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Appendix 16 & 17, Teaser for Arc 8
🕑 Added 2022-11-06 00:17:14 +0000 UTCThis was late due to ... the next book being difficult to kickstart. I was concentrating hard on getting Serenity off Zon so my brain is still stuck there instead of Lyka!
Naturally, my attempt to get the post together was then interrupted by a cat rescue ... good news (?): I now have an injured, seriously underweight but hopefully no longer hungry (she ate a lot!) very very friendly cat in my sunroom. It's a good thing I have cat supplies on hand ... my own cat is not very happy right now.
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I've gone ahead and merged the various between-book stuff into one post; let me know if you want it separate in the future.
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Character List of A New Frontier
This list includes people mentioned in all Arcs to date.
It does not include people with only a single mention or the “people” from the Story Dungeon; they are specifically for that Story. If I missed anyone more important than that (I often do), please let me know in the comments.
Agent Jones - Agent of an unknown agency, on a sniper team
Agent Miller - Agent of an unknown agency; higher ranking than the others. Might be with Internal Affairs?
Agent Price - Agent of an unknown agency, watching Serenity. Whistleblower.
Agent Smith - Agent of an unknown agency, the sniper
Agent Taylor - Agent Price’s boss (former). Forcibly retired for issuing the kill order for Serenity
Aide - Artificial intelligence “given” to Serenity by Tek to manage his cybernetics
Aki - Crystal Raz removed from the dungeon below the Sunrise Clan holdings
Alanok - Lawyer in Celestials’ Rest
Althyr - Eldest of the Conclave of Dragons, Elder Dragon of Order, Serenity’s mentor
Ancient Temple Dungeon Core - Childlike dungeon core
Andarit - Daughter of Kalo Lichbane; Heir of Lowpeak
Anna - In charge of assigning new people to groups in the mercenary(?) camp Gustav led Raz to
Ansera - Healer in the time-warped Forest of Lost Regrets; saved by Serenity from the saktiin plague
Apollyon - Known as “the destroyer”. The actual source of the curse on Rissa’s family (maternal line). Has a reputation for clever schemes.
Arkandaeon - Tutorial Instructor and Mage; member of the Church of Aeons. The man who marked the people who were kidnapped from the Tutorial
Arrimet - Xarx’s aunt; innkeeper
Arrin - Assassin belonging to the Night Sky Court; followed Serenity and Andarit into the Palace Dungeon
Azav - Originally the aide to BattleLord FlameHeart, Azav now leads the Sterath Serenity managed to pull under his banner
BattleLord FlameHeart - Leader of the Sterath invasion of Earth; Merged by Serenity
Baxter - Private pilot; old friend of Lex Rothmer. Has known the family for years, including Serenity/Thomas
Bethany Rothmer - Thomas’s mother
Blaze - Instructor and Healer. Grumpy with people who don’t follow his advice, completely unsympathetic with people who try to make things worse
Captain Larsen - Captain of the Necropolis City Watch; escorted Serenity, Stojan Tasi, et al to the City Lord’s Residence
Ceney - Armorsmith and secret princess
Coyote - Trickster god. Appears to be helpful?
Curio - A voidling that presents as a shadowkitten; Serenity’s familiar (?)
D’ackt - Crossing Guide on Berinath
Darian Ebongrove - Linked to the A Rest From Death dungeon; member of Rising Phoenix mercenary company
Darrin Winterslo - Duke Lowpeak’s spy in Zenith
Death - Personification of Death Himself. May be a god? Very friendly to Serenity
Denise - Jacob Latimer’s girlfriend; also a teacher
Desariin (Rin) - Tzintkra Mercenary Guild Healer
Desinka te A’nar Rakyn - Daughter of Rakyn; Formerly cursed, now a Daywalker vampire bound to the A Rest from Death dungeon.
Dezan - Package sorter at the Tzintkra Messenger’s Guild
Director Collins - Museum Director for the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Djen - Owner of Djen’s Hiring Hall; slavemaster. Enslaved the kidnapped Earthlings.
D’Nehr - More commonly known as the First Guardian; man-shaped semiliquid rock; cannot currently walk on Earth’s surface
Doyle - ally, helped people through trials. Former military; Settlement Manager of Serenity Settlement
Dr. Allen Ridge - Lead Scientist for the DARPA Portal Detector project; has a foot-in-mouth problem but smart and good at the technical side
Dr. Rachel - Scientist and Allen-wrangler for the DARPA Portal-Detector project
Dr. Sandra Mattingly - Project Manager for the DARPA Portal Detector project
Echo - Cheerful girl, “tutorial mascot”. 16 years old, hard life previously but knows how to deal with people; Settlement Manager of Serenity Settlement
Emily - one of the founders of Serenity Settlement; mother
Emira (Emi) - A guide on Berinath
Emry - Sillon’s irresponsible sister
Ekari - Head Administrator of Earth’s Tutorials, instructor. Heretic (or apostate?) because she did not choose to be Lykandeon’s Slave. Wants to be Serenity’s ally but prohibited from telling him so.
