#guardian: althea

[welcometomeloxia]

[gilly-moon]

first draft/WIP of a Nightlight thing where he loses his glow and is Very Unwell about it. This fic is shaping up to be long and ✨️angsty✨️ but here's a little preview of a more wholesome moment from chapter one:

.

“You must be the Nightlight.”

Twisting where he sat, Nightlight expected another member of the staff, come to ogle at him with the others. He straightened up when he found a finely-dressed lady standing at the door instead, her dark eyes reflecting the soft smile on her lips.

He nodded, rising to his feet. There was an instinctual voice in his head telling him to bow to the woman, but he hesitated. Certainly her dress was that of a noble, its dark blue velvet embroidered with gold at the cuffs and collar. But unlike the nobles he’d seen in the Capital City, she seemed otherwise unadorned, auburn hair falling in loose waves down her back.

“Was the journey here bearable?” the woman asked. She pressed a hand to her chest, a simple golden ring glinting on her finger. “I do apologize, we’re so far out of the way…”

Nightlight shook his head, resting the base of his staff on the ground to lean against it. The woman’s eyes followed the movement, but her expression remained pleasant.

“I hope you’ll forgive me for the delay, as well. It seems there was some…miscommunication about when we should expect your arrival.”

Of course. But why wouldn’t the Lunanoffs do everything in their power to be rid of him as soon as possible? He was nothing more than a reminder of their pain. A dead weight to be shipped off to anyone willing to bear him as a burden.

“Well, bygones, I say!”

His eyes lifted from where they’d fallen to his feet. The lady was still smiling, her cheeks rosy with warmth. She actually seemed…pleased that he was here.

“My name is Althea,” she said brightly. “If any of the staff insists I be called ‘Lady Pitchiner,’ they’re fooling with you. We’re all family here in this quiet little corner of the universe.

“And you…is it just Nightlight? Do you have any other name you like to go by?”

Nightlight shook his head emphatically, fingers wrapping tighter around his staff. A Nightlight was a Nightlight and nothing more. He’d already lost his shine. He wouldn’t lose his name, too.

“Very well,” Althea conceded. A touch of concern dimmed her features, but she seemed adept at smoothing it down. “Nightlight, then. Have you been given a tour of the house yet?”

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I played my staff/staff mirage the other day and was like "damn, I forgot how fun and cool she is."

*reads patch notes*

...oh.

Well, I'm glad that I decided to have my current main mesmer work towards chronomancer rather than mirage, anyway.

[peithoaphro]

updated list of names 2023.

name | meaning | origin

supposedly male: aras | eagle | lithuanian wolfe | wolf | english cillian | warstrife | irish elystan | noble stone | welsh daerion | gift | greek matteo | gift of god | italian lorcan | little fierce one | irish valko | wolf | bulgarian gavrail | hero | bulgarian nikolche | adventure | macedonian peithon | persuades | macedonian valerian | strong | latin abraxas | great | egyptian xerxes | hero amongst heroes | persian ives | yew wood | english azarius | god has helped | hebrew nicodemus | victory of the people | greek hesperus | evening star | greek casimir | destroyer of peace | polish arcturus | bear guardian | greek daedalus | craftsman | greek caliban | black | romanian hawthorne | lives | english maegor | red | english

supposedly female: echo | sound | greek adelaide | noble | german daisy | day's eye | old english cressida | gold | greek eirlie | eagle wood | scottish althea | healing power | greek manon | queen | welsh calanthe | beautiful flower | greek calithea | basket | greek juniper | young | latin citra | excellent | sanskrit solaris | of the sun | latin visenya | strength | english naerys | queen | english viserra | wisdom | english rosenwyn | white rose | cornish ottaline | prospers | french lethe | oblivion | greek caliadne | beautiful | greek daphne | laurel | greek nesrin | wild rose | arabian

unisex: august | great | greek emerson | son of emery | german callen | rock | gaelic

[stabbysideblog]

Distorted Echos

“He’s. Fragile.”

I scoff, the last word to describe Dream would be fragile. Sam frowns at me. “I’m serious.”

I lean across the table taking his coffee-warmed hands in my own. “Tell me how.”

Sam smiles at me, he has bags under his eyes. “He’s not. You. Well.” He looks up and away, that look he has when he’s solving a complex circuit or explaining something new to Althea. “He was a dog. Not an actual dog, he worked in Las Nevadas with Me and Quackity.” 

I pull away. He grabs my hands holding me in place. “Not. Me. Not our Quackity. I don’t know how but he’s from this SMP but wrong. Twisted, he was a- a- tool to them. He’s barely a person. They hurt him and he’s scared.”

“Let go of me.” I can’t breathe, this is Sam. My Sam, the man I love, my husband speaking kindly about Dream. He lets go, I hold my hands close to my chest, I can feel my heart pounding. “Let me visit him.” 

“I don’t-”

“Have you made progress with him?”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“He’s Dream. I can-” I swallow, I need to see him. “I can talk to him.”

“You’re too emotional.”

“Next week then, give me time to- to- to think. Let me- He’s Just- Sam-” I take in a breath, quick inhale slow exhale. I let the words arrange in my throat, Sam waits for me. “Give me a week, tell me about him. I’ll be more composed. I can help you, Please let me help you.”

Sam is quiet. He looks at his comms. He looks at the coffee in his hands. He looks at the clock. He doesn’t look at me. “Fine. One hour. One week from today, we’ll have to get Puffy to babysit Althea.”

