bone her Mother had gifted her when they had reconnected was laid on her desk, the curious qi within it stirring under her fingers as she traced the eagle pattern carved into it’s surface. The Sect village was more distant now, but she would have to make sure to keep making regular visits. She was determined not to abandon her Mother again.
One of her newest possessions came next. A deep green jade badge the size of her palm. It’s flat surface held two numbers picked out in silver. First was her rank in the Sect, eight hundred and Thirty and second were her contribution points, in much smaller characters. The numbers changed on their own, thanks to the formations embedded in the jade.
Inner Sect Rank 830
Contribution Points: 20
She only needed to wear it for official functions though, so for now it was tucked into the topmost drawer of her desk.
“You really have to tell me about the adventure that got you those extra points sometime,” Sixiang whispered.
“I’m surprised you haven’t already picked it out,” Ling Qi said aloud. She had dreamed of that basement and that chilling altar, more than once. She was glad that she and Su Ling had stopped that crazed barbarian from unleashing a plague. Unlike her peers, whose badges had started with a tiny ‘ten’ below thow their rank. Ling Qi had found a ‘twenty’.
“Stingy,” Sixiang murmured, unable to hear thoughts not directed at them.
Ling Qi laughed under her breath as she put down the last of her new possessions. A slip of jade containing the secrets of the Argent Genesis Art.
Although her own cultivation art was probably higher quality, Ling Qi knew well the benefits that mastering the arts predecessor had given her. Besides, there was sure to be another Sect art that picked up where this one left off. The first few levels of the technique seemed fairly easy to master as well, given her current experience.
Today was her first true day as an Inner Sect disciple. She would have to make sure that it and all the others that would follow counted. She couldn’t afford to fall behind.
AN: So here’s the intro to the new quest. If you are a new reader I strongly suggest that you read the first quest, else most of this will seem like nonsense. Don’t worry about grokking the old mechanics though. They are thoroughly dumped.
As we go into the first vote of the new quest, allow me to explain the structure this quest will follow. Each month of in game time, voters will decide on a cultivation plan for Ling Qi, which will decide how she advances her abilities in that time. Once the plan has been finalized, I will use it as a background and framework for actual narrative events of the story arcs which take place over that period. Sometimes there may only be a single arc in a month, sometimes there might be several. Either way results of the turn will be doled out at appropriate points over the course of the narrative.
Cultivation rules can be found in the spoiler box below
Vote!
You have 20 AP to spend this month
Ling Qi’s Income
40 Yellow Stones(Sect)
1 Green Stone(Cai Renxiang)
Ling Qi’s finances are as follows
103 Red Stones
43 Yellow Stones
1 Green Stone
3 Sect Points
How many stones will you use?
12 Free Yellow stones automatically used due to cultivation arts and sites
[] Additional Stones
How much will you invest in pills and medicine this month?
Low-5 dice for 5 red stones per action
[] Medium- 10 dicefor 15 red stones per action Provided freely from Cai Renxiang
[] High- 20 dice for 25 (40-15) red stones per action
[] Very High- 30 dice for 60(75-15) red stones per action
What would you like to cultivate this month? (Select 1 subvote per category)
[] Physical Cultivation
-[] Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Resolve, Wits
[] Spiritual Cultivation
-[] Intelligence, Wits, Resolve, Presence, Manipulation, Composure
[] Meridian
-[] Head, Heart, Spine, Arm, Lung, Leg
[] Eight Phase Ceremony
-[] Perceptiveness, Qi, Stealth
[] Argent Genesis
-[] Composure, Qi, Resolve
[]Sable Crescent Step
-[] Dance, Dodge, Dexterity, Stealth, Wits
[] Argent Current
-[] Presence, Unarmed, War
[] Argent Storm
-[] Dodge, Dexterity, Wits
[] Take Sect Jobs(Earns Sect Points 11-20 per AP)
-[] Any
[] Perform Sect Duties (Earns Contribution Points 1-4 per AP)
-[] Any
[] Research Arts in Sect archive (Max 2 AP)
-[] Int, Academics
Now I know this looks big and complicated, but to those of you eyeing it warily, keep in mind that the big turn votes will be a minority of the votes. There will be plenty of simpler and easier votes for people to participate in.