Ẽ̷̬l̶̙̿a̷̘͘t̴̙͂ḭ̸̌q̸̳͊ ̴͙̈́ḇ̶̈í̸̲n̸̙͆e̶̗͒r̶͊ͅt̵̼͑ ̶̺̒K̷̩͒i̵̗̚’̷̥̆Ã̶͕m̴̬͝v̵̼̅r̶̹͂ẽ̸͖n̸̢͘ ̷͇̄U̷̩͝u̸̪̅ỉ̶͓n̴̖͝ - the djinn (demon?) Rube found. Dead.
Entherys - Trial instructor. Leader (in his mind) of the conspiracy to kill Serenity. Sent back to his home in disgrace by Order’s Voice
Finley - Gatherer and shopkeeper who overdosed on monster cores; Serenity never got the full story after helping to remove the excess stale essence that was corrupting him
Frank Smith - Shady antiques dealer; may have other sidelines. Was the person behind Macho’s original attempted theft and the later theft of all of her magical artifacts
Gaia - Earth’s World Core
Garrett - Leader of the party Raz is placed into; has a reputation for “losing” trapfinders
Greenstick - Extremely excitable Traa dungeon-master
Greyvine - Mage in the party Raz was placed in; ran from the Last Refuge of the Deathless dungeon and survived
Gustav - Recruiter for an unknown group of mercenaries(?) operating on Tzintkra
Hegemon Worm Queen - Leader of the Hegemon Worms that came to Earth; Dead
Helios - God of the Sun; former Lord of Sol and the Solar System. Dead.
Hj!vr - Greater Obsession Demon, Called Ruler of Mornmot when Serenity arrived
Hollis - Guildmaster of the Tzintkra Healer’s Guild; old friend of Rakyn. Lightning Azata bloodline
Honoria Clearsight - Tutorial instructor, witch. Goes by Helga in Tutorials where she has to use an alternate name. Can teach mental defense. Librarian at the Great Library of Asihanya.
Innat - Fixer / event planner in Celestials’ Rest
Irene - Tzintkra Mercenary Guildmaster
Irma - Caravan leader and guard
Ita ena a’Serenity - Sterath Connections mage; Serenity’s first Shameless
Iva - Fighter in the party Raz was placed in; died in the Last Refuge of the Deathless dungeon
Janice - Serenity’s assistant
Jacob - Rissa’s brother; mind-mage; was cursed until Serenity broke the curse
Jine - Sillon’s wife
Josaiah - Restaurant worker who managed to get caught by both the Hegemon Worm Queen (hypnotized only) and one of the decay-creatures. Rescued by Serenity and an emergency Tutorial entrance to get Blaze’s help; Biomage
Kalo Lichbane, Duke of Lowpeak - Andarit’s father
Karen A. - Thomas’s Boss (at least for however long the "unpaid vacation" lasts)
Karin - High Priestess of the Church of Aeons; Ekari’s mother
Katya Kyrika - Outside the dungeon when Serenity and Raz emerge; member of the Rising Phoenix mercenary company; member of the Kyrika clan of crafters; member of the group Serenity has assembled
Kerr (Aardya a’Kerinth) - Weapons instructor who knows Sterath. Looking to have Serenity as an ally. Possible friend
LaCroix - undead student
Lak - Member of the Tzintkra Mercenary Guild; Formerly Cursed
Lak - Sillon’s Daughter
Lancaster - Police officer who takes Thomas and Rissa’s statements about Macho. Serenity’s friend and ally
Larsen - Captain in the Necropolis Watch
Lex (Alexander) Rothmer - Thomas’s father, Former Secretary of Defense
Liam Brown - Obsessive ritualist (dead)
Lieutenant Smith - Leader of “Task Force Kangaroo” for the DC Police
Liuyedao - ally, helped people through trials. College student, martial artist; Swordmaster Path
Longsight - Traa elder and strategist. Has been known to out-clever himself
Lykandeon - God of Ekari’s homeworld; ascended mortal
Macho - Man who “originally” killed Rissa. Attempts to kill Serenity (twice?). Current status unknown (escaped custody in the Tutorial)
Made (Madeleine) Fulton - Reporter for Channel Six, first identified person with Hegemon Worms
Madelyn Alexander - State Department negotiator assigned to the Traa
Maerite - Anti-slavery organizer in Celestials’ Rest
Mandy - Child Serenity encountered in a Tutorial, then again in the Blue Line Dungeon; magical prodigy
Margrethe - Cleanser for Earth’s Tutorials. Saved Moira. Attempted to kill Serenity twice. Forgiven(?)