“Thank you.”

I stand on the platform staring at the lava, behind me is the warden, any sign of my husband is gone. He’s cold, calculating each movement. 

“You have one hour. Not a second more.”

I nod. Of course, that’s the deal. I know the rules. The lava drops and the platform starts to move. The elder guardian curses me, I flinch at the noise. Inside the cell I see him. He’s sitting in the middle of the cell staring. His knees are pulled to his chest like a child. His hair is shorter, Sam must have buzzed that mess off. He looks small like this. I step off the platform and his eyes dart up to look at me. He doesn’t move, not even when the blocks are retracted and I step into the cell proper. It’s less decorated than when I stayed here. Bookshelves, bed, plants, and fish tank gone. I don’t think he knows what he’s missing. 

“Hello Dream.” I sneer at him, he watches me. He’s different from the last time I saw him, his eyes aren’t as empty, they have a sadness to them. I don’t feel sorry for him. “You think your little ruse is going to work? Oh I’m Dream and I’m soooo sad and soo hurt I’m just so pathetic. Fuck off I’m not buying it. You’re Dream get up and be honest with me, I know all your tricks.” He just stares. It’s infuriating. It’s so infuriating I walk right up to him. “Get.” I shove him backwards. “Up.”

He falls backwards awkward limbs splaying out onto the ground. He’s so thin. 

“Sorry.” That’s all he says. His voice is rusty, broken. It doesn’t sound like Dream.

“Don’t- Don’t do that shit. Sound like that. I know you. Do you- Do you even know who I am?”

He shakes his head no, I guess I’m not worthy of words. 

“I’m YOU. I am the best version of you, I put in the work. I got help! I’m- I’m fixed for god’s sake! You’re still evil! I saw it in your eyes. You don’t even recognize the person you could have become.”

“Dream?”

“Not anymore.”

He looks down, avoiding eye contact. “Oh”

“Now tell the truth, I know everything you are.”

He shakes his head, stubborn just like I used to be. It’s maddening, how did Sam ever put up with me? I guess it’s time to use the big guns. “He knows everything. I told him everything so any stupid little secrets you think you’re keeping safe with this act- Just give up. I know you. I know how you think, how you feel, have fucking stupid you are. Now. Tell. The. Truth.”

“I am.” he whispers it, I only hear it because I had gotten in his face. 

“Prove it.”

He looks up at me finally, tears swimming in his eyes. He nods and scoots from underneath me standing up. Shakily he undresses, his body is littered with scars. One stands out above the others, an ornamental Q with a creeper face inside it branded over his back. I reach out to touch it, he flinches. 

“I worked for Sir- S- Sam. He made me right. A good dog. I was a good dog. I am a good dog.” His hands reach for his neck scratching at it. “I don’t know how I left him. Play dead, I did it.” He shows his wrist, the scar from the gash we had discovered. 

“You did that to yourself?” 

He nods. “I’m a good dog.”

“Stop that- stop saying that. You’re not a fucking dog.” He stares blankly. No wonder Sam hasn’t made any progress. “Look. Just. Tell me everything.” He nods and begins to speak.

I listened as he spilled everything that happened to him. Well not everything- some he can’t remember, some is too bad to be real, some he can only recount with a shiver and a gag. As he speaks my mind wanders, what if my Sam had been like his? What if he hated me as much as his did? He was almost done, getting close to his last time with his Sam when the lava drops. “Time to leave,”

“Wait-”

“We had a deal.”

“Okay,-” I turn to the pitiful thing. “Just trust Sam, this one is good. When he tells you something, listen, it won’t make sense at first but he’s good.” He nods, puppy-dog eyes watching me leave. I stand and walk onto the platform crossing the great molden abyss below. Sam gestures to me to leave, I spare a glance as the lava descends. “He’ll be easier now.” 

“I can handle the prisoner.” His face is cold, unbecoming of emotions; just like a good warden should. I nod and walk towards the exit. I didn’t lie to Dream, we have to trust him.

[freydis-freydat]

Who: @zelihatheflight Where: Aventia When: 1-2 days after the wolf quest  Notes: Freydis adds another daughter to her collection of children.

The women had enjoyed an almost total victory only a few days before when they had fought side by side with the alpha queen. The land had been cleansed of the Blight, the temple and its sylvan guardian restored, and each of them had been rewarded for their efforts. However, three of the women were forced to pay a steep price. It wasn’t whether or not Althea, Aradia, and Thora could survive the joining that plagued Freydis’ every thought–but the weight of the reality that they had not had a true choice in the matter of their fate of becoming a Legionnaire. Each of the women was stronger than that last, and Freydis thought often of the bubble Zeliha had trapped her in and then the immediate banishment to the safety of a liminal space Althea had cast Freydis and the two other women into. The idea of contracting the Blight again and forfeiting her body to Nintra Siotta in death or her fey magic in becoming a Legionnaire horrified the woman. Freydis had not seen Althea again since all that had happened, but even if she had she was not sure words existed to express her gratitude for Althea’s forcing of the decision and her bravery. 