Alright, now please hold off on posting until I get a hefty reserve of page one posts
Ling Qi stood at the edge of the grass grown cliff and looked out over her new home. Mountains and hills stretched in every direction, filled with the mist of an early fall morning. In the distance, she could see the mighty slopes of the Outer Sect, White Cloud Mountain as she now knew it to be called. The vast peak pierced the clouds, almost a third of its span rising high into the heavens.
She wondered how her spirit mentor, Zeqing, who lived at the frozen peak was doing. They had not had a chance to speak since before the qualifying tournament. She would find out soon enough she supposed, as soon as the application to continue visiting her home cleared the Sect’s bureaucracy. Pulling her eyes away from that mountain she scanned the rest of the horizon, compared to White Cloud Mountain, the rest of the peaks were mere hills, barely rising to the level of the clouds.
The mountain she now stood upon was no exception, she knew. It’s peak rose high but not nearly to the same height. The mountain know as Storm’s Repose was the least of the Inner Sect Mountains, and the others were deeper in the range, where every mountain rose as high as White Cloud, or even higher still. Some rose so high that their peaks were deadly even to cultivators of the third realm like her.
“The view is pretty great,” Sixiang murmured in her thoughts, the insubstantial moon spirit’s essence tingled in her thoughts as they peered out through Ling Qi’s eyes. “The house is a bit small though isn’t it?”
It was, Ling Qi thought turning away from the cliff with a swish of silk. Her dark gown swayed around her ankles, and the winglike half cloak which hung from her back flared out, fluttering in the wind for a moment too long for it to be natural. She couldn’t stand here all morning, she had to settle in to her new abode.
The grassy cliff she stood upon was a narrow thing, only a few meters across, the vibrant green grass standing out from the grey stone all around despite the chill of encroaching winter. Her disciples home was built directly into the side of the mountain, visible only by the perfectly set and framed door of darkly lacquered wood which formed its entrance.
“I mean, you’re gonna have a hard time fitting the little big guy in here, aren’t you?” Sixiang mused.
Pausing at the door, Ling Qi grimaced. That was true, but...
“Zhengui isn’t little anymore!... but I miss the garden,” her other spirit, Zhengui muttered sleepily, the tortoise snake had been slipping into lengthy naps more and more over the past few days.
‘I put in the paperwork for a space in the large spirit environment, weren’t you paying attention?’ Ling Qi thought back grumpily to Sixiang.
“Not really!” The spirit replied cheerfully.
‘Of course you weren’t’ Ling Qi thought, giving a mental sigh. Sixiang’s attention wandered at the best of times.
“Zhengui, hang on. I’ll have a space for you soon,” She murmured aloud. She was thankful that Lady Cai had helped her expedite things.
“Zhengui trusts Big Sister,” Zhengui yawned in her thoughts, sinking back into slumber.
The last few days had been exhausting with all the set up for entering the Inner Sect. She had to file paperwork for a living and cultivating space for Zhengui, then there was another stack of forms to give her permission to visit Zeqing, and another allowing her to spar with Meizhen, Lady Cai, and Gu Xiulan.
Stepping inside. Ling Qi found herself in a warm room of polished gray stone. A softly glowing paper lantern hung from the ceiling overhead, casting a soft and welcoming glow over the simple furniture set around the chamber.
...It hung a bit low, Ling Qi noted with mild annoyance, ducking under it as she swept toward the hall leading to the other rooms, the door closing with a soft click behind her. Continuing her exploration, Ling Qi found a small kitchen and a pantry well stocked for simple meals and tea. She lingered a moment, studying the formations on the shelves and walls, meant to preserve the ingredients, clean the space and repel pests, it was a bit complex for her though, that sort of utility had never been her focus.
Next she found an empty room full of workbenches and cupboards. A space meant for craftwork she presumed. It wasn’t much use to her, but poking through the cupboards turned up numerous high quality but mundane tools, from carving knives to needles to tongs and a hammer laid by a small forge in the far corner.