Marti - Receptionist at the Tzintkra Mercenary Guild. Suspicious of Serenity
Mina - Friend of Mindy; met Serenity during his last Tutorial
Mindy - Friend of Mina; met Serenity during his last Tutorial
Miranda Elliott - British Prime Minister
Missy - One of the founders of Serenity Settlement; mother. Lead farmer of the Settlement
Moira - Ambitious mage, wanted to learn “all elements”. Thought Raymond was a friend until he tricked her into attacking Serenity while she was loopy from a misguided attempt to gain Death affinity. Saved by Serenity and Margrethe. Sworn follower to Serenity. Shares emotions with him when they are close enough.
Morwen - Friend of Serenity’s from college; now works for DARPA. Lightning mage
Mr. Williams - British liaison
Nadia Kyrika - Katya’s aunt
Nat (Natalie) Freeman - Cameraman for Channel Six
Nightmare Wraith - Boss of the 3rd level of the Ancient Temple Dungeon; Dungeon Guardian; can be summoned by Serenity
Nightwitch - ally, helped people through trials. Pilot. Military; coordinated a significant portion of the invasion portal effort
Officer Jones - DC Police; Member of “Task Force Kangaroo”; Rookie
Officer Nguyen - DC Police; Member of “Task Force Kangaroo”; Stealth specialist
Officer Surrey - DC Police; Member of “Task Force Kangaroo”; Melee combat
Order’s Voice - Somewhere between an interface and a person. Sometimes speaks to Serenity
Pelni Sukaj - Inventor of the Curse used on the Shining Caverns
Phoebe Latimer - Rissa’s mother, Seer
President Stewart - President of the United States during the First Wave
Prince Ora - Prince of Zenith; one of the few survivors of the royal family
Professor Eric Rasmissen - Archaeology professor at New York University, contact of Russ’s
Professor Richard “Dick” Indiana Jones - Archaeology professor at New York University
Psyche - Deity who told Serenity that Apollo was dead, so the person responsible for Rissa’s family curse is probably Helios; lives in Canada these days
Rakyn - Father of Desinka, Friend of Guildmaster Hollis, Former vampire hunter
Raymond - Lancaster’s partner before the Tutorial. Attacks Serenity twice. Dead
Razinkh ‘e Sunrise (Raz) - A Draykin from Asihanya, near Stallet Center. Raz’s Clan was destroyed and he fled to Tzintkra
Red - Cousin of Phoebe Latimer; Spellwitch. Possibly cursed.
Rhea - Goddess; motherly and associated with Earth. Bakes excellent cookies.
Rissa (Clarissa Latimer) - Thomas’s girlfriend; Auspex/Time Dragon hybrid; pregnant with Serenity’s child
Robert - Discharged Lowpeak retainer; beastmaster variant. Killed by Serenity.
Roy - Helped Serenity & Raz travel the Metro; appears to work in a job tracking Tutorials and people that come out of them? Possibly military?
Rupert “Rube” Merryweather - Sensitive Path; a student at New York University who found a cracked vase holding a djinn. Partially healed.
Russ (Russell) Latimer - Rissa’s father, Guardian, Auspex and psychic
Serenity - Main character; former name is Thomas Rothmer; known as Vengeance and The Final Reaper in the previous timeline
Sillon - Trial instructor. Friend of Serenity
Stojan Aith - Dhampir City Lord of the Necropolis (temporary); Breaker of Tzintkra’s World Core (dead)
Stojan Kenna - Dhampir, Son of Stojan Aith, Nephew of Stojan Tasi. Mastermind behind the plan to curse the Shining Caverns
Stojan Tasi - Dhampir City Lord of the Shining Caverns; DeathLord; City Manager of the Necropolis. Brother of Stojan Aith, Uncle of Stojan Kenna
Sunrise - Founder of the Sunrise Clan; Raz’s ancestress
Syri - Dhampir healer at the Tzintkra Mercenary Guild. Outwardly subservient to Serenity
Tek - Earth’s God of Technology
Thad - Tried to challenge Serenity for “his women”, Mindy and Mina
The Deathless - Ancient mage that wanted to live forever
The Librarian - An old-seeming man who manages a magical library under the library of the University of London
The Final Reaper - Thomas’s final name the first time around
Thomas Rothmer - Serenity’s name before everything started
Tibral Unalgos - Pelni Sukaj’s sponsor
Timmat - Revenant in the Dead Swamp
Tirmanak Oathbinder - Guildmaster of Order’s Guild on Ranar
Tranquil Conviction - Sterath god (or perhaps boogeyman?). Also known as the Peace of the Grave before Serenity took the name.