Now, appearing in front of her, was the other hand that had intervened in that critical moment. Freydis caught sight of the long tendrils of dark hair that she recognized as the healer’s back in the chaotic setting of Aventia. Eager to express her gratitude and aware that all of the women likely had questions all at once, Freydis approached the woman. “Zeliha,” she called softly, holding out an arm toward Zeliha’s back as if that might help her garner the faiman’s attention. She waited until Zeliha was close, her arms twitching slightly as she forced the urge to hug the woman at bay. “How are the others? Did you bring them to Caer Glas safely?” She paused for a moment before adding, “I’m glad to see you’ve returned to us as well."

[starlightangel-fr]

So I made my custom progen Althea into Baldurs Gate 3 today! I think I did a pretty good job, I like how she turned out :3

I was initially gonna make her a wizard, but something was missing, so I ended up switching her to a dragon ancestry sorcerer, I also attempted to make her into a dragonborn but wasn't really happy with how that attempt went lol

I also attempted to make the Lightweaver her guardian, unfortunately can't give the guardian the same dragon scales as Althea since its a class thing, otherwise I think I would like her more lmao

[likeafairytale]

"How was she? Your mother?" - Yasmeen to Malachai

Malachai frowned at Yasmeen's question, but stayed silent. This question never came into his mind before, and he had to thought hard, about it. The merman was the last of his sibling to think or talk about his mother to people, since her death. He did not know why, maybe because he never had the occasion to do so, but now was the moment. And yet, nothing came to his mind. If someone asked him how was Ursula, he immediately answered with “difficult, but worth it.” If someone asked him how were Nathaniel and Calypso, the first words coming to his mind were “ready to die for whom they loved.” Even for the triplets, even though he wasn't especially close to Ondine, Pearl and Naia, he could easily say “they are their father's daughters.” Hell, even for Triton he could find something to say, so why not for his mother?

He did not dare looking at Yasmeen who was sitting, for the first time, next to him in the quiet of the church. His red eyes were on the statue of Farore, in front of them, while he tried his hardest to find words to describe his mother, but it was hard to do so, when you didn't know the person you were asked about.

❛What do you want to know?❜ He finally asked, still looking at the religious item.

❛I don't know...❜ Yasmeen answered, quite taken aback. ❛How did she look like? Was she nice? At least nicer than your father?❜

❛I...❜ Malachai started, before frowning again. ❛I remember that she had pink eyes...❜

He simply said. He tried to find something else, but right now, it hit him; he didn't know his mother at all. Or at least he didn't remember her. It's been so long since the last time he thought of her, that he completely forgot what she looked like, the warmth of her smile, the sound of her laugh, the symphony of her voice, the comfort of her embrace... Right now, Malachai felt empty and sad as he ever were before. Compared to his siblings, he is the one who spent the less time with Althea, which was quite ironic when we take into consideration that he was the oldest of his siblings.

But it was an arrangement between Triton and Althea; she could manage her children as she pleased, she will have as many children as she wanted, as long as Triton could raise his first son as his heir and soldier. Thinking of it, it was cruel for the children, maybe more for Malachai; he didn't know his mother, and barely knew his siblings for years. He wasn't allowedto play with them, or eat with them, the only time he could spend time with them was late at night, when they all sneaked into his room. Other than that, all his family were strangers to him, except when Triton and Althea needed him to be the third parent to them.

❛I'm afraid you're asking this question to the wrong person.❜

❛I don't think so. I already asked the Princess, but I'd like your point of view.❜

❛You should stick to my sister's point of view, believe me.❜ He said, without realizing he sounded bitter. It's only after a few minutes of silent, that he looked at Yasmeen who was looking at the ground, probably ashamed to push this question on him. Malachai sighed and closed his eyes. ❛I think she was as nice as Calypso and Nathaniel. I think she was funny too. I think sh-❜

❛Why are you starting your sentence with 'I think'? Don't you know?❜

❛No, I do not.❜ He finally admitted, and it was even harder to say out loud. ❛I never spend much time with her. The truth is... My mother cheated on my father. She lied for years, and years. She gave up on me because of a deal she made with my father. She was nice, I gave her that, but most of the time, when she came to me, it wasn't because she wanted to spend time with her eldest child, but because she needed me to plead for her toward father, or to take care of my siblings. Calypso can tell you all the sweetest things about Althea, it won't change the fact that she didn't fight for us when she had to. And she made me became my siblings' guardian after her death, preventing me to ever live. That's how my mother was. She was just selfish and, in her own way, as bad as my father.❜

Malachai didn't know he had all this resentment toward his mother. But the moment he started to talk about her and how he felt, he couldn't stop, and his voice became louder and louder, which echoes in the church, disrupting the religious silent. He wasn't wrong though, he didn't know his mother like his siblings, meaning his point of view about her wasn't biased at all. She has a stranger to him, and he could talk about her in a way no children could talk about one of their parents. And that sadden him a lot. Taking a deep breath, the merman jumped a little with surprised when Yasmeen put her hand on his shoulder. Looking at her, he saw sadness in her eyes, and he had to fight the urge to hug her right now, and he hated himself for being the one making her sad. After a few seconds he stood up and looked in front of him.

❛I'm sorry to burden you with this. I shouldn't talk ill about the dead.❜ He whispered, quite ashamed. ❛Please excuse me, but I have to go. I leave you to your prayers.❜

The man did not let her time to say something that already he left the church, with his head full of negative thoughts about his own mother, and the feeling of being the worst son ever existed.

[morganasirennether]

((She's heeeeere. The queen of the forest fairies and mother of Vick, Althea, and her ever loyal guardians, Blagden and Brangwen. The queen of the Abyssmials- who also happens to be Althea's mother- gifted her her guardians after the creation of the infamous Endless Forest. They stay pretty much glued to Althea's side unless they're told to go and do something else, or feel a need to.))

Also, to add some extra info, Althea is tall, about 9'0" or so (not counting the tail), but only stands at full height if she feels that it's absolutely necessary.))

[welcometomeloxia]

[erikalentz]

Half Moon Datas #8

Some notes about what’s happening in the Unova Dragons’ side in Hisui in the meantime of the events in the present with Dawn and Althea:

- Two weeks passed since the Unova Dragons are in Hisui. The hisuians has grown accustomed to them and their non-allegiance to any of the two clans or the Survey Corps.

- Dialga and Palkia saw Emmet and Dawn’s memories by their diamond and pearl. After seeing and emotionally feeling their lives - thanks to the Guardians of the Lakes’ blessings on the gems -, they empathize with their hardships and decided to side with the Unova Dragons. They even directly confronted Arceus to talk about the situation with the space-time rifts and about it sending a kid from the future in Hisui to make him solve a problem of the past, even though a native like Akari could have done its task all the same, before going back to their home dimensions and letting Arceus take a look at Emmet and Dawn’s diamond and pearl if it desires to know “another perception of humans”.

- As the days pass, Emmet and Adaman grew to have a mutual respect for one another. The Diamond Clan leader really enjoys spending time with the Subway Master and the Ice Hero likes his kindness and chill vibes. Being one of the few people who immediately guessed Emmet/Silver and Ingo are related, he remembered at some point a tale from his late grandfather during one of his trip outside Hisui where he told him that he encountered two identical siblings… When he looked at his old diaries, Adaman found photos of the siblings and the word designating them: twins. It didn’t take long for him to connect the dots about the Ice Hero and the Pearl Warden… On the following night, The Diamond Clan leader eventually told Emmet that he knows about him and Ingo’s familial bond (saying that their physical similarities and shared mannerisms are too strong to just being coincidences). It shocked the Subway Master at first, but he decided to let go of his Silver persona for a few moment as a sign of trust to his new friend and revealed who he really is: his real name is Emmet and he is Ingo’s twin younger brother. Adaman understood now the reason behind Emmet’s sad look which he displayed when he’s alone at Islespy Shore… The clan leader thus promised to keep his friend’s true identity a secret and became an ally of the Unova Dragons.

- One day, Akari and Lucas/Rei asked Hilda and Hilbert what’s their ideal and truth (they narrated them stories of Unova and the legendary dragons Reshiram and Zekrom from time to time), given that while their official titles are “Thunder Hero” and “Flame Hero”, their true titles are “Hero of Ideal” and “Hero of Truth”. It turns out that both of them share the same ideal and vision of the truth: they believe that people should form their own truth with what they know and don’t know and keep true to their values and especially themselves thanks to it, and they have a massive contempt for people who claim that happy endings don’t exist and revel in tragedies with the excuse of fate. There’s no such thing as “absolute truth” and “absolute fate”, and happy endings does exist. They won’t back down on it, no matter who they have to face against. This actually awakens part of Lucas’ memory because he also has the same ideals than the two heroes, and he remembers that he isn’t the kind of guy to be passive or blindly according his trust to anyone… He is a boy who fights with everything he has, be it as a trainer or as an individual, and he certainly isn’t someone to resign to a fate forced upon him. His fate is his to decide, and he won’t give up on that nor his values.

- The more Ingo and Emmet/Silver spend time together, the more the Warden questioned his place in the Pearl Clan. It’s not like he never did before since his arrival in Hisui, but he brushed it off everytime by focalizing on his duties out of gratitude for the people who gave him shelter and protection… However, Silver and his young mentees’ freedom to walk around the world and be who they want to be made him wonders more and more if staying in the Pearl Clan is what he really wants. Moreover, when Ingo lands an ear in conversations between members, some of them still haven’t accepted him as a full-fledged or even a true Warden because of his unknown provenance - since he proved over time to not be a Hisui native -. Even if he’s been in the clan for a year and a half, people are still wary of him because he is an outsider. It made him realized that despite their talk about space and desire to see new horizons, as well as the growing reconciliation between the Diamond and Pearl Clan, the Pearl folks have a hard time letting go of past beliefs and traditions (especially the elders) despite Irida and the other Wardens’ efforts to change it… Which isn’t an issue in the Diamond Clan. Ingo is even good friends with the Diamond Wardens (except Melli) and Adaman. Coupling all this, the fact that he felt closer to the Unova Dragons who recently arrived in Hisui than his clan for a whole year, how much he and Silver looks physically the same and the pain he saw in the Ice Hero’s eyes behind his cold mask… Ingo became determined to know who are Silver, Hilbert and Hilda; and he’s even more determined to recover his past memories.

[femme-tank]

1st Game - Fabula Ultima: Femme Tank

All right, for the first game I considered doing something else, but realized I have a TTRPG that is intending to reproduce JRPGs. Unfortunately my group did not quite enjoy the combat of this game the concept and character creation is still pretty cool.

I'm using the core book. There is a "High Fantasy" update which might have a couple of good add-ons, but don't have the money to pick it up just at the moment.

The steps are as follows:

Step One - Identity

For identity, I'm going to go with "A sweet girl who will protect others to her last breath."

Step Two - Theme

For theme, I'm choosing from the suggested list and considering either Hope (hope for a better world) or Justice (side with the weak and defenseless). I think Hope probably feels the best here.

Step Three - Origin

This is another short sentence and I think I'm going to go with "Blessed mountain village".

Step Four - Classes

Okay, Fabula Ultima characters start at level 5, which basically means we start with five skills. These levels can't all be in the same class, but they can't be drawn from more than three classes. (You will only get your fourth class when you master one class by hitting level 10)

In this case, I'm going to go with three classes:

Fury - 1 Level: Provoke 1

Guardian - 2 Levels: Fortress 1, Defense Mastery 1

Orator - 2 Levels: Condemn 1, Encourage 1

Step Five - Attributes

We have three options of spreads:

Jack of All Trades - d8 to everything

Balanced - d10, d8, d8, d6

Specialized - d10, d10, d6, d6

For this case, I think I'm going to go with Balanced and do the following:

Dexterity - d6

Insight - d8

Might - d10

Willpower - d8

Step Six - Figured Characteristics

Now we calculate figured characteristics.

Let's start with Hit Points and we figure that with:

Total Character Level (5)

Five times Maximum Might Die (50)

Having any levels of Fury grants 5 bonus HP

Having any levels of Guardian grants 5 bonus HP

Each level in the Fortress skill increases HP by 3. (3)

So the total is 68 HP

Next, we'll go for Mind Points, this works similar:

Total Character Level (5)

Five times Maximum Willpower Die (40)

Having any levels of Orator grants 5 bonus MP

So, the total is 50 MP

Defense is based on your maximum Dexterity die. 6 in this case.

Magic Defense is based on your maximum Insight die. 8 in this case.

Initiative modifier by default is 0.

There are also Inventory points, spent to draw potions and stuff out as you need them. Rather than keep a precise list of such things, you just spend Inventory points and say "I have a healing potion" Inventory points generally are recovered from some treasures or can be recovered at a shop by spending money. Characters start with 6 and this tends not to go up unless you get one of the classes or skills that increase it.

Step Seven - Starting Gear

We have 500 zenit (the game's currency) and due to our classes, we're able to equip Martial Weapons (Fury), Martial Armor (Guardian and Fury), and Martial Shields (Guardian).

I'm going to buy two items: runic plate (cosmetically renamed to be "reinforced robes") and heavy spear, (cosmetically renamed "war staff")

This changes her Defense to the following:

Defense: 11

Magic Defense: Insight +1, total 9, Initiative -3

And her attack looks like this:

War Staff - Attack Dex+Might: d6+d8. Damage: High Roll +12, Physical

That's all her money.

Step Eight - Name and Pronouns

And now we give her a name... and I think I'm going to expose some of my childhood media and name her Althea with the pronouns she/her

Althea

Identity: A sweet girl who will protect others to her last breath.

Theme: Hope

Origin: Blessed mountain village.

Attributes

Dexterity: d6

Insight: d8

Willpower: d8

Might: d10

Skills

Fury: Provoke 1

Guardian: Fortress 1

Guardian: Defense Mastery 1

Orator: Condemn 1

Orator: Encourage 1

Figured Stats and Gear

Hit Points: 68

Mind Points: 50

Inventory Points: 6

Defense: 11 (Mountain Robes)

Magic Defense: 9 (Mountain Robes)

War Staff: d6+d10, HR+12

Initiative: -3 (Mountain Robes)

Onward!

I think this is a game where carrying the char gen into a full character build to maximum level 50. I'm not going to do it level by level in this because there's really nothing that's tied to level. Attribute dice go up twice and some skills become more effective, but nothing else. So I'm going to just jump to the end-game plan.

As a caveat, I am going to point out again that all my plans are flexible and will change based on the opportunities and challenges I find in gameplay, but I like to have them as a combination of my character's intentions for where to go and also my own interests in where to take her story.

Level 50 Althea

First, at levels 20 and 40, we increase two Attributes by one die size to a maximum of d12. This will be Might to d12 and Willpower to d10.

Now, we have to choose the other classes we'll take. Because, in Fabula Ultima, you can only take each class up to level 10 and you can have a maximum of 3 unmastered classes.

So, we need at least two more classes, or 4 more classes if we're not interested in mastering all of them. However, I think I'm going to go with 5 mastered classes. And those will be:

Arcanist - Merge with powerful spirits.

Fury - Taunting, adrenaline, and berserk.

Guardian - Defense focused skills.

Orator - Communication skills.

Weaponmaster - Attack skills.

Let's start with the classes closest to the concept and go from there. There will also by 5 Heroic Skills, one for each mastered class, but I'll hit those at the end all together.

Guardian I think will start with the two non-ranked skills. There is also a skill called "Dual Shieldbearer" but we're not taking those.

Protect - The dive in front of someone skill mentioned above.

Bodyguard - Ability to use Guard to protect other people.

And now on to the two ranked skills. They can both go to level 5, but we with the above two skills we only have 8 levels to spend. One of these increases HP and the other reduces incoming damage. I'm going to max out the one that reduces incoming damage, as I tend to find that more powerful overall. So:

Defense Mastery 5 - Reduce incoming damage by 5 as long as she's using martial armor or shields.

Fortress 3 - Increase HP by 9.

For Orator, we want to emphasize the character traits of patience and trying communication. There's only one non-ranked skill here, but I think I will get it. It allows you to acquire a temporary friend as long as you are kind and respectful.

Unexpected Ally - Gain a temporary ally if you have treated someone well.

As for ranked skills, the one short scene in the inspiring post has the character speak firmly and not-so-vaguely threateningly, but still kind and patient. So that was why I took "Condemn" before. I'm also going to take "Persuasive" and "Encourage", which lets her talk people down or boost morale.

I didn't think I was going to, but I think I'm going to max out Condemn. It wouldn't take much to max out Persuasive as well, but I'm going to leave it at rank 1 instead as it is pretty expensive to use, and I imagine that role would go more toward other members of her party. Encourage would max out at 6, but I can only take it to 4.

There is a fourth ranked skill called "My Trust in You" but it's a bit more back-rank nature than I want for this character.

That results in the following:

Condemn 4 - Enemy loses 40 MP and suffers shaken or dazed.

Persuasive 1 - Complete an extra step in a clock when using charm, deception, diplomacy, or intimidation.

Encourage 4 - Target heals 20 HP and temporary boosts one attribute.

The Fury is more obviously a damage dealer, but there are some definite defensive skills in there. There is a non-ranked, "Frenzy" but it is for use with brawling, daggers, flails, and thrown weapons and our lady focuses on polearms (ie "spears" reskinned as war-staves)

The ranked skills include "Adranaline" which causes you to do increased damage when your health is low, "Withstand" which lets you beef up your ability to use the Guard action. "Provoke" is a taunt. "Indomitable Spirit" gives extra recovery benefits to using Fabula points, the game's meta-currency.

I'm actually going to dip into all of this. Except Provoke, which will be maxed.

Adrenaline 2 - Add 4 extra damage to attacks when under half-HP.

Indomitable Spirit 1 - When spending Fabual points also heal 5 HP, 5 MP, or remove a status effect.

Provoke 5 - Add a +5 bonus to Might+Willpower checks to taunt people.

Withstand 2 - When guard without providing cover to others, heal HP equal to twice highest Bond and improve Willpower to d12 for one round. (if Might wasn't already max, could improve that too)

The weaponmaster focuses on the use of, unsurprisingly, weapons, and is very much an offense oriented class. There are two non-ranked skills, both of which we'll take. "Bladestorm" which allows for attacking multiple targets. And "Counterattack" which does what it says.

Bladestorm - Spend 10 Mind Points to increase the number of targets attacked by 1 to a maximum of 3.

Counterattack - When an enemy's attack against you has an even number on its accuracy total, whether it hits or misses, you get a free attack.

Now, to the remaining 8 levels. Let's look at the ranked skills, "Breach" allows you to make an attack that will either destroy gear or make them vulnerable to the next attack. "Boneshaker" allows you to inflict statuses or Mind Point damage rather than Hit Points. "Melee Weapon Mastery" improves your accuracy with weapons. I'm going to max out the mastery and then dip into the other two here, so she'll have a little bit of all the Weaponmaster skills.

Melee Weapon Mastery 4 - Add a +4 to accuracy checks with Melee weapons.

Breach 2 - Make an attack that can do one of the following: destroy a shield, destroy armor, or increase the next damage to this target by 4.

Boneshaker 2 - When hit with an attack can choose to deal no damage to do one of the following: inflict dazed, inflict weak, or the target loses 20 Mind Points.

Now we come to the oddball of this build. I could have chosen Rogue for some initiative and speed shenanigans or Darkblade for some alternate grim tankiness. But instead, I'm going to go with her bonding to some sort of spirit.

And this one is fairly easy, one of the Ranked skills only works with spell-casting, which this character does not do. This is "Arcane Circle" which allows a character to cast a spell for free they dismiss an Arcana they summoned in a prior turn. This is on top of the benefits for releasing an Arcana.

So, that leaves us with the following, all of which I can actually max out so instead of describing them and relisting, I'll just list them.

Arcane Regeneration 2 - Recover 10 HP when summoning an Arcana. (yes it maxes at rank 2)

Bind and Summon - This allows you to bind yourself to an Arcana, a sort of spirit. It costs 40 Mind Points to do so.

Emergency Arcanum 6 - If under half-health, the cost to summon Arcanum is reduced by 30.

Ritual Arcanism - You may perform Arcanism rituals, narrative magic not usable in a combat.

As for the Arcanum... I'm going to say she found three of the example Arcanum rather than create new ones:

Arcanum of Gate: While merged, resist Dark damage and +1 Magic Defense. When Dismissed either teleport the party OR deal Dark damage to enemies.

Arcanum of the Oak: While merged resist Earth and Poison. Immune to Poisoned effect. Healing is more effective on you. When dismissed, heal the party and clear poisoned status.

Arcanum of the Tower: While merged, your allies (not you) gain resistance to one elemental damage. When dismissed deal Light damage to enemies.

Now, every time you master a class by reaching level 10, you gain a Heroic Skill in addition to the skill you gain for adding a level to that class. So that gives us several options as there are general Heroic Skills available to everyone and two skills associated with each class (though some are shared on multiple classes, like all the spellcaster classes can get "Powerful Spell"). Rather than list all the available Skills I'm just going to list the options I took.

Rampart (Guardian) - Resist damage and status effects in the first round.

Unbreakable (Guardian) - Survive a fatal hit once per scene.

Tempest Strike (Weaponmaster) - Concentrate "multi" attacks on a single target.

Disarming Rhetoric (Orator) - Convince enemies to retreat.

Extra HP - Have increased HP, pretty simple.

I'm also going to give her some items... these aren't the most expensive items in the game, but they do surpass the suggested increased budget for starting at higher level.

Sanctified Warrior Robes (reskinned Adamantorso) - Defense 12, Magic Defense: 8 (Insight), Initiative -4, Resistance to physical damage.

Whirlwind Staff (base Heavy Spear) - two-handed, Mig+Mig, Damage: HR+16, Multi 2 on all attacks.

Emboldening Scarf - Immune to Shaken and Dazed.

Level 50 Althea

Althea

Identity: A sweet girl who will protect others to her last breath.

Theme: Hope

Origin: Blessed mountain village.

Attributes

Dexterity: d6

Insight: d8

Willpower: d10

Might: d12

Skills

Arcanist: Arcane Regeneration

Arcanist: Bind and Summon

Arcanist: Emergency Arcanum

Arcanist: Arcanism Rituals

Fury: Adrenaline 2

Fury: Indomitable Spirit 1

Fury: Provoke 5

Fury: Withstand 2

Guardian: Bodyguard

Guardian: Fortress 3

Guardian: Defense Mastery 5

Guardian: Protect

Orator: Condemn 4

Orator: Encourage 4

Orator: Persuasive 1

Orator: Unexpected Ally

Weaponmaster: Bladestorm

Weaponmaster: Boneshaker 2

Weaponmster: Breach 2

Weaponmaster: Counterattack

Weaponmaster: Melee Weapon Mastery 4

Heroic Orator Skill: Disarming Rhetoric

Heroic Skill: Extra HP

Heroic Guardian Skill: Rampart

Heroic Weaponmaster Skill: Tempest Strike

Heroic Guardian Skill: Unbreakable

Ritual Domains

Arcanism

Arcanum of the Gate

Merge: +1 Magic Defense, Resist Dark damage

Dismiss: Either Oblivion (deal 30 Dark damage to any number of creatures, ignore resistances) OR Teleport (party travels to a place up to 1 day's travel distance)

Arcanum of the Oak

Marge: Resist Earth and Poison, Immune to Poisoned, Gain +5 HP when receives healing

Dismiss: Blossom: Heal any number of chosen creatures 60 HP and remove Poisoned status on all affected.

Arcanum of the Tower

Merge: Choose on damage type: air, bolt, dark, earth, fire, or ice. All allies (not you) are resistant to that damage type.

Dismiss: Judgment: Deal 30 Light damage to any number of creatures, ignore resistances.

Figured Stats and Gear

Hit Points: 154 (d12 Might, Fury, Guardian, Weaponmaster, Fortress 3, Extra HP)

Mind Points: 110 (d10 Willpower, Arcanist, Orator)

Inventory Points: 6

Defense: 12 (Sanctified Warrior Robes) - Resist Physical damage

Magic Defense: 8 (Sanctified Warrior Robes)

Whirlwind Staff: d12+d12+4(Mastery), HR+16, Multi 2

Emboldening Scarf: Immune to Dazed and Shaken

Initiative: -3 (Sanctified Warrior Robes)

[lost-soul-in-time]

Fallen Angel! Oliver: Information

I think it’s time I made a reference post for certain things that have to do with this new AU of Oliver just so I wouldn’t have to go on a rant explaining how certain things look, you know? Makes everything easier for all of us 💖

1.

2.

Althea is the healer of the forest, nursing and bringing life to new creatures and those that have already met their demise. It was Oliver’s first creation upon falling, initially having been made to accompany him during his solitude. When she didn’t seem content with wandering the forest by herself, he gave it the ability to fabricate its own company. She’s the most peaceful of the trio, and will never try to cause any harm.

Amyntas is the guardian of the forest. It’s likely you’ll first encounter it before you travel too deeply into the woods. He was the second creature to be made after a group of wanderers had attacked Althea and nearly robbed Oliver’s things. While the angel could perfectly protect himself, he didn’t want to have that worry hanging over him. Amyntas is fairly peaceful as long as you don’t present yourself as threatening.

Leander is the youngest of the bunch, and he… honestly doesn’t do much sjsksj

It was the latest creation Althea manifested, and he still hasn’t grown to his full height yet. Though, Oliver teases him and tells him that he’ll remain the shortest of them all, standing at only 3’11 in human measurements. While it’s the shortest, it’s also the happiest. He’s always bringing color along with him, whether that be leaving a trail of flowers behind his every stride, or leaving some on Oliver’s doorstep in the mornings.

3.

4.

[velunaryn]

Hello, could you please tell RO's orientations? It will be really sad if I accidentally make a mistake choosing a non possible romance. And briefly describe their appearance, please.

Sure, here is some of the RO orientation and their description.

Leon [M, Straight] A man who held the title of Royal Guardian Elite, fifth division leader. He always had a mysterious air around him. Always found in his oversized cape almost everywhere besides his quarters. He has long silver hair with deep blue eyes to complete his honey-dark skin. No one had caught him showing his affection to anyone, but he was more kind to women than he was to men.

Caerulus [M, BI] A man with a fun personality contrasting his fifth division leader. He has medium-long chestnut layer hair with platinum blond highlight strands on the right side. His gaze looks sharp with a pair of dark amethyst eyes that complement his medium-tone skin. Many women chased him but he only sparked the fire with his mischievous smile many claims they never advanced further than that. Some even said he would also do the same for the man who caught his gaze.

Willham [M, BI] A polite man, some claim to be unfit amongst the fifth division. His black eyes are like a calm spring at midnight, while his short pale brown hair keeps his appearance clean and the most professional of them all. No one is really sure about what he is into, but many women and men alike try to approach him, yet he never turns down any gift or advances.

Nyx [F, Straight] She is the most alluring woman everyone claims to be, between the fifth division and even the elites. Rumor has it she is always wearing revealing clothes for her self-esteem. With a whip of her brown hair, she would catch any man's attention. At the same time, her green eyes would lure many into her trap. Some have tried to shut down the rumor but never try to find the one who sparks the fire.

Maraelyn [F, BI] The quiet girl in the fifth division. Some say her light blue eyes look cold and distant, while others said she is just shy. With her grayish shoulder-length hair on her porcelain, rounded face, she could be mistaken for a doll. No one knows what’s inside her head most of the time, but she never differentiates anyone regarding status, age, or gender.

Althea [F, BI] Some called her eccentric, erratic, cheerful, or playful, but they all agreed that she was the most troublesome member of the fifth division. Everything about her is as loud as the pink and purple color of her hair and eyes. Nothing about her is dull from what she wears to how she talks. The victim of her prank varies and is never distinct from any woman, man, or even age.

Skye [M, Straight] A man with some degree of grace within every action, despite having the most generic black hair and black eyes. But that never stops him from being the way he is now, a friendly guy who is ready to help at any moment. A gossip has it that he once had a lady as his fiance but he is the one who broke that promise for unknown reasons.

Onyx [M, BI] A kid with an attitude and sharp tongue without distinguishing his target. Nothing stands out from his appearance with his messy black hair and mechanic goggles around his neck. His red garnet eyes are the only thing distinguishing him from others. One of his close friends claims to have caught him once staring at the kids playing from far away. Whether he is staring at the game, the boys, the girls, or the atmosphere is still unknown.

Niles [M, BI] A flirt and lady killer is what they associate with his name. Mainly, it was his honey-colored eyes that did all the work in luring curious eyes. With casual clothes and blonde hair, he kept some hair clips, and this is another thing that made him more approachable than any average man. Although lady killer is the title, that never stops him from flirting with a man, too. Or being friendly with everyone is what he claims.

Valkina [F, straight] A quaint elf who was found almost everywhere at her sister's side. Peering into her ivy green eyes when the platinum blond strands of her hair fluttering under the soft wind could transport anyone deep into the pine forest to anyone who wasn't aware. She is collected like still water in the winter, and that charm is what made many men approach her, but she would never fail to ignore them.

Faylan [F, BI] A cheery tiny girl with loose curly brown hair. Everyone kept saying they like her orange topaz eyes that shine over her brown skin. Never seen sharing her opinion, but she never pushes anyone away in the public.

Wyire [F, BI] An honest, bright, and optimistic girl. She had pine-colored eyes under her long purple hair. Many flocks around her because of her personality, but many men and women were intimidated by her sister, who was occasionally around where Wyrie is.

That is all the RO and a bit of description of their appearance. All their orientation is also put up there. Thanks for the question~

[we-pay-for-everything]

Season 3 of Kung Fu really sucks. The plot with Xiao is so boring, and why did they bring Pei-Ling back from the dead? For Zhilan? I hate her redemption arc, it's so rushed and cliché. They really made it easy for her by first bringing Kerwin back from the dead so she technically didn't kill him, and then bringing back Pei Ling for the same reason and so she could forgive her. They even brought back that idol who was a guardian that she killed with Kerwin so she could redeem herself... Such lazy writing... So unsatisfying.

Also, why break Nicky and Henry up for no reason, especially when that plot with Bo went nowhere like we all knew from the beginning. There were no stakes because we knew she'd end up with Henry in the end. They dropped the ball on Bo so bad; they stopped caring for his character after Xiao came back. And Henry and Nicky were better together than apart. They certainly weren't interesting before getting together so why would they break up just to spice things up? There was never any spice at all, but the longer they were together the more I liked them. Breaking them up just made me like both of them less. They were so in love, but Nicky couldn't even stay single for 4 months before she "had to move on".

Moving on, they killed Mia for the shock of it, I guess? But I don't think anyone cared about her so whatever, so... I can't believe they killed Kerwin off just like that without him and Zhilan getting a last moment together. They had actual chemistry, Zhilan experienced realistic growth with him and because of him, and Kerwin was a good character. Him and Juliet were the only good villains besides Zhilan (Kerwin wasn't a real villain though). They brought him back just to get rid of him like that? I'd rather Zhilan had died with him, like my interest in the show. And why stop Althea from coding? She was still helping the others out, but it was even more ridiculous because how can she walk a layman through to how to break into the government's site? They made hacking and coding seem even easier than they already did with Althea and Bo. And what was even Henry's storyline? There was nothing interesting about this season. I only liked the elder Shen's stories, and Dennis. Nicky got on my nerves a bit. After season 2, which was so good, why did they ruin the show like this? The show was dead to me when Kerwin died for real, but it's still disappointing. Season 3 is supposed to be the best or second best season of every show, but this one was incredibly weak, like TVD latter seasons. I don't even care about the ending. Low key wishe everyone died.