Leaving the craft room behind, she next came upon a heavy wooden door, banded with formation reinforced iron. Swinging the heavy door open, Ling QI sucked in a surprised breath as potent qi washed over her.
“Now that’s a good feel,” Sixiang sighed happily as Ling Qi stepped past the threshold. The room beyond was rough, unlike the other rooms, it seemed like a natural cavern, including a glittering reverse forest of limestone stalactites hanging from it’s high ceiling. The floor was smooth and flat, sloping gently downward until it reached a softly bubbling pool of liquid silver. In the center of the pool rise an outcropping of glittering yellow crystal, shot through with streaks of pale green.
Argent Vent(Lesser): Grants 15 resource dice to spiritual and physical cultivation. Increases successes when cultivating Argent Arts by a factor of 1.7. Grants one virtual Yellow Stone per week(4 per turn) to cultivation.
The qi in the room was potent, very much so. Ling Qi spent a few minutes luxuriating in the mist which rose steadily from the cracks in the crystal outcropping, but soon moved on.
At the very back, she found a bedroom. Appointed with a simple, if comfortable bed a polished writing desk and mirror, as well as a wardrobe it wasn’t exactly a step down from her previous accommodations.
It was hard to imagine that barely more than a year ago, Ling Qi had been sleeping in whatever warm alleyways or corners she could find. Having a real blanket would have been a luxury, she thought musingly, patting the comforter of her new bed.
She shouldn’t get too attached though, Ling Qi thought as she began to put away her few possessions, materializing them one by one from her storage ring. The dress Xiulan had gifted her went into her wardrobe, she hadn’t worn it in months, thanks to the masterpiece of talisman-craft she had earned in defending her liege, Cai Renxiang’s order, but she couldn’t help but feel a little attached to it, the first nice outfit she had owned in years.
“You should change things up more often,” Sixiang pointed out idly as she closed the wardrobe.
“Where am I going to find a dress as powerful as this one?” Ling Qi scoffed.
“...You can wear things for other reasons you know,” the spirit replied dully.
Now that was just silly, Ling Qi thought. What if she was attacked while wearing something less potent?
Sixiang had no response to that, and Ling Qi moved on.
The ornamented comb of bone her Mother had gifted her when they had reconnected was laid on her desk, the curious qi within it stirring under her fingers as she traced the eagle pattern carved into it’s surface. The Sect village was more distant now, but she would have to make sure to keep making regular visits. She was determined not to abandon her Mother again.
One of her newest possessions came next. A deep green jade badge the size of her palm. It’s flat surface held two numbers picked out in silver. First was her rank in the Sect, eight hundred and Thirty and second were her contribution points, in much smaller characters. The numbers changed on their own, thanks to the formations embedded in the jade.
Inner Sect Rank 830
Contribution Points: 20
She only needed to wear it for official functions though, so for now it was tucked into the topmost drawer of her desk.
“You really have to tell me about the adventure that got you those extra points sometime,” Sixiang whispered.
“I’m surprised you haven’t already picked it out,” Ling Qi said aloud. She had dreamed of that basement and that chilling altar, more than once. She was glad that she and Su Ling had stopped that crazed barbarian from unleashing a plague. Unlike her peers, whose badges had started with a tiny ‘ten’ below thow their rank. Ling Qi had found a ‘twenty’.
“Stingy,” Sixiang murmured, unable to hear thoughts not directed at them.
Ling Qi laughed under her breath as she put down the last of her new possessions. A slip of jade containing the secrets of the Argent Genesis Art.
The cultivation art of the Argent Sect. Created by the ancestors of Sect Head Yuan He and polished to perfection under his eye. This art offers many insights into building a strong foundation for a young cultivators future growth. The neutral balanced qi cultivated by this art mingles easily with almost every form of Imperial cultivation, making for a fine secondary art for any young scion.