Tyche - Lady Luck; has a mean sense of humor
Tzintkra - The World Core of the planet known as Tzintkra; damaged by Stojan Aith
Vengeance - Thomas after Rissa’s death the first time around
Vladimir Angeloff - Russian interrogator from a Tutorial. Defected with family; last seen in London
Widetail - Lord of the Traa who decided to invade Earth
Yngoliat Hale - Ynsarac Hale’s father; current head of the Rising Phoenix mercenary company
Ynsarac Hale - Outside the dungeon when Serenity and Raz emerge; member (heir to) of the Rising Phoenix mercenary company
Xarxinal (Xarx) - Ceney’s bodyguard and friend
Zan - Outside the dungeon when Serenity and Raz emerge; former member of the Rising Phoenix mercenary company; ripped them off for a lot of Etherium; Zekia’s brother
Zekia - Zan’s sister (Dead)
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Current To-Do List
Figure out what’s going on on Lyka. Why are my people being taken there?
Building the dungeon into a home - Raz, Aki; input only
Rissa’s pregnant - what the heck do I do about that? Is there stuff I should do for a kid?
Decay creatures - Russ is handling, but needs my help?
Finding the Lost Quest from Althyr - how to save the dragons’ children?
Order’s Guild. I should probably visit them the next time I head to Ranar.
Spend time with Rissa
Flying practice
New Affinity practice - Magitech, SpaceTime, Liminal, Nihility
Essence magic & runes!
Practice shapeshifting. Especially investigate emotional/assumption shifts associated with Forms. Will require Aide’s assistance.
Check in on the freed people on Zon.
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Planets near Earth mentioned so far:
Aeon
Asihanya - Raz’s origin
Berinath - dryads’ moon
Grayson - not friendly to foreigners
Lyka
Ranar - home of Order’s Guild’s headquarters for the local cluster
T’cherna - Desinka delved with some people from there
Tzintkra - Planet of Death, Necropolis
Zon - Andarit’s origin
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General
Magic
Resistances
Heritages
Chimeric
Pure (Innate)
Essence Dragon (Primary)
Asura
Child of Time, Unbound
Dhampir, Essence/Mana
Draugr, Sage
Elemental, Essence
Elemental, Mana
Godling
Human, Earth
Lich, Paramount (Primary)
Vampire, Daywalker
Potential, Sovereign
Wraith, Nightmare
Other Known Heritages
Azata, Lightning
Curse Witch
Healing Light
Hexen
Heavens’ Fire
Jiang-Shi
Knight of Blood
Malevolent Spark
Mote of Decay
Mote of Stasis
Mummy
Remnant Wisp of Life
Revenant, Star
Sea Lion, Earth
Abilities
Monster Biology
Eyeless Sight
Colorless vision that does not require light; no visual effect
Vital Sight
Shows the primary animating Affinity, usually Life, for creatures. Makes the eyes glow with blue-white fire
Blossoms’ Sleep
Can induce sleep on self with a defined wakeup time
Runic Shielding Tattoos
Resists one attack of any sort. Does not require preactivation if the attack will kill or disable. Fully drains current MP to establish, drains SP to maintain, ends when hit. MP drained determines strength of blow that can be resisted, will fail if strength is exceeded but may reduce the power of the attack even if it fails. Effect is better with automatic activation
Crystal Seed Remote Link
Allows Serenity to access the World Core features as though he were at a Node, even when he isn’t on a ley line. Functionality may be limited inside dungeons.
Dhampir’s Default
When a Dhampir is casually examined, he or she appears to be a normal member of the living population.
Down to the River
When you physically envelop a being with a soul, you may choose to send their soul to the River of Souls. The soulless body will remain if applicable. Success rate depends on Ambit. When you do this, you will gain some of their knowledge but not personality. Decreased chance of success in any form other than Sovereign of Potential.
Link Core
While touching an Essence Core, you can attempt to create a Sovereign Link. Enhanced by Ambit.
Multiform
You may assume the shape of any Form you know. All Forms reflect yourself and all Forms are reflected in some manner in your Chimera Form. Detailed control of Forms increases with familiarity. Any Forms above the minimum require a continual maintenance cost of both Mana and Essence. Minimum number of Forms: 2. Maximum number of Forms: 4. Forms may be repeated.
Forms passively return to their normal condition.
Current known forms: Chimera, Hatchling Essence Dragon, Sovereign of Potential (Kernel), Human(?), Crystal Hilt, Armor, Sterath(?), Greater Demon of Righteous Retribution
Rift of Potential
You can manifest a small rift between your location and the Origin Point.
Path Abilities
Loot Core
Teleports a monster core from touched monster body to the user. Usable on any dead monster with a core. Costs mana
Resilience of the Dead
Slightly increased resistance to certain status alterations
Eat Death
Absorb Death energy found within the Death Eater’s aura. Absorption based on Affinity. Intensity of absorption can be varied but the ability cannot be completely disabled. Absorbed Death energy may be used as if it were Death mana. Dissipates with time.
Ability damaged
Basic Analyze
Analyze a being for basic information. The being may be animal, Pathed, or monster. Other beings may be analyzed if they have any appropriate features. Items may not be analyzed
Intermediate Unarmed Combat (Claw Variant)
Losing your weapons is not a disaster when you have weapons attached to your hands. Your expertise with claws is nearly nonexistent, but your general training with unarmed combat is transferable
Adept Aspect Form
Instead of infusing an Affinity into your weapon, infuse your Aspect into yourself. Limited time, consumes both stamina and mana, induces unconsciousness when the Form lapses
Basic Sense Raw Magic
Detect background, non-attuned energy. This sense is always active
Linked Sight
You may share your vision and vision-based abilities with your Seer or anyone whom you share a similar Link with. They may also share their vision and vision-based abilities with you. Consumes Stamina per vision or vision-based ability shared in either direction. Vision ability costs are paid by the user instead of the originator of the ability, if applicable
Moment of Prescience
Know a moment ahead of time when something will kill or disable you or someone you wish to protect. Activation is automatic. Cannot be activated more than once a minute. Consumes stamina in inverse proportion to the threat
Time’s Eye
Your eyes see the motions of Time as it stretches and changes. The hidden is easier to see and the false easier to see through. Consumes Stamina
(Note: the Stamina cost is low enough that it can be maintained for hours at a time, though that will significantly reduce Serenity’s available Stamina for other uses)
Unbound
Time does not quite have the same hold on you as it does on others, and Fate does not rule you. You can slip between the lines of the future and past or even blur them if you have the desire and the strength. That which will be has no power over you, and you can break the strands of Destiny for others if you dare. This ability is always active and has always applied to you
Basic Identify
Identify an object to gain basic information on it, such as its name, basic properties, materials, and/or minor enchantments
Scale Hardening
Use Essence or Mana to reinforce your scales, making them harder to damage and more protective. Costs Stamina to maintain
Wait for an Opening
Study an opponent’s actions in combat to gain an intuitive understanding of the right time to strike
Second Wind
Convert some of a more filled resource pool (Mana, Stamina, or Essence) into an empty one. Consumes some of the converted resource
Stand Tall
Whether you are the last wall between your loved ones and your enemies or you simply love to fight, your ability to take a beating is exceptional. Blood loss, bruises, injuries, and even broken bones will not stop you. You can fight at the full effectiveness your body is capable of despite your injuries
Essence Sight
You can already sense Essence with your Aura. Sight adds precision and distance to your detection capability. This may be enabled or disabled at will. A visual effect may be present
Physical Storage
You can store spells inside your own body to be evoked later. Stored spells may be evoked only by you and may be triggered at any time. All variable effects must be determined prior to casting. Stored spells will degrade with time and use of mana or essence in the area the spell is stored.
Spell Conversion
You can convert the power of any spell you can Evoke into a ranged mana or essence strike. The power of the strike depends on the stored spell power.
Store Spell
You may temporarily store spells in items to be evoked later. The item must be strong enough to hold the spell, and synergy with the spell will slow spell degradation. Stored spells will degrade with time and nearby mana or essence use. Storage of spells can damage items used.
Designate Evocation Conditions
You may designate conditions on when a stored spell can be evoked. You can bypass any conditions you set, but you cannot bypass conditions set by other Evokers. This allows you to set conditions that will allow non-Evokers to Evoke stored spells, but spells Evoked by the untrained will be significantly degraded during the evocation.
Entwined Magic
You can mix Mana and Essence magic freely, to achieve effects not possible with Mana or Essence alone. Passive.
Gaze of the Origin
When you choose, you can infuse your gaze with the power of your connection to the Origin. Effects vary. Power depends on Ambit.
Aura of Magic
When you choose, you can reveal your Mana and Essence pools with your aura. Passively increases the maximum size and regeneration of your Mana and Essence. Increases the regeneration of others’ mana and essence at a slight cost to your regeneration rate. Easily sensed. Power depends on size and regeneration rate of mana and essence pools.
Mold Magic
You can alter magic that has been given a steady form. Passive.
Potential of the Rift
Your Rift to the Origin will allow you to move items or creatures to the Origin and retrieve them later. Items or creatures stored in the Origin will be exposed to it. You may travel to the Origin using the Rift.
Rift Control
You may control the Potential that leaks from your Rift to the Origin as long as it is within your aura, including increasing or decreasing the amount that leaks.
Call on the Origin
The Origin is just that: the beginning of all things. Bring something temporarily into the real world, limited only by your imagination and power. Variable Cost.
Revivify
Potential can become warped in many ways. Restore something to its original Potential. Quality of repair affected by the level of understanding of what the repair requires, the amount of damage being repaired, the time since the damage occurred, and the Time Affinity, Concept, and Aspect of the user.
Realize Potential
Use Potential drawn through the Rift to temporarily gain something from your Heritage. Variable Cost.
Death Magebolt
Throw a mass of Death-attuned magic at your enemy.
Magesight
Advanced Sight Skill that combines Mana Sight, Basic Sense Raw Mana, Essence Sight, and Vital Sight into a single improved Skill. Passively view all forms of magic. Observe how they affect each other and can transform from one to another. When used actively, additional details can be observed such as Affinities and faint traces of spell residue.
Fireball
Place a ball of Plasma where you want it within your sight range. Maximum expansion size varies with mana used.
Cone of Lightning
Emit Energy starting from your hands in a cone shape. Spread in height and width may be controlled by hand position; maximum length depends on mana used and height and width selected.
Spot Nullification
Use Nihility to destroy what you can see. Roughly shapeable. Potentially explosive.
Death Field
As Death’s Incarnate, you radiate Death through your aura. You may choose creatures to include or exclude at any time. Toggleable, Easily Detectable.
Synaesthesia
You have gained many new senses that do not quite fit the ones you are accustomed to. You must choose: do you represent them as another form of a familiar sense or do you learn to meet them on their own terms?
Magitech Abomination
Level 25 - Subconscious Synchronization - You have been growing closer and closer to Aide. Allow Aide to take over for your autonomic functions, consuming a fraction of its processing power to free the space for additional cyberware and expansions for Aide.
Level 50 - Skill Integration - Senses require attention; so do many Skills. Attention is a limited resource for most, but you have the ability to use the next best thing: processing power. Figure out how to integrate your Skills with either your own additional processing or hand them over to Aide.
Level 75 - Quickrune - As an Evoker, you can store a spell to be cast later. As a creature of Magitech and (former) Runemaster, you can now build a rune of your own flesh to be triggered when needed.
Level 100 - Abominable Absorption - One of your basic abilities is the absorption of technology, changing it to fit within your body. As a magitech abomination, you may absorb magic or technologic items, altering your body to fit its new needs.
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Earth’s Planetary-level World Core Authorizations
Portal Management
Dungeon Taxation
Quest Visibility
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Serenity’s Titles
Previous Supreme Existence
You were the Supreme Existence in a previous incarnation, and can remember some of what came before. Your status also grants you the Ghost in the System title. This title is hidden from all but you.
First of A Kind
You are the first True Chimera and the first Essence Dragon. Your Paths shall shape the future of those who follow in your footsteps.
Named
Your Name is known and respected or feared. No other can bear this Name.
Ghost in the System
You bypass certain restrictions. This title is hidden unless you share it with another.
Aspect Pathfinder
As the first person to discover a new Aspect, Concept, and Affinity, you set the path for those who follow you on the road of Essence Magic. Creating new methods and applying methods from other magical schools is easier.
Incarnate
More than an Aspect, you are an Incarnate. Your Concept sets what the meaning of the Affinity you Incarnate does and does not mean. Your Incarnate will always be a part of you, and you will always be a part of it.
As an Incarnate, you are not capable of combining or otherwise altering this Affinity.
There cannot be more than one Incarnate for an Affinity at a time, as no two people will ever have identical Conceptions of an Affinity.
Lord
You are recognized as the ruler of a Settlement. This comes with certain rights as long as you are within the Settlement or interacting with people who are identified as belonging to the Settlement. This Title will be removed if you are no longer the Lord of a Settlement.
DeathLord
You have a high enough combined Death Affinity, Concept, and Aspect to qualify to rule a Necropolis.
Tyche’s Mark
You have been marked by Lady Luck. Interesting things will happen around you. They may be good or bad.
This Curse removes your Luck and Luck % attributes and suppresses all Luck attributes that would affect you (directly or indirectly). Instead, Luck is in flux around you and unlikely events are more likely to occur when you are nearby.
Worlds’ Friend
Multiple worlds have declared you an ally. Others who are strongly tied to those worlds may sense a kinship with you. This may affect the reaction of other worlds or their servants.
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Serenity’s Gear List
Shield
Bow of Energy Arrows (has normal arrows as well)
Comfortable Bedroll
Storage Bag (pocket of backpack) (Has bought extras)
Cloak of Minor Disguise
Void Elemental Armor
Claw Stone
Quick Belt (4 slots) - currently holds the shield, knives and throwing ax; Serenity fills it out with healing potions as needed
Boots of Far Step (damaged)
Serenity’s Throwing Ax
Mercenary Guild tag
Dreamstone in a box (the one Rakyn was supposed to deliver to the Conclave of Stars)
Small golem statuette (“Lessi”) - activation phrase unknown
Knives of Duplication
Backup Armor (does not have space for wings)
Attuned Keys: Teleportation Beacon at Serenity Settlement, Earth
Tent of Comfort
Favor of Tranquil Conviction
I, Tranquil Conviction, assert that the Peace of the Grave, Serenity, has earned his Name.
Favor of Death
Commonly sought after but rarely granted, Death Himself believes he owes you a favor. This Favor will not be honored if called on by another.
Favor of Luck x3
You have amused the source of Luck. As long as you continue to be interesting, you will earn her Favor.
Favor of Coyote
A trickster with a fondness for Humanity, wherever it is found, Coyote has granted you a Favor that will allow you to speak with him.
Favor of Ptah
Thought, Word, Existence: Creation is Ptah’s passion, and you have crafted yourself as others craft the world around them. Ptah grants no gifts that you cannot make yourself, but those who can see shall know that he favors you.
Favor of the Earth-Mother
A home is more than a place.
Favor of Tek x7
You don’t write, you don’t call... Seriously, Serenity, I put my number in your phone for a reason. Use it.
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Open Quests:
Restore the Lost
Path Quest Stage 4: Tutorial Trouble
A Past Built in Layers
The Fall of Zon
[Mentor Quest: Restore the Lost]
[Goal: Find out a way for dragons to have lower-Tier eggs and hatchlings to allow their minds and bodies to grow together and prevent them from becoming Lost]
[Optional Goal: Find a way to restore those who have been Lost from their spirit form, physical form, or both]
[Optional Goal: Learn about other species with this issue. Generalize the solution]
[Reward: Unknown]
[Failure Consequences: None]
[Message begins: I don’t really expect you to be able to do anything about the Lost any time soon, but you have the best chance I’ve seen in millenia. If you can’t, maybe a descendant of yours will be able to. Message ends.]
[Path Quest Stage 4: Path Quest Choice]
[Tutorial Trouble: There is a problem in the Tutorial. Students are being directed to incorrect locations at the end of the first Phase. Assist the Voice’s investigations, find the responsible parties, and arrange for appropriate punishment]
[Step 1: Find out how it’s happening in the Tutorial] [COMPLETE]
[Step 2: Investigate on Zon] [COMPLETE]
[Step 3]: Investigate the Eternal Church’s involvement] [ONGOING]
[Optional Goal: Put measures in place that will prevent the same scheme from working in the future] [COMPLETE]
[Optional Goal: Recover the lost Earthlings and return them to Earth (if desired)]
A Past Built in Layers
Group Quest - Order’s Guild
No Time Limit
Variable Reward
Requirement: Wardsmith, Enchanter, or Runemaster
Many worlds hold artifacts older than the Voice itself. They may be buildings or they may be items. Find one and decipher it, then offer the knowledge to the Voice.
The Fall of Zon
Group Quest - Order’s Guild
No Time Limit
Failure Condition: Quest will fail if no strong center to rebuild from remains
Requirement: None
Zon has been shrinking for the entire lifetime of the Voice. While it was slow at first, often unseen, it has continued and accelerated in recent centuries. Only one major civilization remains, centered on the ancient city of Zenith. Several outlying areas are also strong, such as the Duchy of Lowpeak, The Mountain’s Crest, Heavenfall, and Celestials’ Rest.
Guildmaster Tirmanak Oathbinder believes that Zenith will fall within the century, taking most of the civilization of Zon with it.
Find and counter the cause of this decay, reversing it and making Zon grow once more.
Success Condition: An expanding native population and settlement area, leading to an increase in Zon’s Tier. Direct assistance from the Voice will invalidate this quest.
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Author’s Commentary on A New Frontier
A New Frontier started as a number of pieces; first, it was a tiny little idea about a scheme affecting Earthlings that Serenity gets pulled into. That survived intact, although the exact way Earthlings were being kidnapped changed a bit; this makes far more sense than the original. Of course, the original came from a dream; dream logic usually has holes.
The second piece was supposed to be checking up on Entherys, the instructor Serenity banished from the Tutorial back in Arc 1. I’m not sure how many people noticed, but he was sent to Iron Mountain. As it happens, he was Andarit’s fiancee (broken off after his disgrace); that part survived and was mentioned, but they never actually made it into the Mountain’s Crest Estate to actually run into him.
The third piece of the puzzle is showing a bit more of the outside worlds; Zon is very different from Tzintkra, even though they’re both failing worlds (well, they were; that may be less true of Tzintkra in the future). The other worlds we’ve seen so far are not failing, however, and we’ll get to see more of both Lyka and Aeon in the next arc.
The fourth piece is that this was a way to get Serenity off Earth and moving again; if he stays on Earth, he’ll stagnate because advancing makes it exceedingly uncomfortable to leave high-mana areas like Aki’s dungeon. He’s probably going to make a home on Earth, but we’ll see how that goes.
It’s funny to see how I’ve kept the core of each of those and yet the final outcome is very far from what I thought it would be. At one point, I expected the flight across Zon to include Rissa’s group, but it made far more sense in the end to have them get stuck on Lyka (for several reasons).
Overall, I think I’m relatively happy with this one, though the final sequence (traveling through the demon-infested cities alone) was difficult to make as interesting as I wanted. I’m still not sure I succeeded.
I’d planned more interaction with Ceney (the armorsmith princess) but that simply didn’t work out. If I do an edit, I might add a scene where he actually does go to her armor shop. The problem is … I don’t know what the point would be, really. He doesn’t need anything from there; it would simply end up being a way to meet her earlier and make it a bit less of a coincidence when they leave Zon together. Maybe that’s enough of a reason.
I hope I managed to give a sense of history, both known and lost, for Zon without drowning you in it. I did a bunch of worldbuilding on what happened there in the past, but there’s no way that was all going to fit. It’s a hard balance to keep because I know that different people have different levels of appetite for it; some people really appreciate all the details and want more while others just want me to get on with the story. It’s just like when I get into the inner workings of magic…
On a similar note: Yes, Serenity did change history. If he went back and checked, the map he copied no longer matches the one Duke Lowpeak has because Serenity’s didn’t change. Hopefully this gives an idea for just how weird Time magic can be, especially with an Unbound Child of Time running around.
I’m very happy with the scenes on Berinath; I really liked showing the touristy side of the universe. I doubt it will ever some up, so I’ll just tell you here: Berinath orbits Tzintkra.
As you can probably guess, the next arc (tentatively titled Corrupted Divinity) takes us into the Church of Aeons on Lyka and Aeon. For now, all I want to say on the topic is that Lykandeon and Serenity don’t see eye to eye on pretty much anything, so it should be a properly bumpy ride.
See you there!
~Lillene
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Arc 8 Teaser
Pulled from a hopeless (if powerful) future back to the moment of Earth’s integration to try to improve the outcome, Serenity has met unexpected threats and unexpected allies - even friends. Everything is different this time.
It’s been about eight months since the first Tutorial.
The Tutorials are over now; in that time, it’s been one success after another. All of the invasion portals have been closed, removing that threat and allowing Earth time to figure out how it’s going to grow without too much interaction with the outside universe.
Portals have opened to a few select marketplaces elsewhere, but travel is still rare and potentially dangerous. The potential is enough that many are heading out, trying to establish trade or even simply to see what’s out there.
The return of magic to Earth is waking old, long-lost secrets. One is already loose, growing its power as it hides from those who might stop it. The forces that once suppressed these dangers have grown brittle, for they have their own secrets that may prevent them from completing their ancient task.
One such ancient secret is Apollyon, whose curse has restricted the peacekeepers for centuries. One truth is revealed, but many more remain to be found. Despite this, Serenity’s attention lies elsewhere.
People were kidnapped from the Tutorial and sent elsewhere; Serenity has people working to recover them on Zon, but now he has to deal with the ones who were sent to Lyka in the “care” of the Church of Aeons. The Eternal Church does not allow slavery, but the very words used when they declare that makes Serenity think that they are doing something even worse: enslaving the mind instead of the body.
Whether or not that’s true, Serenity wants to get his people home.
Comments
1) Good catch; I've added it to the list. He's used it a little and I expect he'll use it more, especially now that he's with a group again. 2) That's an interesting thought. I think the answer is that it depends; after all, Serenity went the route of Righteous Retribution, so he probably has significant resistance to Wrath when it isn't Righteous. The direct route called a Greater Wrath Demon would probably have a lower but more generic Wrath Resistance (or who knows, maybe it would be higher than Serenity's since they have to live with it all the time). No matter what, they can never get completely away from it. Of course, this answer might change as I explore demons more. I know where they came from originally and why they're the way they are but I've only had so long to explore the implications.
SpaceGoddess76
2 things: 1) Under Serenity’s equipment list there is no mention of his Tent/Apartment thing he got as a reward from the Tutorial. I’m hoping you plan to actually use it otherwise it seems like a worthless reward and you’d be better off changing it with something he can use right away like a skill or consumable to add a permanent boost to him & then forget about it. 2) It was mentioned that Thorn Demons probably get Pain Resistance as they increase in levels/tiers. So I was wondering if other Demon types get resistances to their defining traits? Like would Wrath & similar demons get Anger Resistance; Lust & Similar Demons get Pleasure Resistance; Etc. Allowing them to manage their mentality better & actually live a life rather than being consumed constantly by it? Especially those of higher tiers? And if so wouldn’t Serenity’s subtype get an Anger Resistance? Which could also benefit him when not in his Demon form? Or is there a different all encompassing Resistance that could alleviate their desires?
Tsula
I too love when a lot of focus is put on how magic works. I also have a fondness for any time an author finds time for the characters to just *be* for a bit I have been known to grumble angrily at people who complain about both things.