Potency: Yellow 3
Max Level: 6
Keywords: Argent, Balanced, Composure, Neutral, Qi, Resolve,
Potency Growth: Green 1(2), Green 2(4), Green 3(6)
First Day Benefits
+15 dice to Spiritual and Physical cultivation up to Green/Bronze 1
+10 dice to Meridian cultivation
+5 dice to Argent Art cultivation
1 free die of qi experience per turn, up to A rank
User may bind up to grade 3 spirits(Upkeep doubled if beast realm is higher)
Once per turn add 30 to a single attribute or skill during a challenge
Grants the user 1 virtual Yellow Stone per week(4 per turn)
0/100 First Day
Potency: Yellow 3
Max Level: 6
Keywords: Argent, Balanced, Composure, Neutral, Qi, Resolve,
Potency Growth: Green 1(2), Green 2(4), Green 3(6)
First Day Benefits
+15 dice to Spiritual and Physical cultivation up to Green/Bronze 1
+10 dice to Meridian cultivation
+5 dice to Argent Art cultivation
1 free die of qi experience per turn, up to A rank
User may bind up to grade 3 spirits(Upkeep doubled if beast realm is higher)
Once per turn add 30 to a single attribute or skill during a challenge
Grants the user 1 virtual Yellow Stone per week(4 per turn)
0/100 First Day
Although her own cultivation art was probably higher quality, Ling Qi knew well the benefits that mastering the arts predecessor had given her. Besides, there was sure to be another Sect art that picked up where this one left off. The first few levels of the technique seemed fairly easy to master as well, given her current experience.
Today was her first true day as an Inner Sect disciple. She would have to make sure that it and all the others that would follow counted. She couldn’t afford to fall behind.
AN: So here’s the intro to the new quest. If you are a new reader I strongly suggest that you read the first quest, else most of this will seem like nonsense. Don’t worry about grokking the old mechanics though. They are thoroughly dumped.
As we go into the first vote of the new quest, allow me to explain the structure this quest will follow. Each month of in game time, voters will decide on a cultivation plan for Ling Qi, which will decide how she advances her abilities in that time. Once the plan has been finalized, I will use it as a background and framework for actual narrative events of the story arcs which take place over that period. Sometimes there may only be a single arc in a month, sometimes there might be several. Either way results of the turn will be doled out at appropriate points over the course of the narrative.
Cultivation rules can be found in the spoiler box below
Vote!
You have 20 AP to spend this month
Ling Qi’s Income
40 Yellow Stones(Sect)
1 Green Stone(Cai Renxiang)
Ling Qi’s finances are as follows
103 Red Stones
43 Yellow Stones
1 Green Stone
3 Sect Points
How many stones will you use?
12 Free Yellow stones automatically used due to cultivation arts and sites
[] Additional Stones
How much will you invest in pills and medicine this month?
[] Medium- 10 dice
[] High- 20 dice for 25 (40-15) red stones per action
[] Very High- 30 dice for 60(75-15) red stones per action
What would you like to cultivate this month? (Select 1 subvote per category)
[] Physical Cultivation
-[] Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Resolve, Wits
[] Spiritual Cultivation
-[] Intelligence, Wits, Resolve, Presence, Manipulation, Composure
[] Meridian
-[] Head, Heart, Spine, Arm, Lung, Leg
[] Eight Phase Ceremony
-[] Perceptiveness, Qi, Stealth
[] Argent Genesis
-[] Composure, Qi, Resolve
[]Sable Crescent Step
-[] Dance, Dodge, Dexterity, Stealth, Wits
[] Argent Current
-[] Presence, Unarmed, War
[] Argent Storm
-[] Dodge, Dexterity, Wits
[] Take Sect Jobs(Earns Sect Points 11-20 per AP)
-[] Any
[] Perform Sect Duties (Earns Contribution Points 1-4 per AP)
-[] Any
[] Research Arts in Sect archive (Max 2 AP)
-[] Int, Academics
Now I know this looks big and complicated, but to those of you eyeing it warily, keep in mind that the big turn votes will be a minority of the votes. There will be plenty of simpler and easier votes for people to participate in.
Alright, now please hold off on posting until I get a hefty reserve of page one posts
Last edited:
