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/qst/ - Quests


Your life is miserable. You work a dead-end job, you live alone in a dingy apartment owned by a landlord you hate, and you barely have the energy to pursue any of your hobbies. One day, during one of your sporadically provided off-days, you are met with an impossible floating screen. Glowing a dazzling gold, the semi-transparent tablet reads: "Congratulations. You have been deemed as the best candidate for the incarnation of a divinity. Will you proceed with the deification process?"

You scroll down and are met with...

What is your gender?
>Male
>Female

Which of the following do you find the most compelling?
>A force of nature
>An aspect of humanity
>A blight
>Write-in
>>
>>5845826
>Male
>A geographic feature
>>
>>5845826
>Female
>blight

Hellenic Hel mode?
>>
>>5845826
>Male
>An aspect of humanity
>>
>>5845829

Supporting
>>
>>5845826
>Female
>An aspect of humanity
>>
>>5845826
>>Female
>>An aspect of humanity
>>
>>5845826
>>Male
>A blight
we must corrupt
>>
>>5845826
>Female
>A blight
>>
>>5845829
>>5845830
>>5845843
>>5845845
>>5845853
>>5845899
>>5845907
>>5845930

Since gender is tied, we will halt its determination for now.

>An aspect of humanity
>A blight

Your deepest wish is to be a walking calamity: to watch humans keel over in anguish at your feet like helpless insects before an exterminator. However, your ambitions aren't as low as a monster or beast, you desire something more refined. Something... grander. What is your favorite way of bringing harm?

>To induce emotions that cause humans to attack each other or destroy themselves
>To bring about conditions that make their lives difficult and short
>To act directly as a bringer of death, cutting out any middle men
>Write-in
>>
>>5845981
>To induce emotions that cause humans to attack each other or destroy themselves
Can we be greed? Pride? Factionalism? A different based vice?
>>
>>5845981
>>To induce emotions that cause humans to attack each other or destroy themselves
WAR
>>
>>5845981
>>To bring about conditions that make their lives difficult and short
>>
>>5845981
>To bring about conditions that make their lives difficult and short
>>
>>5845981
Since my previous post may have been a bit unclear, I wanted to specify that, if you haven't voted on gender already, you still can.
>>
>>5845826
>Female
>>5845981
>To bring about conditions that make their lives difficult and short
>>
>>5845981
>Male
>To act directly as a bringer of death, cutting out any middle men
War god come on
>>
>>5845981
>To act directly as a bringer of death, cutting out any middle men
WAAAAR! I FUCKING LOVE WAR! MURDER! MAIM! MASSACRE! WAR! DEATH! DESTRUCTION! DESPOILATION! WAAAR! WAR! FOR THE SAKE OF WAR! ALL THESE THINGS AND MORE ARE AS SWEETEST AMBROSIA TO US!
>>
>>5845981
>>To bring about conditions that make their lives difficult and short
>>
>>5845981
>Female
>To bring about conditions that make their lives difficult and short
>>
>>5845983
I will be fine with whatever choice allows us to be the god of war/conflict
>>
>>5845983
>>5845985
>>5846019
>>5846027
>>5846039
>>5846040
>>5846045
>>5846049
>>5846052
>>5846054

You are female.

You find yourself in two minds on the nature of the suffering you wish to bring. On the one hand, the idea of turning the world into a harsh, cruel place to live in, forcing people to wither away slowly and helplessly seems wonderful to you. On the other, the idea of forcing them to fight each other, to strike each other down in a frenzy of violence and screams, holds great appeal. However, you come to a conclusion: in times of famine, when hunger overrides the better instincts of man, they do not hesitate to tear each other apart. You think back to history, and realize that the bloodiest revolutions and the most brutal wars were done in response to a lack of the very essentials to survival. However, you take some pause. Is this truly enough blood to sate your thirst?

Are you Limos, goddess of Famine?
>Yes
>No
>>
>>5846065
>>Yes
>>
>>5846065
>No
>>
>>5846065
>No
GIVE ME WAR OR GIVE ME DEATH
>>
>>5846065
>Yes
>>
>>5846065
>No
Famine is the lamest calamity. Something like pestilence or war, that's where it's at!
>>
>>5846065
>No
Famine is alright but WAR, W A R is better!
>>
>>5846174
>>5846096
>>5846088
>>5846084
>>5846076
>>5846072
>>5846174
>>5846096
>>5846088
>>5846084
>>5846076
>>5846072

Famine is good but, you think, something is missing. You think, perhaps something more visceral, something with a bit more flair, would suit you better. But what?

>Lyssa: Goddess of mad, rabid rage
>Pthisis: Embodiment of rot, and putrefaction
>Bia: Silent goddess of force and violence
>Atë: goddess of folly and ruin
>Actually, Limos sounds about right
>>
>>5846198
>Pthisis: Embodiment of rot, and putrefaction
>>
>>5846198
>Atë: goddess of folly and ruin
Time to fuck up some mortals
>>
>>5846198
>>Lyssa: Goddess of mad, rabid rage
>>
>>5846198
>Atë: goddess of folly and ruin
>>
>>5846198
>Pthisis: Embodiment of rot, and putrefaction
>>
>>5846198
>Bia: Silent goddess of force and violence
>>
>>5846198
>Atë: goddess of folly and ruin
>>
>>5846198

>Atë: goddess of folly and ruin

Seems appropriate and topical
>>
>>5846198
>Bia
Violence
>>
>>5846198
>Lyssa: Goddess of mad, rabid rage
>>
>>5846198
>Actually, Limos sounds about right
>>
Writing
>>
>>5846220
>>5846224
>>5846274
>>5846356
>>5846365
>>5846403
>>5846406
>>5846462
>>5846505
>>5846550
>>5846553

>Atë, goddess of folly and ruin

You decide that the greatest pleasure in life is to nudge people in the directions in which they always wanted to go, reducing people to their basest of urges and watching as their own follies beget their complete undoing. Not even the very gods were immune to this influence, and, at the end, as long as man is fallible, you will always have a place.

You proceed with the deification process.

>God Rank: C
>Synchronization Rate: 98.75%
>Level: 1
>Influence: 0/100
>Divinity: 50/50
>Directive: By Their Own Hand
You gain Influence whenever a person touched by your influence meets disaster as a result of their own folly. Additionally, you gain influence for each bystander harmed in the process. Once you meet a certain influence threshold, you may either increase your level or the level of one of your authorities. However, the levels of your authorities may not exceed your level. Additionally, new authorities may be unlocked at higher levels

>Trait: Olympian Exile:
Your influence can touch anyone, mortal and god alike. However, you will be recognized and seen as a threat by any incarnation of an <Olympian>

Authorities:

>A Thousand Faces, a Thousand Voices (1):
You can temporarily alter your physical appearance and voice as you please, provided you maintain a human shape. Additionally, your words can be understood by anyone, regardless of language

>Divine Folly (EX):
You may copy one Authority from any incarnation that falls victim to your directive. The authority you copy is random, and you may do so only once per incarnation, and all authorities are copied at level one

>Whisper of Temptation (1):
While in effect, individuals sustain permanent losses to their capacity for delayed gratification and impulse control, becoming more severe the longer they hear your voice. Recordings are sufficient for this effect

>Touch of Madness (1):
You may target one individual by making physical contact with them, causing them to temporarily lose all restraint, engaging in indiscriminate violence, extreme indulgence in sex, food, or substances, or even suicide. You may choose what vice they succumb to provided that those impulses existed in at least some capacity within the target. However, these impulses can be resisted with enough willpower, depending on the authority's level

>Pantheon: Spawn of Discord
Assemble your pantheon to gain a bonus to the effective level of all authorities, as well as a bonus authority that is only available upon full pantheon assembly
>>
>>5846625
Now that you've gained some sense for your new divine powers, what should you do?

>I need to investigate this system more and see if any information might be helpful to my goals
>Now that I have this power, it's time to settle some old scores. Perhaps I'll give my landlord a visit
>I need to find the members of my pantheon as quickly as possible
>I need to get working on my directive. I'll have to find a way to be heard by as many people as I can...
>Now that I have these powers, I have to try them out! Purely for research purposes, of course
>Write-in
>>
>>5846628
>Now that I have this power, it's time to settle some old scores. Perhaps I'll give my landlord a visit

Fuck landlords

Also reading through our powers I'm getting a real Nyarlathotep vibe from Atë https://youtu.be/rDeLx0R4168
>>
>>5846632
>Support
Fuck landlords
>>
>>5846628
>Now that I have this power, it's time to settle some old scores. Perhaps I'll give my landlord a visit
To fall folly to our own power. How amusing.
>>
>>5846628
>Now that I have this power, it's time to settle some old scores. Perhaps I'll give my landlord a visit
>>
>>5846628
>>Now that I have this power, it's time to settle some old scores. Perhaps I'll give my landlord a visit
Kill landlords
-Greek gods and Mao
>>
>>5846632
>>5846635
>>5846640
>>5846652
>>5846662

What good is power if you can't use it to get what you want? And right now, there's nothing you want to see more than your landlord's face, twisted in shock and agony. But how to go about it?

>It would be impolite to keep this revenge all to myself- I should let his other victims get in on the fun. I'll go door to door, using my Touch of Madness to induce a riot
>Nothing beats a direct confrontation. I'll make him kill himself right in front of me
>No, that would be too simple. I'll use my Touch of Madness to make him commit a heinous crime, ruining his life, his reputation, and the lives of any potential bystanders all in one fell swoop
>>
>>5846694
Write in

>I'll use touch of madness to make him increase rent, and then use it again on one of the other renter's. Technically bringing him to ruin through his actions, and snagging another in the scheme as well

two birds, one stone, and we cause a bit more mayhem this way, but with a more elegant touch than just brute forcing the fucker into being a rapist or something
>>
>>5846694
>No, that would be too simple. I'll use my Touch of Madness to make him commit a heinous crime, ruining his life, his reputation, and the lives of any potential bystanders all in one fell swoop
Make sure to adopt the face of someone else we know and don't like
>>
>>5846694
>>No, that would be too simple. I'll use my Touch of Madness to make him commit a heinous crime, ruining his life, his reputation, and the lives of any potential bystanders all in one fell swoop
>>
>>5846694

>No, that would be too simple. I'll use my Touch of Madness to make him commit a heinous crime, ruining his life, his reputation, and the lives of any potential bystanders all in one fell swoop.

This seems easiest.
>>
>>5846694
>>Nothing beats a direct confrontation. I'll make him kill himself right in front of me
>>
>>5846694
>No, that would be too simple. I'll use my Touch of Madness to make him commit a heinous crime, ruining his life, his reputation, and the lives of any potential bystanders all in one fell swoop
We are the average woman scorned
>>
>>5846694
>No, that would be too simple. I'll use my Touch of Madness to make him commit a heinous crime, ruining his life, his reputation, and the lives of any potential bystanders all in one fell swoop

Let madness consume all!
>>
>>5846698
>>5846700
>>5846701
>>5846705
>>5846715
>>5846752
>>5846771

>No, that would be too simple. I'll use my Touch of Madness to make him commit a heinous crime, ruining his life, his reputation, and the lives of any potential bystanders all in one fell swoop

You sit in your apartment alone, plotting on how to go about this without implicating yourself. You decide to assume the visage of the obnoxious inhabitant of the apartment above yours, Mark? Matt? Doesn't really matter anymore. What does matter is that not only does he play grating music at extreme volumes well after midnight, but he also gets into frequent screaming matches with your landlord. You take on his appearance, being careful to do so in a place without cameras, before bursting into your landlord's office and loudly mimicing the tone and diction of his rants. Then, at the crescendo of your unhinged monologue, you hit him square in the jaw, making sure to plant your Touch of Madness onto him as you do. He gets up before extending his palm towards you. Shockingly, it glows with a dim yellow light. The landlord shouts:

>"Matthew Jackson, I call upon your debts!"

However, nothing happens.

You flee into the night, having successfully planted your curse. What will he do?
>Attempt a robbery
>Put an end to Matt, permanently
>Commit suicide
>Write-in
>>
>>5846785
>Put an end to Matt, permanently
>>
>>5846785
>>Attempt a robbery
>>
>>5846785
>Attempt a robbery
>>
>>5846785
>Attempt a robbery
Our Landlord might be a god? Whew
>>
>>5846785
>Attempt a robbery
Least powerful landlord
>>
>>5846785
>Put an end to Matt, permanently
>>
>>5846817
>>5846813
>>5846810
>>5846804
>>5846793
>>5846791

Having planted the impulse to steal into the landlord, you transform back into your own appearance, scuttling back into your dimly lit room. You watch the front door from your window for a while, eventually seeing your landlord waddle out with a mask made hastily from a stained t-shirt and a pistol he presumably kept in his office for self-defense. The undulations of his pudgy body are oddly hypnotic, but you manage to break away from this comical display to consider your future plans.

You examine yourself in the mirror, what do you see?
>Optipnal write-in, describe hair color and cut, physical condition, body type, and clothes

You remember that you have work in the morning. What do you do?
>I want to quit my job
>I'll maintain the facade for a while and go back in to work
>I'll call in sick tomorrow, and I'll decide if I want to quit later

Now that you've accomplished your main goal. What comes next?

>I need to investigate this system more and see if any information might be helpful to my goals
>I still have some unresolved grudges: my boss has always gotten on my nerves
>I need to find the members of my pantheon as quickly as possible
>I need to get working on my directive. I'll have to find a way to be heard by as many people as I can...
>Now that I have these powers, I have to try them out! Purely for research purposes, of course
>Write-in
>>
>>5846867
Dyed Pixie cut, currently hot pink, roots gold blonde (natural color). Physical condition doesn't work out, petite, punk clothes/ style, constant shit eating smirk

>I'll maintain the facade for a while and go back in to work

even gods need that green

>I need to find the members of my pantheon as quickly as possible
And a posse
>>
>>5846869
>Support
Physical appearance I assume we can change and just make us sexier if we really want to after we're done with our facade. I do think we should learn more about the system before hastily finding new gods though
>>
>>5846867
>I'll maintain the facade for a while and go back in to work
>I need to investigate the system more and see if I can find any information that might be helpful to my goals
>>
File: 748h6ehi67wnd81c.jpg (100 KB, 1080x1349)
100 KB
100 KB JPG
>>5846867
>Pic related
>I'll maintain the facade for a while and go back in to work
>Now that I have these powers, I have to try them out! Purely for research purposes, of course
>>
>>5846867
>>I'll maintain the facade for a while and go back in to work
>>I need to investigate the system more and see if I can find any information that might be helpful to my goals
>>
>>5846927
>>5846902
>>5846879
>>5846875
>>5846869

You decide that, since you don't have an alternative means of income, that you should continue working your job. Remembering that you'll have to wake up early tomorrow morning, you go to sleep.

When you wake up, you are met once again with the system's golden screen. This time, it reads:
>"Congratulations! You have successfully destroyed another incarnation, <Chrysus>! You have plundered their influence (43) and gained 1 level! You are the first to subjugate another incarnation! You may take the title <First Blood>!"
>"You have also gained 4 influence for following your directive!"
>"Due to your authority 'Divine Folly', you have gained one random authority possessed by the target. You gain the authority "Cursed Gold (1)"!"

>Cursed Gold (1):
You may place a hex on any piece of currency. If a person willingly accepts that currency with the intention to keep it, they will be affected by the hex. The available hexes are:
>Sniveling Gratitude: The individual will be more susceptible to your orders
>Bottomless Greed: The individual is consumed by greed, neglecting all other motives in service of it.

You may curse a number of items equal to your Authority's level.

Level: 1->2
Influence:0->147/200
Divinity: 40/50->75/75

You are yet to accept your primary reward for subjugating Chrysus. Will you:
>Select one of Chrysus's other authorities (you won't know what they are until you select this option)
>Level up one of your own authorities

Will you take the title <First Blood>?
>I will take the title (you won't know its effects until you take the title)
>That sounds ominous, I think I'll reject it
>>
>>5847002
>Select one of Chrysus's other authorities (you won't know what they are until you select this option)
>I will take the title (you won't know its effects until you take the title)
I'm all for balling out
>>
>>5847002
>Select one of Chrysus' other authorities
Multiclass bullshit is a go! Eris will be proud
>I will take the title (you won't know its effects until you take the title)
>>
>>5847002
>Select one of Chrysus's other authorities (you won't know what they are until you select this option)

MYSTERY BOX!

>I will take the title (you won't know its effects until you take the title)

AND ANOTHER MYSTERY BOX

Also stealing more of the landlord's power can serve to smoke screen our true domains from any incarnation trying to headhunt us, giving us some early protection at the start

as for the title

it just sounds cool
>>
>>5847002
>>Select one of Chrysus's other authorities (you won't know what they are until you select this option)
>>I will take the title (you won't know its effects until you take the title)
>>
>>5847002
>Select one of Chrysus's other authorities (you won't know what they are until you select this option)
>I will take the title (you won't know its effects until you take the title)
Give us the mystery boxes
>>
>>5847007
>>5847010
>>5847011
>>5847041
>>5847083
You decide to accept the title and one of Chrysus's other authorities.

><First Blood>:
You may plunder (EX) rated authorities, but in a degraded state
However, other incarnations will be able to identify you as the holder of this title.

Which of Chrysus' authorities to take?

>Never Tarnish <EX>:
You cannot age

>Indenture or Collateral (1):
When a person owes you a debt, you are able to compell them to pay it off. If they are unable, you can demand goods or services of equivalent value, multiplied by the skill level

>Golden Fortune (1):
By expending half of your divinity every day, you can guarantee fortune in your investments, proportional to the authority's level
>>
>>5847178
>Never Tarnish <EX>:
>>
>>5847178
>Never tarnish
Can't call ourself a goddess if we don't get some form of immortality
>>
>>5847178
>Never Tarnish <EX>
What a delightfully synergistic pair of choices
>>
>>5847178
>Never Tarnish <EX>:
>>
>>5847195
>>5847191
>>5847188
>>5847181

>Never Tarnish (EX) degrades to Life Insurance (1)

>Life Insurance (1):
You may sacrifice money, of any widely accepted currency, to halt the aging process. The rate is 20,000 USD for a number of years equal to your skill level.

Satisfied with your skill selections, although lamenting how expensive your new skill is, you go in to work. You briefly consider which greek deity is to blame for data entry; perhaps a future target.

While you work, what should you do?
>Focus on the job, it's better to keep your powers as separated from your identity as possible
>Slowly, inconspicuously wear away at the psyches of your coworkes with <Whisper of Temptation>
>Try out one of your new authorities
>Write-in
>>
>>5847572
>Try out one of your new authorities
>Cursed Gold
There's got to be a way to use this to get money. Maybe by making them want to dispose of all of their money in a way such that we can retrieve it?
>>
>>5847572
>Slowly, inconspicuously wear away at the psyches of your coworkes with <Whisper of Temptation>

>>5847577
Sniveling Gratitude might work with it.
>>
>>5847572
>Focus on the job, it's better to keep your powers as separated from your identity as possible
The fact that our landlord was also a god was a weird coincidence. We don't know how many other people in our life have also awakened to divine powers, and doing too much right away only draws attention and makes us a target.
>>
>>5847572
>>5847002
Fuck. I just understood the implication.
>>
>>5847572
>>Slowly, inconspicuously wear away at the psyches of your coworkes with <Whisper of Temptation>
>>
>>5847577
+1

>>5847609
What implication?
>>
>>5847572
>>Focus on the job, it's better to keep your powers as separated from your identity as possible
>>
>>5847952
>>5847769
>>5847632
>>5847609
>>5847607
>>5847595
>>5847577

Since we have a perfect 3 way tie, should I roll a die or wait for a tiebreaker? Also, I've made a quick drawing of two potential designs for Atë's incarnation, let me know which you prefer
>>
>>5847952
I'll switch to this to break the tie

>>5848214
Left is all the red flags, I love it
>>
>>5848214
Damn. She/we didn't deserve the bad hand.
>>
>>5847572
>>Slowly, inconspicuously wear away at the psyches of your coworkes with <Whisper of Temptation>
:<)
>>
>>5848214
Is looks like right at work and looks like left(or a mix between the two, i'm not picky) during alone time/clubbing/etc viable?
If not i'd prefer the right.
>>
>>5848214
>>Slowly, inconspicuously wear away at the psyches of your coworkes with <Whisper of Temptation>

I prefer the left one desu.
>>
>>5847572
>Try out one of your new authorities
Cursed Gold. Leave a wallet with a couple bucks on the desk of someone with influence/import. Then we can start getting our way up the ranks into enough money that we can literally live forever.
>>
>>5848214
I like the right one better. Overworked woman finally letting loose a bit by making things horrible for everybody
>>
>>5848214
I like the right, but left does it for me so I'll go with miss-BPD
>>
I mean it really a question of one or the other. We can fuckin shapeshift
>>
>>5848301
*it really isn't a question of one or the other
>>
>>5848283
There's a considerable difference in hair length between the two, although I suppose she could wear a wig

>>5848293
>>5848291
>>5848269
>>5848261
>>5848246

>Slowly, inconspicuously wear away at the psyches of your coworkers with <Whisper of Temptation>

You use <Whisper of Temptation> for the first time, making somewhat uncharacteristic small talk with your coworkers in order to spread your divine influence around the office. The sensation of divinity slowly leaking out is quite different from the sudden burst you used for <Touch of Madness>. The behavior of your coworkers doesn't dramatically change, but you notice one of your coworkers scarf down her sandwich much faster and a bit more messily than normal. Later, another, married coworker leers a bit at the new intern's chest. You think your skill is effective, but in order to make any truly dramatic changes in people, they'll need to have a lot more exposure

After your shift ends, you go home, drained but satisfied with the little experiment. You go home, cook a quick meal and contemplate your next step:

>If Atë, a deity I've never even heard the name of, can wield this much power, who knows what some of the major gods can do? I need to join my pantheon as soon as possibleand we need to plan a means of survival
>Then again, it's equally plausible that the renown of a god is completely unrelated to their power. If we want to survive, we need to rack up influence through our directive and strengthen our authorities
>The directives are too slow. The amount of power I got from destroying another incarnation was incredible! I need to hunt down my peers and steal their strength
>While there are probably dozens if not hundreds of divinities, it's a bit too convenient for two to be randomly living in the same building. This warrants investigating
>Every second I age without using my <Life Insurance> authority, I'm losing permanent vitality in my future immortal body. I need to find a way to earn as much money as possible
>Write-in
>>
>>5848308
>While there are probably dozens if not hundreds of divinities, it's a bit too convenient for two to be randomly living in the same building. This warrants investigating
Let's make sure our immediate area is safe before doing anything rash
>>
>>5848308
>While there are probably dozens if not hundreds of divinities, it's a bit too convenient for two to be randomly living in the same building. This warrants investigating.
Either we've got some easy prey, new allies, or we know we're safe. There's no downside to checking out our surroundings.
>>
>>5848308
>Then again, it's equally plausible that the renown of a god is completely unrelated to their power. If we want to survive, we need to rack up influence through our directive and strengthen our authorities

We'll be queen bitch of our pantheon, athankyouverymuch
>>
>>5848308
>Then again, it's equally plausible that the renown of a god is completely unrelated to their power. If we want to survive, we need to rack up influence through our directive and strengthen our authorities
>>
>>5848308
>If Atë, a deity I've never even heard the name of, can wield this much power, who knows what some of the major gods can do? I need to join my pantheon as soon as possibleand we need to plan a means of survival
I guess godhood were the friends we made along the way.
>>
>>5848308
>While there are probably dozens if not hundreds of divinities, it's a bit too convenient for two to be randomly living in the same building. This warrants investigating
Tough to win a game without knowing the rules
>>
>>5848382
>>5848368
>>5848321
>>5848319
>>5848315
>>5848313

>While there are probably dozens if not hundreds of divinities, it's a bit too convenient for two to be randomly living in the same building. This warrants investigating.

Though you have gained substantial benefits by eliminating Chrysus, the odds of two people in such close proximity both being divinities is astronomically low. Seeking answers, your first idea is to check the system. Willing the golden screen to reappear, you open the system menu and are met with the following tabs:

>Information
>Shop
>Status
>Inventory
>Manage epithets

Intrigued by some of the options but determined to find the answers you were looking for, you tap the <Information> tab. It opens, giving you three options:
>General Information
>FAQ
>Search

You have work again in the morning, and if you plan to go, you'll have to go to sleep pretty early. What will you do?
>Work is important, especially because of the steep monetary requirements of <Life Insurance>. I'll pick one option and go to work. (Choose one of the listed options)
>Work is important, but with enough coffee I can afford to pull an all-nighter (Choose two of the listed options, roll 1d10 for staying awake at work)
>Fuck work. I'll call in sick and get to the bottom of this
>>
>>5848428
>Fuck work. I'll call in sick and get to the bottom of this
Once we have more info, we can exploit it to get more money than our dead-end job could ever give us. Really, what does it matter if one random office worker stays home?
>>
>>5848428
>Work is important, but with enough coffee I can afford to pull an all-nighter
>General Information
>FAQ
>>
>>5848428
Seconding >>5848432.
>>
>>5848428
>Shop
>Status
>Inventory
>Manage epithets
>General Information
>FAQ

Open them all at once.

>Fuck work. I'll call in sick and get to the bottom of this
Tsk, man FUCK verizon.
>>
Rolled 70 (1d100)

>>5848428
Open
>General Information
>FAQ

>Work is important, but with enough coffee I can afford to pull an all-nighter (Choose two of the listed options, roll 1d10 for staying awake at work)
>>
>>5848505
>>5848481
>>5848450
>>5848432
>>5848431
>General Information and FAQ

Please skip to the last post if you want to avoid the info dump.

>General Information:

The incarnation system has been established to utilize humanity’s latent power to bring about an evolution in the human species. Individuals with sufficient <Divinity> and a high <Synchronization Rate> with a <Myth> were chosen as Incarnations, individuals capable of controlling divine <Authorities> or skills.

>Myths

The system uses human fables, legends, and religious practices to create <Myths>. Currently, all extant <Myths> originate from the Hellenistic pantheon. The intricacies as to why this is done are classified, and, indeed, not particularly helpful for incarnations, but it should be noted that there is no consciousness in <Myths>, and there is no risk of being overtaken by them

>Directives

Each incarnation has a <Directive>, directly related to the nature and personality of their <Myth>. In most cases, an Incarnation's <Authorities> are suited to help the incarnation achieve their <Directive>. Accomplishing one’s <Directive> will allow for an increase to <Influence>, which will increase an incarnation’s <Level>.

>Authorities

Your <Authorities> are the ways in which you can channel your divine power using the system. Some <Authorities> use more power than others, and other <Authorities> have costs other than divinity, such as physical materials or resources derived from other organisms. It is possible to use <Divinity> without relying on your <Authorities>, but doing so isn’t recommended.

>Influence and Level

The system works by extracting divinity from a number of sources and channeling it into the incarnations. <Influence> is a numerical representation of the degree to which you have aided the system. Performing actions that extract <Divinity> into the system gives it the power it needs to increase your <Capacity> for divine power. This is numerically notated by your <Level>. It is impossible to increase the level of your <Authorities> beyond your <Level>. The amount of <Influence> you need to increase your level doubles at every <Level>. It takes the same amount of influence to increase the level of an <Authority> as the threshold required to increase your <Level> to the same amount. (For example, it would cost 600 <Influence> to increase a level 1 <Authority> to level 3, 200 for (1->2) and 400 for (2->3)).
>>
>>5848532

>Subjugation and Eliminations

When you destroy another incarnation, you are capable of subsuming their Influence, and one or more of their <Authorities>, as well as acquiring their <Myths> as <Epithets>.

>Synchronization Rate

Your <Synchronization Rate> Determines the extent to which you embody the nature of a <Myth>. Synchronization rate can never decrease, because, as an incarnation, your actions and personality actively serve to rewrite the relevant <Myths>. Reaching certain milestones with <Synchronization Rate> provides certain benefits.

>Epithets

Whenever you subjugate another incarnation or achieve certain special conditions, you will receive an <Epithet>. <Epithets> are full <Myths> that you can acquire secondarily to your primary one. Should the <Synchronization Rate> of an epithet ever surpass that of your primary <Myth>, you will undergo a forced <Deification> process, dramatically altering your <Status>.

>Titles

You gain <Titles> from meeting specific conditions. They can provide a number of effects, including but not limited to Authorities, Influence, Epithets, and Items

>Shop

You can use <Influence> to buy <Items> or even <Authorities> from the <Shop>. You cannot spend more <Influence> than you have. Lowering <Influence> below a level-up threshold will not decrease your <Level>

>Inventory

You can only keep items bought from the <Shop> in your <Inventory>. There is no limit to the number or weight of items you can store. Once an item is removed from your <Inventory>, it cannot be returned

>Pantheons

A <Pantheon> is a group of connected <Myths> that can join together to increase their power. Even in an incomplete <Pantheon>, members can communicate from anywhere on earth, send divine power to each other, and instinctively know their location. Upon completing a <Pantheon>, other benefits are achieved depending on its nature. In order to join a <Pantheon> You need to meet a certain <Synchronization>
>>
>>5848552

>FAQ

>Q) Is it possible to delete authorities or epithets?

A: Yes. However, it cannot be done by accident and, once done, cannot be reversed

>Q) Does an evil <Myth> necessitate an evil incarnation?

A: In actuality, very few <Myths> are truly evil. Even forces that are harmful to humans like natural disasters, monsters, and conditions like famine or drought are generally not inherently evil, merely working on a completely different paradigm to mortals. As for truly evil <Myths> like representations of crimes or evil itself, while it is possible for an incarnation to change for the better after deification, it is wise not to trust them.

>Q) Can I opt out?

A. Yes. Another person will be accepted as an Incarnation of your <Myth> and you will lose all of your <Influence> and <Authorities>.

>Q) I’ve seen a lot of incarnations in my area. What’s up with that?

A. Even before the Incarnation System, all life forms still had varying levels of <Divinity>. Places on earth hold different levels of <Divinity>, and individuals with high <Divinity> capacities will find themselves drawn to places with more. Hot-spots can be as big as a country or as small as a single room.

>Q) What happens if one of the members of my <Pantheon> is eliminated? Can I still get the bonuses for assembling it?

A. In order to be considered as complete, a <Pantheon> just needs all of the <Myths> involved to be possessed by members of the <Pantheon>, even if all of those myths are possessed by a single incarnation as <Epithets>.

>Q) Is it possible to join multiple pantheons?

A. If you possess one or more epithets, it is possible to join a number of pantheons, but you can only ever inhabit one at a time.
>>
>>5848554

Quick correction, getting an authority from 1 to 3 would cost 300 influence (100 for 1->2 and 200 for 2->3)

Having gained the answers you want, you pass out, getting at least a couple hours of sleep.

You wake up, go to work, and continue using your Authority to weaken the inhibitions of your coworkers. You return home, and once again consider your options:

>If Atë, a deity I've never even heard the name of, can wield this much power, who knows what some of the major gods can do? I need to join my pantheon as soon as possibleand we need to plan a means of survival
>Then again, it's equally plausible that the renown of a god is completely unrelated to their power. If we want to survive, we need to rack up influence through our directive and strengthen our authorities
>The directives are too slow. The amount of power I got from destroying another incarnation was incredible! I need to hunt down my peers and steal their strength
>I should check out my epithets. Maybe I'll find something useful?
>I should take a look at the shop. Maybe I ought to buy something
>I should upgrade an authority!
>Every second I age without using my <Life Insurance> authority, I'm losing permanent vitality in my future immortal body. I need to find a way to earn as much money as possible
>Write-in
>>
>>5848562
>I should check out my epithets. Maybe I'll find something useful?
>I should upgrade an authority!
>I should take a look at the shop. Maybe I ought to buy something


These three first. One at a time in this order if we can.
>>
>>5848566
+1
>>
>>5848566
I'll agree with this. Us aging isn't a problem for now. There'll be more paths to immortality in the future.
>>
>>5848566
>>5848591
>>5848603

Concerned by the idea of having your powers changed, you decide to check out your epithets:

>Donoi, Spirit of Murder (Plural Myth): Synchronization Rate: 10%
>Chrysus, Spirit of Gold:
Synchronization rate: 17%

Then, you check the shop. You are met with the following message:
>"Notice: The selection of items and authorities increases with level. Click on an item to read its description."

Items:
>Diviner: 30
>Random Quest: 40
>Lizard's Tail: 100
>Hunt Ticket: 100
>Nectar: 200
>Ambrosia: 300


Authorities:

>Polyglot (1): 200
>Shapeshift (1): 300
>Omen (1): 400
>Flight (1): 500
>Immortality (EX): 1,000,000

Remember, it costs 100 Influence to upgrade an authority. What will you do?

>Upgrade an authority (specify which)
>Buy an item (specify which)
>I'll hold onto my influence for now
>>
>>5848734
>Upgrade an authority (specify which)
Whisper of temptaion to speed up office corruption
>>
>>5848734
>Upgrade an authority (specify which)
>A Thousand Faces, a Thousand Voices
>>
>>5848734
>Upgrade an authority (specify which)
Touch of Madness (1)

>1. Quit job
>2. Become stripper
>3. ????
>4. PROFIT
>>
>>5848734
>>5848764
>Buy an item (specify which)
Random Quest: 40
>>
>>5848734
>>I'll hold onto my influence for now
>>
Rolled 3, 4 = 7 (2d6)

>>5848742
>>5848745
>>5848764
>>5848772
>>5848856
Rolling for which authority and whether or not to buy a quest ticket respectively
>1,2: Whispers
>3,4: Voices
>5,6: Touch

>odds: buy
>>
>>5848875
>A Thousand Faces, A Thousand Voices (1) -> (2)

It becomes easier for you to replicate specific individuals, although you still need to roll to maintain the disguise unless you know the person (or at least their appearance and mannerisms) reasonably well. Additionally, the authority requires less divinity to use (20 for 1 hour -> 20 for 2 hours).

><Atë> Synchronization rate has increased (98.75%->99.0%)!

You consider buying a random quest ticket, but you decide that you'd rather save some influence to increase your level faster.

You go in to work, continuing to wear away at your coworkers. With some satisfaction, you see your sleazy boss fooling around with that new intern. Realistically, neither of them took a ton of convincing anyway, but you're pretty sure you at leaat expedited the process. You could use this...

>Time for blackmail! About time I got a promotion
>Now that I know my authority is paying off, I can use some of my other ones to my advantage. Cursed gold comes to mind
>I should give my upgraded new authority a try. Maybe I can get some more dirt on my boss by pretending to be the intern? Or maybe take advantage of his distraction and mimic his secretary instead?
>I'm just going to sit back, watch the fallout, and wait for that influence to roll in. Plus, after this inevitably boils over, I'll be first in line for a promotion
>>
>>5848884
>I'm just going to sit back, watch the fallout, and wait for that influence to roll in. Plus, after this inevitably boils over, I'll be first in line for a promotion
>>
>>5848884
>Time for blackmail! About time I got a promotion
>>
>>5848884
>I'm just going to sit back, watch the fallout, and wait for that influence to roll in. Plus, after this inevitably boils over, I'll be first in line for a promotion
Easily done.
>>
>>5848884
>>I'm just going to sit back, watch the fallout, and wait for that influence to roll in. Plus, after this inevitably boils over, I'll be first in line for a promotion
>>
>>5848884
>I'm just going to sit back, watch the fallout, and wait for that influence to roll in. Plus, after this inevitably boils over, I'll be first in line for a promotion
>>
>>5848884
>I should give my upgraded new authority a try. Maybe I can get some more dirt on my boss by pretending to be the intern? Or maybe take advantage of his distraction and mimic his secretary instead?
>>
>>5848884
>>I'm just going to sit back, watch the fallout, and wait for that influence to roll in. Plus, after this inevitably boils over, I'll be first in line for a promotion
>>
>>5848884
>I'm just going to sit back, watch the fallout, and wait for that influence to roll in. Plus, after this inevitably boils over, I'll be first in line for a promotion
>>
>>5848888
>>5848928
>>5848976
>>5849062
>>5849080
>>5849213

You decide to keep your head down and wait for things to truly fall apart before you act. You find that you're able to get away with things that you normally couldn't even dream of at work: you can take as many bathroom breaks as you want, you can play games or read novels on your computer without any intervention, as long as you get your share of the work done (you always did think you worked too many hours for too few tasks). You spend about a week before you get your first notification:
>"You have gained 4 influence for following your directive!"
The next day, one of your coworkers walks into the office with a look of abject misery. Feigning compassion, you ask:
>"You look like hell. What happened? Are you ok?"
>"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine."
You go back to your cubicle and wait for him to talk to someone he likes more. Apparently, his wife is divorcing him, but not because of adultery? You wonder for a moment what he did, before turning your attention back to bigger concerns.

That first fall seems to have been a portent of things to come: suddenly, your coworkers start dropping like flies: assault, domestic violence, DUI, petty theft, and, finally, your boss's wife finally finds out about that affair.

Your first instinct is to check your influence.
>Influence: 110/200

At first, you're shocked by how high that number is, but after some thought, it makes sense. Your directive also gives you influence for everyone caught in the crossfire. Killing one person, especially a family's breadwinner, could bring about "ruin" to an entire family, after all. Just the grief is sometimes enough to destroy a person. You smile to yourself, thinking about how many lives you've managed to completely destroy.

Upper management is not happy with your boss's inappropriate conduct, and they need a new person to manage that department. They chose the only person in that entire office who's actually been doing their joh this month: you. You get promoted, your paycheck almost doubles, and you suddenly have a lot more time at work to manage your authorities. Additionally, you now get a schedule you find much more amenable: 4 days a week, 10 hours a day. This gives you more off time to pursue your quest for godhood. What should you do now?

>I'm pretty close to leveling up, I should get my hands on some more influence
>I should try to find members of my pantheon. You never know when threats could arise that can only be handled with allies
>I should upgrade another authority
>I should buy one of those items
>Write-in
>>
>>5849248
>I should buy one of those items
Diviner: 30
Lizard's Tail: 100
Hunt Ticket: 100
Look up what these means.

>I should try to find members of my pantheon. You never know when threats could arise that can only be handled with allies
>>
>>5849248
>I'm pretty close to leveling up, I should get my hands on some more influence
>>
>>5849262
Diviner: Consumable. Shatters and notifies the user when an unknown incarnation appears within a one mile radius. Provides their name and level
Lizard's Tail: Consumable. Teleports the user to a place they consider safe and heals all of their physical injuries. Activates automatically when the user is near death
Hunt Ticket: Consumable. Allows an incarnation to join the Hunt for 30 days. Incarnations participating in the Hunt are able to locate each other, but not non-participating incarnations. The Hunt's location system does not identify incarnations
>>
>>5849248
>I'm pretty close to leveling up, I should get my hands on some more influence
>>
>>5849248
>>I should try to find members of my pantheon. You never know when threats could arise that can only be handled with allies
>>
>>5849269
Lizard's Tail is nice, but I still want to buy >Random Quest: 40
>>
>>5845826
>>male
>> aspect of humanity
>>
>>5849317
Sorry, you're a bit late for character creation. If this quest gets enough traction I might consider running two concurrent threads set in the same universe with a similar premise but with different protagonists, but I'd have to see how popular that idea is
>>
>>5849326
Nah you'll burn out quickly
>>
>>5849317
lmao This fucking guy.

>>5849326
I like it.
>>
>>5849326
I would not recommend running simultaneous quests. It doubles your work for halved update speed, and risks burn-out.
>>
>>5849248
>Write-in
>Find more incarnations. We need to find a good target and do our research. Demigods can cause much more ruin than mortals letting us leech off their divinity.

How long do you guys think we have before the other incarnates become noticeably active and start hunting eachother down? I ask because while i think farming people at work is fine but we should take care not to make it obvious that we're operating in the city.

It would be far better to find and corrupt incarnations, steal their authorities, and have them sow discord. After all someone could notice an increase in crime in an area or a larger uptick in political/business scandals in an area, but gods are known to infight amongst themselves and bring ruin to everyone around them. If we corrupt even only a few of them, we could easily create massive amounts of chaos and farm divinity, while gaining new authorities to mask our presence. Theoretically, we could even sneak our way into a rival pantheon using stolen authorities and puppeteer them into conflicts.
>>
>>5849262
>>5849267
>>5849271
>>5849274
>>5849276
>>5849400

You decide that the most important step right now is to accrue influence. After all, you don't know what other incarnations are up to and, more importantly, what the nature of their directives are. For all you know, other incarnations could already be reaching the double digits in terms of level, or worse.

However, despite the seemingly rigid nature of your directive, there are a myriad means of execution. How do you intend to go about it?

>I need to lay low, continuing to wear away at people with <Whisper of Temptation>
>I need to get my voice out to as many people as possible. Maybe I should try to become famous?
>Actually, why get famous on my own? If I can find some way to eliminate and temporarily replace someone who's already famous, I could potentially corrupt millions. It'd be pretty risky, though.
>I should target other incarnations. Though my landlord was pretty ineffectual, if I can get one with enough combat authorities on my side, they can cause incalculable anarchy! Plus, their authorities are a nice bonus
>I could always just go out on the street and induce random acts of violence and crime with my quicker acting authorities
>>
>>5849468
>Actually, why get famous on my own? If I can find some way to eliminate and temporarily replace someone who's already famous, I could potentially corrupt millions. It'd be pretty risky, though.
>Find Influencer
>Replace Influencer
>Release dozens of tiktoks or whatever using Whisper of Temptation
EZ memetic warfare
>>
>>5849468
>Actually, why get famous on my own? If I can find some way to eliminate and temporarily replace someone who's already famous, I could potentially corrupt millions. It'd be pretty risky, though.
>>
>>5849468
>I should target other incarnations. Though my landlord was pretty ineffectual, if I can get one with enough combat authorities on my side, they can cause incalculable anarchy! Plus, their authorities are a nice bonus
I'm in favor of this anon's write-in.>>5849400. Plus, messing with someone powerful and important is too risky when we don't have any backup in case things go south.
>>
>>5849468
>I should target other incarnations. Though my landlord was pretty ineffectual, if I can get one with enough combat authorities on my side, they can cause incalculable anarchy! Plus, their authorities are a nice bonus

We don't even need to use violence. The early players, which we are since we got the first PK, are going to be riding one hell of a power high like Landlard was. All we have to be is be subtle, and we might earn the 2nd or even 3rd incarnate downs cause most of the herd is indulging in power fantasies

Unless they all woke up with "Incarnate of folly and ruin has claimed the title <First Blood>" blasting in their brains
>>
>>5849468
>>Actually, why get famous on my own? If I can find some way to eliminate and temporarily replace someone who's already famous, I could potentially corrupt millions. It'd be pretty risky, though.

>>5849528
well it did say earlier that other incarnates will be able to identify us as the holder of the first blood title
>>
>>5849468
>Actually, why get famous on my own? If I can find some way to eliminate and temporarily replace someone who's already famous, I could potentially corrupt millions. It'd be pretty risky, though.
Taking advantage of someone who already has a decently-sized social media whatever would be ideal
>>
I don't understand why so many anons are going for the get-rich-quick scheme of impersonating someone famous. We have shapeshifting and voice-mimicry-- it'd be way easier to just create a fake identity with music-star level talent than to temporarily usurp an existing celebrity, and with way less risk.
>>
>>5849468
>>I should target other incarnations. Though my landlord was pretty ineffectual, if I can get one with enough combat authorities on my side, they can cause incalculable anarchy! Plus, their authorities are a nice bonus
>>
>>5849578
Exactly. And we just upgraded it
>>
>>5849583
>>5849561
>>5849558
>>5849528
>>5849488
>>5849473
>>5849471

You decide that the time for caution has ended. Now, it's time for action. If any other incarnations have a decent directive and half a brain, they might already be stuffed to the gills with influence, items, and authorities. You calculate that the fastest means of getting influence is to coopt another person's image and use their platform to spread your <Whispers>. You stop to think of an ideal candidate:

>An internet influencer
>A talk show host
>A comedian
>A famous actor
>A pop star
>An indie musician
>Actually, should I just get famous on my own? I could even use my <Faces> to create an identity that's impossible to trace back to me
>Write-In
>>
>>5849606
>Actually, should I just get famous on my own? I could even use my <Faces> to create an identity that's impossible to trace back to me

If it works out, we can make multiple.
>>
>>5849606
>Actually, should I just get famous on my own? I could even use my <Faces> to create an identity that's impossible to trace back to me
>>
>>5849606
>A famous actor
>>
>>5849606
>An internet influencer
>>
>>5849606
>Actually, should I just get famous on my own? I could even use my <Faces> to create an identity that's impossible to trace back to me

This but we need to find a record label manger to manipulate into doing our bidding. Talent alone won’t make us famous but if we can manipulate a record exec into implanting us into the industry then we can rocket to stardom.

I also say we try and move up the corporate ladder with our day job by destroying the higher execs with our authorities like touch of madness. This will also generate a ton of influence as tons of people will be dependent on the higher level managers. It’s probably a good idea to stop destroying our own department as well if we plan to stay in this job
>>
>>5849606
>Actually, should I just get famous on my own? I could even use my <Faces> to create an identity that's impossible to trace back to me
Easy peasy lemon squeezy
>>
>>5849679
>>5849670
>>5849641
>>5849626

>Actually, should I just get famous on my own? I could even use my <Faces> to create an identity that's impossible to trace back to me

You decide that you'd be better off creating a personality that better suits your goals than to take all of the risks of not only impersonating another person, but also murdering them. However, now you are met with a number of choices:

What kind of fame do we seek?

>Online
>Music
>Acting
>Comedy
>Politics

Now that you've been promoted at work, how should you proceed?

>Stop all use of your Authorities. Better safe than sorry
>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder
>Keep going as you were

Also, I'd be interested in hearing some feedback on this quest, either with your choice or in the qtg
>>
>>5849698
>Online
easiest to keep separate and easiest to fuck with people's lives.

>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder
>>
>>5849698
>Music
>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder
I like it. The writing is minimalist in a good way, the premise is neat enough, and the powerset fun.
>>
>>5849698
>Comedy
>Keep going as you were
>>
>>5849698
>Online
>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder
>>
>>5849698
>Online
It doesn't get lower-investment than this.

>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder
We'll be sneaky about it.
>>
>>5849698
>Acting

>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder
>>
>>5849698
>>Online
>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder
>>
>>5849606
>Online
We can be a tiddy streamer corrupting men to ruin their lives by emptying their bank accounts for us
>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder

I like the quest it’s unique and the whole power system and world building is interesting. Probably one of the most interesting quests I’ve read in awhile.
>>
File: 1687802952863474.gif (1000 KB, 260x146)
1000 KB
1000 KB GIF
>>5849910
>We can be a tiddy streamer corrupting men to ruin their lives by emptying their bank accounts for us
>>
>>5849910
>>5849892
>>5849790
>>5849753
>>5849735
>>5849726
>>5849705
>>5849703

Firstly, thanks for the positive feedback. Picrel is a more polished drawing of Atë

>Online
>Turn your attention to the other department heads and your superiors: it'll be slower, but ideally it would help you climb the corporate ladder

You go into work the next day, taking care to actively participate in all of the meetings with your peers and superiors, speaking as much as possible to spread your <Whispers> to all of them. You spend much less time with them than your coworkers, so you'll probably need at least two weeks to get them to where your former colleagues were.

Meanwhile, you plan your route to internet stardom. You're capable of altering your body and voice however you'd like, so your options are nigh unlimited. What kind of content will you make?

>I'll talk politics (Specify left or right)
>I'll do "Just Chatting" livestreams
>I'll stream games
>I'll make song covers
>I'll react to videos
>I'll make vlogs
>I'll make videos that require some effort
>Write-In
>>
>>5849920
>>I'll stream games
>>
>>5849920
>I'll do "Just Chatting" livestreams
Just be super attractive and it'll be easy to find simps to corrupt
>>
>>5849920
First. That's a bad ass drawing. Atë is already cool.

>I'll stream games
>I'll make song covers
>I'll do "just chatting" streams

The "fake" Vtuber stratagem
>>
>>5849960
+1
Seems like the simplest way to get simps.
>>
>>5849950
>>5849960
>>5849968
>>5850130

You decide to focus primarily on streaming video games and 'just chatting', the classic spread for an e girl looking for fame. You start to study the infrastructure of the streaming services and recording software, as well as the best ways to manipulate the algorithm to your advantage. Of course, all this preparation will be for naught without a persona. Who are we?
>A charismatic himbo
>A stereotypical e-girl
>A slightly uncanny amalgamation of everything dudes think is hot
>Write-in

While you plan, your slow erosion of your colleagues and superiors starts to take hold. Surprisingly, one breaks bad after just a few days: he was caught snorting coke in his office. I guess some people don't need much convincing.

Influence: 114/200

You go home and rest a bit, deciding to check the news. You see some reports of monsters ravaging Shanghai. Seems like some other incarnations are on the move. A sense of foreboding descends upon you: your authorities are mostly pretty subtle, and you worry that if other incarnations attack, you'll be killed. What should I do now?
>Bide my time. Once I have some more influence, my options will expand dramatically
>My current methods of gathering influence are too slow. I need to find a way to make more, faster
>I'm in a lot of danger, I need to buy some items
>I should upgrade my authorities whenever I can, especially now that I could be in danger
>I need to find some other incarnations to ally myself with
>>
>>5850276
>A slightly uncanny amalgamation of everything dudes think is hot
Big tits, big eyes, roman nose etc

>Bide my time. Once I have some more influence, my options will expand dramatically
>>
>>5850276
>A slightly uncanny amalgamation of everything dudes think is hot
>I need to find some other incarnations to ally myself with
>>
>>5850276
>A slightly uncanny amalgamation of everything dudes think is hot
>My current methods of gathering influence are too slow. I need to find a way to make more, faster
Use that cursed gold!
>>
>>5850276
>A slightly uncanny amalgamation of everything dudes think is hot

>I need to find some other incarnations to ally myself with

If they go "HEY WHY YOU KILL THAT MAN" just claim Landlard was the aggressor and it was self defense
>>
>>5850512
Actually, he ran out and did crimes and then presumably died in a standoff with police. We're clean.
>>5850276
>>A slightly uncanny amalgamation of everything dudes think is hot
>Bide my time. Once I have some more influence, my options will expand dramatically
The streaming career will be huge.
>>
>>5850520
We Still have the fancy "We got the first kill in the Incarnate battle royal" title, that other godlings can see
>>
>>5850521
Fair enough. I wonder, if a normie gets the drop on an incarnate, do they become one?
>>
>>5850523
No they get a T shirt and a stickerless subway card
>>
>>5850523
I probably should have put this in the FAQ. Basically, the system ranks all parties involved in an incarnation's death based on level of participation and choses the highest available incarnation. If no incarnation is available, then the mortal with the highest contribution rating plunders their myths and undergoes deification of whatever myth has the highest synchronization rate for them
>>
>>5850276
>A charismatic himbo

>My current methods of gathering influence are too slow. I need to find a way to make more, faster
>>
>>5850284
>>5850284
>>5850309
>>5850478
>>5850512
>>5850520

You spend hours combing through various celebrities, models, and adult film stars, crafting the perfect online persona. Within days, you've already got over a hundred followers! Elated, but a little depressed at how superficial the world is, you continue plotting. For now, you've decided not to use your <Whispers> on your streams: after all, it would be a shame if your loyal viewers went to jail before they could help you go viral.

You can detect the people you've subjected to your authority at your job crumble. Sometimes you think that your meetings might break out into a riot, an orgy, or both. Regardless, it's only a matter of time before they're all fired and you once again climb the corporate ladder.

You check your mail and go back to your apartment: enclosed in one envelope is the bill, a letter, and... a quill pen? You read the letter:

"Dear resident of 36C,

As you may have known, the owner of this building was recently killed in a standoff with law enforcement. His sole heir, his nephew, decided to sell this building, and I have become the new owner.

Enclosed in this envelope is the bill for this month's rent. You may be surprised to find it substantially lowered. I have decided to charge just enough to keep my finances in the black.

Also enclosed in this envelope is a sort of reverse house-warming gift: a quill pen. I'd have sent ink, but I thought it might stain the documents.

Sincerely,

Marie Karmenov"

Odd message, but you appreciate the lowered rent. You check the bill, and it's gone down by almost 30%! Your landlord really was a bastard.

You have decided to mostly lay low, but still keep an eye out for other incarnations. How do you proceed?

>I need to upgrade <Whisper of Temptation>. Maybe it'll give me some new functionality like it did for my <Voices>
>I need to level up as soon as possible. Maybe the level 3 item shop will have some items that make it easier to find allies
>I need to focus on my streaming career
>I need to use my authorities to start targeting people unrelated to me to get some authority now while my plans for massive profits are underway
>Write-in
>>
>>5850562
>I need to focus on my streaming career
>>
>>5850562
>I need to upgrade <Whisper of Temptation>. Maybe it'll give me some new functionality like it did for my <Voices>
>>
>>5850562
>I need to upgrade <Whisper of Temptation>. Maybe it'll give me some new functionality like it did for my <Voices>
>>
>>5850562
>I need to upgrade <Whisper of Temptation>. Maybe it'll give me some new functionality like it did for my <Voices>
Makes sense.
>>
>>5850562
>>I need to focus on my streaming career
>>
>>5850562
>I need to upgrade <Whisper of Temptation>. Maybe it'll give me some new functionality like it did for my <Voices>
>>
>>5850621
>>5850620
>>5850605
>>5850574
>>5850568
>>5850567

>I need to upgrade <Whisper of Temptation>. Maybe it'll give me some new functionality like it did for my <Voices>

>Influence: 114->14/200

<Whisper of Temptations> (1->2):
It is now possible to lower the inhibitions of specific impulses. However, the more specific your restrictions, the longer it takes for your authority to take hold, and the more likely it is for your <Whispers> to not have any effect at all

The increase to functionality has exceeded your expectations. It seems like there's a dramatic variance in how and when your authorities will gain new effects or features

>I should focus on my streaming career
You devote the rest of your free time to creating content, both for live streams and edited vods on sites like Youtube. Another week passes, and popularity skyrockets.

>Follower count: 512

What should you do now?

>I need to level up as soon as possible. Maybe the level 3 item shop will have some items that make it easier to find allies
>I need to find some other incarnations and hopefully recruit them as allies
>I need to use my authorities to start targeting people unrelated to me to get some authority now while my plans for massive profits are underway
>Write-in
>>
>>5850660
>I need to use my authorities to start targeting people unrelated to me to get some authority now while my plans for massive profits are underway
Let's go clubbing in a third different shape and use our authorities to inducing drunk and/or high ravers into spreading anarchy
>>
>>5850534
> the mortal with the highest contribution rating plunders their myths and undergoes deification of whatever myth has the highest synchronization rate for them
So if we recruit a mortal and have them kill a god we could turn them into a divine servant. I’d say we should act independently of the other incarnations to stay low on their radar so if want useful bodyguards we could go this route.
>>
>>5850688
+1 a club is a perfect place for our abilities since people are already getting drunk.
>>
>>5850660
>>5850688
+1
>>
>>5850688
>>5850711
>>5850731

You decide to make full use of your <A Thousand Faces, A Thousand Voices> to assume a tertiary identity. You go to a nightclub, get in ahead of the line courtesy of your new face, and successfully enter the club. You dance, finding ways to make physical contact with over a dozen people. Then, almost as soon as you came, you disappeared from the club. You activate the planted authorities and then go home. You check the news, local news, watching the reporting on what happened with satisfaction.
Influence: 14->73
Divinity: 75/75->10/75

One of your gaming videos blows up a bit while you're out!
>Follower count: 759

That was an exceptional payout! However, you realize that doing this too often might draw undue attention. What should you do?

>So what if it draws attention? Cities around the world are falling into complete anarchy, a few riots is minor by comparison
>I shouldn't do that anymore. I should focus on my other endeavors
>I can continue this behavior, but maybe I can do it in a less public way? A couple of orgies here and there won't break headlines, and if I orchestrate it right, I can break a ton of marriages
>I was avoiding using my <Whispers> on my fanbase because it could be destructive, but with the new functions, maybe I can just stoke their obsession with me? Using <Whispers> for hours a day alongside <Voices> would limit the divinity I can use on my other <Authorities> by a decent amount, though
>Write-in
>>
>>5850764
>I was avoiding using my <Whispers> on my fanbase because it could be destructive, but with the new functions, maybe I can just stoke their obsession with me? Using <Whispers> for hours a day alongside <Voices> would limit the divinity I can use on my other <Authorities> by a decent amount, though
I bet we can use the new Whispers to get our followers to spread the word.
>>
>>5850764
>So what if it draws attention? Cities around the world are falling into complete anarchy, a few riots is minor by comparison
>>
>>5850764
>I can continue this behavior, but maybe I can do it in a less public way? A couple of orgies here and there won't break headlines, and if I orchestrate it right, I can break a ton of marriages
>>
>>5850764
>>I can continue this behavior, but maybe I can do it in a less public way? A couple of orgies here and there won't break headlines, and if I orchestrate it right, I can break a ton of marriages
>>
>>5850764
>I can continue this behavior, but maybe I can do it in a less public way? A couple of orgies here and there won't break headlines, and if I orchestrate it right, I can break a ton of marriages
>>
>>5850764
>I can continue this behavior, but maybe I can do it in a less public way? A couple of orgies here and there won't break headlines, and if I orchestrate it right, I can break a ton of marriages
>>
>>5850766
>>5850778
>>5850788
>>5850831
>>5850859
>>5850888

>I can continue this behavior, but maybe I can do it in a less public way? A couple of orgies here and there won't break headlines, and if I orchestrate it right, I can break a ton of marriages

You infiltrate nightclubs, block parties, and other places where people drunk people gather using your new persona, inducing scenes of depravity, recording them, and posting them anonymously online. You go about this for a week. You gain divinity, but your quest for popularity stagnates a bit.

Additionally, your actions have boiled over at work. There haven't been firings yet, but you can feel it coming. Though your branch of the company has been suffering due to your actions, your department is clean.

Influence: 14/200->220/400.

You have leveled up!
Level 2->3
Divinity: 3/75-> 100/100

You're satisfied with the influence, but worried that you might be caught if you keep going like this. What should you do now?
>This has been going great! Let's keep at it
>This is far more work for less benefit. I should start some riots!
>I should stop acting publicly for now and focus on increasing my online presence
>I should increase the level of an authority
>I should check the item shop
>Write-In
>>
>>5850915
>This is far more work for less benefit. I should start some riots!
>>
>>5850915
>I should increase the level of an authority
Might as well improve touch of madness
>>
>>5850920
+1
Touch of madness is our best way to cause havoc. I don’t think any passive income can beat its effects and a single incident isn’t get us on someone’s radar.

For future plans I think we should using our online followers as a potential power base rather then as a direct income source. Our whispers of temptation destroy those we use it against naturally so using it on our own followers would stagnant our growth. Instead we should use our online clout to make connections with other streamers and destroy them and their audience with whispers and potentially touch of madness if we can meet them in person. The public meltdowns we could cause will easily cause a scandal and by proxy boost our own popularity.
>>
>>5850918
>>5850920
>>5850934

You decide to upgrade the authority <Touch of Madness>

Influence: 220->120/400

>Touch of Madness (1->2)
It becomes possible to project the effects outward beyond your hand, expending one additional point to increase the radius by a number of inches equivalent to the skill's level. You may expend as many points per usage as you would like, however, only one desire can be stoked per target. (Reminder, it costs 5 points to use the skill)

As you read the new effects with relish, you hear a knock on your door. You peek out the door's peephole, and are met with a curious figure. It's a woman, you think, but it's somewhat difficult to tell: most of her pallid face is obscured by a mop of disheveled black hair, and her body is almost completely lacking in curves, not helped by her pitch black vest and loose dress shirt. She towers over you, being at least 6'4, and the smug grin on her face reminds you more of yourself then you would like. Even though she shouldn't be able to tell, it feels like she knows she's watching you. What do you do?
>Open the door and greet her like normal
>Pretend I'm not home
>She's a threat. I have to attack
>Write-in
>>
>>5851052
Typo, *it feels like she knows you're watching her
>>
>>5851052
>Speak through the door while holding it shut
>"You wouldn't happen to be interested in Greek mythology, would you?"
Dollars to donuts that's our new landlord and either a member of our pantheon or gunning for us
>>
>>5851052
>>5851074
Support. Either she's a member of our pantheon or an enemy- ascertaining which is priority one
>>
>>5851074
Support

And grab a kitchen knife. Can't be too careful.

Hell, use Whispers to reduce her inhibitions against trusting strangers.
>>
>>5851052
>>She's a threat. I have to attack
>>
>>5851074
+1
>>
>>5851052
>>Open the door and greet her like normal
>>
>>5851327
>>5851211
>>5851122
>>5851099
>>5851078
>>5851074

You rush to the kitchen to grab a knife, run back to the door, and ask through it:

"You wouldn't happen to be interested in greek mythology, would you?"

She responds, but the nature of her voice is a bit shocking. Rather than being shouted through a door, it's more like it's being whispered right in your ear: she says,

"No need to be so paranoid. I'm just here to talk, Atë. Specifically, I have a proposal for you"

....shit. How does she know who you are? That doesn't matter right now. You now know you're talking to an incarnation. What should you do?
>She knows too much. She has to die
>I was looking for allies and one just showed up, this is perfect. I'll at least see what she has to say
>I'll pretend to work with her, but I'll use my <Whispers> to ruin her
>Write-in
>>
>>5851052
>>5851327
>Open the door and greet her like normal
Support
>>
>>5851365
>She knows too much. She has to die
>>
>>5851365
>I was looking for allies and one just showed up, this is perfect. I'll at least see what she has to say.
>>
>>5851365
>>I was looking for allies and one just showed up, this is perfect. I'll at least see what she has to say
>>
>>5851365
>I was looking for allies and one just showed up, this is perfect. I'll at least see what she has to say.
Caution at this juncture is critical, but we can't let our paranoia lose us opportunities.
>>
>>5851371
>>5851379
>>5851386
>>5851441

Deciding to at least hear what she has to say, you open the door, allowing her in. She bows a little as she walks through the doorframe so as not to hit her head.

Though you aren't completely certain, you decide to gamble on a hunch you had (>>5851074) and ask:

"Who are you really, Karmenov? And what do you want?"

Her smile widens.

"Very astute of you. Yes, I think this will be quite a profitable accomplice. Shall we sit?"

You lead her to your old leather couch. She sits, and you pull up a chair opposing her.

"Let me cut to the chase." she says, "I've been watching you for a while. A lot of other incarnations have been indulging in power fantasies, or using their new powers for hedonistic revelry. Even the ones working on strengthening their ambitions, they lack ambition and, barring that, they completely lack a sense of style. You and I are different, I think. We both understand what this game really is: an opportunity to take the world and make it whatever we want.

In the sake of good faith, it's only right that I introduce myself properly. I am the incarnation of Pheme, goddess of rumors, gossip, et cetera. My abilities and yours are, I think, quite compatible, but I can't confirm that to you unless I can guarantee an alliance. What do you say?"
What do you do?
>Now is the perfect time to attack
>I'll reject her proposal
>I'd like to work with her, but I'm not sure if I can trust her. Maybe I can ask for some kind of guarantee?
>I think she and I are going to get along great. I'll ask what her plan is and agree to join in if it sounds good
>I can't trust her unless she tells me how she found me and how she's been watching me
>Write-In
>>
>>5851508
Typo again, wrote accomplice instead of partnership. Changed the sentence but missed a word
>>
>>5851508
>I can't trust her unless she tells me how she found me and how she's been watching me
Really, if her abilities are strong enough to find incarnations then she would be an invaluable ally (for the moment). But- I'd like to know how they work!
>>
>>5851508
>I think she and I are going to get along great. I'll ask what her plan is and agree to join in if it sounds good
As a rumour-monger, I'm almost certain she has some way of getting information. The problem she has is that she's less able to act on it than us. It would be worth cooperating.
>>
>>5851508
Damn, just noticed I wrote "Strengthening their ambitions" instead of "Strengthening their authorities". I really need to write these out in a google doc or something before I post them
>>
>>5851508
>I'd like to work with her, but I'm not sure if I can trust her. Maybe I can ask for some kind of guarantee?
Her powers *do* complement ours, and we're in need of allies-- but anyone who could track us down is potentially also a danger to us. We should frame it like... being willing to negotiate the terms of our alliance, since she seems reasonable.
>>
>>5851512
+1
Yea I’m all for working with her but she should have to give a little by telling us how her powers work. We don’t wanna look weak.
>>
>>5851512
>>5851514
>>5851554
>>5851606

First of all, since there's been a ton of level ups and authority upgrades, I've typed out the status sheet:
https://rentry.org/ate-incarnation-status

>I can't trust her unless she tells me how she found me and how she's been watching me

"Well, it was actually a bit of a long story. I'm not sure if you're aware, but your landlord's death kinda blew up in conspiracy theory circles online. The bank teller was oddly compliant and willing to help him, and she described feelings of unplaced trust and gratitude, which is perfect bait for people who are invested in stuff like hypnosis or MK Ultra brainwashing.

After I became an incarnation, I was able to see his divinity in the camera recording, and I instantly knew the basics of what happened. Even still, no matter how greedy you are, doing a bank robbery with his abilities and with his pretty comfortable level of wealth seemed a bit fishy. So, when I hit level 3, I bought a Record Pass from the shop, and found out that somebody killed an incarnation. You.

Meanwhile, I got my hands on the police report and it was obvious that he went straight from his apartment to the bank. There was only one logical conclusion: The other incarnation lived in that apartment complex.

So, I bought the building- it was a good investment anyway, the new owner didn't know what it was worth- and I sent everyone these."

She pulls a quill pen from her pocket. It looks similar to the one you received in the letter. She continues,

"My EX rated authority is <Wings of Rumor>. It allows me to sprout wings, which would let me fly. However..."

A pair of black, crow-like wings sprout from her back. However, there's one major difference: on each feather is a darting eye. mouths move beneath each one, filling the room with whispers and laughter. Her grin widens.

"Flight is a secondary function. Every single feather is a tiny surveillance and communication device"

A chill runs down your spine: she's been watching and listening to everything you did in your apartment for two weeks.

What do you do?
>This is a bridge too far. I'm going to kill this creep
>Alright, that's really creepy. I'm not sure I want to work with her anymore
>I respect the insidiousness of this plan, but I'm gonna need some guarantee that she's not gonna do that anymore
>That was a clever trick. Now that she's revealed her cards, I think we can trust her
>Write-in
>>
>>5851633
>I respect the insidiousness of this plan, but I'm gonna need some guarantee that she's not gonna do that anymore

She seems smart and capable but we can’t have her spying on us if we’re gonna work together.
>>
>>5851633
>That was a clever trick. Now that she's revealed her cards, I think we can trust her
Trust in the sense of work with, not trust in the sense of truly rely on
>>
>>5851633
>That was a clever trick. Now that she's revealed her cards, I think we can trust her
She's been very forthcoming so far, and while I wouldn't *trust* her exactly, we can at least work together in pursuit of a common goal. Still open to negotiating that she not spy on us so much, as part of the terms of our alliance.
>>
>>5851639
>>5851655
>>5851675

Picrel is Pheme. Didn't draw the wings because it'd be really annoying as described.

>That was a clever trick. Now that she's revealed her cards, I think we can trust her

"Excellent choice. Now, I think we both agree that, for people like us, trust is a bit of a difficult thing. So, I bought this,"

She takes a piece of paper out of her inventory.

"This is a nonagression compact. You can buy them once you hit level 4. Basically, they make it so that the signatories can't use their authorities on each other without their permission. It even works for surveillance authorities, or at least for my <Wings>, anyway. Ah, also, if you want to work together, I do have one condition: I don't want you to join your pantheon."

"What? Why not?"

"I assume that Eris would be in your pantheon? If I'm working with you, it necessitates a degree of vulnerability, and having her know where you all at all times is a liability. She was easy to find- already a bad sign- and her personality was all wrong. She was impulsive, tempestuous, and spiteful beyond any reasoning. She's a complete liability. Besides, the the pantheons are way more troublesome than they're worth in general. After all, the rules imply that there's nothing stopping a single individual from killing every single constituent and taking their myths. It's basically a ticket to a bloodbath"

She seems genuine, but she's literally the embodiment of gossip, so you're not entirely sure if you can take your word for it. Hell, even if you can, is working with her worth throwing your pantheon away for? What do you do?
>"I'll sign. I don't want anything to do with pantheons anyway"
>"You're asking me to give up a lot. What's your plan here?"
>"I would like to work with you, but that pantheon bonus is really tempting. Can we work this out?"
>"That's a dealbreaker for me. I'm sorry, but I can't work with you."
>>
>>5851925
>"You're asking me to give up a lot. What's your plan here?"
Tbh our pantheon should be a bunch of unreliable troublemakers
>>
>>5851925
>"You're asking me to give up a lot. What's your plan here?"
Let's figure something out
>>
>>5851957
+1
>>
>>5851925
>"I would like to work with you, but that pantheon bonus is really tempting. Can we work this out?"
>>
>>5851925
>>"You're asking me to give up a lot. What's your plan here?"
>>
>>5851957
>>5851977
>>5851990
>>5852011
>>5852026

>"You're asking me to give up a lot. What's your plan here?"

"I'm glad you asked. I'm not certain of the precise nature of your authorities, and I won't expect you to tell me before we establish some trust, so I'll list out some ideas I've had and see what you think."

>Plan 1: I can plant a feather inside the home of another incarnation and use it to transmit your power, causing them to go mad. Rinse and repeat, causing disaster
>Plan 2: I've gathered some dirt on an indie musician with a substantial internet cult following and a satanic aesthetic. I can get him to include your voice in one of his new songs as a sample
>Plan 3: I can use your transformation ability to stage a leak of a celebrity saying something horrible. Of course, your corruptive influence would be in that, so as people listen to it over and over to see if it's real, they'll go feral

Those all sound like solid plans, although I could probably do the third one without her. What should I do?
>Agree to work together with her
>See if you can work with her and still join your pantheon
>Reject her request
>Write-in
>>
>>5852038
>Agree to work together with her
>>
>>5852038
>See if you can work with her and still join your pantheon

>"Listen, Pheme. I really don't care about my pantheon, they're arbitrary bundle of randos, but I *do* care about the power they can give me. More specifically, that unique bonus. I'll tell you this. Why don't I gather my pantheon one-by-one while leading them on, dispose of those we can't work with, and gain their myths for myself? You get me the information I can't, I get you the opportunity to act on it. We cooperate as a clandestine duo, and both reap the benefits. I think it's safe to assume you've been watching me long enough to know I'm ruthless when I need to be, but not unreasonable."
>>
>>5852038
Supporting this >>5852056.
>>
>>5852038
>Agree to work together with her, if she helps you kill the rest of your pantheon so you can still get that bonus

>Or just kill Eris, if she's the only hang up Karmenov has
>>
>>5852069
>>5852038
+1 support
Just caught up, I knew the pen was sus from the moment it was mentioned. Alas nobody really batted an eye at it.

I think we should kill Eris. Not only is she dangerous, killing another incarnation grants us bonuses because of our <First Blood> epithet. Furthermore, it will cement our alliance with Pheme by forcing her to "prove her loyalty" so to speak.
>>
>>5852045
>>5852056
>>5852064
>>5852069

Minor correction. Wrote Donoi as the name for murder spirits instead of Phenoi for the epithets page. Not even sure what a Donos is.

>See if you can work with her and still join your pantheon

You agree to join her, and you agree to be wary of your pantheon, but you express to her that you would go through each member on a case by case basis and kill anyone she deemed unworthy of partnership.

She stops to consider for a moment, the smile finally leaving her face, before replying:
"I'm not necessarily opposed to the idea, but as far as I can tell, you don't have any fantastic combat authorities. Until you show me that you can defend yourself, I don't think I can collaborate with you if you intend to be so reckless."

She makes a good point. You don't have any authorities that can even protect you against bullets, let alone whatever divine attacks that some of your siblings might be able to throw out. Plus, just like you, they might also have access to mind altering effects. That being said, it should be possible to win using your authorities alongside an information asymmetry.

What should you do?
>Agree to the new terms
>Reject the new terms
>Write-in
>>
>>5852056
+1
We should dispose of the unreliable members anyways. See if we can still form our pantheon and have this alliance but just dispose of the troublesome members for her.
>>
>>5852114
>Agree to the new terms
>>
>>5852114
>Agree to the new terms
"I'll kill one of the incompetents, and then you'll see."
>>
>>5852114
>Agree to the new terms
Really these killings would be more assassinations than brawls
>>
>>5852114
>>Agree to the new terms
>Who else have you approached?
Sure lady, but understand that aggressive self-defence is still on the menu
>>
>>5852129
>>5852145
>>5852181
>>5852186

>Agree to the new terms

The smile returns to Pheme's face as you express your willingness to proceed with the partnership. She signs the contract and hands it to you, saying,
"Excellent. I knew you'd make the right choice"
"Before I sign this," you reply, "who else is in on this?"
"Nobody," replies Pheme, "It's you and me against the world. For now, anyway."

You sign the contract and a system notification appears before you:
>You have entered a non-agression compact with the incarnation of <Pheme>. You cannot use your authorities against the other signatory without their consent. However, it does not need to be expressed nor cancelled verbally, they will simply not take effect if the other party does not wish them to. You are extended the same considerations. The contract can be dissolved by either party at any time, but the other signatory will be notified and the contract's effects will persist for one week after cancellation.

Now that you've entered a partnership with Pheme, which plan should you have her proceed with?
>Plan 1
>Plan 2
>Plan 3
>Write-in
>>
>>5852200
>Plan 2
This is expediting the plan we already were engaged in effectively
>>
>>5852200

> All of them, at once. Why not?
> Start with 2 if resources are limited
>>
>>5852200
>Plan 2
This will have the longest-running effect.
>>
>>5852308
+1
>>
>>5852545
Make sure our alter ego is credited for the sample though. That way when the musician and his followers get in drama for destroying themshelves we get promoted by proxy.
>>
>>5852200
Seconnding >>5852302
>Start with Plan 2
>Keep options open for implementing Plans 1 and 3 if/when we see fit.
>>
>>5852200
>>Plan 2
>>
>>5852798
>>5852746
>>5852545
>>5852308
>>5852302
>>5852205

>Plan 2

"Excellent choice. I'll set up all of the preparations. Hold onto the quill pen, you can use it to call me if you need something. I'll need your permission to use one of my authorities on you otherwise."

She demonstrates to you one of her authorities:

>Word of Mouth (3):
It is possible for you to communicate privately with one or more incarnations at any range so long as you've seen them either in person or a surveillance skill. Additionally, it becomes possible for you to link the output of any of your surveillance authorities to any applicable participants.

You suggest using your streamer persona, but Pheme has another idea:

"Actually, I was thinking of making a brand new persona for music. We wouldn't want to stain your streaming persona with controversy."

You also suggest going through all three plans at once. She replies:
"We can get around eventually, but these things take a lot of legwork on my end. You'll have to be patient."

After you two work out the specifics, she stands up, shakes your hand, and then leaves. You have made a useful ally.

While Pheme gets to work, what should you do?
>I'm gonna start some riots! Gotta get my influence up
>I'm gonna focus on work
>I'm gonna focus on my streaming career
>Write-In
>>
>>5852880
>I'm gonna focus on my streaming career
>>
>>5852880
>I'm gonna focus on my streaming career
Pretty soon we're going to reach simp city.
>>
>>5852880
>I'm gonna focus on work.
Things seem to be coming to a head at the office, and we can switch to streaming stuff after it does.
>>
>>5852886
>>5852914
>>5852949

>I'm gonna focus on my streaming career

You decide to direct most of your energy to your streaming career.

You manage to make connections with some C-grade internet e-celeb in the gaming sphere who, you think, is mostly just interested in sleeping with your persona. Regardless, fame is fame and yours is on the rise. A week passes, and your growth is exponential.

Follower count: 5,003

You aren’t giving your all at work, but you’re still doing far better than most of your degraded coworkers. Your promotion seems imminent as one of your superiors is arrested for engaging in a bar fight, but you haven’t heard any word about it yet.

Influence: 120->125/400

At the end of the week, as promised, Pheme returns. She shows you some concept images for your new musician persona. The aesthetic is more scene than punk, but the outfits aren’t things completely outside the realms of what you’d wear. After you transform, she drives you to a recording studio and, after a few days, your role is done. Pheme tells you that she’ll get to work on promoting and building up rumors about the new single, but for now, your work is done.

>Optional Write in: What should your new stage name be?

You’ve probably got some time before you see any results from this new scheme. In the meanwhile, what should you do?
>I’m gonna start some riots!
>I should stake out and hunt some other incarnations. Combat authorities aren’t gonna steal themselves
>I should focus on work. My promotion is imminent
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
>Write-in
>>
>>5853041
>I should focus on my work. My promotion is imminent.
>>
>>5853041
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
>>
>>5853041
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
hit milions of followers and we'll have more influence than we can spend
>>
>>5853041
>>I should focus on work. My promotion is imminent
>>
>>5853041
>I should focus on my work. My promotion is imminent.
Our work is more useful as a secret identity than for the money+influence aspect.
>>
>>5853049
>>5853053
>>5853184
>>5853230
>>5853317

>I should focus on my work. My promotion is imminent.

While you still stream when you have time, you decide to put your all into your work, doing overtime and exerting even more of your divinity on your <Whispers>. Before the week is out, your direct superior quits his job. Guess he hated work as much as you did. The higher-ups, noticing your relative dedication, decide to promote you. You are now the finance director of the entire building.

>Influence: 125->153

Your follower count does increase, but not as extensively as before. You suppose your growth is still explosive, but it has certainly slowed down.

Follower count: 5839

Pheme sends you an email containing the song with your <Whispers> included. Apparently, the track was mostly finished so they just replaced a different sample vocalist with yours. According to Pheme, it’s a considerable improvement. It’s a pretty standard indie EDM type track. Definitely not bad, but you aren’t blown away. She tells you that the song will debut next week, but that she’ll be too busy on her end to work on anything else until at least a month has passed. For now, you’re on your own again.

What’s your next step?

>I’m gonna start some riots!
>I should stake out and hunt some other incarnations. Combat authorities aren’t gonna steal themselves
>One more boss left before I run this entire building. Directors’ meetings are pretty infrequent, so doing it with <Whispers> might take a while, though
>I should take some singing classes. I might be able to give myself a perfect voice, but that only means so much if I don’t know how to sing
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
>Write-in
>>
>>5853350
>>I should stake out and hunt some other incarnations. Combat authorities aren’t gonna steal themselves
Gotta get ahead of the game
>>
>>5853350
>>I should take some singing classes. I might be able to give myself a perfect voice, but that only means so much if I don’t know how to sing
>>
>>5853350
>I should stake out and hunt some other incarnations. Combat authorities aren’t gonna steal themselves
We need to get stronger if we want to ascend.
>>
>>5853350
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
>>
>>5853350
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
>>
>>5853350
>I should stake out and hunt some other incarnations. Combat authorities aren't gonna steal themselves.
>>
>>5853466
+1
>>
>>5853495
>>5853466
>>5853390
>>5853379
>>5853374
>>5853360
>>5853353

>I should stake out and hunt some other incarnations. Combat authorities aren't gonna steal themselves.

You decide that it's time to make use of your title and <EX> rank authority. That being said, you'll need a target before you can do anything at all, since you don't have any way of uncovering incarnations on your own. How do you want to go about it?

>Check the shop for useful items
>Check the news
>Look on online forums
>Ask Pheme
>Write-in
>>
>>5853843
>Ask Pheme
>>
>>5853843
>Check the shop for useful items
We know they exist, Pheme said she found us using a Record Pass
>>
>>5853843
>Check the shop for useful items
This is about proving to Pheme that we're competent on our own.
>>
>>5853843
>Look on online forums
>>
>>5853843
>>Check the news
>>
>>5853852
>>5853890
>>5853909
>>5853922
>>5853953

>Check the shop for useful items

You check the shop and filter for items unlocked at 3rd level. You are met with:

Items:
>Record Pass: 100
>Drop of Chaos: 100
>Beast Tracker: 150

Authorities:
Command (1): 300
>Divine Body (1): 500

You know that a record pass allows you to see titles, but the rest of the items are a mystery to you. You check out the other items.

Beast Tracker: Consumable. Points to the nearest incarnation of a monster or divine beast. Shatters if the user identifies the target

Drop of Chaos: Consumable. Grants the user a random item, authority, or title. 20% for a deleterious effect.

What should you do?
>Buy an item
>Check the new purchasable authorities
>Look for other means of finding incarnations
>Write-in
>>
>>5854153
>Check the new purchasable authorities
Command looks like it could be useful. Very tempted by Drop of Chaos but it could also be B A D.
>>
>>5854153
>>Check the new purchasable authorities
>>
>>5854153
>Check the new purchasable authorities
Both the beast tracker and drop of chaos are enticing
>>
>>5854159
>>5854163
>>5854169
>Command (1):
Allows you to affect the will of mortals. The skill is more likely to succeed if it's something the more willing they would have been to follow that command without the use of the skill. Has no effect on incarnations

>Divine Body (1):
Expends divinity to temporarily increase the strength, endurance, and speed of an incarnation, proportional to the divinity expended (from 1 to 60 divinity an hour. Higher usages may be harmful to the body).

What should you do now?
>Buy an item
>Find another means of finding a constellation
>Write-in
>>
>>5854173
Hmm... Command seems largely redundant for our purposes but the Drop of Chaos... I'm tempted to try it but Beast Tracker would be more useful for our purposes. I say we buy the Beast Tracker and use our Authorities to get them to let their guard down long enough for us to slit their throat.
>Buy an Item: Beast Tracker
If they turn out to be a coomer killing them will be even easier.
>>
>>5854173
>>5854180
>>
>>5854173
>>5854180
+1. We'll roll the die on the drop of chaos later
>>
>>5854180
>>5854186
>>5854191

You purchase a Beast Tracker

>Influence: 153 -> 53

You purchase the item. Immediately, you see a small golden compass at the top right of your field of vision. You assume that, rather than north, the direction it points is the location of the nearest suitable target.

The only major issue is that you have no idea how far away the target is. It's possible that you'd have to drive for days to find them. What will you do?

>I’m gonna start some riots!
>Let the hunt begin! I'll have to take some time off of my other pursuits, though
>One more boss left before I run this entire building. Directors’ meetings are pretty infrequent, so doing it with <Whispers> might take a while, though
>I should take some singing classes. I might be able to give myself a perfect voice, but that only means so much if I don’t know how to sing
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
>Write-in
>>
>>5854245
>Let the hunt begin! I'll have to take some time off of my other pursuits, though
This shouldn't take too long. If it's more than a week, we can divert but we should be fine calling in a vacation.
>>
>>5854245
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
>>
>>5854245
>I should focus on my streaming career. I’m on the verge of really blowing up
>>
>>5854250
>>5854251
>>5854255

You decide that, for now, it's better to put your hunt on hold and focus on your livestreaming career. Over the course of a week, you network, collaborating with streamers at your level of popularity and with (usually male) creators of much more significant import. You open an patreon, and instantly you're making hundreds of dollars a month for naught but access to a discord server and some selfies. You start receiving offers for sponsorship deals and exclusivity contracts. The world had never seen a creator who got popular from being mediocre at video games so quickly.

Follower count: 10,003

One day, after a stream, you receive an email entitled from one "divinity3295@gmail.com", with the subject line "Invitation." It reads:

It reads,

"Dear cyber_syren,

I have been enjoying your content for quite some time, and, if possible, I'd like to enjoy more of it in the future. However, the world is not so kind. You probably don't know this, but recently, several special, important people have been selected to change the world in their image. To become GODS. I am one of them.

Monsters are ravaging cities. The world is an unsafe place, and you are not protected. I could protect you, if you would become mine. I can prove it. If you agree, I can pay for your flight.

For your own sake,

An anonymous god"

You aren't certain if this is real, but if it is, it's an incredible opportunity. How should you respond?
>"A god? What does that mean?"
>"Can you prove it?"
>"Omigod really? Where do you live? I need to be safe"
>This is fishy, and not worth considering. I'll do something else
>I'll forward this to Lethe and see what she thinks
>Write in
>>
>>5854281
*Wrote Lethe instead of Pheme
>>
>>5854281
>I'll forward this to Pheme and see what she thinks
Holy kek please be a real unaware simp
>>
>>5854281
>I'll forward this to Pheme so we can laugh about it
Lmfao
>>
>>5854281
>Forward this to Pheme and see what she thinks.
The things men will do for a pretty girl.
>>
>>5854290
+1
Kek, he doesn't even know we're a deity ourselves
>>
>>5854286
>>5854290
>>5854310
>>5854311

>I'll forward this to Pheme and see what she thinks

You pick up the quill pen to call pheme. Now that her authorities no longer affect you, you can see the eye on one end, and the mouth on the other. Both seem to have depth that would be impossible for something as thin as a feather.

"I'm glad you brought this up to me, while it seems good, it could definitely be a trap. Tell him that you need to know where he lives first so I can look into this. If he's even half as much of a loser as he seems to be, I can sense a new authority in your future."

Looks like you have the clear to keep pursuing this project. How do you proceed?

>"A god? What does that mean?"
>"Can you prove it?"
>"Omigod really? Where do you live? I need to be safe"
>"I'm like, super paranoid about this kind of thing. Maybe you can come to me?" (I'll fly to a new, unrelated location and pretend I live there)
>Write-in
>>
>>5854315
>"Sure, I'll humour you. 'Prove it' on cam and we'll talk. It's been a while since I've seen CGI worth writing home about."
>>
>>5854315
>>5854317
+1
>>
>>5854315
>"Sure, I'll humour you. 'Prove it' on cam and we'll talk. It's been a while since I've seen CGI worth writing home about."
If he's half as infatuated with us as he seems he'll probably just reveal himself like that
>>
>>5854281
>"Can you prove it?"
upon receiving proof:
>"Omigod really? Where do you live? I need to be safe"

tfw we wasted influence in the item shop when we could have just streamed
>>
>>5854317
>>5854318
>>5854319
>>5854343

>"Sure, I'll humour you. 'Prove it' on cam and we'll talk. It's been a while since I've seen CGI worth writing home about."

In a couple of days, you receive an email from the same gmail account. In it is a shirtless man wearing surgical face mask. The figure is muscular, the perfect figure of the Greek masculine ideal, and shining as if covered in sweat or grease. However, you notice that there's a neckbeard visible below the mask line, and what you can make out of his face is unimpressive. The man is bald, but not balding and, upon further inspection, wearing a belt looped multiple times around their waist.

The figure is encompassed in a shining silver aura, showing it off as if completely unaware that mortals are incapable of seeing divinity. He then picks up what looks like a metal crowbar, uses it to break some wooden objects to prove its durability, and then folds it like paper. The man does one more bicep flex before turning the video off. How do you proceed?

>"That's obviously fake"
>"Holy shit, you're the real deal after all. Where do you live?
>"Wow, that's super impressive"
>I'll show the video to Pheme. Maybe she can use it to figure out who this guy is
>Write-in
>>
>>5854458
*balding but not bald
>>
>>5854458

>>"Holy shit, you're the real deal after all. Where do you live?
>>I'll show the video to Pheme. Maybe she can use it to figure out who this guy is
What a fucking loser kek
>>
>>5854458
>wearing a belt looped multiple times around their waist.
Ooooh fuck he was a total fatass NEET before he got the body of a Greek God huh? Ah fuck that's funny. Couldn't even be fucked to go out and buy new clothes. What a loser. No amount of BEEF will fix his self-esteem issues. Or hairline, apparently.

>"Holy shit, you're the real deal after all. Where do you live?
>I'll show the video to Pheme. Maybe she can use it to figure out who this guy is
>>
>>5854458
>>"Holy shit, you're the real deal after all. Where do you live?
>>
>>5854458
>"Holy shit, you're the real deal after all. Where do you live?
>I'll show the video to Pheme. Maybe she can use it to figure out who this guy is
This retard probably wants to trap us in his basement. Luckily for us, we can play him like a fiddle.
>>
>>5854469
>>5854486
>>5854490
>>5854539

>"Holy shit, you're the real deal after all. Where do you live?
>I'll show the video to Pheme. Maybe she can use it to figure out who this guy is

You send a response to the email, flattering him on his strength and asking him where he lives and when you should come while taking great care to not mention his divine aura in case he’s more clever than you think he is. He replies with an email reading,

“Good evening to you, my siren, my muse,

I am glad that you have witnessed my feat of strength, proof of my divinity and grandeur, and have decided to make the rational decision. Many of your critics have slandered your name, ridiculed you for being brainless, but I always knew that this was a lie.

Every night you remain unprotected is a night where I am gripped by fear for you. No matter how strong I am, I can only do so much with you so far away. I have a penthouse in New York, and we can stay there together. Day and night, I can fight off the monsters and the lesser so called gods and protect you. I’ll pick you up from JFK international airport.

Remember that, forever and always, I shall be yours.”

‘Damn’ you think to yourself, ‘if only the moron signed his name.’

You send the email and video to Pheme, and, after a decent thirty seconds of uninterrupted laughter, she tells you that she can probably figure out his identity and address if you give her a week to investigate.

On the one hand, it would be good to go as soon as possible to avoid suspicion and the possibility of his infatuation waning. On the other, you would ideally like to have as much information as possible going into this.

What will you do?
>Try to stall for time while Pheme does her work using logistical concerns as an excuse
>Go as soon as possible
>Try to instigate a bit of e-dating to placate him while Pheme looks into things
>Write-in
>>
>>5854620
>Try to instigate a bit of e-dating to placate him while Pheme looks into things
Some nudes or the like ought to placate a true neckbeard for a week
>>
>>5854458
>Go as soon as possible

Blitz him before he can have suspicions or second thoughts
>>
>>5854620
>Try to instigate a bit of e-dating to placate him while Pheme looks into things
We'll tell him we're worried of his "true intentions" and talk with him so that he can tell us more about himself and "gain our trust."
>>
>>5854620
>Try to stall for time while Pheme does her work using logistical concerns as an excuse
>>
>>5854620
>>Go as soon as possible
>>
>>5854620
>>Try to stall for time while Pheme does her work using logistical concerns as an excuse
>>
>>5854623
>>5854625
>>5854633
>>5854769
>>5854928
>>5855038

It's another perfect three way tie. Should I roll for it or wait for a tiebreaker?
>>
>>5855113
Ill tiebreak cause im pretty sure i didnt vote last night
>Try to instigate a bit of e-dating to placate him while Pheme looks into things
>>
>>5855121

Support. A low cut shirt does wonders.
>>
>>5854623
>>5854625
>>5854633
>>5854769
>>5854928
>>5855038
>>5855121
>>5855138

>Try to instigate a bit of e-dating to placate him while Pheme looks into things

You feign a powerful desire to meet up with him as soon as possible, not only for protection but also from a deep seated infatuation. You say that you have some things you have to prepare, and make sure to attach an explicit image to the email to keep him placated. You probe for identity under the pretext of wanting to know your lover better and you get at least a first name: Jackson. You forward this information to Pheme and she gets back to you four days after the initial e-mail.

"Jackson Lamdon. First son of an entrepreneur who founded a successful real estate business. His younger brother has taken over the family business, but he still lives a life of comfortable luxury off of his family's money. No criminal record, and no notable achievements. There are reports of a person of his description slaying a cyclops in Manhattan, so it is advisable to avoid physical confrontation."

Having received the information more quickly than anticipated, how do you proceed?
>I'm going to New York
>It's too dangerous, I'm staying home
>Write-in
>>
>>5855160
>I'm going to New York
We ball
>>
>>5855160
>>I'm going to New York
>>
>>5855160
>I'm going to New York

What's the gameplan? Use Touch of Madness to convince him now's the time to declare himself publicly as god king of Manhattan? Croon in his ear that we'd love to be a god too and have him capture other gods for us, or die trying? We need to incite him to do something that gets him killed.
>>
>>5855160
>I'm going to New York
What do you think the chances are we're going to get two-for-the-price-of-one, and his brother is also a demigod? My only worry is that others in the family might notice that something's up-- or that he notices that we have "First Blood", and that we're most likely here to kill him and disappear.
>>
>>5855204
This guy is likely a twisted NEET, so we should NOT meet him in his basement/actually surrender Ate to him. Asking him to meet us at the airport or something, shifting into a different form, and discreetly walking near him using the extended range Touch of Madness is the way to go IMO
>>
>>5855160
>I'm going to New York
Let's take care of business.

>>5855229
I agree. The ideal form is an old beggar lady asking for spare change. He'll be too awkward to stop her from patting his shoulders and by the time he thinks to move, we'll already be gone.
>>
>>5855183
>>5855184
>>5855204
>>5855220

>I'm going to New York

As you decide to go to New York, you realize you missed something important: your fake identity doesn’t have a government ID. You call up Pheme about it, to which she responds:

“Dude, you actually forgot? I just kinda assumed it went without saying. I’ve laundered you up a pretty decent fake identity, so don’t screw this up.”

You take a moment to be grateful that this psycho’s on your side.

She drops by with a bottle of wine and a forged driver’s license, and the two of you spend the night drinking and making fun of Jackson’s love letters.

The next day, you call in sick to work and purchase the tickets. Of course, you have him reimburse you and, since you’re not paying, you’re flying first class.

As you drive to the airport, you notice your Beast Tracker move considerably. Its target is in your city. As you fly, the compass points backwards towards the city you left before switching its target.

While you fly to New York, you consider your options.
>Ambush him with <Touch of Madness> in the airport
>Go back to his apartment
>Pretend to go with him, but use <Touch Of Madness> between your terminal and the car
>Write-In
>>
>>5855251
>Ambush him with <Touch of Madness> in the airport
We'll need to be clever about this. I say we fill him with sudden, rabid hunger and see where it goes from there. Ideally, he'll immobilize himself in a food court.
>>
>>5855251
>Ambush him with <Touch of Madness> in the airport
>>
>>5855251
>>Go back to his apartment
>>
>>5855251
>Go back to his apartment
When he least expect it
>>
>>5855251
>Ambush him with <Touch of Madness> in the airport

He might have stuff set up in his apartment
>>
>>5855315
>>5855307
>>5855278
>>5855275
>>5855258

>Ambush him with <Touch of Madness> in the airport

You decide that you don't want to risk walking into what very well might be some sort of soundproofed stalker dungeon. Instead, you find it wiser to catch him by surprise with your authorities. What shape do you take?
>An old lady, asking for something
>A businessman bumping into him
>Your persona, hugging him
>A little kid, asking if he's seen her parents
>Write-in
>>
>>5855251
>Ambush him with <Touch of Madness> in the airport
>>
>>5855324
Whoops tad late

>>5855322
>A little kid, asking if he's seen her parents
>>
>>5855322
>>Your persona, hugging him
>>
>>5855322
>A businessman bumping into him
>>
>>5855322
>A businessman bumping into him
On second thought, he's the son of a real estate entrepreneur so he would probably be hostile toward a beggar. A businessman making an honest mistake, on the other hand? That should go off without a hitch.
>>
>>5855332
>>5855331
>>5855329
>>5855326
>>5855324

You take on the appearance of a standard businessman: a middle aged man, maybe in his forties, with a professional haircut and a three piece suit. You find him waiting outside of the terminal (not a difficult thing to do, as his bald spot is a sort of beacon, glistening in the fluorescent light of the airport like polished silver). He's wearing a navy blue suit that looks both expensive and tailored to his new body, but his shoes, while also seemingly quite pricey, are a shade of brown that doesn't complement the rest of the outfit whatsoever. His tie is a slightly different shade than his jacket and pants, and seems to be a clip-on.

As you approach, his smell hits you. He exudes an aroma of sweat and BO, covered up by far too much of a cologne that's probably more expensive than your entire paycheck before you became an incarnation.

You bump into him, planting the authority from behind to insure he doesn't see the crimson glow of your divinity. You apologize profusely and, while he doesn't seem pleased, he doesn't seem to be angry enough to do anything, and he certainly hasn't noticed what you've done.

What impulse did you plant?
>He'll get violent
>He'll stuff his face
>He'll try to get laid
>He'll take a nap
>He'll commit suicide
>Write-in
>>
>>5855353
>He'll try to get laid
This vice of his already exists, easy enough to coax it
>>
>>5855353
>He'll try to get laid
>>
>>5855353
>He'll get violent

Then anonymous tip him as a terrorist. Let's find out how many bullets he can soak.
>>
>>5855353
>He'll try to get laid
Easily done. Once he's vulnerable, we can kill him. I think we'll have to do it ourselves if we want his Authority.
>>
>>5855380
We let our landlord get shot up by police and still got his
>>
>>5855380
>You may copy one Authority from any incarnation that falls victim to your directive
>When you destroy another incarnation, you are capable of subsuming their Influence, and one or more of their <Authorities>, as well as acquiring their <Myths> as <Epithets>.
I think that as long as he dies because of the Madness inflicted on him, Ate gets two authorities
>>
>>5855383
Oh shit yeah, that's right.

>>5855385
I still think we'll need to kill him ourselves if we want Pheme to trust our competence but that's good to know.
>>
>>5855390
>>5855385
>>5855383
Yeah, to clarify this, while it is possible for Mortals to get a <Myth> if no other incarnation is involved at all, if any incarnation has even the tiniest involvement in the death, their claim necessarily supersedes that of any mortal
>>
>>5855396
Sucks to suck, mortals. Godling privilege
>>
>>5855390
Given that he slayed a Cyclops and doesn't seem all too bright, I think we have a good shot of getting at least one useful combat authority from Jackson which we can later apply to a divine beast.
>>
>>5855362
>>5855363
>>5855368
>>5855380

>He'll try to get laid

Immediately, you see his face flush, and his sweating to intensify even more. You don't notice any other physiological changes, even though you're certain they must be happening, which explains the lack of explicit photos from his end.

Your <Touch of Madness> has taken full effect, so he's at your mercy. What's your approach?

>Go in as cyber_syren. Ideally, take him to a third location instead of his flat
>Stand aside and wait for him to commit a crime. Death by police worked last time
>Write-in
>>
>>5855402
Do we really want to be responsible for this loser trying to rape someone?
>Go in as cyber_syren. Ideally, take him to a third location instead of his flat
Let's get him to buy a motel, then slit his throat from behind when he's not expecting it.
>>
>>5855402
>Find attractive mortal woman
>Touch of Madness.jpg
>Give her an inexplicable urge to strip
>[insert Jackson's actions here]
>Profit
>>
>>5855396
That makes sense. It'd have to be an exceptional mortal to manage it.

>>5855400
I agree. I'm curious what his incarnation is but it doesn't matter too much, as long as he's dead at our hands.
>>
>>5855402

> Write in

Report him as a terrorist. He's not in his right mind right now, so any interactions with law enforcement will just escalate until he gets himself killed.

We don't have any weapons or combat powers, trying to kill him hands on seems foolish.
>>
>>5855402
>Go in as cyber_syren. Ideally, take him to a third location instead of his flat
>>
>>5855410
I'll change from >>5855406 to agree to this. If the police try to arrest him he's likely to explode and go full mask-off with his divinity. At an airport, that'll get him shot and killed.
>>
>>5855406

My big concern is if he's highly durable. If we stick a knife in him and it doesn't puncture we've got a serious problem on our hands.

And we're a blight god. Caring about consequences isn't our thing.
>>
>>5855410
>>5855418
My issue with this plan is that it either won't be fast enough to get him soon or will require Atë to get too involved with the authorities. To initiate suicide by cop we need him to commit crimes in public.
>>
>>5855420
Very true. Your plan's pretty sensible and just over the top enough to get us plenty of influence.

>>5855407
I'll switch a third time, from >>5855418 to support this. Not sure why I'm so indecisive here, hahaha.
>>
>>5855406
+1

He should have his guard down when trying to do the deed. We could just say we’re into bondage shit then time him and blindfold him before slitting his throat.
>>
>>5855422
Then we Touch of Madness the nearest guard with violence and tell him our target was shit talking him. Escalate, escelate, escelate, then get the fuck out of the way.
>>
>>5855424
>Not sure why I'm so indecisive here
I think we all picked [Lust] without thinking too hard on how that would lead to his ruin, hence the trouble. In the future we'll be more thoughtful about methods of destruction
>>
>>5855402
backing >>5855407
high iq
>>
>>5855402

Switching to >>5855407
. As >>5855424 said we don’t know how dangerous he is in person. It’s better to just have him commit a crime and get the police after him.
>>
>>5855407
>>5855409
>>5855410
>>5855417
>>5855418
>>5855420
>>5855422
>>5855424
>>5855426
>>5855427
>>5855429
>>5855435

Since the voting has been a bit ambiguous, I'll redo it with a new set of options:
>Go in as cyber_syren. Ideally, take him to a third location instead of his flat
>Use <touch of madness> on a female third party to initiate an act of public indecency
>Try to incite a confrontation between Jackson and law enforcement
>Write-in
>>
>>5855439
>Use <touch of madness> on a female third party to initiate an act of public indecency
If he's horny enough, anything that disrupts his cooming will escalate to violence
>>
>>5855439
>Use <touch of madness> on a female third party to initiate an act of public indecency
The most straightforward yet indirect way of handling it. This ought to ruin several lives as well, which is good for influence.
>>
>>5855439
>Use <touch of madness> on a female third party to initiate an act of public indecency
>>
>>5855439
>Try to incite a confrontation between Jackson and law enforcement

Report him as a sexual predator. His behavior should match, then fireworks will fly. Add some ToM for violence and blood will flow.
>>
>>5855471

If we do go the lust route let's at least hit up several women and men and make it a proper madhouse.
>>
>>5855441
>>5855443
>>5855452
>>5855471

You find a woman, reasonably attractive but not excessively so, and you use your <Touch of Madness> on her, instilling an uncontrollably lust for Jackson. In minutes, the two are engaged in coitus in the middle of the airport. First, TSA tries to break it up, but, seemingly by accident, he lashes out, killing the officer. The woman, taking a moment to notice the blood on her torn clothes and exposed skin, snaps out of the trance in horror and attempts to flee. In his attempt to restrain her, he accidentally crushes her torso before coming to. He looks upon what he's done, a mix of horror and dumb shock on his face, as armed guards surround him and order him to surrender, he collapses to the ground screaming. The air around him is filled with images of what he just did, repeating on loop over, and over, and over again. The officers recoil at the brutality of the illusions and the supernatural nature of what they're watching.

He stops screaming, stands up, and snaps his own neck.

<Atë> Synchronization Rate: 99->99.25%
<Phonoi> Synchronization Rate: 10->30%

>"Congratulations! You have successfully destroyed another incarnation, <Epimetheus>! You have plundered their influence (213) and gained 1 level! You have met the requirements to take on the myth of <Pandora>!"
>"You have also gained 10 influence for following your directive!"
>"Due to your authority 'Divine Folly', you have gained one random authority possessed by the target. You gain the authority "Regeneration (1)"!"

>Regeneration (1): You may expend divinity to recover from any injury. The amount of divinity necessary to heal an injury depends on its nature and severity. However, this must be done consciously, and cannot be used while unconscious.

Level: 3->4
Influence: 53->673/800
Will you take on the myth of <Pandora>?
>Yes
>No

Will you take one of <Epimetheus>'s authorities or upgrade one of your own?
>Take a new one
>Upgrade an old one
>>
>>5855494
Wrote uncontrollably instead of uncontrollable
>>
>>5855494
>Take a new one
>Yes
>>
>>5855494
>Will you take on the myth of <Pandora>?
Yes
>Will you take one of Epimetheus's Authorities or upgrade one of your own?
Take a new one. We came for combat authorities, and we're going to get some.
>>
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>>5855494
>He stops screaming, stands up, and snaps his own neck
Wow. Didn't expect that.
>>
>>5855494
>Yes
>take a new one
>>
>>5855507
Almost makes you feel bad for the guy, yeesh
>>
>>5855499
>>5855500
>>5855507
>>5855508
>>5855516

You claim the myth of <Pandora>

>Notice! One of your epithets has exceeded a synchronization rate of 75%! A new reward is available! Check the <Manage Epithets> tab to claim it.

You elect to take one of Epimetheus's skills.

Perfect Recall (EX): Your memory is perfect. Additionally, you can relive any event that has happened in your life as if it were happening, and you may share these recollections with others.

Titanic Strength (1): You may infuse your body with divinity, strengthening the power and durability of your muscles. Overuse may cause damage to connective or skeletal tissue.

Forgotten Gift (1): You may expend divinity to inflict mortals with sickness, old age, or death. Low probability of being effective against incarnations. In the case of failure, the target is filled with hope instead.

Devourer (1): You may activate this skill to regain divinity from eating. This skill consumes 1 divinity per hour.

Which do you take
>>
>>5855494
Titanic Strength (1): You may infuse your body with divinity, strengthening the power and durability of your muscles. Overuse may cause damage to connective or skeletal tissue.

The bruiser power we always wanted
>>
>>5855531
Need combat power so of course

Titanic Strength (1): You may infuse your body with divinity, strengthening the power and durability of your muscles. Overuse may cause damage to connective or skeletal tissue.
>>
>>5855531
Perfect Recall (EX): Your memory is perfect. Additionally, you can relive any event that has happened in your life as if it were happening, and you may share these recollections with others.
>>
>>5855531
Oh, it slipped my mind, but he probably would have Divine Body (1), the strengthening authority you can buy in the shop. Also, the authority level on the selection screen is not representative of the actual level the incarnation had when those authorities belonged to them, since authorities are always plundered at level one
>>
>>5855531
Perfect recall sounds nice, but we'd get it degraded, and hey we have a smart phone already.

> Titanic Strength (1): You may infuse your body with divinity, strengthening the power and durability of your muscles. Overuse may cause damage to connective or skeletal tissue.

A little insurance in case someone tries to stab us is nice. Speaking of insurance...we should change residences, we were tracked down once, we can be tracked twice. Let's look into ways to purchase a residence without our name being on it.
>>
>>5855585

And a gun. Fuck, we need to buy a gun.
>>
>>5855531
>Perfect Recall (EX): Your memory is perfect. Additionally, you can relive any event that has happened in your life as if it were happening, and you may share these recollections with others.
>>
>>5855531
>Perfect Recall
>>
>>5855531
>Titanic Strength (1): You may infuse your body with divinity, strengthening the power and durability of your muscles. Overuse may cause damage to connective or skeletal tissue.
Poor bastard. If his dad cared enough to raise him he probably would've turned out better. Alas, he's only another step on our quest for ASCENSION.
>>
>>5855531
>>Titanic Strength (1): You may infuse your body with divinity, strengthening the power and durability of your muscles. Overuse may cause damage to connective or skeletal tissue.
Perfect Recall is an interesting power, but for the moment Regen + Strength instantly boost us from useless in actual combat to very dangerous
>>
>>5855531
>Titanic Strength
Supporting this anon >>5855620. Superstrength and regen work too well together to pass it up.
>>
>>5855534
>>5855536
>>5855538
>>5855541
>>5855585
>>5855589
>>5855594
>>5855607
>>5855608
>>5855620
>>5855631

You take Titanic Strength (1).

You flee the scene of the airport, and due to the massive outflux of terrified bystanders, that's a relatively simple thing to achieve. You book a hotel room, buy a ticket home, and then plot out your next move. What should you do?

>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live
>Actually, monsters in a hot spot like New York are probably going to be too powerful. I should just go home
>I should check my epithets
>I should upgrade an authority
>I should check the item shop
>Write-in
>>
>>5855646
>I should check my epithets
>>
>>5855646
>I should check my epithets
Time to see the new thing we got, and check what Pandora gives us.
>>
>>5855646
>I should check my epithets
First things first. Besides, we can cause some damage while we're in New York. I wonder if <Myths> are unique or if there are different Incarnations of the same divinity. Are we the only Atë or is there more than one manipulative harbinger of ruin out there?
>>
>>5855650
>>5855659
>>5855662

You decide to check out your epithets.

>Phonoi, Spirits of Murder (Plural Myth):
Synchronization Rate: 30%
>Chrysus, Spirit of Gold:
Synchronization rate: 17%
>Epimetheus, Titan of Hindsight:
Synchronization Rate: 8%
>Polyphemus, the Blinded Cyclops:
Synchronization Rate: 5%
>Pandora, Harbinger of Maladies (A New Reward is available!):
Synchronization Rate: 79%

You click on the text for Pandora's epithet, and you are given an option.

Would you like to take the <Authority> Enthrall (1) or the <Item> Pithos

>Authority
>Item
>>
>>5855674
>Authority
>>
>>5855674
>Item
The only item I can think of related to Pandora is the infamous Box-- and having that in our possession would be a chaos-inducer of the highest proportion. We already have a decent amount of authorities relating to manipulation, between Thousand Faces, Whisper of Temptation, and Touch of Madness-- the only way Enthrall would be worth it is if it allows us to take more direct control other divinities or monsters. Can we get a description before we pick, QM, or is it a mystery box?
>>
>>5855674
Hmm... Mind Control or Jar of Holding? I think...
>Authority
Having mortal servants we don't have to emotionally manipulate will be more useful to us.
>>
>>5855686

I'm not going to tell you what the description is, but you can make a lot of extrapolations based on the actual myths involved, since I try to keep at least the soul of the concepts in these ideas for the power system
>>
>>5855688
But yeah, a lot of the choices for these are going to be guesswork at best and a mystery box at worst.
>>
>>5855674
>Item
Can't be Pandora without the BOX
>>
>>5855674
><Item> Pithos
Sure, seems weird but seeing as we can buy Command from the shop if we want might as well see
>>
>>5855685
>>5855686
>>5855687
>>5855690
>>5855692

>You select the item

>Pithos of Pandora:
Divine relic. Can be infused with divinity to achieve certain effects.

>Calamity: (100,000,000)
Brings about a curse spanning the entire world, from novel plagues with to natural disasters. Will at least decimate the world population.

>Emergent Daimon: 10,000:
Creates an instance of a <Plural Myth> of a random Daimon within the jar. This can either be taken as an epithet by a willing incarnation or by a mortal upon opening the jar. A mortal may open the jar under false pretenses and still deify as that daimon
>>
>>5855709
You notice that the divine relic, rather than appearing as a physical object, manifests as a tattoo of a clay jar on your right hand. You will the relic to appear in front of you, and it does. The divinity costs are a bit steep, but seeing as your divinity limit has already hit 125, it should, even at your current rate, only take you about a year to use the relic's effects.

Now that you've gained an (eventually) useful item, what will you do?

>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live
>Actually, monsters in a hot spot like New York are probably going to be too powerful. I should just go home
>I should upgrade an authority
>I should check the item shop
>Write-in
>>
>>5855709
>Note. Divine relics gain additional functions when the relevant <Myth> has a synchronization rate above certain thresholds
>>
>>5855712
>I should upgrade an authority
<Regeneration>
>>
>>5855712
>I should upgrade an authority
>>
>>5855712
>I should upgrade an authority
Looks like I was wrong about it being a jar of holding. Neat.
>>
>>5855715
>>5855720
>>5855753

Especially if you want to hunt down some other incarnations, you decide to upgrade an authority. List both what authority(ies) you'd like upgraded and how much divinity you want to spend, I'll account for both in the final decision
>>
>>5855758
Wrote divinity, obviously meant influence.
>>
>>5855758
Would you mind reposting our character sheet in full? It's been a while.
>>
>>5855762
You can find it at this link, I update it pretty frequently
https://rentry.org/ate-incarnation-status
>>
>>5855758
>>5855771
Let's spend 100 Influence to upgrade Life Insurance. The sooner we get our lifespan taken care of, the sooner we can focus on spreading influence without worry.
>>
>>5855758
>Life Insurance to Level 2
>Regeneration to Level 2
>Titanic Strength to Level 2
I think it would be worth it to just improve all of these. The only authority I don't care for improving is Cursed Gold. By the by, it would be convenient if you listed the basic level costs- 200 for Level Two, 400 for Level Three, 800 for Level Four, and so on.
>>
>>5855798
That's fair, although it basically just doubles each level, starting at 100. So it's
1->2: 100
2->3: 200
3->4: 400
4-5: 800 (you obviously can't do this yet)
>>
>>5855802
Kek I even got it wrong. I maintain my requests.
>>
>>5855806
Yeah, I'll make another rentry page with the FAQ and I'll put it there, eventually
>>
>>5855798
I'll agree with this. Regeneration and Titanic Strength combined are outrageously good for combat. All we're missing are actual combat skills or a gun, like anon suggested. If we have a gun and the element of surprise, we don't need either but they're good to have if we get ambushed or the target turns out to be bulletproof.
>>
>>5855798
+1
>>
>>5855712
>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live

I think we should focus on our core god abilities rather than try to turn ourselves into a combat monster.
>>
>>5855790
>>5855798
>>5855802
>>5855806
>>5855811
>>5855816
>>5855856

>Life Insurance: (1->2):
It is now possible to make yourself younger using this authority, at double the price of extending your lifespan

>Regeneration (1->2):
The skill is faster and requires less divinity to heal equivalent injuries

>Titanic Strength (1->2):
The skill costs half as much to use for an equivalent effect, but the maximum divinity output is unchanged (that is to say, your power is doubled)

Satisfied with your more powerful authorities, you set your sights to the future. What do you do?

>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live
>Actually, monsters in a hot spot like New York are probably going to be too powerful. I should just go home
>I should check the item shop
>Write-in
>>
>>5855910
>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live
I'm feeling good about the hunting now
>>
>>5855910
Immortality is ours.
>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live
Now it's time to murder something.
>>
>>5855910
>>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live
WAR
>>
>>5855910
>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live
>>
>>5855910
>>I should check the item shop
>>
>>5855913
>>5855916
>>5855945
>>5856055

>While I'm away from home, I should use my <Beast Tracker> to find a monster farther away from where I live

You decide that your vacation in New York isn't over yet. You check the news for information and find that there have been intermittent attacks in multiple locations in New York City by what has been described as a massive boar, upon which guns have been close to if not completely ineffective. You imagine that this would be the closest available monster if that incarnation is both alive and hasn't migrated somewhere else. How should you go about this?

>Attempt an ambush during its normal life as a human
>Attack it in its house at night
>Hunt it during a rampage
>Write-in
>>
>>5856088
>Attempt an ambush during its normal life as a human
Adopt the form of a child and merc this fool
>>
>>5856088
>Attempt an ambush during its normal life as a human
Touch of Madness is immensely versatile
>>
>>5856088
>Attempt an ambush during its normal life as a human

>>5856095
Touch of Madness and Thousand Faces/Voices are a terrifying duo of abilities for assassinating incarnations. If you aren't an Olympian Atë is complete bullshit. What's even scarier is that there must be other incarnations out there with nigh-unavoidable psychological attacks...Looking at you Dionysus
>>
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>>5856125
>tfw you get alcohol poisoning yet you've been sober for 20 years
>>
>>5856093
>>5856095
>>5856125

>Attempt an ambush during its normal life as a human

You follow your compass, taking subways and taxis to get closer to your target. Eventually, you find yourself... outside of a public secondary school? You loiter in a nearby cafe as you wait for the people to leave. You lock eyes with a young boy, no older than 14, when the compass on the top right of your vision disappears.

>You have found an eligible target. The <Beast Tracker> has resolved.

In retrospect, you suppose there isn't anything in the rules that says a child couldn't become an incarnation. Still, are you really gonna kill a kid?

>Of course I am. I spent 100 points of influence on that tracker
>That kid's a dangerous monster. I don't think I'm wrong for taking him down
>Maybe I can try to talk him out of hurting people?
>Nope, this is too much, even for me. I'm going home
>Write-in
>>
>>5856143
>Of course I am. I spent 100 points of influence on that tracker
We've ruined a lot of lives so far, I don't think offing a teenager is all that radical of an escalation
>>
>>5856125
Atë is incredibly spooky. She's a literal memetic hazard.

>>5856143
>Of course I am. I spent 100 points of influence on that tracker
It's safe to assume this kid's killed or hurt dozens of people by now and will continue to do so. We have as well, but there's no moral high ground to be found here.
>>
>>5856143
>>Of course I am. I spent 100 points of influence on that tracker
>>
>>5856143

>Of course I am. I spent 100 points of influence on that tracker

Touch of madness his parents, see if we can get them to take out the kid for us.
>>
>>5856170

Could use Thousand Faces to pose as a concerned teacher to get close to the parents.
>>
>>5856145
>>5856147
>>5856157
>>5856170


>Of course I am. I spent 100 points of influence on that tracker

Why would you stop just because he's young? All that damage, all of those deaths, he's no better than you. Plus, dozens of much less homicidal kids have been caught in the crossfire, so it'd be hypocritical to stop now.

Your convictions reaffirmed, your only thoughts on the matter are the method of approach. What do you do?

>Disguise as a kid his age and use <Touch of Madness>
>Ambush him and attack with <Titanic Strength>
>Use <Cursed Gold> to manipulate him
>Watch from afar and get his parent's license plate info to hopefully uncover his identity
>Attack and replace a classmate or teacher
>Write-in
>>
>>5856176
>Use <Cursed Gold> to manipulate him
If we drop a 100 dollar bill on the sidewalk there's no way this kid ignores it right?
>>
>>5856143
>Of course I am. I spent 100 points of influence on that tracker
I doubt Ate cares that much considering the amount of lives we’ve ruined and the number of deaths we’ve already caused.
>>
>>5856176
>Use <Cursed Gold> to manipulate him
This ought to work. When I was a kid, I would've been all over a $20 bill, let alone an actual $100.
>>
>>5856176
>Watch from afar and get his parent's license plate info to hopefully uncover his identity
We shouldn’t rush in until we know his power set. If he has some resistance to mind control he could easily identify us and gore us with his monstrous abilities. We should have some caution when dealing with other demigods.
>>
>>5856176
>Disguise as a kid his age and use <Touch of Madness>

In a crowd, so we can get away quickly in case he wigs out
>>
>>5856176
>Disguise as a kid his age and use <Touch of Madness>

If we time it right we can just stroll by him and plant a desire to binge on his parents booze in him.
>>
>>5856179
>>5856180
>>5856182
>>5856184
>>5856193

You plant a plant <Cursed Gold> on a 100 dollar bill and leave it on the kid's path home to school. He notices it, darts towards the money, looks around, and then pockets it.

However, instead of the intended effect, something strange happens. He stops, quivering with barely contained rage, before instantly transforming into a massive black boar. A puff of steam escapes from between its jagged white tusks and its beady black eyes burn with a flaming red glow. The beast begins to rampage, destroying nearby walls and buildings indiscriminately. What should you do?

>Run away
>Fight
>Write-in
>>
>>5856198
Alright, he might have some kind of resistance to mind control/mind altering effects via rage. Let's fucking goooooo
>Fight
>>
>>5856198
>Fight

Let's try out our divine strength. I'm thinking ripping a lamp post out of the ground and using it as a spear.
>>
>>5856198
>Fight
Ah shit, he's magic resistant
>>
>>5856204

Some kind of rage override to mental manipulation it looks like... which might mean the kid is being manipulated by someone else.
>>
>>5856198
>Run away

Let's wait and observe, it may not be as simple as just resistance.
>>
>>5856198
>Fight
>>
>>5856218
+1
>>
>>5856200
>>5856202
>>5856204
>>5856212
>>5856215
>>5856218
>>5856355

>Fight

You've come this far, it'd be foolish to run away now. Besides, it's an excellent chance to test out your combat authorities.

You lock your focus onto the rampaging boar. For now, it's attacking indiscriminately, but it's only a matter of time before you get caught up in that chaos. For now, though, you have the initiative. What do you do?

>Try to lead it to law enforcement
>Engage directly with <Titanic Strength>
>Use a nearby object as a weapon while using <Titanic Strength>
>Write-in
>>
>>5856502
>Use a nearby object as a weapon while using <Titanic Strength>
>>
>>5856502
>Use a nearby object as a weapon while using <Titanic Strength>
Resistant to firearms means LEOs won't be useful. Touch of Madness might be strong enough to break through his "mental armor", but I'm not inclined to risk it at first
>>
>>5856502
>Use a nearby object as a weapon while using <Titanic Strength>

I have to wonder if there's some sort of "need god to fight god" rule going on here that will force us into hand to hand.
>>
>>5856506
>>5856507
>>5856508

>Use a nearby object as a weapon while using <Titanic Strength>

You pick up a light post that had been knocked over by by the boar's rampage. The object is heavy, even with <Titanic Strength> at maximum output. You snap off the light fixture at the end, turning the streetlight into an improvised spear. The other incarnation has yet to notice you: what do you do?

Divinity remaining: 115/125
>>
>>5856541

> Brace against a wall and goad the boar into charging at us, and into the makeshift spear
>>
>>5856541
>>5856546
+1
>>
>>5856546
+1
>>
>>5856546
>>5856576
>>5856593

You brace yourself against a wall, jamming the makeshift spear into it for support, and call out to the beast while using your <Whispers>. The boar immediately pivots towards you and charges, seemingly oblivious to the weaponized lightpost. It impales itself on it, and even though the spear and wall resist the brunt of the impact, you're still sent flying backwards as the wall shatters. You crash into the brick facade of a nearby building, cracking it and shattering your body. You barely hold onto consciousness through the pain, and you feel your lungs filling with blood. You have at least one broken rib, and you're paralyzed from the waist down.

You activate <Regeneration>. You regain some movement in your legs, but your consciousness is still flickering in and out. You prop yourself up against the wall and turn your attention to the boar. It rises from the ground, black blood leaking from its maw as lets out a primal roar. The spear remains embedded in its body and you imagine that it's only a matter of time before it dies.

Divinity remaining: 87/125
Regeneration progress: 50%

What's your next step?
>Go on the offensive. I don't want to risk the beast fleeing
>Hide for a bit and wait for my regeneration to finish
>I need to run, I'm outmatched
>Write-in
>>
>>5856606
>Hide for a bit and wait for my regeneration to finish
I'm worried about killstealing, but not so worried as to chance suicide
>>
>>5856606
>Go on the offensive. I don't want to risk the beast fleeing
>>
>>5856606
>Hide for a bit and wait for my regeneration to finish
Odds of another incarnation interfering are slim
>>
>>5856606
> Hide for a bit and wait for my regeneration to finish

Not dying is reaaal important
>>
>>5856606
>Hide for a bit and wait for my regeneration to finish.
It's enraged and mortally wounded. The likelihood that it's going to run is lower than the chance it tries to take us with it as it dies. All we've really got to do is run out the clock.
>>
>>5856608
>>5856612
>>5856627
>>5856639

>Hide for a bit and wait for my regeneration to finish

You change your disguise, lower the output of your <Titanic Strength> to a minimum, and hide away from the scene of the rampage. You wait for one minute as your regeneration process completes

68/125 Divinity remaining

As you hide, several people are caught up in the destruction.

Influence: 373->384/800

Fully healed but having run through almost half of your divinity, what do you do?

>Wait for the beast to die
>Throw objects at the boar with maximum output of <Titanic Strength>
>Engage in direct combat with maximum output of <Titanic Strength> with the intention of pushing the streetlight further in in hopes of killing the beast
>Get a new weapon and repeat what you just did
>Write-in
>>
>>5856650

> Use Touch of madness to drive mortals to attack the boar for us
>>
>>5856650
>Get a new weapon and repeat what you just did
Best to be cautious but we can't lose the momentum
>>
>>5856650
>Get a new weapon and dig furrows in the ground that we could tempt it into
I want to immobilize it. The best way of doing so is having it trip itself
>>
>>5856660

I'll switch to support this. Maybe we could push some cars into a box or barrier to hem it in?
>>
>>5856650
>Get a new weapon and repeat what you just did
>>
>>5856657
>>5856659
>>5856660
>>5856667

You make it your priority to immobilize the beast.

You don't have time to dig a hole, but you realize that there's no need: many buildings in New York have basements.

You run towards a residential area, baiting the boar to follow you after you after you've gained a significant lead. It does, nearly catching up with you as you sprint into a nearby apartment complex. You taunt the beast, inducing it to thrash around, causing the floor to shake. Eventually, it throws its whole weight at you. You dodge, but the boar's momentum causes a crack in the floor. Like a skater on thin ice, it scrambles to escape, slipping on the smooth marble and crashing through the floor. It survives the fall, but is completely immobilized by rubble.

Influence: 384->397

Looks like there were some casualties.

The boar is awake, but quickly losing strength. It lets loose a mournful wail. What will you do?

>Finish the job
>Write-in
>>
>>5856679
"I'm sorry it had to be this way."
>Finish the job
>>
>>5856650
>Finish the job
More combat powers! Let's goooo!
>>
>>5856679
>Finish the job
I really hope that mental resistance isn't tied to a rage state. Now that we've make Atë reasonably proof to physical threats, making her resistant to psychological ones would round out her defenses.
>>
>>5856679
>Finish the job
Nothing personal kid
>>
>>5856679
>Write-in
Let him go.
>>
>>5856680
>>5856681
>>5856682
>>5856747
>>5856749
>Finish the job

Ripping a metal support bar out from a destroyed wall, you slowly approach the boar. It struggles to escape, but it cannot. Finally, it becomes still, resigning itself to its fate. The beast turns its eyes to you, looking into yours like a child looks to a grown-up for help. You remember that's not an analogy, that it's literally what's happening; this isn't a beast, it's a kid, pleading for mercy.

Those pleads fall on deaf ears.

You plunge the improvised weapon right into his eye, killing him almost instantly. His form remains unchanged as his breaths cease.

<Phonoi> Synchronization Rate: 30->55%

>"Congratulations! You have successfully slain a Beast, the <Calydonian Boar>! You have plundered their influence (17). Due to the difference in level, you receive only the influence requirement to meet their current level. You have met the requirements to take on the myth of <Atalanta>!"
>"You have also gained 5 influence for following your directive!"
>"Due to your authority 'Divine Folly', you have gained one random authority possessed by the target. You gain the authority "To Mortals, A Scourge (1)"!"

>To Mortals, A Scourge (1): You may expend divinity to gain a resistance to attacks from mortals. (10 divinity per hour)

Level: 4->5
Influence: 801/1600
Will you take on the myth of <Atalanta>?
>Yes
>No

Will you take one of the <Calydonian Boar>'s authorities or upgrade one of your own?
>Take a new one
>Upgrade an old one
>>
>>5856756
>Yes
>Take a new one
Should we tell Pheme that we've gained a quarter-dozen powerful combat authorities?
>>
>>5856756
>No
I'm pretty sure things never worked out all that well for Atalanta, and in truth the killing of the kid has soured my taste for the hunt. However! That is a VERY useful authority.

>Take a new one
In my opinion it won't be worth it to upgrade our authorities with such level ups until improving them costs much more than we make in influence.
>>
>>5856756
>yes
>Take a new one
>>
>>5856758
That brings to mind a question- what information HAS Atë given her?
>>
>>5856756

> Yes
> Take a new one

>>5856761
Is there a downside to taking on a Myth? Synching to a different one is the only thing I can think of. I assume Atalanta syncs off beast kills (and spurning marriage?)
>>
>>5856777
Well
>it should be noted that there is no consciousness in <Myths>, and there is no risk of being overtaken by them
But
>Should the <Synchronization Rate> of an epithet ever surpass that of your primary <Myth>, you will undergo a forced <Deification> process, dramatically altering your <Status>
I think not, because Atalanta is a myth rather than an epithet. But maybe? Let's just not go full huntress and it'll be OK
>>
>>5856767

Atë's explained the basics of her directive and <Whsiper of Temptation>. Everything else Pheme knows about her powers was via surveillance and deduction
>>
>>5856788
I see. In that case, we shouldn't tell her about Divine Folly (which makes Atë improve faster than normal when killing incarnations) and the details of Touch of Madness (which is very dangerous to other incarnations). Mentioning that we have gained some very potent combat authorities is alright though.
>>
>>5856766
>>5856767
>>5856777
>>5856785

>You claim the myth of <Atalanta>.

>You choose to take one of the <Calydonian Boar>'s skills.

>Beastification (EX): You may assume the true form of the beast from your <Myth>. In doing so, the power of your authorities as well as all of your physical capabilities increases dramatically with incarnation level.

>Implacable (1): You are immune to any mind altering effects which would induce obedience or reduce aggression. However, resisting these effects sends you into a fit of rage

>Rampage (1): Your strength, speed, and endurance are augmented proportionally to your rage

>Until the Last Breath (1): It is impossible to expend divinity to dull your sense of pain and fatigue. However, once the skill ends, the user will experience the suppressed feelings all at once
>>
>>5856799
*wrote impossible instead of possible for Until the Last Breath
>>
>>5856799
>Beastification (EX): You may assume the true form of the beast from your <Myth>. In doing so, the power of your authorities as well as all of your physical capabilities increases dramatically with incarnation level.
I know what I said earlier but this is too cool to pass up
>>
>>5856799
>Until the Last Breath (1): It is impossible to expend divinity to dull your sense of pain and fatigue. However, once the skill ends, the user will experience the suppressed feelings all at once

Just gotta keep it up until regen can patch us up.

>>5856802
Would we have access to any beast we acquire as an epitaph? And how would it degrade?
>>
>>5856767
I don't think we've told her about anything besides our voice but she's probably aware of or at least suspicious of the touch.

>>5856788
Interesting.

>>5856799
>Beastification (EX): You may assume the true form of the beast from your <Myth>. In doing so, the power of your authorities as well as all of your physical capabilities increases dramatically with incarnation level.
Giant boar shapeshifting is one hell of a card up our sleeve.
>>
>>5856817
>Would we have access to any beast we acquire as an epitaph
I'm banking on this being a "yes". I'm not entirely sure how it would degrade (probably just the potency of the level-up when in beast mode), but access to non-human forms will be a boon for future infiltrations
>>
>>5856799
>Beastification (EX): You may assume the true form of the beast from your <Myth>. In doing so, the power of your authorities as well as all of your physical capabilities increases dramatically with incarnation level.

>Beastification
>Buy Flight
Pigs WILL fly
>>
>>5856799
>Beastification (EX): You may assume the true form of the beast from your <Myth>. In doing so, the power of your authorities as well as all of your physical capabilities increases dramatically with incarnation level.
>>
>>5856802
>>5856802
>>5856817
>>5856821
>>5856823
>>5856838
>>5856851

You flee back to your hotel room to manage your status. You select which authority to take.

>Beastification (EX) degrades to Bane of Calydon (1)

>Bane of Calydon (1):
Consumes divinity to temporarily transform you into the <Calydonian Boar>. While the skill is in use, you will have access to every natural authority of the <Calydonin Boar>, but you will be unable to use any of your other authorities while <Scourge of Calydon> is active.

Notice: You have hit the maximum Authority Limit 10/10. In order to gain other Authorities, you must store your existing ones in Authority crystals, purchasable in the shop.

Congratulations! You have hit level 5. Your <Deification> has entered the second stage.

Divinity: 50/125->250/250

You may purchase your <Divine Relic> from the shop

Authority limit increases: 10/15

You may claim a reward!

What will you do?

>Check epithets
>Check the shop
>Check the rewards tab
>>
>>5856853

>Check the rewards tab

To the shinies!
>>
>>5856853
>Check the rewards tab
Damn, we are on top of things.
>>
>>5856853
>Check the rewards tab
Damn, that is way worse than I was hoping it would become. It's just a weapon of last resort now. Oh well, my bad.
>>
>>5856853
>Check the rewards tab
Pigs won't fly :(
>>
>>5856858
We should probbably upgrade it imidiatly and see what that does for it before we completly give up on it its not too expensive and might get rid of some of the downsides
>>
>>5856854
>>5856856
>>5856858
>>5856861

You check the rewards tab.

>Congratulations! You are one step closer to reaching your full potential. The system has provided you with suitable rewards. You may select from the following:

><Atë>'s Authority: <Assess Hamartia (1)>
>An <Epithet>'s Authority (Specify which Epithet)
>The <Divine Weapon> "Folly's Chains"
>An increase to the level of all existing authorities
>>
>>5856865
>An increase to the level of all existing authorities

Since we are near the limit doing this instead of adding is benificial (also will go to my earlier point
>>
>>5856858
Might level up nicely. It just needs a physical authority that isn't tied to blinding rage to be a really useful backup plan. Even as is we can shape shift into a form with level 5 implacable and scourge of mortals, which probably means we can plow through nearly any mortal problem.
>>
>>5856871
>>5856868

To be clear, even though monsters like the <Calydonian Boar> often lack strengthening authorities, their natural physical capabilities are vastly superior to other animals of similar sizes. Remember, you had the strength to pick up a streetlight like a club and you were still completely overpowered by the <Calydonian Boar>
>>
>>5856865
<Atë>'s Authority: <Assess Hamartia (1)>
This looks like it'll be useful for our ambitions.
>>
>>5856865

Harmatia: A fatal flaw leading to a heroes downfall.

That could verrry useful to us. No guessing on how to defeat a target. And think of the synergy with our friend the gossip monger!

><Atë>'s Authority: <Assess Hamartia (1)>
>>
>>5856865
>The <Divine Weapon> "Folly's Chains"
A weapon, to round out our offensive kit, would be nice.
>>
>>5856865
><Atë>'s Authority: <Assess Hamartia (1)>
>>
>>5856865
<Assess Hamartia (1)>: we automatically learn the greatest flaw of someone. That seems quite useful, although Pheme probably covers this functionality.

An <Epithet>'s Authority: We could use this to take Golden Fortune, rendering our financial situation/immortality completely sound.

Rule of cool would dictate that I pick the divine weapon. But rule of cool just bit me in the ass. Therefore, I vote for

>An increase to the level of all existing authorities
Because that's worth like 1500 influence and improves our core abilities significantly.

>>5856875
The lack of access to Touch of Madness and Regeneration while in Calydonian mode scares me though...
>>
>>5856884

Bit of a mystery box, but we could get an Authority from Pandora as well...
>>
>>5856868
>>5856871
>>5856878
>>5856880
>>5856881
>>5856883
>>5856884

You select <Atë>'s Authority, <Assess Hamartia

<Atë> Synchronization Rate: 99.25->99.50%

>Assess Hamartia (1):
You are able to identify the trait, desire, or flaw of an individual that is most likely to result in their ruin. Additionally, a target of <Assess Hamartia> gains penalties to resisting psychological effects targeting their Hamartia

Satisfied with your reward, you watch the rewards tab close automatically. You've had a long day, but you have time for one more thing before you sleep for the night and leave in the morning for your flight home. What will you do?
>Upgrade Authorities
>Check the shop
>Check Epithets
>Write-in
>>
>>5856894
>Check Epithets
I'm curious to see what our synchronizations are.
>>
>>5856894
>Check the shop
>>
>>5856894
>Upgrade Authorities

Need to use that influence to get some more upgrades
>>
>>5856894

>Upgrade Authorities

Check our stuff on plane home, POWER now.
>>
>>5856895
>>5856896
>>5856900
>>5856901

>Upgrade Authorities

List both what authorities you'd like to upgrade and how much you'd like to spend, I'll account for both when making the final selection
>>
>>5856902

> Regeneration 2->3: 400
> Bane of Calcydona 1->2: 200
> Mortal Scourge: 1->2: 200

Regeneration is just too good of a safeguard not to upgrade. I could see Titan Strength instead of the other two though, I'm just curious to see how boar mode upgrades, and I don't want to get stabbed by a hobo.
>>
>>5856902
700

And

Bane of calydon (twice)
Whisper of temptation (once)
And regeneration (once)

Should be 700? If im mathing right i may be remembering wrong but lets see what we can get out of this boar and improve our main skills
>>
>>5856909
I'll back this. Influence is trivial to gain but we only have one life to lose.
>>
>>5856902
>>5856909
Support
>>
>>5856902
>Regen (200)
>Bane of Calydon (100)
>Assess Hamartia (100)
>Whisper (200)
Regen and Bane for above stated reasons, Assess because I don't even need to use it to see its utility, and Whisper because sooner rather than later we're going to do Operation Total Twitch Death
>>
>>5856902
Supporting >>5856924.
>>
>>5856924
Changing my vote to this since its closer to what i want and has support already
>>
>>5856909
>>5856910
>>5856912
>>5856915
>>5856924
>>5856925
>>5856928

>Regeneration (2->3)

If there is sufficient divinity, it is possible to recover from concussions or shock while unconscious. However, it is possible to die of other injuries before you wake up

>Bane of Calydon (1->2)

It is possible to use select an authority before activating <Bane of Calydon> and use it at the same level as your rank for <Bane of Calydon> while that authority is active. However, the skill selected in this way will consume double the divinity

Assess Hamartia (1->2)

The penalty to resistance against mental effects targeting the Hamartia of targets upon which this authority has been used increases

Whisper of Temptation (2->3)

It is possible to implant not only specific desires, but specific directives through your voice. However, as before, the more specific the command and the less in line with the desires of the target, the more exposure is necessary to bring about the desired effect

Having chosen which of your powers to strength. You wake up, check out of your hotel, and take an uber to the airport. You are stricken with a bit of sadness that you're leaving a cushy hotel room and going back to your dingy one bedroom apartment. If not for the convenient hot-spot, you'd have moved weeks ago. Regardless, you can't stay home forever. You board the plane, in economy this time, and prepare for the long flight home.

What will you do on the flight?
>Check the shop
>Check your epithets
>Write-in
>>
>>5856939
>Check your epithets
>>
>>5856939
>Check the shop
>>
>>5856939
>Check the shop
Those are some prime upgrades, feels good
>>
>>5856939
>Check the shop
I'm surprised society is still functioning normally. I wonder how much effort the government has put toward keeping a lid on things.
>>
>>5856939
Guys can we become a politician? Then we can ruin lots of lives. Or a pharmaceutical executive.
>>
>>5856975

Operation Twitch must die is going to be pretty insane. A political career might take a pretty long time to get going though.

Any thoughts on what our Whispers should provoke? Just general mayhem?
>>
>>5856940
>>5856942
>>5856945
>>5856960
>>5856975

You check the shop, filtering exclusively for items unlocked at level 4:

>Purified Drop of Chaos: 300
Consumable. Has the same effect as a standard Drop of Chaos, but the deleterious effects are replaced with mostly useless ones

>Authority Crystal (Low Grade): 300
Can store an authority from level 1-3. Any incarnation, not just the original owner, can subsume that Authority by touching the crystal for 1 hour. Can be used as an ingredient for divine artifacts

>Pantheon Compass: 300
Points towards the nearest member of your pantheon who also possesses a Pantheon Compass

Authorities:
>Fear (1): 100
Instills fear into the hearts of mortals and lower level incarnations

>Weapon Training (1): 100
Does not consume divinity. Gives proficiency with a chosen weapon. Can be taken multiple times

Then, you filter for Level 5:

>Divine Relic: 10,000
Your divine relic. Grows alongside your incarnation level. Effects vary for each Incarnation
>Divine Weapon Ticket (low): 200
Gives a common grade divine weapon of the user's choice (e.g. bow, sword, spear)

>Idol: 300
Provides influence when worshipped by a mortal

Authorities:

Manipulate Object (1): 300
Allows you to mark an object by infusing it with divinity and then move it telekinetically. The infusion process takes one hour and consumes 50 divinity.

>Divine Construct (1): 600
Allows you to create objects out of divinity. The amount depends on the size and complexity of the object. The object will be visible to mortals and look as if made of a glowing, translucent material that matches the color of your divinity. Consumes divinity to maintain.

Would you like to buy anything?
>Yes (list what)
>No
>>
>>5856999
As a reminder, you currently have 200 points of influence
>>
>>5856999
>Weapon Training (1)
Can we take fisticuffs? Does that count? It'd be a cheap choice for our best range, that being hand-to-hand
>>
>>5856999
>No
If we gained Idol and combined that with our streaming career... we would grow exponentially. It's too expensive for now and I'm not sure level 1 combat training is worth an Authority slot. I don't think we should buy anything for the time being. We've already gained a massive amount of power relative to time invested. Best to focus on gathering Influence.
>>
>>5857004
You can pick hand to hand combat if you want
>>
>>5857007
Ah, it may have been confused as listed, but Idols are physical objects. When a person venerates the object- or you via the object- you gain influence
>>
>>5857008
Mark me down for that officially then please
>>
>>5857010
Intriguing. I still suspect an Idol would pay for itself very quickly once we got a cult together, but that's risky.
>>
>>5856999
Also, if you want to buy something else but don't remember what the other items are, the shop in its entirety can be found at this link

https://rentry.org/incarnation-shop
>>
>>5856999
>yes
>Idol

If we sell these things to our viewers as merch we could gain unfathomable levels of power.
>>
>>5857014
Cool, thanks for staying on top of things
>>
>>5856999

> A Lizard Tail
> A Diviner
> A Quest
>>
>>5857034
I agree an Idol would be worth it but we don't have enough influence yet. If we double-down on streaming we should be able to get rich quick. It might be more efficient to start a riot a city we don't live in, though. Just get a megaphone and shout about some hot-button issue while enraging pedestrians, then get the hell out of dodge.
>>
>>5857043

I'm thinking we get a Lizard Tail to protect us from Ambushes and Betrayals, a Diviner to find out if anyone is close, and a Quest for fun.
>>
>>5856999
>>No
>>
>>5856999
>>5857004
>>5857011
Well, if there's no support for knowing how to hurt people I'll support this bundle >>5857043
>>
>>5857011
>>5857013
>>5857034
>>5857035
>>5857043
>>5857049
>>5857051
>>5857056
>>5857063

Firstly, since a lot of the voting is ambiguous, I'll reconduct that bit of the vote with a more hard line choice

Do you want to buy a Diviner, a Lizard's Tail, and a Random Quest Ticket?
>Yes
>No.

After browsing the shop for a while, you take a brief opportunity to relax and enjoy the feeling of being far away from hundreds or thousands of other godlings that might be trying to murder you. After you land, you notice that Pheme is waiting in front of your terminal. You didn't even give her your flight information, so you have absolutely no idea how she knew when and where you'd be back.

"I'll drive you home," she says, "unless you got your hands on a pair of wings."

You take her up on that offer as she drives you back to your apartment. While you're in the car, you tell her that you've gotten your hands on some solid combat authorities.

"I'm sure you did," she said, "Especially after you killed that boar. That was you, right?"

"Yeah, that was me. I think I'm prepared to take on some of my pantheon members now."

"Maybe, maybe not. If any of them have mind altering authorities like you, you'd still be in considerable danger"

She does have a point. After all, it stands to reason that incarnations of similar domains might be able to do similar things. She also reminds you that the song is about to debut, so you can expect a lot of influence in your future anyway.

She drops you off, gives an exaggerated bow, and then leaves.

You're back home. It hasn't been that long, but it feels like you've been gone for weeks. What do you do now?

>I’m gonna start some riots!
>Slaying other incarnations seems like the fastest way to get strong. It's time for another hunt
>One more boss left before I run this entire building. Directors’ meetings are pretty infrequent, so doing it with <Whispers> might take a while, though
>I should take some singing classes. I might be able to give myself a perfect voice, but that only means so much if I don’t know how to sing
>I should focus on my streaming career. If I keep at it, it could be an incredibly useful resource for my future plans
>Write-in
>>
>>5857074
>I should take some singing classes. I might be able to give myself a perfect voice, but that only means so much if I don’t know how to sing
>>
>>5857074
>yes

And

>I should focus on my streaming career. If I keep at it, it could be an incredibly useful resource for my future plans
>>
>>5857074
>Yes
>I should focus on my streaming career. If I keep at it, it could be an incredibly useful resource for my future plans
>>
>>5857074
>I should take some singing classes. I might be able to give myself a perfect voice, but that only means so much if I don’t know how to sing
>I should focus on my streaming career. If I keep at it, it could be an incredibly useful resource for my future plans
I don't see how we couldn't manage both. Pheme spooks me but she's been very reasonable toward us so far.
>>
>>5857074
Also
>Yes
I forgot. Random Quest could be interesting.
>>
>>5857075
>>5857077
>>5857079
>>5857081
>>5857083

>Influence: 201->21/1600

You gain a <Quest>!

>General quest: Ars Magna:

Create a work of art that is recognized and enjoyed by at least 5,000 people. You must be the sole creator of that artwork. It can be a poem, novel, play, painting, statue, song, woodwork, or ceramic.

Rewards: related divine artifact, 800 influence

>I should take some singing classes. I might be able to give myself a perfect voice, but that only means so much if I don’t know how to sing
>I should focus on my streaming career. If I keep at it, it could be an incredibly useful resource for my future plans

You decide to split your attention between streaming and singing classes. A week passes, and your singing is already improving.

Follower count: 11,342

The song with your voice sample debuts, to immediate comparative success. You expect it to take at least a few days to take hold, but you get some influence almost immediately:

Influence: 31->39/1600

Even though you aren't putting your all into work, you can still feel the respect and admiration of your coworkers. If you'd always been treated this way, perhaps you wouldn't have had to destroy so many of them. You find yourself stricken by a complicated feeling that you have trouble articulating.

What should you do now?
>Get working on my quest! All of those singing classes are about to pay off
>I have a lot of items I want to buy, but not enough influence to buy them. I'll start some riots to get some quick capital
>I should focus on expanding my fanbase by collaborating with (and manipulating) other creators
>I should use my newly upgraded <Whispers> just enough to make my listeners a little obsessed with me
>I should hunt some other incarnations to get some new authorities
>I should focus on work
>Write-in
>>
>>5857074
>No.
>One more boss left before I run this entire building. Directors’ meetings are pretty infrequent, so doing it with <Whispers> might take a while, though
>>
>>5857105
>I should hunt some other incarnations to get some new authorities
>>
>>5857105
>Get working on my quest! All of those singing classes are about to pay off
>I should use my newly upgraded <Whispers> just enough to make my listeners a little obsessed with me
>>
>>5857105
>Get working on my quest! All of those singing classes are about to pay off

Seems fairly achievable with our following and powers, we might even be able to do it at the same time as
>I should use my newly upgraded <Whispers> just enough to make my listeners a little obsessed with me
>>
>>5857105

>Get working on my quest! All of those singing classes are about to pay off
>I should use my newly upgraded <Whispers> just enough to make my listeners a little obsessed with me

Whisper a desire to simp on us into our new song we write for our fans.

----

>>5857081

Pheme scares the shit out of me too. Remember, she's our landlord, she probably has a copy of our keys. We should absolutely buy a gun and either change the locks or install an additional set of them. Just because she can't use her powers on us doesn't mean she isn't resourceful and clever.

And more importantly, what the hell does she get out of helping us? Is she siphoning influence from us, or acquiring as part of her directive?
>>
>>5857105
>Get working on my quest! All of those singing classes are about to pay off
>I should use my newly upgraded <Whispers> just enough to make my listeners a little obsessed with me
Ars Magna is going to be trivial, but we can't let ourselves grow complacent.
>>
>>5857107
>>5857109
>>5857117
>>5857119
>>5857206
>>5857217

>Get working on my quest! All of those singing classes are about to pay off

You decide that the rewards of your quest are worth pursuing in earnest, so you get to work on a song. You have to make the music for it yourself, so you decide that you're going to have most of the instrumental elements be done with digital production rather than analog instrumentation.

You ask Pheme if she has any tips on making music. She sends back the links of some youtube tutorials.

While she has been helpful, you realize that you aren't sure exactly what pheme gets out of your partnership. You assumed it was something about rumors, but you're not entirely sure what the specifics are. You decide to call her and ask. She responds:

"I suppose it would be beneficial to let you know exactly how I get stronger. My directive is called <A Whisper Becomes A Cacophony>. Essentially, whenever someone believes something that they didn't believe before, true or false, because of me, I gain a point of influence. If that person then goes on to spread the rumor to three more people, I gain three more influence.

The tasks I give you are all prime pickings for conspiracy theories, rumors, and tabloid gossip. If they learn about you from me, the more they talk about you, the more influence I reap."

Makes sense, you suppose. Essentially, she gets to piggyback off of the virality of your crimes by telling people about you, which then leads to you affecting more people, which leads to them spreading the word on their own and netting you both a hefty profit.

After a week split between streaming and tinkering with the music software, you've made decent progress on your song. Additionally, though no major growth inducing incidents have occurred, your meteoric rise to C-list internet celebrity status is continuing.

Follower Count: 12,653

Your song probably only needs one or two more weeks of work if you keep at it. Once you record the voice lines, you plan to infuse the music with a small dose of your <Whispers> in order to foster an obsessive streak in your fanbase. Additionally, you've been funneling divinity into the Pithos: (350 Divinity)

What kind of song are you making?

>A standard pop song
>An EDM track
>A ballad
>A comedy song
>A rock song
>death metal
>write-in
>>
>>5857232
>synthwave

The dulcet tones of digital emulation will herald our dominion
>>
>>5857232
>An EDM track
>>
>>5857232
>An EDM track
This will spread the widest and cause the most damage.
>>
>>5857232
>Synthwave
Maybe something like this - https://soundcloud.com/kingstephenmusic/nocturna
>>
>>5857244
>>5857249
>>5857255
>>5857302

You create a synthwave track with a danceable tempo and heavy usage of vocal samples containing your <Whispers>.

It takes around two weeks for you to pull together something decent. It isn't groundbreaking, but you think it comfortably transcends the stigma of "influencer music".

Follower Count: 13,971

Meanwhile, the passive influence from the scheme Pheme came up with begins to roll in:

Influence: 39->156/1600

Immediately upon its release, your song posted under your alias as cyber_syren garners popularity among your core fanbase. It's only a matter of days before you receive the message:

>"Congratulations! You have completed the quest <Ars Magna>! You gain 800 influence and the divine artifact <Euterpe's Harp>"

>Euterpe's Harp (copy):
Can take the form of any instrument. Gives the owner proficiency with that instrument proportional to that of their highest musical talent, and enhances the effects of any sound based authorities when delivered in the form of music while this artifact is in use. Has secondary effects for the incarnation of <Euterpe>

Influence: 156->856/1600

You've gained substantial influence. How would you like to use it?
>Go to the shop
>Upgrade Authorities
>I'd like to save my influence for now
>>
>>5857353
Correction, it should be 956/1600. Math isn't my strong suit it seems
>>
>>5857353
>I'd like to save my influence for now
Let's go for another level.
>>
>>5857353
>Upgrade Authorities

More upgrading

(Specifically wanna upgrade regen again cause maybe we can fully get regen working unconcious

Secondarily cursed gold since we havnt upgraded it yet
>>
>>5857353
>Upgrade Authorities
I see several I'd like to improve before our next incarnation hunt
>>
>>5857354
You're not made for math you're made for myth! Lamn that Dysdexia.
>>
>>5857353
>>Upgrade Authorities
Gotta make bread to get bread
>>
>>5857353
>>I'd like to save my influence for now
>>
>>5857353
>I'd like to save my influence for now
>>
>>5857353

> Upgrade Authorities

Torn between Touch of Madness 3 and Regen 4.
>>
>>5857360
>>5857372
>>5857372
>>5857378
>>5857423
>>5857445
>>5857711
>>5857743

>Upgrade Authorities

Please list which upgrades you'd like to purchase and how much you'd like to spend.
>>
>>5857753
> Touch of Madness 2->3
> Thousand Faces 2->3

A pretty compelling argument could be made for regen 4 though
>>
>>5857753
Regen and cursed gold which should total 700 also sidenote the info sheets outta date

Regen 3>4
Cursed gold 1>3
>>
>>5857753
>Thousand Faces 2->3 200
>Touch of Madness 2->3 200
>Titanic Strength 2->3 200
>A Scourge to Mortals 1->2 100
>>
>>5857753
How do costs work again? I thought it was 200, 400, 800, 1600...
>>
>>5857829
https://rentry.org/incarnation-infodump
>>
>>5857832
Thanks again for keeping on top of things boss
>>
>>5857835
I know this quest is super mechanics/infodump heavy, so I wanted to make as many convenient resources as possible. Glad they've been helpful
>>
>>5857753
Whispers 3->4
>>
>>5857753
In the interests of moving forward, I will switch from my original vote >>5857823 to >>5857763
>>
>>5857763
>>5857822
>>5857823
>>5857853
>>5857856

>Touch of Madness (2->3)
It is possible to make slight alterations to the target's sense of reality in order to deepen the gratification of fulfilling their impulse. For example, you could make food seem more appetizing, or a person seem more beautiful, but you cannot make it seem as though something blue is red.

>A Thousand Faces, A Thousand Voices (2->3)
It becomes possible to add non-human features to your disguises so long as they don't deviate considerably beyond the human form, such as horns, impossible eye or skin colors, or pointed ears. It remains impossible to use this skill to augment your physical capabilities.

These upgrades don't majorly increase the skills' functionalities, but you suspect that these are the precursors to substantial improvements in the future.

Influence: 956->556/1600

Having increased your power to your satisfaction, you decide to turn your focus to gaining more influence.

How will you go about it?

>I'm ready to take on Eris. I need to talk to Pheme about her location and powers
>I know there's another beast incarnation in my city. I should purchase another hunt ticket
>I should start some riots
>I should lay low for a while and focus on work
>I should focus on my streaming career
>Now that my third persona has some clout in the music scene, and since I can effectively play any instrument with <Euterpe's Harp>, I should focus on music
>Write-in
>>
>>5857856

:/ But I wanted to switch to you, I just thought things were more expensive than they are.
>>
>>5857905
I wrote <I should purchase another Hunt Ticket> instead of <I should purchase another Beast Tracker>. You can choose to buy a hunt ticket if you'd like, however
>>
>>5857905
>I should focus on my streaming career

The mass carnage we can trigger is going to be insane. I wonder when we should cash out?
>>
>>5857905
>I know there's another beast incarnation in my city. I should purchase another beast tracker.
One more kill to our name and then we go after Eris. Also, quick question- can we activate <Regeneration> prior to <Bane of Calydon> even if we don't have any injuries at the time of activation? Regenerating Super-Boar is a very appealing idea.

>>5857906
Kek

>>5857910
I'm thinking Atë should hit at least 100,000 followers first. The long con!
>>
>>5857917
The wording may have been unclear, but the mechanic is like this

When you choose <Bane of Calydon>, you select one other authority to take with you as you do. The effective level of that authority is set to that of the authority level of <Bane of Calydon> for the duration of your transformation and the use thereof requires double the divinity than it would while <Bane of Calydon> is inactive. So yes, a regenerating boar is possible, but (at the current skill level) not a boar with regeneration and titanic strength
>>
>>5857924
Also, you can choose a different auxiliary authority every time you use <Bane of Calydon>. EX rated authorities always apply regardless of the text of other authority effects
>>
>>5857905
>I should focus on my streaming career

>>5857910
>>5857917
I mean if we just use whispers to incite people to donate and spread the word 100K is small potatoes, we could hit the hundreds of millions. That might be a wincon for us, and it's why I always vote to up whispers and stream more.
>>
>>5857905
>I'm ready to take on Eris. I need to talk to Pheme about her location and powers
>>
>>5857939
I don't want to wait that long because I'm pretty sure society will collapse once incarnations start hitting level 12+
>>
>>5857910
>>5857917
>>5857939
>>5857942
>>5857963

>I need to focus on my streaming career

You focus your time on networking, playing games with much more influential creators, and commissioning art for your channel and livestreams. An urban legend surrounding your song, 'Syren's Call' sprouts up, with everything from magic to hypnotic sound waves, to all of those other morons being enthralled by cleavage. This brings more attention to your song and, through your <Whispers>, more attention to you.

Also as a result of your <Whispers> your fanbase has gained a bit of a reputation for 'simp behavior'. You notice that the engagement rate of people who already follow you increases, and your patreon and livestream donations skyrocket.

Follower count: 18,240
Influence: 556->563/1600

Meanwhile, the song Pheme had produced with your voice in it continues to gain popularity, even being played with relative frequency at clubs and bars. You read reports of a riot breaking out at one of the artist's concerts.

Influence: 573->701/1600

Pheme tells you that the satanic rumors surrounding the track have entered the realm of pseudo-mainstream popularity. Edgy kids around the world are going to be playing it for years to come.

Where should you place your focus as your internet career progresses?

>I'll focus on networking
>I'll focus on making the fanbase I have more devoted
>I'll make more songs for my own channel
>I'll compose royalty free music for any other content creator to use
>Write-in
>>
>>5857987
>I'll compose royalty free music for any other content creator to use.
Second verse, same as the first. We don't have to worry as much about chasing our own clout, if we have other influential people spreading our power around for us.
>>
>>5857987
>I'll make more songs for my own channel
Actually, this is a better option
>>
>>5857987
>I'll focus on networking
If we can get a handful of big YouTube interviews civil society is gone.
>>
>>5857987
>I'll compose royalty free music for any other content creator to use

With a few Whispers slipped in to encourage them to become our devoted followers, of course. We probably need to watch out for Muses, Orpheus, and any other divines associated with the arts.
>>
>>5857987
>I'll focus on networking
>>
>>5857987
I'll swap >>5858017 one more time to
>I'll focus on networking
>>
>>5857998
>>5858017
>>5858019
>>5858022
>>5858029
>>5858034

>I'll compose royalty free music for any other content creator to use
>I'll focus on networking

You decide that you can kill two birds with one stone. You make a post on social media- and ask some friends in higher places to promote it- asking other content creators what type of music they'd like to be able to play in their content that isn't available inside the current public domain. Larger influencers respond, linking your audience to theirs, and you establish private correspondence with them under the pretext of asking for specifics. You have a lot of projects to work on, but with your new relic, they should all be reasonably attainable after a few weeks.

Follower Count: 21,003
Project Completion: 20%

You publicly celebrate hitting 20,000 followers. You talk about how grateful you are to your community, and, despite knowing that you've fostered it with the sole purpose of eventually ruining them for personal gain, you feel a sense of congruity that wouldn't be present in a lie. The hypocrisy is somewhat disquieting.

Pheme has finished her end of Plan 2. Now, the song has begun to snowball on its own.

Influence: 701->842/1600

She's ready to engage in one of her other proposed plans. What will you do?

>I'll get started on Pheme's ideas right away
>It's time to hunt down Eris
>There's still the beast in my city. It hasn't made any major media appearances, so I imagine it's in hiding. I should buy another Beast Tracker
>I should use my new connections to expand my following
>I should focus on finishing my songs
>I should spend my influence
>Write-in
>>
>>5858058
>I'll get started on Pheme's ideas right away
>Plan 1: I can plant a feather inside the home of another incarnation and use it to transmit your power, causing them to go mad. Rinse and repeat, causing disaster
Should probably spend 400 to upgrade Whispers again as we do this
>>
>>5858058
Backing >>5858068
along with the Whispers upgrade
>>
>>5858058
>I should focus on finishing my songs
>>
>>5858068
Yeah, I'll support this. Curious to see how well it works.
>>
>>5858068
I'll back this. Best to keep ourselves on Pheme's good side.
>>
Also, checking the shop list makes me think that we really should buy

>Omen (1): 400- Gives you a premonition whenever you are at risk of immediate death or severe bodily harm. Consumes divinity whenever it activates
>>
>>5858068
>>5858087
>>5858090
>>5858092
>>5858098
>>5858126
<Whisper of Temptation> (3->4):
The speed at which this skill affects targets increases. You are capable of using your <Whisper of Temptation> to illicit not only desires, but beliefs which the target desires to be true: (for example, you can convince a person that they are beautiful). This process takes much longer than any other use of this authority

842->442/1600

You ask Pheme to begin operations for Plan 1.

"Considering your recent murder spree, I thought you might like that one. You have good audio equipment these days, right?"

"Yeah, I bought some for my streams and stuff. Why?"

"I'm gonna need you to record some things for me."

She sends you a list of sounds to make: exhales, whistling, low vocalizations, etc. A couple of days later, she sends back some audio files: wind.mp3, elec_hum.mp3, rain.mp3, and birds.mp3. You listen to the audio files, and they seem like mostly innocuous sound effects. Apparently, she claims, your recordings have been altered and reincorporated into these bits of white noise.

She sends you over a list of available candidates for this project:

>A beast living in Hong Kong. A bronze bird, capable of duplicating itself
>A warlord who has taken over a swath of territory in Columbia. Powers seem to revolve around combat and buffing
>A shut in who hasn't left home in months. Capable of projecting a divine aura of abject despair. Lives in a remote location
>"Actually, I'm pretty sure there's a beast living in this city"

Would you like to buy <Omen> for 400?
>Yes
>No
>>
>>5858126
Smart thinking. We can't possibly be too paranoid.

>>5858128
>A warlord who has taken over a swath of territory in Columbia. Powers seem to revolve around combat and buffing
This will get us a huge chunk of influence.
>Yes
>>
>>5858128
>A shut in who hasn't left home in months. Capable of projecting a divine aura of abject despair. Lives in a remote location
This one or the warlord- this one will give us a better power if it counts as our kill, the Warlord will spread more suffering if we cause him to go full psycho.
>Yes
>>
>>5858128
>"Actually, I'm pretty sure there's a beast living in this city"
>No
>>
>>5858128
>A warlord who has taken over a swath of territory in Columbia. Powers seem to revolve around combat and buffing
>Yes
>>
>>5858176
+1
>>
>>5858131
>>5858140
>>5858142
>>5858176
>>5858187

>A warlord who has taken over a swath of territory in Columbia. Powers seem to revolve around combat and buffing

"Ha, I thought you might go for that. The amount of influence we're gonna gather from this is insane. Due to the way his new "country" is organized, it'll take me some time to plant the feathers though. The contract will dissolve automatically if I die, so assume I'm ok unless that happens."

"How long do you think this is gonna take?"

"Hmm, hard to say. At least a month, I'd guess. You should probably focus on other things. Ah, speaking of which, I thought I should warn you."

"Warn me? About what?"

"Somebody with a lot of money to throw around is looking for info on cyber_syren. Not in the "where can I find her feet pics" kinda way, but in a "what's her legal name and address" kinda way. Not necessarily a big deal, but you should keep your guard up"

Well, that's a little disconcerting. You thank her, and begin to worry about your safety. Thinking it prudent to have more means of defending yourself, you buy the authority <Omen>

>Omen (1):
Gives you a premonition whenever you are at risk of immediate death or severe bodily harm. Consumes divinity whenever it activates

Influence: 442->42/1600

The song with your voice sample continues to do well. Stories about a suicide epidemic associated with the song break mainstream news.

Influence: 42->390/1600

What's your next step?
>There's still the beast in my city. It hasn't made any major media appearances, so I imagine it's in hiding. I should buy another Beast Tracker
>I should use my new connections to expand my following
>I should focus on finishing my songs
>I should spend my influence
>Write-in
>>
>>5858196
>I should focus on finishing my songs
Let's finish this so we can flip the switch and abandon this personality soon. I bet it's Epimetheus's mortal family trying to find Atë.
>>
>>5858196
>>I should focus on finishing my songs
FInish the work, then we can move beyond it.
>>
>>5858196
>I should focus on finishing my songs
>I should spend my influence

Buy a level of Omen.
>>
>>5858196
>I should focus on finishing my songs

>The contract will dissolve automatically if I die, so assume I'm ok unless that happens.
I don't trust whatever Pheme is up to
>>
>>5858201
>>5858223
>>5858241
>>5858273

You devote the rest of your free time for the next two weeks on finishing up the music and doing the occasional stream. You release the first set, a chill lofi track with your <Whispers> used in a flute sample, a generic pop track, and a hype-inducing classical track with a choir in which every voice is yours, which immediately receives a lot of positive attention, especially the latter of the three.

Project Completion: 75%
Follower Count: 29,492
Influence: 390->416/1600

Your passive income from Pheme's plan continues to roll in.

Influence: 416->903/1600

You haven't received any word back from Pheme on her operation.

You're on the verge of completing your project, and you're getting a lot of accreditation from other creators, however, you begin to worry about your anonymous pursuer. You suspect that it's related to Epimetheus, but you have no way to be sure. What should you do?

>Investigate who's hunting for you
>Increase my popularity as soon as possible without care for sustainability and turn my audience once I hit 100,000 followers
>There's still the beast in my city. It hasn't made any major media appearances, so I imagine it's in hiding. I should buy another Beast Tracker
>There shouldn't be any way for my pursuer to find me, there's no need to worry about it for now. I should just focus on finishing my music
>I should spend my influence on items or authorities to protect myself
>Write-in
>>
>>5858283
>Ask Pheme if she can get us another apartment to cover us while we finish our project
She's our friend and ally, this should go over without any issues.
>>
>>5858283
>There shouldn't be any way for my pursuer to find me, there's no need to worry about it for now. I should just focus on finishing my music
>>
>>5858283
>There shouldn't be any way for my pursuer to find me, there's no need to worry about it for now. I should just focus on finishing my music
>>
>>5858283
>Write-in

Rent another cheap apartment and prep it as a safehouse. We've got the lizard tale and omen, but better to be safe than sorry.
>>
>>5858283
>There shouldn't be any way for my pursuer to find me, there's no need to worry about it for now. I should just focus on finishing my music.
>>
>>5858290
>>5858304
>>5858309
>>5858314
>>5858339

>There shouldn't be any way for my pursuer to find me, there's no need to worry about it for now. I should just focus on finishing my music

Since cyber_syren's identity doesn't really exist, and since you're decently tech savvy and have been reasonably careful with privacy, you shouldn't be at much risk for now. You finish the songs over the course of the next week. Especially among minor content creators, your work becomes a staple in internet livestreaming

Follower count: 31,021

This, combined with your other alias's music, has lead to decent influence gains.

Influence: 903->1274/1600

What should you do now?
>Investigate who's hunting for you
>Focus on streaming
>There's still the beast in my city. It hasn't made any major media appearances, so I imagine it's in hiding. I should buy another Beast Tracker
>Focus on work
>Rent out an auxiliary apartment in another state as a safety precaution
>I should spend my influence on items or authorities to protect myself
>Write-in

Also, I'm in the mood to do some sketches of Ate and/or Pheme, so let me know if there's anything you'd want me to draw of them
>>
>>5858365
>Focus on streaming
Once we crack a 100,000 I say we encourage them all to commit mass-homicide. That should ruin the maximum amount of lives possible and help us reach true Divinity. I'm not sure how much longer the internet will be a viable avenue for influence gain. Best to cash out while we can.

>Also, I'm in the mood to do some sketches of Ate and/or Pheme, so let me know if there's anything you'd want me to draw of them
How about them laughing over Epimetheus's email together?
>>
>>5858365
>>5858383
Supporting on all counts. Also, seeing as we have a great deal of influence, maybe we should vote on some more upgrades?
>>
>>5858383
>>5858365
Also supporting this one on both counts, I couldn't have said it better myself
>>
>>5858365
Noting that regen is still outta date on authority list while all other authorities are up to date. Might fix it (just was looking at our authority list it should be 3 not 2 and has SOME unconcious ability for shock
>>
>>5858383
Anyway supporting this
>>
>>5858383
>>5858365
+1 support
this is kino. How do we encourage them to commit mass-homicide? I think we should maybe make a whole sob story (the longer we speak the more our whispers can affect them) and have it end with the mass-homicide encouragement (if it isn't subtle throughout). Remember Pheme gets a buff whenever someone starts believing something they didn't before, so maybe we could work with her to craft a story that creates the most long-term harm? Riot-inciting policy-inducing level harm...
>>
>>5858365
>pursuer
Oh btw, I wouldn't be surprised if the rich people end up hiring an incarnation to track us down, so we should prepare for that.
>>
>>5858389
>>5858408
>>5858421
>>5858422
>>5858424
>>5858426

I had an image in my head of Pheme and Atë doing dramatic readings of the letters, so I did a very rough sketch of one of those. Might clean it up and finish it later

You focus all of your free time on streaming and networking for a week, going live frequently and paying editors to help with more formalized content.

Follower Count: 37,572

Meanwhile, your <Whispered> simps are increasing in desperation. Another, larger content creator is caught with a tab of deepfaked nudes of you on stream. You release a video crying about the objectification, garnering millions of views.

Follower count: 43,155

Your passive income from your music under both personae has garnered significant influence:

Influence: 1274->1537/1600

You've been consistently putting divinity into the Pithos of Pandora

Pithos: 2,021 divinity

You check the news. Apparently, rogue incarnations, beasts and otherwise, are beginning to be targeted by incarnations working with the governments of the world. Contrary to your expectations, as time progresses and the number of incarnations decreases, the world seems to be stabilizing in most places. Eventually, you may come into conflict with not only mortal law enforcement, but these incarnations of justice and order.

You turn your attention back to your present plans: you absolutely need to have complete supremacy if you want to fight against the whole world. You continue to work on your streaming as the days go on, but you decide you need to work on other fronts as well.

What will you do now?

>Investigate who's hunting for you
>There's still the beast in my city. It hasn't made any major media appearances, so I imagine it's in hiding. I should buy another Beast Tracker
>Focus on work
>Rent out an auxiliary apartment in another state as a safety precaution
>I should spend my influence on items, upgrades, or authorities
>Write-in
>>
>>5858450
>There's still the beast in my city. It hasn't made any major media appearances, so I imagine it's in hiding. I should buy another Beast Tracker
>I should spend my influence on items, upgrades, or authorities
If the lawfulgoodfags are working to fix the world, we should clear out our area and then plan to bug out. If/when Pheme gets back we should discuss these developments. Atë is an evil QT ngl
>>
>>5858450
>>I should spend my influence on items, upgrades, or authorities
Omen. It ain't paranoia if they are really out to get you.
>>Rent out an auxiliary apartment in another state as a safety precaution
Best get this up and running now.
>>There's still the beast in my city. It hasn't made any major media appearances, so I imagine it's in hiding. I should buy another Beast Tracker
Kill six billion beasts
>>
Also, we definitely need to start hunting these incarnations of Justice and Order proactively. We have the tools of an assassin, best start using them as such.
>>
>>5858450
Upgrade Whispers from 4->5
>Investigate who's hunting for you

Alright if things are stabilizing we can shoot for the millions of followers and then world domination, just gotta take care of any wannabe stalkers
>>
>>5858454
>support.
Our channel should continue to grow by itself for a round.
>>
>>5858458
>>5858472
>>5858507
>>5858567

You buy a <Beast Tracker>

Influence: 1537->1387/1600

Would you like to buy items, upgrade authorities, or both?
>Items
>Upgrades
>Both
>>
>>5858628
repeating >>5858507
>>
I'd bang Ate. I think the whispers are getting to me. I can't fix her.
>>
>>5858658

Influence: 1387->1388/1600
>>
File: 712461562163.gif (2.63 MB, 528x229)
2.63 MB
2.63 MB GIF
>>5858663
I didn't see that coming. My sides.
>>
We’re vulnerable to mind affecting abilities right now. We should get an a anti mind control item or authority pronto.
>>
>>5858628
>Both
>Regeneration 3->4 (400)
>Titanic Strength 2->3 (200)
>Bane of Calydon 2->3 (200)
>To Mortals, A Scourge 1->3 (300)
>Omen 1->2 (100)
We're hunting big game, so might as well improve everything necessary for it. We automatically gain a level with every kill, so there's no point in retaining influence to sit right on the cusp of leveling up. Also, aside from our Core Authorities, Life Insurance (which I'm pretty sure we still need to use to stop Atë's current aging), Regeneration, and Bane of Calydon we shouldn't upgrade anything beyond level three so we can still store them in an authority crystal in case we find something better.

From the shop
>Weapon Training (1): 100
For hand-to-hand. I'm trying this again because I genuinely think we need it for our next true God fight.

>>5858832
I agree. Technically, right now in Calydonian mode we have implacable and are immune so it's not all bad, but I didn't like it for Atë's main form because of the necessary rage side effect.
>>
>>5858628
>both
>whispers 4>5
Either mind immunity or some items. We could get an uncommon for 200.

I want to give money away on our stream. Using the gold power. Also why haven't we sold gamer girl bathwater??
>>
>>5858905
Fuck ignore this.
>>5858903
>support
Can we add a uncommon weapon too for 200? Gurl with big sword or the ban hammer.
>>
>>5858906
I think we only have access to common grade divine weapons at level five anon
>>
>>5858908
Ye that's the one I meant. We can't just have a light post everywhere. IMHO
>>
>>5858909
I think that until we get to level ten and can pick up Folly's Chains, hand to hand serves Atë best because she can use Touch of Madness from that range.
>>
>>5858909
Also can we swat other streamers? That'll rack up points super quick.
>>
>>5858903
Support. Somewhere out there is a Zeus who wants us dead.
>>
>>5858950
A Zeus, an Apollo, an Athena...
>>
>>5858958
Athena worries me. If anyone can figure us out it's the goddess of wisdom. If anyone can kill it's the goddess of victory. She's both.
>>
>>5858995
I would be wary of the Zeus incarnate as well. Zeus is actually horrifically cunning. It's not his insurmountable power alone that keeps him at the top.
>>
>>5858958
AND MARS THE BRINGER OF WAR
>>
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>>5858647
>>5858658
>>5858663
>>5858832
>>5858903
>>5858905
>>5858906

Picrel is unrelated to the main plot. For now.

Regeneration (3->4):

It becomes possible to recover from supernatural physical conditions such as <Rot> or <Petrification>

Omen (1->2):

It is possible to determine the approximate direction of oncoming attacks when this skill activates.

Influence: 1388->888

Would you like to spend the remaining 800 influence on

><Whisper of Temptation>
><Titanic Strength>, <To Mortals, A Scourge>, <Bane of Calydon>, and <Weapon Training>
>I only want some from the second package
>I'd rather not spend at all
>>
>>5859238
666th post in the thread is a beach episode post...
>><Whisper of Temptation>
I wonder if a Lucifer incarnation is somewhere out there
>>
>>5859245
It's only greek for now, but that'd be a doozy if there was
>>
>>5859245
>>5859238
>support
We need whispers for more power. We need to start swatting our detractors. And doing mad collabs after we get this beast.
>>
>>5859238
><Titanic Strength>, <To Mortals, A Scourge>, <Bane of Calydon>, and <Weapon Training>
>>
>>5859238

I for one am looking forward to the first god who assumes we're all mental effects.

><Titanic Strength>, <To Mortals, A Scourge>, <Bane of Calydon>, and <Weapon Training>

Here's hoping our goth informer keeps herself alive long enough for the beach. and doesn't earn a death warrant by betraying us...
>>
>>5859320
I'll support this to break tie.
>>5859257
Ignore this I'll switch
>>5859238
>>
>>5859238
><Titanic Strength>, <To Mortals, A Scourge>, <Bane of Calydon>, and <Weapon Training>
>>
>>5859238
><Whisper of Temptation>
>>
>>5859296
+1

>>5859238
Our girl over here looking like she just kicked over a kid's sandcastle and is ignoring being lectured overit
>>
>>5859245
>>5859247
>>5859257
>>5859296
>>5859320
>>5859340
>>5859363
>>5859425

>Titanic Strength: (2->3):

The amount of divinity you need to use to produce the same output is a third of that of level 1. However, your maximum output remains identical. Additionally, it is possible to activate this skill on reflex

>To Mortals, A Scourge: (1->2):
This skill gives you some resistance to non-weapon based natural phenomena, such as falling, fire, or electricity. Does not work for such phenomena produced from Authorities

>Bane of Calydon (2->3):
It is possible to utilize the authorities within divine relics while transformed

>Weapon Training [Hand-to-Hand] (1):
Does not consume divinity. Gives proficiency in unarmed combat. The focus of this skill can be changed by expending the influence required to level it up.

Influence: 888->88/1600

First, you decide to get a safehouse. You use half of your savings to buy a cabin with a well and a generator in the middle of the Oregon woods. You tell yourself that this is a place where you will be safe.

Now, it's time for a hunt. Last week, you scheduled a full week of PTO (which your company happily accepted since it wasn't during a holiday season like most of your peers). You drive, following the <Beast Tracker>, until you find yourself on a university campus. You deduce that you're most likely hunting a student or a teacher. How do you blend in?

>Disguise as a student
>Disguise as cleaning staff
>Disguise as a professor
>Don't bother with a disguise
>Write-in
>>
>>5859452
She would absolutely do that. I don't think Pheme would lecture her for it, but she'd be annoyed that people are talking to her because of it. For an embodiment of rumors, she doesn't like talking to strangers much
>>
>>5859454
>Disguise as a student
Wallflower
>>
>>5859454
>Disguise as a prospective student (that is, a high schooler from a local HS if possible)
Clueless prospies touring the campus and ending up who-knows-where is a classic. Also, shouldn't To Mortals, A Scourge be at level three? Or should we have 288 influence?
>>
>>5859461
You're completely right. For some reason I just assumed both options were the same price.

>To Mortals, A Scourge (2->3)

You are able to survive any single attack from a mortal while this skill is active, regardless of the power and scope. This includes explosives. However, resisting more damage than would normally be possible will reduce your divinity to zero.
>>
>>5859462
Damn, that's a juicy no-selling ability
>>
>>5859454
>>5859461
Prospie it is, though only on the condition we have an actual idea of which school we're "from". Last thing we need is our story falling apart when asked.
>>
>>5859461
Support, good idea. Just use our actual highschool. Somehow Pheme will figure out it was us.
>>
>>5859457
>>5859461
>>5859463
>>5859465
>>5859480

You decide to disguise as a prospective student, dropped off by an irresponsible parent to freely snoop around the school. Your disguise itself doesn't even look particularly out of place among college students, but nothing about it would contradict your reasons for not knowing what buildings serve what purposes.

You follow the tracker, eventually finding yourself standing outside the student union. You worry that you might lay eyes upon your target in a crowd, and, by extension, lose your tracker before you actually figure out their identity.

How do you navigate this situation?
>I'm worrying for nothing, I'll just keep looking at whoever I'm looking at when the tracker breaks
>I'll wait in a different location until the direction in which the tracker points dramatically changes
>I'll stake out one of the exits
>I'll take advantage of the crowded area to incite a riot
>Write-in
>>
>>5859491

Our uh, mom said she'd meet us here.
>>
>>5859493
Fuck, forgot the vote.
>I'll stake out one of the exits
>>
>>5859491
>I'll wait in a different location until the direction in which the tracker points dramatically changes.
It's not like they're going to escape, right?
>>
>>5859495

Watch the asshole be an employee at the union, and stay there for literally hours.
>>
>>5859491
>I'll take advantage of the crowded area to incite a riot
>>
>>5859491
>I'll wait in a different location until the direction in which the tracker points dramatically changes.
I'll agree to this, it makes sense.

>>5859497
By then, we'll be primed to kill them!
>>
>>5859493
>>5859494
>>5859495
>>5859497
>>5859533
>>5859551

>I'll wait in a different location until the direction in which the tracker points dramatically changes.

You wait in a nearby library for a while, flicking through a book from the mythology section. After about half an hour, the needle of your tracker begins to move. You leave, not putting the book back in its place, and move as quickly as you can while remaining inconspicuous in the direction indicated by the compass.

You find yourself met with what you assume is a student- she seems to be in the college demographic, anyway. Her clothes are baggy; a saffron cardigan and a pair of sweatpants one size too big obscure her figure. Her dark blonde hair is tied into a messy ponytail, with a few errant strands outlining her round, freckeled face. Based on what you can see of her proportions, she's the type of person who looks short while sitting but tall, at least for a woman, while standing. At first glance, she seems like the type of person who would be clumsy or uncoordinated, but every step she takes has a sense of natural fluidity that's almost enthralling to watch, as if she's floating rather than walking. You snap back after staring for a bit, realizing that your mind is most likely being affected by an authority or trait.

As before, the beast tracker disappears.

How should you go about this?
>I'm gonna attack, right here, right now
>I'll follow her for a while, switching up disguises so she doesn't suspect anything, and then make a move when I have more information
>I should try to use an authority on her
>Write-in
>>
>>5859813
>I'll follow her for a while, switching up disguises so she doesn't suspect anything, and then make a move when I have more information
>>
>>5859813
>I should try to use an authority on her
<Assess Hamartia>
>>
>>5859825
Good call

>I should try to use an authority on her
<Assess Hamartia>
>>
>>5859813
>>5859825
+1. The perfect time to break this one out.
>>
>>5859825
>>5859813
>support
>>
>>5859825
Backing this
>>
>>5859816
>>5859825
>>5859836
>>5859846
>>5859995
>>5860008

>I should try to use an authority on her
<Assess Hamartia>

You use <Assess Hamartia> on the target. A screen similar to the standard status screen, but crimson instead of the usual gold, appears in front of you

>The skill has succeeded

Jane Matthews:
Hamartia: Self-Doubt/Inferiority Complex
Deepest Desires: Actualization, Romance

You think to yourself whether such a thing would be sufficient to count as a hamartia, but then you remember the plot of Hamlet. Even the tiniest flaw, it seems, could spiral into a complete downfall.

Armed with this new knowledge, how will you proceed?
>I'm gonna attack, right here, right now
>I'll follow her for a while, switching up disguises so she doesn't suspect anything, and then make a move when I have more information
>I should try to use an authority on her
>I have a name now. Maybe I can stalk her on social media?
>Write-in
>>
>>5860057
>I should try to use an authority on her

Touch of Madness I'm thinking. Just brush past her and drive her to suicide.
>>
>>5860057
>I have a name now. Maybe I can stalk her on social media?
I'm thinking we send her some DMs playing on that self-doubt (after we figure out exactly what she's insecure about via social media) with Whispers and then go for a Touch-of-Madness suicide
>>
>>5860057
Hmm... I've got it.
>Use social media to catfish her with a false handsome male identity, some adonis-looking nerd that's into the same stuff she is. Start off slow so she doesn't get suspicious but use our Whispers to give her a self-destructive obsession, so that she goes out of control.
Once we have her pinned down, we can convince her to get herself killed while getting us influence.
>>
>>5860057
>>5860071
based psychological abuse
>>
>>5860071
Yeah, I'll switch to this. We could also drive her to drug abuse to gain an edge in whatever she's trying to do.
>>
>>5860057
>>5860071
Personally, I think catfishing her into further self-doubt via gaslighting is the way to go but I'll switch to this
>>
>>5860068
>>5860070
>>5860071
>>5860077
>>5860081
>>5860082

>I have a name now. Maybe I can stalk her on social media?

You run her name through all of the major social media programs, such as instagram, snapchat, facebook, and the website formerly known as twitter. Most come up with nothing, but you do find two accounts: a snapchat with a completely empty story, presumably just for communication, and an instagram page. She makes posts primarily pertaining two things: running (apparently she was on the track team in high school), and building models. Specifically, she seems to have an interest in planes and gundam. She also occasionally posts about books, as well as what can generously be described as memes.

You have a basic understanding of her interests, but not as much of a grasp on how to make use of them. What should you do?
>Reach out on social media with a disguise that she'd take interest in
>Fight her the old fashioned way
>Use an authority on her
>Stalk her for a while to gather more information concerning her habits and preferences
>Kill and replace a classmate
>Write-in
>>
>>5860119
>Reach out on social media with a disguise that she'd take interest in
Be sure to mention that we think Battletech is lame. If she's a gundam fan, that will win her over.
>>
>>5860119
>Kill and replace a classmate
A hot male one
>>
>>5860119
>Kill and replace a classmate
Upon further consideration, the problem with the catfishing idea is that we don't have a pre-constructed identity to use and she doesn't have enough of an online presence for random attention to be plausible. Replacing someone she knows of (but does not actually know), inviting her on a date, standing her up, and then using Whispers + Touch of Madness under a different identity might work out better
>>
>>5860144
>>5860119
>support
Finally let's use thousands faces.
>>
>>5860187
We already use it for our streaming persona and to take down every other incarnation we've killed but ok
>>
>>5860221
I more meant killing someone and taking their identity.
>>
>>5860136
>>5860144
>>5860151
>>5860187
>>5860221
>>5860344

You decide that your best odds are to kill and replace a classmate of hers. But what sort of person would be ideal?

>A buff jock. We'll be in and out before his friend group notices
>A nerdy woman. Someone who would naturally want to befriend her
>A nerdy guy. Few obligations and wouldn't be missed. We can adjust the physique a bit to make up for some shortcomings
>Write-in
>>
>>5860455
>A nerdy guy. Few obligations and wouldn't be missed. We can adjust the physique a bit to make up for some shortcomings
>>
>>5860455
>>A nerdy guy. Few obligations and wouldn't be missed. We can adjust the physique a bit to make up for some shortcomings
>friendless loser dies
>no one notices
>>
>>5860455
>A nerdy guy. Few obligations and wouldn't be missed. We can adjust the physique a bit to make up for some
>>
>>5860455
>A nerdy guy. Few obligations and wouldn't be missed. We can adjust the physique a bit to make up for some shortcomings
>>
>>5860463
>>5860493
>>5860518
>>5860528

>A nerdy guy. Few obligations and wouldn't be missed. We can adjust the physique a bit to make up for some shortcomings

You follow her for a while, skillfully using <A Thousand Faces, A Thousand Voices> to blend in with the crowds and avoid having her notice a persistent face. Eventually, you pick out a suitable target: one Phillip Jackson, a scrawny young man with horrible fashion sense, an obsession with anime, and a persistent aura of social malcontent. You follow him, disguise as a woman you imagine to be to his tastes, pretend to flirt with him, and coerce him to a hotel room. You instead drive him to the woods and eliminate him in the car.

Influence: 88->89

You take his phone and carry his body to a place far from any road with your <Titanic Strength>. You bury the body deep enough to avoid the hungry jaws of any animals roaming the forest, and cover the makeshift grave in such a way that nobody would ever find the body. In your time stalking him, you have memorized his phone password, so you open it up and scroll through everything about him. Mercifully, he has absolutely zero social media presence. You've got yourself the perfect tabula rasa to imprint Jane's desires upon.

Now, what kind of man is the new Phillip?
>A suave, confident bad boy who happens to have some nerdy hobbies
>A loveable dork with bottomless optimism and a hidden set of 6-pack abs
>A dry, sarcastic cynical type with a secret heart of gold
>Write-in
>>
>>5860530
>A loveable dork with bottomless optimism and a hidden set of 6-pack abs
hopes and prayers we can endure this personality
>>
>>5860530
>A loveable dork with bottomless optimism and a hidden set of 6-pack abs
Actually, I ran track in high school too haha isn't that crazy?
>>
>>5860530
>A loveable dork with bottomless optimism and a hidden set of 6-pack abs

You collect gundam too? Wow!
>>
>>5860536
>>5860596
>support
>>5860530
>>
>>5860596
>Ew, tallgeese
>>
>>5860533
>>5860536
>>5860596
>>5860628
>>5860630

You use his notes app to figure out which dorm newly belongs to you. The place is surprisingly tidy, and you find that it's one of those arrangements where two people share a bathroom but not a room. The bed seems clean, but a single sweep with a blacklight affirms the contrary. Still, it could be worse. You stay the night. (Day 1/7 completed)

You wake up and go to class. You and Jane share two: a 200 level English course and a 300 level math class. Today is English. There are no group activities, but it's not uncommon for people to talk after lectures. How do you approach her?

>Hey! Sorry to just walk up to you out of the blue but noticed the stickers on your laptop. I'm a huge fan of <Insert Gundam Property> too!
>Drop an item in such a way that it induces an interaction
>To hell with this rom-com shit. I'm using an authority
>Write-in
>>
>>5860638

>Hey! Sorry to just walk up to you out of the blue but noticed the stickers on your laptop. I'm a huge fan of <Insert Gundam Property> too!
Is it possible that I'm picking this option just because it's funny to fuck with our protagonist? Maybe.
>>
>>5860638
>Drop an item in such a way that it induces an interaction
>To hell with this rom-com shit. I'm using an authority

Start twisting her around our finger with Whispers now.
>>
>>5860638
Alright, I'll switch to >>5860655 now that I'm slightly more sober
>>
>>5860655
I agree, this is the best approach
>>
You know if the myth of Atalanta is in here I wonder if there are other heroes we could find. I dread to think of a powergamer incarnate who is seeking out various figures of myth to get the ultimate build from.
>>
>>5859813
Thoughts on what beast she is?
> sense of natural fluidity that's almost enthralling to watch
I'm wondering if maybe a Siren? Staring at her until you crash your car/ship into the rocks?
>>
>>5860638
>>5860655
>>
>>5860640
>>5860655
>>5860697
>>5860733
>>5860747
>>5860773
>>5861075

Taking a page out of a thousand derivative romance novels, you drop a pen in such a way that it'll roll and bump into her shoe. She picks it up and hands it to you, and you thank her. You use this as an opportunity to ask her about one of the gundam themed adornments on her backpack, all the while using your <Whispers> to foster, what?

>A romantic obsession with me
>A desire to place her trust in me
>No focus whatsoever. I just want chaos
>Write-in
>>
>>5861112
>A desire to place her trust in me
Then we pull the chair out later, yeah?
>>
>>5861112
>>No focus whatsoever. I just want chaos
>>
>>5861112
>A desire to place her trust in me
>>
>>5861112
>A desire to place her trust in me

Torn between the options here but I think this is best. I'm worried that obsessive romance might lead her to hit us with a mind altering authority, and chaos might lead the same way. Ideally we work her enough for her to reveal her powers to us even.
>>
>>5861113
>>5861116
>>5861140
>>5861141

>A desire to place her trust in me

>Your authority gives her escapism from her doubts, which feeds into her <Hamartia>. You bypass her mental resistance.

You and her continue your conversation and decide to get some coffee together. You talk for hours about how machines and marathons are cool and how classes and people suck. You look at her as almost a reflection of what you were before society beat you into a mindset of self interest and spite. As you indicate that you need to leave, she tells you:

"Honestly, Phillip, talking to you is like, a completely different type of thing than talking to anyone else I know. Not just a better version of a bad thing, I mean, it's a whole new experience. I feel like I don't have to pretend or second guess myself when I'm with you. Can we hang out again tomorrow?"

A smile creeps onto your face without your notice: she probably sees the smile of someone who made a new friend, but to you, it's the satisfaction of a hunter watching her quarry approach her traps.

"I'd love to. Can I have your number so we can coordinate that? I don't really use social media"

She giggles and replies,

"Ha, and people call me old fashioned! Sure, let me write it down for you"

She hands you a slip of paper with her number written on it. Then, you part ways.

You spend some time doing Phillip's homework- you have a reputation to uphold after all. It's annoying, but you get it done.

(Day 2/7)

Jane texts you a lot after your hang out, showing you her collection and asking about you. You go through the motions of interest and, you have to admit, some of those models are pretty impressive.

She asks you when and where the next hangout should be. What would be ideal?

>A movie
>A casual stroll around campus
>A mall
>A restaurant
>Write-in
>>
>>5861233
>A restaurant
Allows for conversation, a degree of privacy, and prevents us from running into any fellow students who might interfere
>>
>>5861233
>A restaurant
I want to kill her asap because other incarnations aren't waiting around, but with the trust compulsion maybe she'll spill all her abilities which would make this much safer.
>>
>>5861233
>A restaurant

I'm thinking we 'confess' to her that we're a divine beast of some sort, maybe use Thousand Faces to briefly change our eye color to sell it. If we reveal ourselves, she'll feel compelled to reveal herself as well.

Obviously everything we tell her will be fake though.
>>
>>5861242
>>5861248
>>5861259

You book a reservation at a reasonably pricey Italian restaurant near campus, and ask her if she'd like to go out for dinner. She takes a while to respond, but eventually agrees. You meet her after class and walk her to your car. You continue to chat. She seems genuinely interested in not only her own interests, but also yours. You end up having to slip some of your actual hobbies and favorite media into the conversation in order to maintain the facade. She pokes fun occasionally, but in a manner which obviously belies no real judgement or animosity. All the while, your <Whispers> continue to seep into her psyche. The thought strikes you that, perhaps even without your powers, you could have been friends.

"Is something wrong?" She asks you as you fall silent in contemplation, "It's, uh, ok if you're not feeling well. I get it."

A nauseating feeling of guilt begins to swell up against your will, but you quickly suppress it.

"I'm ok, just a bit nervous, y'know?"

"Don't be! You're cool, I promise. You don't have to pretend around me."

If only she knew.

You get to the restaurant, joke around about the extremely stereotypical Italian music, and order some food. You decide that now would be a good time to make a move. What will you do?

>Nothing. I can't do this anymore
>Admit to being an incarnation, but lie about which one and your true identity
>Confess your love
>Use <Touch of Madness> to end things here
>Write-in
>>
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>>5861356
>Use <Touch of Madness> to end things here
Atë isn't committed enough bros
>>
>>5861373
>>5861356
>support
>>
>>5861356
>Use <Touch of Madness> to end things here
A desire to unburden herself, to share secrets
>>
>>5861356
>Use <Touch of Madness> to end things here

Panic. Crisis of faith. Freak out.

Become batman? Go...good?
>>
>>5861373
>>5861383
>>5861391
>>5861448

>Use <Touch of Madness> to end things here

You snap yourself back to reality. You can't afford to stop now. Your hands are already soaked in too much blood. There's no turning back, right?

You use your authority, the long range version, under the table so that she can't see what you're doing.

What do you want her to do?
>Commit suicide
>Spill her secrets
>Go on a rampage
>No specific direction, wherever her impulse takes her
>Write-in
>>
>>5861452
>Commit suicide
>>
>>5861452
>Spill her secrets
Let's see who she is first
>>
>>5861452
>Spill her secrets
>>
>>5861452
>Commit suicide

Then just start confessing things in a panic.
>>
>>5861452
>Spill her secrets
>I'd prefer a school shooting than just suicide. More people effected than just her. Death by cop afterwards.
>>
>>5861455
>>5861460
>>5861461
>>5861462
>>5861471

>Spill her secrets

As you cast her authority, she becomes a bit squeamish. She's obviously distracted, constantly shifting around in her seat, and spacing out during your conversation. She fiddles with her hair, somewhat sabotaging the clear effort she put into styling it.

Seizing the opportunity, you ask her: "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

"Uh, oh, yeah, haha, I'm fine. Uh, hey... what do you think about all those crazy monsters on the news?"

>"I think they're dangerous and have to be eliminated"
>"I think that, if it's true that they're people, the ones making the attacks are probably evil, but I'd bet there are a ton of good ones too."
>"I think they're cool! It's satisfying to see someone finally tear some stuff down, y'know?"
>"Why do you ask?"
>Write-in
>>
>>5861486
>"It's so scary isn't it, that people like you or me could be so dangerous to others?"
>>
>>5861486
>"I think that, if it's true that they're people, the ones making the attacks are probably evil, but I'd bet there are a ton of good ones too."
>>5861494
Bro what kind of write in is that? You trying to show her our hand? Like I legit don't understand why you'd tell her we know what she is and we're also one....
>>
>>5861486
>"Why do you ask?"
>>
>>5861486
>"I think that, if it's true that they're people, the ones making the attacks are probably evil, but I'd bet there are a ton of good ones too."

>>5861494
Bro that one's pretty up there with "I'm an incarnation and I'm going to murder you for power"
>>
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>>5861486
>"I think that, if it's true that they're people, the ones making the attacks are probably evil, but I'd bet there are a ton of good ones too."
Just like me, I'm a good guy fersure :)))))
>>
>>5861494
>>5861500
>>5861527
>>5861544
>>5861611

>"I think that, if it's true that they're people, the ones making the attacks are probably evil, but I'd bet there are a ton of good ones too."

"Exactly! It's like, obviously the ones that are ON THE NEWS are gonna be causing problems, right? The ones keeping o-their heads down and not hurting anyone don't get any coverage at all!"

"Yeah, that's how the news cycle tends to go. Kinda like a reverse survivorship bias."

"Exactly! ...hey Phillip?"

"Yeah?"

"What would you do if I was one of them? Hypothetically, obviously."

>"That'd be so cool!"
>"I'd hope that you'd trust me enough to tell me"
>"Haha, there's no way that could be true"
>"I guess it depends on whether you were one of the ones that's causing problems"
>Write-in
>>
>>5861628
>"Haha, there's no way that could be true"
we got er boys
>>
>>5861628
>"Haha, there's no way that could be true"
>>
>>5861628
>>"Haha, there's no way that could be true"
You don't look like a giant pig to me.
>>
>>5861628
>>"Haha, there's no way that could be true"
nah bitch ain't no way you are some kinda gundam god (derogatory)
>>
>>5861638
>>5861641
>>5861646

>"Haha, there's no way that could be true"

"Oh, I see. Why not?""

"Well, I could never imagine you hurting anyone."

"Ah, heh, I see. You thought I was asking if I'd be like those ones on the news! No, I meant like, one of the sneaky pacifist ones."

"Ah, I see"

You can see the guilt and discomfort crawling beneath her skin. You can tell she's about to divulge her secret as the waiter brings the calamari appetizer you ordered. As you eat, you think to yourself that she needs just one more push. What's your gameplan?

>Tell her that I'm one of those monsters
>Feign disbelief that it could even be possible, fostering guilt
>Assure her that if she were truly nonviolent, then you wouldn't mind that
>Who needs a confession? I should use the guilt from this and recast <Touch of Madness> to change the impulse from secrets to suicide
>Write-in
>>
>>5861731
>Tell her that I'm one of those monsters
>>
>>5861731
>>Assure her that if she were truly nonviolent, then you wouldn't mind that
>>
>>5861731
>Assure her that if she were truly nonviolent, then you wouldn't mind that
>>
>>5861761
>>5861763
>>5861731
>support
>>
>>5861760
>>5861761
>>5861763
>>5861810


>Assure her that if she were truly nonviolent, then you wouldn't mind that

You can almost see the worry melt off of her face as her twitching fake smile becomes a genuine grin.

"Yeah, I mean, I agree. It would be wrong to blame innocent people for the stuff others are doing, y'know?"

"Of course. That wouldn't be fair at all"

The conversation becomes a lot less serious, with the two of you chatting about what bands you like and how ridiculous the school mascot looks. Eventually, the food comes out, and the two of you barely seem to register the meals as the conversation persists. Once you finish, you'd been in the restaurant for the better part of two hours.

As you leave, she taps you on the shoulder and asks: "Hey, can we go to somewhere private? Not like, my dorm or anything, don't get me wrong. I mean, a place out in the woods or something. I have something I wanna show you."

Do you agree?
>Yes
>No, this reeks of a trap
>Write-in
>>
>>5861814
>Yes
This could go very wrong but this also could be a perfect opportunity to kill her
>>
>>5861814
>Yes

The chance is too good to pass up.
>>
>>5861814
>Yes
>>
>>5861814
>No, this reeks of a trap
>>
>>5861814
>Yes
We have the Lizard Tail if worse comes to worst.
>>
>>5861815
>>5861816
>>5861861
>>5861943
>>5861949

You both get into your car. You put on your spotify playlist as you drive to some wilderness spot, making sure it's nowhere near where you buried the body.

"Next time, I'm driving you"

"Why? I'm perfectly fine with taking you to wherever we want to go"

"Of course, but, next time, I'm making you deal with MY shitty music taste"

You laugh, and tell her it's a deal. Eventually, you reach a parking spot aside the mountain road. You both get out of the car.

"So, listen, I know it takes a lot of trust to go out into the middle of the woods like this. Like, if I was some kind of crazy serial killer, that could be really bad. I guess what I'm trying to say is... thanks for believing in me, I guess"

"Of course. We haven't known each other for long, but I know you'd never do something like that"

You activate <Titanic Strength> at a low enough output to not have any visible effects in case she does something like that.

"Ha, yeah. Wow, it's only been two days. I don't know, it feels like we've known each other for so much longer than that"

"I know right! It's honestly a little uncanny. Anyway, what is it that you wanted to show me?"

"Oh! Right, that. So, remember when we were talking about those monsters earlier?"

"Yeah, back at the restaurant?"

"Yep. Anyway, well, uh, I guess I'll just show you."

Her body begins to glow, first lightly, and then bright enough to make your eyes close on instinct. When you open them. You're met with what looks like a massive reindeer. Its golden antlers gleam in the moonlight, reflecting back the silver glow with a yellow shimmer. Its speckled fur looks like it's been dusted with gold powder, and its copper hooves seem to stretch upward and protect its lower legs like armor.

It looks to you, and Jane's voice echoes through the trees despite the fact that her mouth doesn't open.

"Freaky, right?"

A deer, huh?

"Not at all. You're... beautiful"

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah." You approach her, extending your arm, "Do you mind if I touch your, uh, pelt, I guess?"

"Oh? Uh, um, yeah, go ahead. You must be curious, haha"

You place your hand on her neck. It would be so easy to snap it like a twig before she could even react. What will you do?
>I can't do it. She never hurt anyone, she's been nothing but trusting and kind. It'd be unfair
>Finally, that tedious, unbearable performance can end. Time to hunt a deer
>Killing her would be thinking to small. If I play my cards right, I can get my hands on a loyal divine minion
>Write-in
>>
>>5862206
Oh fuck, it's the Cerynitian Hind
>>
>>5862206
> Killing her would be thinking to small. If I play my cards right, I can get my hands on a loyal divine minion

It's uhh, not like I want a friend or anything.
>>
>>5862206
>I can't do it. She never hurt anyone, she's been nothing but trusting and kind. It'd be unfair
Meh, if Atë's the kind of girl who wants to burn it all down I can justify letting this kill go. However, I'm seriously considering taking the mask off and telling her that this whole "hide away" thing isn't going to work. It's a real god-eat-god world out there.
>>
>>5862206
>I can't do it. She never hurt anyone, she's been nothing but trusting and kind. It'd be unfair
>>
>>5862206
>Finally, that tedious, unbearable performance can end. Time to hunt a deer
It would be cool if we did it as the boar, but inefficient
>>
>>5862221

> who wants to burn it all down

I think we were, but we're also starting to remember what we were like before the world ground us up and spat us out. I kind of like the idea of edging into anti-hero status, of embracing Folly and Ruin as the first steps toward rebuilding the world better. The Arcana of the Tower if you will.

Switching from
> Killing her would be thinking to small. If I play my cards right, I can get my hands on a loyal divine minion

To

>I can't do it. She never hurt anyone, she's been nothing but trusting and kind. It'd be unfair.
>>
>>5862229
>>5862206
Guys we're an evil god... idk we spent money for this kill already. Don't forget someone could break our mind magic on her.

>support
>>
>>5862247
>>5862221
>>5862224
Guys we've already killed people she's not going to be our friend and she will be someone else's food if she's not ours. She's good she won't help us kill people either unless we compulse her too and some other divine could free her from that.

Smdh bunch of s i m ps
>>
>>5862206
>Finally, that tedious, unbearable performance can end. Time to hunt a deer
Sorry girl, but your powers look very tasty
>>
>>5862247
>I kind of like the idea of edging into anti-hero status, of embracing Folly and Ruin as the first steps toward rebuilding the world better
Whoa whoa whoa, cool it. I think it's one thing to give mercy to some poor foolish girl that makes Atë wistful, it's a whole other thing to go full anti-hero. I still want to kill lots of incarnations and spread ruin by breaking down the world's institutions. Just this once I'm willing to give her a chance.

>>5862249
Unless the rules are different for divine beasts she could opt out. It says so way up there. Besides, I doubt she even has really gucci authorities to steal.
>>
>>5862206
>Finally, that tedious, unbearable performance can end. Time to hunt a deer
>>
>>5862253
Even if her authorities are all shit we can level up our good ones by killing her. Worth 800 influence at least plus whatever else we grab.
>>
>>5862253
I certainly didn't mean immediately, but at some point Atë has to acknowledge that she lives in the world too. Of course Atë falling victim to her own desires does seem very Greek Tragedy...
>>
>>5862260
>that she lives in the world to
Does she though? She's a GODDESS
>>
>>5862270

Maybe eventually we'll ascend to some higher plane and all this will just be our plaything, but we're not there yet, and we've no indication that'll ever be the case. We still need food, water, shelter, and currency, and those things get hard to find if society completely crumbles.

...I wonder if we could get away with hosting a convention for Cyber Siren's fanbase, and get them to worship an idol of us? I keep wondering if driving them all insane is the best move, or if we could convert them to active worshippers.
>>
>>5862278
Make an idol, send it to the biggest fan. Get a merch deal for really shitty version of the idol so people will still want the real one. Whoever holds the real one now has people showing up to revere it because it's "special". Cult, get.
>>
>>5862210
>>5862219
>>5862221
>>5862224
>>5862229
>>5862247
>>5862248
>>5862249
>>5862250
>>5862253
>>5862255
>>5862257
>>5862260
>>5862270
>>5862278
>>5862379

>I can't do it. She never hurt anyone, she's been nothing but trusting and kind. It'd be unfair

As you consider crushing Jane's windpipe with the hand she let you put on her, you recall the image of the countless people who trampled on your goodwill, mocked your pain, shrugged off the unfairness that they showed to you, and then never faced a shred of accountability. You question your priorities. So far, you've just been lashing out at the world and using it to increase your power, but what is the end goal? Where does your path lead, at the end?

"Uh, Phillip? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I'll drive you back to campus."

"Of course? Wanna hang out after class tomorrow?"

"Obviously, dude."

"Nice! Let's get boba or something. On me."

You drive her back to campus, quibbling over what sorts of things belong in drinks on the way. You drop her off near her dorm, and she smiles at you, giving a shy wave as you drive off.

Your resolve has wavered. You're wracked with uncertainty as to not only what to do in the future, but whether you can accept the things that have happened in the past. You mock yourself on your own lack of will to do what has to be done, while grieving over lacking this conscience before things have gotten here. The contradiction is raging within yourself. Are you even you? Or are you just <Atë>?

As you trudge back to your dorm room, you consider what you should do now. Eventually, you'll have to sacrifice something. What should you do?

>I was stupid to spare her. She needs to die.
>My life sucked anyway. Maybe... maybe I should just become Phillip?
>Phillip should disappear. I'll leave a note and vanish
>Maybe I can make her think the Phillip she knew was murdered and frame his death on an Olympian somehow?
>I should tell her the truth that I'm not who she thinks I am. Well, maybe not the whole truth. Perhaps Phillip was plotting a divine terrorist attack and I had to become him for a bit to stop it?
>Write-in
>>
>>5862481
>Just tell the truth.
>>
>>5862481
Also, I understand that since there are way more options for Sparing than for Killing, I'll tally all of the votes for apare options and compare those to the total number of kill votes and, if the spare votes take it, I'll pick whichever of them is most popular. If you're voting to kill but have preferences among which way you'd like her to be spared if you lose that larger vote, you can feel free to write something like

>I was stupid to spare her

But, if I did spare her, I'd pick

>Phillip should disappear
>>
>>5862481
I guess we have to ask ourselves- what does Atë want, and why does she want it? She lived a shitty life as a rootless wageslave who never had anything. Because of it she seethed enough to incarnate as the goddess of bringing ruin to others. Additionally, she found it fun to hurt people who are contemptible. The pursuit of immortality and power were ways of indulging in everything she couldn't previously. Nothing here really necessitates indiscriminate malignancy- but her directive very much so favors it.

>I was stupid to spare her. She needs to die.
Atë's role in the incarnation system is very clear. Moment of weakness past, the only serious options are giving up everything she's gotten and opting out or playing the game in earnest. I know which way I lean.
>>
>>5862481
>>5862490
I'll update my vote then:

>I was stupid to spare her. She needs to die.
but if I was to spare her I would
>Just tell her the truth.
>>
>>5862481
>KILL HER YOU IDIOTS WE NEED THE POINTS WE ARE NOT GOOD. WE A FOLLY AND RUIN OF MANKIND.

Jeezus yall retards s I m p s.

Trojan quest all over again. New fags showing up and trying to derail the thread. We literally have murdered 1000s of people. And that is how we get power BY RUINING PEOPLES LIVES.

BAKA
>>
>>5862481
We’ve killed tons of innocents already and are actively destroying the lives of countless people. I don’t see why we should stop now. It’s a dog eat dog world.
>I was stupid to spare her

If I was to spare her I’d pick
>Phillip should disappear. I'll leave a note and vanish
While getting her as an ally could be cool we’re literally a mass murderer I doubt a normal girl like her would want to be allied with us.
>>
>>5862481
>I was stupid to spare her. She needs to die.

But, if I did spare her, I'd pick

>Phillip should disappear

For the people who want to recruit, she clearly isn't down for murder and mayhem. She'd betray us even if we somehow convinced her.
>>
LIKE WE MURDERED A CHILD FOR THE BOAR POWER. A LITERAL CHILD.
>>
>>5862554
You make a good point here anon, we did literally kill a kid
>>
>>5862504
> Synchronization rate can never decrease, because, as an incarnation, your actions and personality actively serve to rewrite the relevant <Myths>.

We're not under any obligation to stay the same or always be the same person. The myth of Atë is ours to write.

That said... there's no way to get another myth as high as our current sync. There's no going back to life as a wage slave, back to the literally god damned office. It's unacceptable to become normal, especially given that the god of war might be on the verge of going ham.

Ruin and Folly is our path to self preservation, to surviving whatever other gods might throw at us, whether we're mortal or otherwise. Leaving the game just puts us at someone else's mercy.

I'd prefer to target evil, to lay ruin where it's deserved, but power is survival, and power is ruin.

The girl has to die.

>>5862481
>I was stupid to spare her

>>5862554
Kid was a rampaging asshole, it's totally different.
>>
>>5862278
I think turning the fan base into a cult is the best option desu. We can use them for a ton of stuff. We can get money from them, use the popularity they give us to connect with influential figures, and have them generate divinity for us by getting them to commit crimes like swatting other streamers. The most loyal could live in a base and worship an idol of us. Then they could serve as soldiers providing protection and the best of them would be given those demon incarnations we can make so they can fight along side us.
>>
>>5862561

Could also set up nonstop white noise recordings in the base to reinforce their programming.... fuck we should hide white noise speakers with our voice in crowded places shouldn't we?
>>
I don't post for two days and you silly goobers have an entire ethical dilemma, hahaha. I love /qst/.

>>5862481
>I was stupid to spare her. She needs to die, but we'll make it quick.
This girl is too decent of a person to serve our goals without ruining her through targeted use of Whispers, and honestly, we have better things to do. The mercy of a swift death is best. We'll drink ourselves into a stupour afterward but character development is inevitable. Atë is human, a sociopath broken by working as an office wagie, granted, but she's human. It's inevitable she would doubt herself at some point.

>>5862278
>>5862379
>>5862561
Brilliant. Now that we know society isn't going to implode, I think building a cult will get us dramatically more over time than a mass-explosion could. Hell, we basically already have a cult. We just have to be sneaky about cashing out. Our channel is definitely on the government's radar and living on borrowed time.
>>
>>5862566
>fuck we should hide white noise speakers with our voice in crowded places shouldn't we?
Genius. Sneak them in some city-squares. Our influence would skyrocket from just a handful of serious riots. If we can get some bacchanalian-tier shit going, we'll ascend in a hurry.
>>
>>5862559
No it wasn't. Braindead thought process. What were his powers? OH RAGE AND RAMPAGE? MAYBE HE WAS YA KNOW A KID AND TRANSFORMED AND COULDNT CONTROL HIS RAGE and accidentally went on a ramapage?

we never talked to him we just killed him. To imply he was just a asshole shows how shitty yalls thought processing is.

We are evil. We gain power through evil acts. Otherwise show me how we do good acts to get power?

Stop inserting your normie I'm a nice guy tranny logic on to the game. Yall didn't win the vote. (FYI I didn't vote for evil either) but I'm not going to derail a whole game by forcing and evil character to be good. Cause my vote didn't win.

First thing we did killed our landlord and ruined someone's life with the murder charge.

Killed or ruined all our coworkers.

Killed a child without even saying anything.

Ruined/killed tons of our followers.

Gave free beats that ruined people's lives.

These people get it
>>5862561
>>5862566
>>5862567 smart
>>5862568
Go to lady knight quest if you want to be good boys.
>>
>>5862566
>White noise
Speaking of, you know how some people listen to podcasts or asmr to sleep? We could do that, and fill it with our whispers telling them to do whatever we want them to.
>>
>>5862559
>Kid was a rampaging asshole, it's totally different.
That's kinda like saying a schizophrenic is a dick because he yelled at you when he thought you were a shadow demon trying to steal his prostate.
>>
>>5862481
>I was stupid to spare her. She needs to die
>>
>>5862568
We could even recruit our fans to help with that. Have them set up hidden speakers all around the world causing tons of mayhem.

>>5862567
In terms of forming the cult proper I think we could just use the whole fan interaction stick to our advantage. Create a Pateron so the most loyal fans could support us, then have a discord or online forum for those paying loyal fans, they would then commit a series of initiation rituals (like setting us those speakers for example) in order to prove their loyalty. Once we know they’re loyal enough we could invite them to live in a compound for our “loyal fans” where they would serve as our minions and worship the idol.
>>
>>5862576
Yea our power set literally revolves around ruining people’s lives and we’ve been doing that this entire time. To go back on that and pretend to be some noble hero would be pretty out of character and make very little sense.

In terms of characterization for Atè I’d say she enjoys the fallout her manipulation has while not necessarily enjoying the more brutal parts like death unless the person wrongs her or it’s particularly funny. I think we should strive to survive in this harsh world while having fun toying with people.

Long term goals could be form a cult, form our pantheon, and eventually achieve immortality.
>>
>>5862490
>>5862495
>>5862504
>>5862533
>>5862549
>>5862550
>>5862551
>>5862554
>>5862557
>>5862559
>>5862561
>>5862566
>>5862567
>>5862568
>>5862576
>>5862580
>>5862586
>>5862587

>I was stupid to spare her. She needs to die.

You try to think of the face of the Calydonian Boar. Not the beast, you remember it well, but of the person. The kid. You are met with nothing. No eyes, no nose or expression or teeth. You don’t even know what color his hair is. Was.

You look down at your own hands- no, not your hands. Phillip’s hands. You killed him, too. You only remember his face because you’re using it as a tool, no, as a weapon. To kill somebody else. To bring about another tragedy.

The skin of your hands begins to change. Phillip’s pasty flesh morphs into a claw adorned with sanguine scales. The hand changes again, and is yours. You did this on purpose, albeit subconsciously. You realize how arbitrary it all is. Everything that makes you you. Everything that separates you from <Atë>. Your face, your name, your past, your life. Your humanity. What’s left of you?

You died a long time ago. You were crushed into less than nothing. All that was left was a husk, a vessel for Atë. You have long since been disqualified as a human. You haven’t been a person since your very first kill; you’re a walking calamity, a disaster in human skin.

The next day, you meet the hind after another mind numbing class, taught and attended by livestock. You go to get drinks. She pays for your drink, but you make a show of wanting to repay her, and, eventually, you do. You laced the currency with your <Cursed Gold>, set to sniveling gratitude. You get a notification informing you that your <Assess Hamartia> has assisted you in your use of this authority. While you drink, you put up with her mind-numbing braying about toys and cartoons and, eventually, invite her back to your dorm to show her some collection you don’t own. Her face reddens, and she manages to force an agreement out between stammers.

You get there, eventually. She makes a comment about how nice it must be to not have to deal with roommates. You lock the door behind you.
>>
>>5862614
She asks where the collection is, and you reach out and touch her face. She blushes, but does not resist. You use your <Touch of Madness> to induce intense feelings of suicidality. Her face goes pale. She begins to quiver and, as her knees give in, you catch her.

“I have a secret to tell you,” you say.

“Huh? Oh sure, what is it?”

“I’m not Phillip.”

“W-what?”

“I was never Phillip. I’m another incarnation, just like you.”

She’s seemingly stunned into silence. You continue:

“The only reason I wasted my time getting to know you, putting up with your impressively boring rambles, and watching you stammer endlessly as you search desperately for phrases a toddler could rattle off with no effort, was so that I could kill you.”

“N-no, that can’t-”

“Do you actually think you meant something to me? To anyone at all? You are nothing. A waste of breath and an even bigger waste of your divine gifts. You wanna do something good for once? Kill yourself.”

You toss her a kitchen knife.

You look into her eyes. You can see the visage of a pink haired girl, sobbing on the floor and clutching a bottle of sleeping pills.

“B-but,” she asks between sobs, clutching to what little of her reality she has left, “if that’s what you wanted then why didn’t you kill me in the woods?”

You lean forward, grabbing her chin and directing her gaze into yours. Then you put your lips less than an inch from her ear, whispering into it:
“This way was more fun.”

Her tears stop. Her expression goes entirely blank. She turns to you, and gives the brightest smile you’ve ever seen her wear.

“Thank you,” she says, “for the best time of my life. I… I love you.”

She plunges the knife into her heart. As she bleeds out on the floor, her body becomes that of a deer in a flash of light.
>>
>>5862618
>Atë synchronization rate 99.50->100%

>Congratulations! You have reached a synchronization rate of 100%! New rewards are available.

>Phonoi synchronization rate: 55->80%

>Notice! One of your epithets has exceeded a synchronization rate of 75%! A new reward is available! Check the <Manage Epithets> tab to claim it.

>"Congratulations! You have successfully slain a Beast, the <Ceryneian Hind>! You have plundered their influence (379). Due to the difference in level, you receive only the influence requirement to meet their current level.

>You have eliminated the <Ceryneian Hind> without meeting the qualifications for the <Third Labor of Heracles>. You have become a part of the new requirements for the completion of the <Third Labor of Heracles>.

>"Due to your authority 'Divine Folly', you have gained one random authority possessed by the target. You gain the authority "Preservation Instinct (1)"!"

>Preservation Instinct (1): You will automatically dodge out of the way of attacks directed at you, even if you had no way of knowing that they were coming. Consumes divinity upon activating proportional to both how dramatic or complex the dodging maneuver and how difficult the attack would be to see coming.

Influence: 89-> 1268/1600

Will you take one of the <Ceryneian Hind>'s authorities or upgrade one of your own?
>Take a new one
>Upgrade an old one
>>
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>>5862618
>“Thank you,” she says, “for the best time of my life. I… I love you.”
>She plunges the knife into her heart. As she bleeds out on the floor, her body becomes that of a deer in a flash of light.
I personally feel bad for this. However, in character I do not. Dumbass girl.
>>
>>5862619
>Take a new one
Damn, Atë has fully dehumanized herself and faced to bloodshed.

>Preservation Instinct
Oh, that's super nifty. I can't help but think that it and Omen are very similar. Maybe we can buy an authority crystal and trade it over to Pheme?
>>
>>5862619

Whew, that was chilling.

>Take a new one
I just like to see the power sets to be honest, but a speed or agility power would be handy

>Take a new one
>>
>>5862619
And people thought she wouldn't have any good abilities

With how good preservation instinct is and all the influence we just got, let's
>Take a new one

Also
>2 dates were the best time of her life
this was pretty much a mercy kill lmao
>>
>>5862624
To clarify Omen, the skill informs you of the danger but you can still only react as fast as you could if you saw the object coming at you. If somebody shot at you, for example, Omen could do very little to help you avoid the bullets
>>
>>5862624
Since Omen warns us, it lowers the activation cost of Preservation. Good synergy. And Pheme can buy Omen herself, its in the shop.

We are verrry hard to kill now.
>>
>>5862619
>Atë 100%
>Phonoi 80%
We really became an embodiment of Ruin...and Phonoi too. Jesus Christ this is a rare genuine villain on /qst/.
>Take a new one
>>
>>5862630
>>5862629
>If somebody shot at you, for example, Omen could do very little to help you avoid the bullets
>Since Omen warns us, it lowers the activation cost of Preservation
Good points. Combined they are essentially an automatic highly aware defensive system. Between them, Scourge, and Regeneration Atë is ludicrously hard to kill physically.
>>
Also, to defend some people who were accusing a mercy route of being out of character, it's human nature to be desensitized to acts of cruelty when there's a layer of detachment between yourself and the target but be unable to pull the trigger when it comes to someone you know. Spending all of that time with and growing to like or even love a person you approached with the sole intention of murdering them would rattle anybody. Well, anyone human, anyway.

But you aren't a human anymore, are you?
>>
>>5862636
I phrased this poorly. I meant something more like "To defend some people who were being accused of acting out of character for choosing mercy"
>>
>>5862636
I agree. Up until now Atë hadn't killed quite so up-close and personally. Now...

>You haven’t been a person since your very first kill; you’re a walking calamity, a disaster in human skin.
>The next day, you meet the hind after another mind numbing class, taught and attended by livestock.
Well, it's very clear this was a major turning point. A rather moving one at that.
>>
>>5862624
>>5862622
I feel the same but sucks to suck ayyyy.
>support
>look at epithets and what they do
>>5862619
>>
>>5862636
>But you aren't a human anymore, are you?
So from this point on mercy routes would be out of character? ;P
>>
>>5862618
Damn, we really are a stone-cold killer. Imagine if we didn't have our soul crushed by an office job and rent-gouging landlord. Things could be different, but alas, we are Atë, unto mortals, a scourge. In this, our path is set.

That ability is nice. Let's
>Take a new one
While we're at it.

Also...

>You have become a part of the new requirements for the completion of the <Third Labor of Heracles>.
><Third Labor of Heracles>
><Heracles>
Oh we are FUCKED
>>
>>5862644
Yeah, I think we're pretty committed. Mercy at this point is us commiting suicide. We are the coming Ruin.

> You can see the visage of a pink haired girl, sobbing on the floor and clutching a bottle of sleeping pills.

Life has not been kind to Atë. Time to return the favor.
>>
>>5862622
>>5862624
>>5862625
>>5862627
>>5862630
>>5862632
>>5862633
>>5862643
>>5862644
>>5862647
>>5862647
>>5862650

>Take a new one

You decide to take one of the hind's authorities.

>Beastification (EX): You may assume the true form of the beast from your <Myth>. In doing so, the power of your authorities as well as all of your physical capabilities increases dramatically with incarnation level.

>Supernatural Speed (1):
You can infuse divinity into your body, causing you to move faster. This does not slow down your perception of time, but does heighten your reflexes and instincts. Using the skill for prolonged periods of high capacity can lead to muscle soreness

Spitfire (1):
You can expend divinity to breathe fire. Additionally, you are immune to non-divine heat burns.

>Polyglot (1):
Allows you to speak any language

Which do you take?
>>
>>5862654
>Supernatural Speed (1): You can infuse divinity into your body, causing you to move faster. This does not slow down your perception of time, but does heighten your reflexes and instincts. Using the skill for prolonged periods of high capacity can lead to muscle soreness
Synergy with previous pick is obvious

>Have tools to avoid any physical danger
>Get gaslit and mind-controlled
Look at how they massacred my girl
>>
>>5862654
>Supernatural Speed (1)
This is easily the best choice
>>
>>5862654
>Supernatural Speed (1)

>>5862661
Quite the spot of bad luck
Also makes it all the more obvious that mental influences are extremely dangerous and skills that defend against them are rare and should be prioritized.
>>
>>5862668
In retrospect, we REALLY should have taken Implacable from the Boar
>>
>>5862668
Yea we need some mental resistance asap were pretty vulnerable to that right now.
>>
>>5862654
>Supernatural Speed (1)

Easy choice. Polyglot is in the store and fire breathing, while cool, doesn't synergize with the rest of the kit. And becoming the stag doesn't strike me as super useful, it's mostly about running away, per its myth.

Can preservation use other Authorities to save us? Because super speed, omen and preservation, holy shit, we are Neo.
>>
>>5862668
I mean a running theme in Greek myth has been people either doing something stupid, or being made to do something stupid. Good mental health and resilience is rare as fuck in those stories.
>>
>>5862670
It should be a natural authority of the boar, so if we ever feel like something's off in our head, transform. Definitely not the most convenient to be sent into a rage, but better than nothing.
>>
>>5862673

>Can preservation use other Authorities to save us?

Some authorities can be activated on instinct, and others can only be activated with conscious intent.

Also, I forgot to mention

Pandora synchronization rate: 79->90%

You are somewhat surprised to find that the synchronization rate for Atalanta remains unchanged.
>>
>>5862668
> mental influences are extremely dangerous and skills that defend against them are rare

I don't suppose there's a greek god of stoicism? Tragedy from mental flaws seems to be very standard for greek characters, much to our benefit.

Honestly I'm a little worried about running into a bad luck god like Tyche, or a vengeance god like Nemesis.
>>
>>5862680

> You are somewhat surprised to find that the synchronization rate for Atalanta remains unchanged

Maybe we have to kill the beast, in beast form, by our own hand? It's not really a hunt if we convince the beast to kill itself.
>>
>>5862661
>>5862667
>>5862668
>>5862670
>>5862672
>>5862673
>>5862677
>>5862679
>>5862680
>>5862684

You take <Supernatural Speed>

You flee the scene, take Phillip's car to the location where you hid your own, switch, and then drive home as yourself.

You return to your apartment, eager to look over the spoils of your hunt. What should you check first?

>Epithet reward
>100% Synchronization reward
>>
>>5862692
>100% Synchronization reward
>>
>>5862692
>100% synchronization reward
>>
>>5862692
>100% Synchronization reward
>>
>>5862692
>100% Synchronization reward
>>
>>5862699
>>5862697
>>5862695
>>5862694
Tear to my eye. The true anons are back.
>support
>>
>>5862694
>>5862695
>>5862697
>>5862699
>>5862703


You may select one of the following:

><Atë>'s authority: <Inner Cacophony (1)>
>Divine Weapon: <Folly's Chains>
>Trait: <Sweet Venom>

Choose one of the two <Secondary Directives>

>Oceans rise, Empires fall:
Gain influence by causing the collapse of a nation, through revolution, coup d'etat, or conquest
>Rebuke Against Heaven
Gain significantly more influence by laying low divinities and their followers
>>
>>5862705
To clarify, <Significantly More> is relative to <By Their Own Hand>, not to the other directive option. The payout for collapsing an entire nation would be enormous
>>
>>5862703
We need to buy polygot from the store so we can be Mrs. World wide. See if we can get a Saudi prince to fall in love with us. Then we can start ww3. Should see when the election cycle is run for president.
>>
>>5862705
>Rebuke Against Heaven
Easy choice

>Divine Weapon: <Folly's Chains>
Much harder choice, but this and upgrading weapon training will synchronize well with Atë's potent physical abilities. I can't quite tell what <Sweet Venom> will do.

>>5862714
A Thousand Faces, A Thousand Voices covers the functionality of Polyglot.
>>
>>5862713
What's sweet venom do?
>>
>>5862717
Mystery box, sadly
>>
>>5862716
Ah thanks for informing fren. I need a pastebin link.
>>
>>5862719
https://rentry.org/ate-incarnation-status
>>
>>5862705
>sweet venom
>Oceans rise, Empires fall:
Mystery box go
>>
>>5862705
<Atë>'s authority: <Inner Cacophony (1)>

>Rebuke Against Heaven

>>5862716
Not quite - others will understand us, but we won't understand others.
>>
>>5862723
I'm thinking new world order under us.
Let's destroy a small nation first. Like tonga. Or new zealand.
>>
>>5862705
><Atë>'s authority: <Inner Cacophony (1)>

>Oceans rise, Empires fall

Aren't we influencing a warlord right now? And hell, we and Pheme could go into business as divine mercs for smaller countries in say Africa, South America, etc.

>>5862716
Does Thousand Face's many tongues work over recordings though? (and how would that work with two different listeners with different languages? Magic I suppose.)
>>
>>5862705
>Inner cacophony
>Rebuke Against Heaven
>>
>>5862728
We should make another streamer personality that hates on our other one. So they can feed off each other and cause riots. Have that persona do similar things. Think a YouTube award show and it's our two personalities. Think of the world wide riots. Think Taylor swift fans on pcp but there's an evil Taylor swift like a cardi b with just as many fans.
>>
>>5862705
I'm going to say
><Inner Cacophony (1)>
Because it's probably going to feed into the strategy we've been relying on now.
>Rebuke Against Heaven
This one will be a constant stream as opposed to the other's rare bursts.
>>
Gonna be maxed on Authorities again. :(

Not sure what to let go though.
>>
>>5862749
Cursed Gold is very niche. After that... idk. Life Insurance is good but not an active necessity.
>>
>>5862760
Yeah, we might want to think about storing Life Insurance for now.

Picking up Shapeshift (1) from the store might be really good. Being able to turn into a bird has a lot of uses...I wonder if our birdsong could be laced with Whispers?
>>
>>5862705
>Divine Weapon: <Folly's Chains>
>Oceans Rise, Empires Fall
>>
>>5862738
+1
Yea I’d like to keep focusing in on what’s been working for our Atè staying subtle and destroying people from the background while killing divinities on the side. Actively attempting to destroy an entire nation sounds like a good way to get the world government and their incarnation lackies after us. I’d much rather just target specific divinities and exterminate those that prove troublesome to our own plans.
>>
>>5862705
>>Trait: <Sweet Venom>
Have we ever had a trait before? I am much in favour of something new.
>Rebuke Against Heaven
Would we rather topple the livestock's barn or the rancher's mansion?
>>
>>5862779
>Have we ever had a trait before?
We have one trait. That traits has let us use our authorities on other incarnations. The <Sweet Venom> trait is likely to have a similarly powerful effect.
>>
>>5862705
I'll switch to
>>5862716
>Rebuke Against Heaven
>Trait: <Sweet Venom>
Both to save an authority slot and to push back against the Cacophony cacophony
>>
>>5862705
Ah, sure, I'll switch to

>Trait: <Sweet Venom>

From the cacaphany crew. Saving a slot is a pretty convincing argumen, and we've a long road to level ten.
>>
>>5862728
>Does Thousand Face's many tongues work over recordings though?
It can, but you've avoided using that functionality so far, as otherwise you'd be basically announcing to the world that you were an incarnation
>>
>>5862805

Clearly we do that by 'mistake' at some point and let Pheme 'catch' us to acquire a mountain of influence.
>>
Tallying the votes, after vote switches, there's a tie between <Inner Cacophony> and <Sweet Venom>

Unless I miscounted (feel free to point that out) then I'll wait a few hours for a tiebreaker and then roll for it if there isn't one
>>
>>5862749
Yeah being maxed on authorities would be bad
>>
>>5862705
>Trait: <Sweet Venom>
>Oceans rise, Empires fall:
Gain influence by causing the collapse of a nation, through revolution, coup d'etat, or conquest
>>
>>5863044
Ill vote sweet venom
>>
>>5862713
>>5862714
>>5862716
>>5862717
>>5862718
>>5862719
>>5862721
>>5862723
>>5862725
>>5862726
>>5862728
>>5862732
>>5862737
>>5862738
>>5862749
>>5862770
>>5862773
>>5862779
>>5862784
>>5862792
>>5863080
>>5863095

You select the <trait> Sweet Venom and the <Directive> Rebuke Against Heaven

>Sweet Venom:
All of your authorities are more effective against individuals who either like you or are under the impression that you are a person that they hold affection for, proportional to the feelings they hold.

>Rebuke Against Heaven
Gain significantly more influence by laying low divinities and their followers

You decide to check out your epithets to claim the rewards for the Phonoi

>Phonoi, Spirits of Murder (Plural Myth) (A New Reward Is Available):
Synchronization Rate: 80%
>Chrysus, Spirit of Gold:
Synchronization rate: 17%
>Epimetheus, Titan of Hindsight:
Synchronization Rate: 8%
>Polyphemus, the Blinded Cyclops:
Synchronization Rate: 5%
>Pandora, Harbinger of Maladies:
Synchronization Rate: 79%
>Wrath of Artemis, Calydonian Boar:
Synchronization Rate: 20%
>Atalanta, the Swift-Footed Huntress:
Synchronization Rate: 10%
>Pride of Artemis, Ceryneian Hind:
Synchronization rate: 1%

You click on the text for the Phonoi, and you are given yet another option.

Would you like to take the <Authority> Killer's Eyes (1) or the <Item> Death Whistle
>>
>>5863104

> Death Whistle

I wonder if Killer's Eyes is a paralyzed by fear stare? No idea what the Death Whistle might be. Banshee scream weapon?

Sweet Venom is incredible for us.
>>
>>5863115
>>5863104
>support
>>
>>5863104
><Authority> Killer's Eyes (1)
Aside from <Assess Hamartia> we don't have any information-gaining authorities. If this is that, it's worth it.

>Sweet Venom
Gaslight, gatekeep, goddessboss
>>
>>5863104
>Death Whistle
>>
>>5863120

Yeah, that is the question, is it the blood chilling stare of a psychopath, the critical analysis of the best way to kill someone, or something else entirely?
>>
>Refuse to take authority from our main epithet to save a slot
>Want to take an authority from another one immediatly after
Anons...
>>
A useful greek mythology quote I found that might spell out our Pantheon by the way...

> But abhorred Eris (Strife) bare painful Ponos (Toil), and Lethe (Forgetfulness), and Limos (Starvation), and the Algea (Pains), full of weeping, the Hysminai (Fightings) and the Makhai (Battles), the Phonoi (Murders) and the Androktasiai (Manslaughters), the Neikea (Quarrels), the Pseudo-Logoi (Lies), the Amphilogiai (Disputes), and Dysnomia (Lawlessness) and Ate (Ruin), who share one another's natures, and Horkos (Oath).
>>
>>5863133
Ikr idiots kek
>>
>>5863136
Or they're working on the assumption that one is more useful than the other. Cacaphony was probably yet another tool for driving people to madness, Killer's Eyes could be a useful information tool, or even mental protection, both of which would be well worth the last slot.
>>
>>5863144
Except you're forgetting that cacophony was a 100% sync reward, something we won't get again for Ate. Instead we got a trait that works on a specific tactic that would only really be useful against that hind or the simp instead of a new power to approach situations
>>
>>5863149
>something we won't get again for Ate
I would be willing to bet the option will return again at level ten, because that's the next benchmark for Atë
>a specific tactic that would only really be useful against that hind or the simp
Atë has two abilities that are extremely good at effecting base emotions and desires, and possess the ability to look and sound like anyone. To the contrary, pretending she likes someone or influencing them into liking her will be trivial against all but the most wary of targets.
>>
>>5863151

If we get the slightest foothold into someone's mind Sweet Venom gives us an edge. The Siren Simps are going to go wild.
>>
>>5863151
I don't know anon, I don't really think everybody can be beaten with just affection. Remember that they have resistances and weaknesses. There will also 100% be someone that will be able to see through our disguise at one point. Really Sweet Venom is really just focusing on a specific means of driving somebody insane, instead of getting more ways to do it.
>Verification not required
>>
>>5863156
> There will also 100% be someone that will be able to see through our disguise at one point.

That's what the boar is for. And our superspeed, super reflexes, danger sense, super strength and hand to hand combat training is for. If we can't charm, we just rip their head off.
>>
>>5863156
>I don't really think everybody can be beaten with just affection
I agree. I think our targets can be classified in three categories- so mentally weak that we can just touch them and be done with it, possessing enough mental toughness that an infiltration method (probably via affection) is necessary, and mentally immune such that we have to kill them the old fashioned way. Chrysus and Epimetheus were in the first category, the Hind probably in the second, and the Boar in the third. A trait which does not use divinity and which strengthens Atë's authorities is of use against the first two kinds.

>There will also 100% be someone that will be able to see through our disguise at one point
Yeah, Olympians and incarnations with detection abilities will eventually find Atë. Those we can probably just beat to death with the pile of combat authorities we've invested in.
>>
>>5863159
>>5863161
I'm not talking about general mental resistance, but mental resistanceS. You know the reason we have assess harmatia. One kind of madness might work on somebody but not on another, that's my point
>>
>>5863159
>>5863161
I think you're over-estimating us. This is us not specializing in combat, and picking up a couple of authorities as a backup. I don't doubt that there's going to be SOMEONE capable of seeing past our disguise and also trouncing us in combat. Probably even Heracles, who we already know is likely going to be gunning for us.
>>
>>5863115
>>5863117
>>5863120
>>5863124

You take the <Death Whistle>

A tattoo of a skull forms on the upper part of your sternum. You manifest the artifact, and it appears as what looks to be an ivory whistle carved in the form of a skull, held around your neck by red threads

>Divine Relic: Death Whistle

Marks all mortals who hear it as <Victims> for 24 hours. Whenever an incarnation kills a <Victim>, they gain one influence in addition to any gained with their directives. Sounds like an anguished scream.

While you've been working, you've gotten some passive income.

Influence: 1268->1703/1600

You have leveled up!

Level: 5->6

Influence: 1706/3200

You notice an abnormally large spike, so you check the news. Apparently, fans of another streamer, one that uses your music, were committing a series of doxxing and swatting campaigns against fans of another creator who criticized their idol. There were multiple arrests and even some deaths, both by suicide and by police.

>I've leveled up, I should check the shop
>I should upgrade some authorities
>I should buy another beast tracker, they've always given great returns
>I should start some riots
>I should lay low for a while and focus on work
>I should focus on my streaming career
>Now that my third persona has some clout in the music scene, and since I can effectively play any instrument with <Euterpe's Harp>, I should focus on music
>I should plant some white noise speakers contaminated with my <Whispers> in public places
>Write-in
>>
>>5863398
I wrote two different numbers, but it's 1706/3200
>>
>>5863398
>upgrade whisper to max. Then toot our whistle and sing some songs about how our fans are the best fans. And they need to show their friends. 1st one to 1000 people gets to meet us in person. Hot tub hangout!
>work on streaming persona
>I should plant some white noise speakers contaminated with my <Whispers> in public places. And give 500 handguns in a give away to our fans if they film themselves in a public place blasting our newest hit. Our fans gotta protect themselves.
Let's start a feeding frenzy
>>
>>5863415
Agreed. We need to get as many fans as possible for our cultic plans.
>>
>>5863398

Before anything else, let's level up our Speed Bonus until we can use it on reflex, so it can synergize with Preservation and Omen. I'm all for White Noise Mania, but safety first.

>I should upgrade some authorities
>>
>>5863398
>I've leveled up, I should check the shop
>I should upgrade some authorities
Spending money to make money
>>
>>5863398
>I should upgrade some authorities

Whispers++

Then
>Buy another beast tracker

Then
>Streaming career
gotta work the marks
>>
>>5863398
>>I should start some riots
Feeling quirky today, might start a riot <o.o>
>>
>>5863398
>I should upgrade some authorities
We need to upgrade our abilities first and foremost.

Then I think we should develop our cult by forming a paid access discord. Allowing us to directly command our loyal followers without the prying eyes of others which could harm our reputation. We could even have an alt account serve as a mod on the discord to give out the weirder requests. Since I think telling a bunch of people to go and place speakers around the world might get us in trouble without some plausible deniability.
>>
>>5863415
>>5863436
>>5863461
>>5863468
>>5863525
>>5863529

>I should upgrade some authorities

You decide that the first thing you want to do is upgrade some of your authorities. Which ones, and by how much?
>>
>>5863645
>Preservation Instinct 1->3 (300)
>Supernatural Speed 1->3 (300)
>Whisper of Temptation 4->5 (800)
>>
>>5863644
It's like magic, hours will pass without anything happening and somehow someone makes another reply seconds before I post an update. Seventh or eighth time this thread
>>
>>5863646
I'll back this. All of these are critical to our continued success. Although by now I'm convinced that Atë is one of those rare inherently evil incarnations that the General Information and FAQ warned us about.

>>5863647
Such is the QM's lot.
>>
>>5863646
+1
>>
>>5863645
>>5863646
>>
>>5863646
Support, solid choices

>>5863647
In my own quests I tend to tally up and post the tally, then start writing.
>>
>>5863646
>>5863647
>>5863649
>>5863653
>>5863669
>>5863696


>Preservation Instinct 1->3
The cost for avoiding sources of danger is lessened. Additionally, you are now able to engage in movements that your body would normally be physically incapable of performing in order to avoid damage. However, this will put strain on your body

>Supernatural Speed 1->3
The amount of divinity you need to spend to achieve the same effect is reduced to a third, but the maximum output remains the same (10 divinity per minute). Additionally, it becomes possible to activate this authority instinctually

>Whisper of Temptation 4->5
It becomes possible to produce a much more immediate effect with this authority by having the intended outcome align with the words you say.

Influence: 1706->306/3200

The new functionality to <Whispers> is both promising and problematic. It has a lot of uses, but utilizing them will make it much more likely for you to be outed.

Regardless, you are happy with the upgrades.

You still haven't heard word from Pheme, although you suppose it hasn't been long since she's started on the new project.

You sit back in your worn leather couch, contemplating your next move. Mindlessly, you check the news. Apparently, there's been a coup by a young party insider in China (well, young for a politician, anyway, she's in her early thirties). The new general secretary, Min He, has pledged to reunify the whole of the nation. China isn't alone in this violent governmental reorganization, however. It seems like, though things are cooling down in most of the western world, some other countries with more top down systems of government are facing coups, usually by incarnations. Though you find no evidence to support it, you suspect that Min He is among that group.

It seems like the midgame has begun.

What's your plan?
>I'm going to create a direct means of communication with only my most devoted online supporters, and use them to form a cult
>I'm going to gather influence as quickly as possible by hunting other incarnations
>I'm going to set my audience into revolt
>I'm going to go start some riots
>I'm going to plant speakers with my <Whispers> in public areas everywhere
>Maybe there's something useful in the shop
>Write-in
>>
>>5863698
>I'm going to create a direct means of communication with only my most devoted online supporters, and use them to form a cult
We need to move quickly in this. Let's inform Pheme while we're at it, see if she'd like to start a de-facto, rather than de-jure pantheon. Regardless of her answer, they'll remain as useful to us and the proposition should further her trust that our alliance is worth continuing. Since both of us are cutthroat bastards we'll need to rely on mutual convenience over bonds of friendship.
>>
>>5863698
>I'm going to set my audience into revolt
This new Whispers ability will work nicely for initiating mass acts of terror. I think rather than attempting to cultivate a following of our own we should pivot to temporarily replacing prominent figures and using their platforms to spread ruin.
>>
>>5863649

We probably could have gone a vengeance/comeuppance sort of route, but it's definitely too late for that now.

---

Hmm, thoughts on trying to target the police specifically? Hi watchlist! If we can corrupt the police into a full blow murder breakdown that's going to have knock on effects on the rest of the city.

We could also go after centers of government, destabilizing the city by destroying its government. Or even head for the capital of the country. I assume we're in eagleland?
>>
>>5863698
>I'm going to plant speakers with my <Whispers> in public areas everywhere

Especially police stations, government buildings, and hospitals.

We could use our new Whisper power pretty blatantly in song form, no one would bat an eye if a punk song included lyrics about burning down the world, and it's not our fault if people take that too seriously, right?
>>
>>5863706
My thoughts are that targeting the police is high-risk, high-reward, because it'll generate a fuckton of influence but also get the government's attention on us. They'll want to find the source and from there it's only a matter of time before some genius has linked the speakers to Cybersyren and then we're getting deplatformed. If we did get deplatformed, our followers would probably riot but that feels like a bit of a waste.
>>
>>5863698
>I'm going to create a direct means of communication with only my most devoted online supporters, and use them to form a cult
Our plans will be infinitely easier if we have an army to help execute them for us.

>>5863702
I agree Phene could have some useful insights in this regard.
>>
>>5863733
I don't think it's a waste to abandon dedicated streaming at this point. Assuming we get one influence minimum per viewer brainwashed, we're looking at tens of thousands of influence in a single stroke. With Thousand Faces/Voices we don't need Ate to become famous herself, especially since by using others' platforms we can minimize the risk of other incarnations finding us. It's the midgame, Ate's authorities have matured, and our method of accruing power should likewise evolve.
>>
>>5863733
I suggest forming a more private means of communication with our followers for this very reason. It’s easy to track us down if we start riots near our home region with speakers or if we publicly tell our followers to commit crimes, but if we can create a more private dialogue we can have thousands of soldiers across the world placing speakers and causing riots worldwide without anyone being able to directly track it to us.
>>
>>5863698
>>I'm going to create a direct means of communication with only my most devoted online supporters, and use them to form a cult
Let's cult it up!
>target the police
The likelihood of there being at least a few police officers within the syrenheads already is pretty high I reckon, so perhaps we can work from there.
>>
>>5863698
>I'm going to plant speakers with my <Whispers> in public areas everywhere

This could passively get us beasts and other incarnations if they contain suicidal urges
>>
>>5863752
That's a good call.

I'll switch from
>I'm going to plant speakers with my <Whispers> in public areas everywhere

To
>I'm going to create a direct means of communication with only my most devoted online supporters, and use them to form a cult
>>
>>5863702
>>5863705
>>5863706
>>5863712
>>5863733
>>5863737
>>5863740
>>5863752
>>5863783
>>5863815
>>5863827

>I'm going to create a direct means of communication with only my most devoted online supporters, and use them to form a cult

As you consider your cult prospects, you realize, wait a minute, you basically already have one! You opened up a patreon discord towards the beginning of your career and, by now, it has over 300 members worldwide. You haven't really used it for much other than posting cosplay for your simps and engaging in some parasocial banter, but it's right there, primed for your use.

These people may be susceptible, but they probably aren't ready to do anything extreme. What direction should you take this? Pick one or two.
>Useful Idiots: I'll have them plant devices with my <Whispers> as a part without them knowing what they do or why they're doing it
>Cult of Personality: I'll use my <Whispers> to have them be devoted to me personality beyond reason. Then, I'll use them as agents for my agenda worldwide
>True Cult: I'll get the most loyal to inhabit a compound together in a location of my choosing. I'll give them and <Idol>, and use them as an influence farm
>Total Meltdown: I'll totally collapse their mentality with my <Whispers> and use them to commit crimes
>Internet Evangelists: I'll have them promote things with my <Whispers> of obsession across the internet by any means necessary
>Write-in
>>
>>5863858
>Useful Idiots: I'll have them plant devices with my <Whispers> as a part without them knowing what they do or why they're doing it
>Cult of Personality: I'll use my <Whispers> to have them be devoted to me personality beyond reason. Then, I'll use them as agents for my agenda worldwide
If we're going to do this, this seems best. Criminality and the like doesn't mesh well with a permanent cult and I frankly am uninterested in establishing a True Cult.
>>
>>5863858
>Useful Idiots: I'll have them plant devices with my <Whispers> as a part without them knowing what they do or why they're doing it
>Cult of Personality: I'll use my <Whispers> to have them be devoted to me personality beyond reason. Then, I'll use them as agents for my agenda worldwide

We gotta expand our following. When we say "Like, Subscribe, and Share" people will fucking listen. They won't have a choice.
>>
>>5863858
>>Useful Idiots: I'll have them plant devices with my <Whispers> as a part without them knowing what they do or why they're doing it
>>Cult of Personality: I'll use my <Whispers> to have them be devoted to me personality beyond reason. Then, I'll use them as agents for my agenda worldwide
This works well. A true cult doesn't seem as useful atm, though I am sure there are strong builds revolving around a group of dedicated followers. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of the dictator incarnations force their idols to be spread around their country, ala "a portrait of mao in every room" type shit
>>
>>5863858
>Useful Idiots: I'll have them plant devices with my <Whispers> as a part without them knowing what they do or why they're doing it
>Cult of Personality: I'll use my <Whispers> to have them be devoted to me personality beyond reason. Then, I'll use them as agents for my agenda worldwide
This is the most practical route for gaining influence.
>>
>>5863858
>Useful Idiots: I'll have them plant devices with my <Whispers> as a part without them knowing what they do or why they're doing it
>Cult of Personality: I'll use my <Whispers> to have them be devoted to me personality beyond reason. Then, I'll use them as agents for my agenda worldwide
>>
>>5863858
>Cult of Personality to start with, and Useful Idiots as the first task
>>
>>5863861
>>5863865
>>5863915
>>5863964
>>5864051
>>5864327

>Useful Idiots: I'll have them plant devices with my <Whispers> as a part without them knowing what they do or why they're doing it
>Cult of Personality: I'll use my <Whispers> to have them be devoted to me personality beyond reason. Then, I'll use them as agents for my agenda worldwide

You start being more active on your patron-exclusive discord server, much to the joy of your myriad simps and stans. You imbue the large group calls with <Whispers> inducing and exacerbating feelings of personal devotion and obsession. You institute a rank system, in which people who do certain things can attain higher ranks and, the higher the rank, the more exclusive their contact with you. Among these tasks are promoting your content, pledging more money and, above all of them, planting speaker devices which play your tainted white noise.

What command should the white noise illicit? Remember, the <Whispers> alone can't give people new information, so people who have never heard of you can't become obsessed with you.
>I want them to be violent
>I want them to be greedy
>I want them to be slothful
>I want them to be aroused
>Instead of white noise, I should use a version of my music that has <Whispers> for a desire to listen to more
>No particular direction. I want my <Whispers> to work as fast as possible
>Write-in
>>
>>5864349
>No particular direction. I want my <Whispers> to work as fast as possible

Full blown chaos. We can even claim the speakers are combatting it and we need to step up operations as madness overtakes society.
>>
>>5864349
>No particular direction. I want my <Whispers> to work as fast as possible
Do as thou wilt
>>
>>5864349
>No particular direction. I want my <Whispers> to work as fast as possible
Nothing short of pure RUINATION
>>
Also, just want to float this idea- we should consider buying a record pass to see who the big name incarnations are out there. Other than Atë herself, of course.
>>
>>5864379
It's not a bad idea, and we haven't seen the new shop items yet either.
>>
>>5864349
Don't forget our death whistle!
They love this music though as a whisper 100%
>>5864354
>support
>>
>>5864354
>>5864356
>>5864379
>>5864383
>>5864431

>No particular direction. I want my <Whispers> to work as fast as possible

Your followers send selfies of themselves with small speakers in public places as proof of their loyalty. You smile to yourself as you consider how far these people are willing to go to get your attention and validation. After a single day passes, you already get some influence.

Influence: 306->328/3200

Soon, your passive income will be considerable. You still have some sick days left, but you're considering whether it's worth it to keep your current job. If you put everything into your streaming career, you can potentially make even more than you did at work while having a much more flexible schedule. Then again, you never know when you'll have to ditch your streaming persona when things get dicey.

Will you quit your job?
>Yes
>No

And what's your next step?
>I'm going to gather influence as quickly as possible by hunting other incarnations
>I'm going to go start some riots
>My audience is doing work, but it might be too slow. I'm going to plant speakers with my <Whispers> in public areas everywhere
>Maybe there's something useful in the shop
>I'm going to lay low for a while. I'll subtly focus on my job and my streaming
>My third persona has a pretty decent fanbase in the indie scene. Maybe it's time for her to release her own album
>Write-in
>>
>>5864576
>Yes
There are quicker ways of making money for Life Insurance. Speaking of, do we have the cash to stop aging for a couple of years?

>I'm going to gather influence as quickly as possible by hunting other incarnations
>Maybe there's something useful in the shop
Streaming doesn't require us to be stationary, and we DID just take a secondary directive for hunting incarnations. I'd like to put Regeneration (4), Titanic Strength (3), To Mortals, A Scourge (3), Bane of Calydon (3), Omen (2), Preservation Instinct (3), Supernatural Speed (3), and Weapon Training [Hand-to-Hand] (1) to work
>>
>>5864588

You have around $25k saved in your bank account. For you, that's quite a lot of money, but for <Life Insurance>, that's only two years
>>
>>5864576
>No
We only got promoted a little while ago.Having a day-job makes for a decent cover-story.
>>
>>5864576

> Keep the Job
Ughhh I hate to, but until we find a good sugar daddy to enthrall steady income is good to have. Finding a sugar daddy might be a good move though...

>Maybe there's something useful in the shop
>My third persona has a pretty decent fanbase in the indie scene. Maybe it's time for her to release her own album

A musical career could be pretty devastating. And we could hide explicit commands in our lyrics.
>>
>>5864576
>no
>get someone rich as a sugar daddy.
>bezos, elon, Bill gates, ect.
>>
What reason is there not to go full nomadic serial killer?
>>
>>5864652

Streaming requires a decent set up of computers and software, and let's us recruit simps to spread our whispers for us, and at a certain point we can detonate the whole thing for a massive burst of influence.

When we get more authority slots Incarnation hunting might be worth it, but I think sinking our teeth into massive amounts of mortals is more productive at the moment, and less likely to get us on a pantheon's radar.
>>
>>5864670
Tbh I’d like to keep our personal retinue of simps. If we’re gonna destroy a fan base we should just impersonate a public figure and tell their fans to riot.
>>
>>5864676
Maybe we protect the inner circle, and burn the rest? We could absolutely pick up a hundred thousand influence, a fucking epic amount, by detonating Siren's fanbase
>>
>>5864670
>I think sinking our teeth into massive amounts of mortals is more productive at the moment
I disagree. Superficially hunting higher-level incarnations with mortal followings of their own will be much more productive than the low-key streaming/music based corruption we've been doing. Atë is built to occupy a higher position in the divine food chain than a mere producer. I also think she is so survivable at this point that it's inefficient to be so cautious. The fact that we won't be able to keep all of the new authorities we find isn't a reason to not hunt- <Divine Folly> always meant that Atë would have more authorities than she'd know what to do with.
>>
>>5864676
> impersonate a public figure and tell their fans to riot

Gotta be careful not to get tracked down, but yeah, an impersonation of a public figure spewing hate speech would probably go viral pretty hard, and we could lace the whole thing with whispers.
>>
>>5864687

We could buy a hunt ticket...
>>
>>5864687
>Superficially
*specifically
>>
>>5864642
>>5864576

You know what, you've convinced me, (or maybe I just want some action). I'll switch from keeping the job to quitting it, and from music stardom to

>I'm going to gather influence as quickly as possible by hunting other incarnations
>Maybe there's something useful in the shop

Let's join the Hunt.
>>
>>5864576
>Yes
>I'm going to gather influence as quickly as possible by hunting other incarnations

Hunting down other incarnations has always gotten us the most income. There’s definitely some risk, but the reward is more than worth it.

>>5864681
I see our fan base as a long term reliable divinity source and eventual recruitment grounds for when we can afford to produce demon epithets. I don’t see the need to liquidate our own power base when we could easily just kill a public figure impersonate them then destroy their fans for much more short term authority without having to up the benefits our fan base provides long term.

>>5864690
Imagine killing a politician and taking up their position then telling their hundreds of thousands of loyal followers to go and riot. Could be even more deadly if we can infiltrate the actual senate and turn everyone there crazy destabilizing the entire country. Only risk with impersonation in my mind is that higher level figures like politicians may be protected by incarnations. So we might just want to focus on celebrities until we’re strong enough to fight off government employed incarcerations.
>>
>>5864747
*give up
>>
>>5864588
>>5864592
>>5864604
>>5864642
>>5864646
>>5864717
>>5864747

>You decide to keep your job
>Maybe there's something useful in the shop

You decide that, for now, your best bet is to keep your day job, both as a cover and as a reliable source of income. After all, you need to maintain a basic standard of living to most effectively spread your <Whispers>.

You decide that hunting other incarnations is wise, especially considering your new directive. But first, you decide to check the shop.

Items:

>Breath of Serenity (200): Consumable. Clears you of mind-altering effects induced by <Authorities>. However, if the level of the <Authority> is higher than that of your incarnation level, it is possible for this item to take either partial or no effect
>Cyclops' Drop of Chaos (500):
Provides a random Divine Weapon. There is a 20% that the item has a <dud> effect, regardless of rank
>Stygian Pact (600): Can create a promise between two people that cannot be dissolved on penalty of death
>Detective's Compass (650): Points to another incarnation, provided you know both their divine and pre-deification identity
>Assassin Ticket (700): Allows you to see incarnations with <Hunt Tickets> without them being able to see you

Skills:

>Divine Awe (1) (300):
Consumes divinity while active. Strikes mortals with the impression that you are a divinity

>Miracle of Healing (1) (800):
Allows you to expend divinity to heal wounds, both of yourself and others

Directives:

>Worship (100,000)
Gain influence whenever people pray to you
>>
>>5865306
>Assassin Ticket
>Detective's Compass
>Breath of Serenity
Very useful, albeit expensive.

>Keeping the job
Smh

Let's purchase a record pass and diviner and start trawling the news to look for people inexplicably rising in power, fame, and fortune. I don't want to join the hunt because of potential information disparity.
>>
>>5865306
>Breath of Serenity (200)
buy it and also holy fuck aaaah they nerfed us
at least it's a consumable
our globe blanketing whispers will pop all of these on everyone else

>Miracle of Healing
>record pass

do we know what a hunt ticket is? if not, hold off on the assassins
>>
>>5865324
We have three hundred influence atm anon, we can't afford healing or the compass or an assassin's ticket
>>
>>5865332
shit thats right we just splurged on authorities

just the breath then

>tfw it's consumed immediately
>>
>>5865324

Hunt Ticket opts us in for pvp basically. We can detect and be detected by other hunters. Could be an effective way to rack up influence, though the existence of the Assassin Ticket is concerning.

>>5865306

> Buy Serene Breath
> Buy Record Pass

We bought a diviner a while back didn't we?
>>
>>5865360
Yes, you do currently have one. I should probably add an inventory tab to the rentry when I have time
>>
>>5865337

Doesn't say anything about triggering automatically does it? You probably need to realize you're under an effect in the first place. If we're subtle it shouldn't be an issue for us, though I could see some Incarns burning them once a week just as a precaution.
>>
>>5865306
Let's grab Breath of Serenity for now and try to get some interviews with more famous YouTubers. If we can get even 10 million views, our numbers will explode.
>>
>>5865414
>>5865360
>>5865306
>support
>Tay Tay levels of fame goooooo. Use the death whistle to the max.
>>
>>5865414

See, I was thinking we kick off a few riots and buy an Assassin Ticket.

...do you suppose the death whistle works over recordings?
>>
>>5865310
>>5865324
>>5865332
>>5865337
>>5865360
>>5865365
>>5865414
>>5865421
>>5865457

You buy a <Breath of Serenity>

Influence: 328->128/1600

You decide that your best course of action is to hunt down other incarnations. Unfortunately, your best source of information is currently busy with other things. How should you go about this?
>I should check the news
>I should save for a hunt or assassin ticket
>I should check internet forums
>I should save for another Beast Tracker
>Maybe I can get my new de facto cult to report incarnation sightings?
>Write-in
>>
>>5865509
>I should check the news
>Maybe I can get my new de facto cult to report incarnation sightings?
Lmao, I never considered this application of the inner circle of the cult. Tell them to look for people who seem recently supernaturally successful, wealthy, famous, etc.
>>
Also, I compiled all of the relevant links, including a new one that holds your inventory

https://rentry.org/olympus-quest-links
>>
>>5865421
>>5865457
>use the Death Whistle in a viral song
>let the permanent trickle of Influence flow
Ingenious

>>5865509
>Maybe I can get my new de facto cult to report incarnation sightings?
What's a cult for if we don't delegate busywork to them?
>>
>>5865509
>Maybe I can get my new de facto cult to report incarnation sightings?

Assassin's ticket should be on the list, but there's no point in sitting on our divine laurels.
>>
>>5865530
>support
>>5865509
>>
>>5865509
>I should save for another Beast Tracker
The key is to be monstrously overleveled
>>
>>5865667
Psh, why spend influence on a beast tracker that gets us one kill, when we could get an all you can buffet with hunt or Assassin tickets?
>>
>>5865509
>Maybe I can get my new de facto cult to report incarnation sightings?
>>
>>5865747
because we just found out hunt tickets have a glaring weakness where assassin tickets can see them without being seen in return

who knows if assassin tickets have a similar weakness that we'll only discover after levelling more?
>>
>>5865516
>>5865521
>>5865530
>>5865535
>>5865615
>>5865667
>>5865747
>>5865777
>>5865795

You put out a new way to accrue loyalty points and reach higher ranks on your server- a "magic hunt", if anyone finds evidence of (or is) a supernatural entity, they can get a proportional number of points and the honor of presenting the information directly to cyber_syren herself.

While you wait for your simp army to work, you check the international news. There are a couple of major headlines, but the ones that are most probably incarnations and won't incur the wrath of the world governments include:

>A gang leader in Cologne
>A warlord somewhere in South Sudan
>A massive beast disrupting and sinking ships in the Gulf of Panama
>A "demon" in the West Bank
>Some kind of feline beast in the Amazon
>A serial killer in Montreal who leaves bodies aged beyond their time

It seems like, broadly, things are beginning to cool off

Additionally, you could
>Hunt an enforcer on the side of order
>Not pursue anyone on the news
>Dig deeper into forums and message boards
>Write-in
>>
>>5865828
A sentence was a little unclear,

"It seems like, broadly, things are beginning to cool off, as you notice a significant decrease in major, catastrophic incarnation related incidents"
>>
>>5865828

>A gang leader in Cologne

Let's go to Germany. Maybe destabilize the entire country for funsies.
>>
>>5865835
Say...where was Pheme working? Maybe we should check on her.
>>
>>5865828
>A gang leader in Cologne

>>5865842
Columbia
>>
>>5865828
>>A serial killer in Montreal who leaves bodies aged beyond their time
Kronos?
>>
>>5865828
>A gang leader in Cologne

>>5865851
that one's for when we have a trillion dollars to pump into life insurance
>>
>>5865828
>Dig deeper into forums and message boards
>>
>>5865828
>A gang leader in Cologne

>>5865851
Time-related anything is terrifying. We need to stay far, far away from Montreal.
>>
>>5865854
>"I will age you into dust!"
>"STOP RIGHT THERE, I have the backing of a developed nation's entire GDP."
I do think it's neat how some authorities may potentially HARD counter others. Like the greed one we stole as an EX literally made the bearer ageless, so it'd shit on someone whose power was to advance time for someone.
>>
>>5865874
This does make me think- what counts as "sacrificing currency"? I assume that if we steal twenty bucks out of a guy's pocket and later burn it, it works. What if we steal a guy's checkbook and make out one for 50,000? If we sneak into a bank vault and start going wild? A limit where it has to be physical currency is fine, but what are the standards of possession?
>>
>>5865835
>>5865842
>>5865845
>>5865851
>>5865854
>>5865864
>>5865867

>A gang leader in Cologne

You decide to go after a gang leader in Cologne.

Not much is known about him, but witnesses describe a scrawny, white male in a mask and black hoodie exhibiting supernatural feats of strength and causing explosions which, according to forensic investigators, left absolutely no chemical residue for explosive compounds or accelerants. The gang's crimes have begun to escalate, at first consisting mostly of vandalism and petty theft, their criminal activities have increased to not only stealing on a much grander scale, but acts of seemingly politically motivated acts of murder and destruction which could only be described as terrorism.

Some witness accounts have also reported the
followers of this individual exhibiting similar capabilities. An unnamed incarnation working for, or at least with, the EU has clashed with and attempted to apprehend the criminal, but no arrests were made.

It seems like in your hunts going forward, you'll not only have to contend with your enemies, but also with incarnations that have turned to vigilantism or law enforcement.

Additionally, another issue remains. Work. You only have three days of vacation left. It's entirely possible that you'll need to do a good bit of sleuthing to find your target, and, accounting for travel time, three days might not be enough. What should you do?

>I'll probably find him in time. Let's book a flight now
>Maybe I can swing a business trip to Germany? I'll have to consult my boss
>I should just not bother with this whole endeavor. For now, I should lay low focus on other endeavors
>Fuck it., I'll just quit my job
>Write-in
>>
>>5866227
>Fuck it., I'll just quit my job

>Male god causing explosions
Hmm, I can't quite place this one
>>
>>5866227
>Maybe I can swing a business trip to Germany? I'll have to consult my boss
With our <Whispers> this is trivial. Ideally, we'll be poised to seize full control of the company so that we can use it as a front for our cult.
>>
>>5866227
>I'll probably find him in time. Let's book a flight now
If we don't find him in time, just keep looking. If they fire us they fire us.
>>
>>5866254
>>5866227
>support
>>
>>5866227
Switching >>5866231 to
>Maybe I can swing a business trip to Germany? I'll have to consult my boss
>>
>>5866231
>>5866254
>>5866255
>>5866270
>>5866292

>Maybe I can swing a business trip to Germany? I'll have to consult my boss

Your company makes frequent business trips both to court investors and to meet with foreign partners and branches. You e-mail you boss, inquiring about whether any of these are coming up. Conveniently, in about a month's time, there's a plan to meet with clients in Munich. However, generally speaking you wouldn't be the one to go on these trips- that responsibility falls either on your boss, or one of your other coworkers if not someone even higher up.

Regardless, if your boss puts in a good word for you, you can probably secure that spot for yourself. How should you go about this
>I'll work hard to prove my competency
>I'll save up for <Command> and use it to force the issue
>I'll use <Cursed Gold> to see if I can use it to control my boss
>I'll get my boss fired and try to take his place
>I'll just have an affair with him and use that for leverage
>Write-in
>>
>>5866599
>I'll get my boss fired and try to take his place
>>
>>5866599
>>I'll get my boss fired and try to take his place
I own this bitch : )
>>
>>5866599
>I'll get my boss fired and try to take his place
Again, this is trivial
>>
As a side note, I wonder if we will meet any incarnations related to the orphic mysteries? Anake and Phanes come to mind immediately.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphism_(religion)
>>
>>5866603
>>5866607
>>5866628
>>5866761

You spend the last days of your vacation relaxing and firing up the occasional livestream

Follower Count: 47,913
Influence: 128->279/3200

You go back into work. Your boss greets you with his trademark corporate smile, and you reply with your own. As you leave, you <Assess> him. You find, of course, the hubris of pride and the desire for money. You briefly talk to your boss, using your whispers, telling him that he deserves so much more and that <the people who denied him of his success should pay> and even told him to <advocate for himself more>. You can see instantly that your direct attacks on his ego have worked like a charm.

Influence: 279->286/3200

Two days pass, and your boss leaves for a meeting with his supervisor, the company's Director of Operations. He doesn't return. Searching for his name in the news, you see that he's been arrested for assaulting his boss during a pay negotiation meeting. Just like that, a power vacuum is created which, after about a week of scrambling, you naturally fill. After all, your peers are still tainted by your <Whispers>. You appoint a new person to take your place- a quiet middle aged woman that hasn't been affected by your authorities, and appoint yourself to the business trip in Munich.

There are still three weeks before the trip. How should you spend them?

>I'm going to go start some riots
>My audience is doing work, but it might be too slow. I'm going to plant speakers with my <Whispers> in public areas everywhere
>I should dedicate time to fostering an ideology in my cult
>I'm going to lay low for a while. I'll subtly focus on my job and my streaming
>My third persona has a pretty decent fanbase in the indie scene. Maybe it's time for her to release her own album
>Write-in
>>
>>5866869
>My third persona has a pretty decent fanbase in the indie scene. Maybe it's time for her to release her own album
>>
>>5866872
>>5866869
>support
>we already have a ideology. Communism and we're the leader. Best ruination we can get!
>>
>>5866869
>I'm going to go start some riots
Let's build up some spending money. Never know when we'll need to buy a quick consumable, or authority.
>>
>>5866869
>I'm going to lay low for a while. I'll subtly focus on my job and my streaming

Mostly the streaming, if Pewdiepie can hit 100 million followers without magic powers we should be going even higher.
>>
>>5867158
You think he doesn't have Swedish witch magic? You fool.
>>
>>5866869
>My audience is doing work, but it might be too slow. I'm going to plant speakers with my <Whispers> in public areas everywhere
>>
>>5846632
Crying out from the Red Land Came a man of darkness With evil bloody secrets He knew the Black Pharaoh Servant to the Faceless Sphinx God He gave me the book of the dead Nyarlathotep Slaughterer bringing nigh those who are detested Nyarlathotep

Tumult and time bent Mutilation and death in every land Unleashing fear, creeping downward Messenger to those who are detested Prepare a way for the Void and the Evil Ones Terror in the harem of pestilences
>>
>>5866872
>>5866877
>>5866885
>>5867158
>>5867362
>>5867803
>>5867809

>My third persona has a pretty decent fanbase in the indie scene. Maybe it's time for her to release her own album

You begin practicing with <Euterpe's Harp> in preparation for recording your new album. You take about a week to draft up some ideas, buy better recording equipment, and commission an album cover.

Meanwhile, a riot has broken out in Fargo as a result of one of the speakers planted by your cult. Undoubtedly, your <Whispers> have caused a myriad other, undocumented instances of ruin. Along with your other sources of passive income, you gain a significant amount of influence.

Influence: 286->548/1600

You also receive some information regarding other potentially supernatural elements. You hear of:
>Hooded figures spoted in Birmingham, Alabama
>Rumors of a woman living in the Thames
>Loch-Ness monster sightings in various lakes around the world
>An abandoned building near Brisbane that gives people vertigo whenever they stay near it for too long

These reports are interesting, but you haven't had the time to really investigate them since you've been focusing on your music. What have you been working on, anyway?

>A cover album. Quickest to make and grants the most immediate influence, but does the least for your growth as a musician
>An original EP. You probably won't finish it before you leave, but you can conceivably finish it in a month or so if you dedicate enough time to it
>An original album. Will take at least three months to finish, but will lead to considerable growth once it's finished
>A work of real art. Will take at least a year, but will establish you as a genuine musician
>Forget music for now. I need to look into these fan submissions
>Write-in
>>
>>5867996
>An original EP. You probably won't finish it before you leave, but you can conceivably finish it in a month or so if you dedicate enough time to it

Could do one of these from time to time, then compile them into an album later.

---

Anyone for dropping 40 influence on a quest? Can't hurt to see what we get.
>>
>>5867996
>An original EP. You probably won't finish it before you leave, but you can conceivably finish it in a month or so if you dedicate enough time to it
I'm feeling like Upgrading 1000 Faces, 1000 Voices. A random quest and Record Pass would Aldo be good.
>>
>>5868002
>>5867996
>support
>buy beast tracker
>I want an assassin ticket soon so we can see hunters.
>>
>>5867996
On the topic of music does having the words match the musical intent make it more powerful on the whisper of madness part like singing about Burgers coupled with Gluttoney
>>
>>5867996
>A cover album. Quickest to make and grants the most immediate influence, but does the least for your growth as a musician

Everyone forgetting the first vote here

>An abandoned building near Brisbane that gives people vertigo whenever they stay near it for too long
>>
>>5868071
No that was just stuff we heard of. Wasn't a vote. Qm didn't say pick one.
>>
>>5868085
I dunno man that looks like voting option format to me.
>>
>>5868107
We're not voting to actively pursue anyone atm
>>
>>5868107
To clarify, you'd only pick from those ones if you wanted to pick
>Forget music for now. I need to look into these fan submissions

>>5868002
>>5868018
>>5868046
>>5868052
>>5868071
>>5868085
>>5868115

>An original EP. You probably won't finish it before you leave, but you can conceivably finish it in a month or so if you dedicate enough time to it

You get working on your first EP, "Not a Call To Action" You plan out the track list and, by the time the business trip is scheduled, you release your first single "Cheat" which garners a considerable positive response.

Meanwhile, you've garnered significant influence from your various side projects, especially the actions of your cult

Influence: 548->1,023

You've also been investing divinity into your <Pithos> (8,076)

The time has come for you to head out to Munich. Your company has provided you with Business Class tickets and, though the flight is still less than fun, you enjoy the brief break from it all, as well as being able to view the world from so high up. You consider getting your hands on a <Flight> authority.

The business functions are boring and tiring, the clients are all either plastic corporate robots or decrepit dotards who leer at you like a piece of meat. Thanks to your <Whispers>, however, you manage to leave a strong positive impression in their minds.

Munich and Cologne are hours apart, but fortunately, after the initial set of meetings, you managed to secure a week of work from home. As long as you get your tasks done, when and where you do so are currently your prerogative. These, you suppose, are the perks of being so high up the food chain.

On the train to Cologne, you consider your next steps. The incarnation that you're hunting is notoriously elusive, and remarkably slippery once located. How should you go about this?
>Look for the incarnation with old fashioned detective work
>Work with local law enforcement
>Try to find a lower level member of his gang and interrogate them for information
>Try to predict his next attack
>Buy an item
>Try to bait him into a confrontation
>Write-in
>>
>>5868729
>Work with local law enforcement
Since Atë doesn't have a public track record aside from her First Blood title, I'm thinking she adopts an alter ego based around her combat authorities. With any luck we could even rope in a lawful good incarnation to double-cross! That said, we should upgrade Faces/Voices for this.
>>
>>5868729

> Find a gang member, interrogate them, then kill and replace them.
>>
>>5868729
>>5868052
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE08YtuYMAg
some songs like this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckb0EHba_Cs
literally singing about them being under our spell and wanting to adore us could the effects of the song and the madness whispers combo for more power?
also our name is cyber syren so our lier could spread the rumor we are a siren
>>
>>5868729
>buy assassins ticket.
It'll allow us to see hunters.
>>
>>5868729
>Start some riots and wait for the incarnation to pop up in the chaos
>>
>>5868747
>>5868751
>>5868849
>>5868856
>>5868872

I'll be updating in an hour or two. In the case that no tiebreakers are made, I'll either roll for it or come up with a compromise option
>>
>>5868729
I am >>5868747 and will switch to support >>5868751
>>
>>5868747
>>5868751
>>5868849
>>5868856
>>5868872
>>5869022

> Find a gang member, interrogate them, then kill and replace them.

You come up with a plan to infiltrate the gang's ranks and get a shot at your target. If you can isolate and intercept one of the lower level members, you can utilize, as the CIA would put it, advanced interrogation techniques in order to gather information. However, in order to do this, you'll need to find a target. However, they don't exactly have a public office that you can visit. What should you do?

>Wait for them to do something first and intercept them during a crime
>Ask around on the streets
>Incite a riot in hopes that they'll show up
>Try to get information from law enforcement, one way or another
>Write-in
>>
>>5869088
>buy assassins ticket.
Guys it'll show us hunters.

>go to nightclubs find mafia people use whisper and death whistle. Have them gather information for us. Push all the people to do risky behavior too. Unprotected sex, lots of drugs, beat your missus, get a front don't pay it back, do a burn out in the streets, run from cops ect. And we're their best friend so they won't narc on us.
>Have fun club hopping and wait until someone brings us information. Karaoke bar. Sing some bangers.
>>
>>5869088
>Try to get information from law enforcement, one way or another
Infiltrate the police, and then use what we learn there to infiltrate the gang. What could go wrong?
>>
>>5869088
>Wait for them to do something first and intercept them during a crime
>Incite a riot in hopes that they'll show up

Will the riot help? Probably not. Will testing our death whistle be fun? Oh yes.
>>
>>5869088
>Incite a riot in hopes that they'll show up
>>
>>5869124
+1 sneaking into the police station with a disguise seems like the easiest way to find info on the gang and who we need to replace
>>
>>5869188
Did you mean to support this one?
>>5869111
>>
>>5869096
>>5869111
>>5869124
>>5869131
>>5869188
>>5869432

You decide that your best bet for success is to start a riot.

You go out into the streets disguised with your <Thousand Faces> and try out your new <Death Whistle>. Then, you use your <Touch of Madness> to inspire a riot. The formerly bustling but peaceful city square almost instantly devolves into a battlefield. People are brutalizing children, beating senior citizens, and spreading the brawl outwards. Already, people have died.

Influence: 1023->1086/3200

One person seems to appear from almost nowhere, a man in a hoodie and jacket that resembles the target. However, the man is obviously not who you're after: the man is the wrong complexion- maybe middle eastern- and his build and height are completely different. The man is shorter than the lanky man in the videos, and his stocky, almost blockish frame makes a considerable contrast.

He joins in the violence for a while, but eventually turns and flees when a larger man approaches him with an improvised club. You follow him, intending to eventually intercept and interrogate. However, if you're lucky he could lead you straight to the target. What's your plan?
>I should capture and interrogate him immediately
>I should tail him to his home and neutralize him in his sleep first. I don't need to deal with the possibility of interruption
>I should seduce him
>I should just stalk this guy for a while and hope he leads me to the target
>Write in
>>
>>5869863
>I should capture and interrogate him immediately

No fucking around. If he's afraid of mortals he aint got shit on us.
>>
>>5869863
>I should capture and interrogate him immediately
>>
>>5869863
>I should capture and interrogate him immediately
>>
>>5869863
>I should capture and interrogate him immediately
Easily done. If not, it'll be interesting.
>>
>>5869863
>>I should seduce him
Venom trait
>>
>>5869884
>>5869899
>>5869919
>>5870357
>>5870545

>I should capture and interrogate him immediately

You stalk him through the shadowy alleys until you find a good place to conduct an interrogation. You sneak up from behind and knock him down with a slight tap boosted by <Titanic Strength>. He crumbles to the ground with no resistance. Shocked and seemingly reeling from minor head trauma, he flips his fallen body and turns to meet your eyes. Instead, he sees a demonic visage and a claw to his neck. Of course, you didn't need a claw to poke through his head like tissue paper, but it does provide intimidation factor.

"Speak to me in english." You say.

"W-what do you want?" He replies with a notable but fairly comprehensible accent.

"You're going to tell me everything you know about your boss. Now."
"My bo- oh. No, no, no I can't. He-he'd kill me"
"I don't think you understand the position you're in."

You shatter every bone in his left leg.

"If you don't tell me what you know, EVERYTHING you know, I'm gonna kill you. Right here, right now."

For a moment, he doesn't even seem to register the injury. You cover his mouth before the pain hits him, stifling his screams of agony.

"Feeling more cooperative now?"

He nods and spills everything he knows.

The gang leader doesn't use his real name, but in the criminal world, he's gained the moniker "Molotov" from his ability to manifest explosions out of seemingly nothing. He's only appeared recently, about a month ago. They do have a regular hideout, the location of which he does provide to you. Additionally, you learn that the structure of the gang as prescribed by Molotov is incredibly informal: no ranks, no titles, nothing. Everyone serves the leader directly. However, a hierarchy has developed among the followers and, since the leaders can take credit for their underlings' actions, they get in Molotov's good books. He somehow grants his followers special powers: strength, speed, etc. and gives preferential treatment to those who provide him with the most valuables or accomplish certain objectives. Additionally, you get this individual's personal information: name, address, personal details, and more. Everything you need to impersonate him.

Satisfied with the information, you put him down with a single stroke of your arm.

Influence: 1086->1088/3200

What's your next move?
>The gang members are nothing. I'm going in the front door, no disguises, guns blazing
>I'll impersonate my newly dead friend here and take down the target from inside
>Maybe I can work with this guy? I'm sure he won't mind me taking out some trash that he didn't even grant any power
>Write-in
>>
>>5870827
>I'll impersonate my newly dead friend here and take down the target from inside
UPGRADE VOICES/FACE
>>
>>5870830
Supportin, let's do the sneaky sneaky
>>
>>5870827
>I'll impersonate my newly dead friend here and take down the target from inside
>>
>>5870827
>let's just seduce him. He sounds like a chad. Maybe we can use him to do our bidding. Get him wrapped around our finger.
>be new be hawt, be new queen. Slay queen is here.
>>
>>5870921
>aka sweet venom + whispers
>we need more minions.
>see if he will give us more powers. Maybe he can buff us.
>play the mafia bunny role.
>>
>>5870827
>>I'll impersonate my newly dead friend here and take down the target from inside
>>Upgrade voices/face
Can we also try and expose the guy to our whispers from a distance to see if he has a mental defence authority? No use talking to the exploding guy if he can immediately tell it's our voice that is influencing him
>>
>>5870830
>>5870863
>>5870865
>>5870921
>>5870926
>>5871011

Your first order of business is to upgrade your <A Thousand Faces, A Thousand Voices>.

>A Thousand Faces, A Thousand Voices (3->4)

When imitating a specific person, their mannerisms, accent, habits, and language of origin become natural to you.

>I'll impersonate my newly dead friend here and take down the target from inside

You take on the man- Zain Youssef's- identity. Immediately, you can feel the effects of your new upgrade: your rhythm of walking feels different, you can read the German signs and labels strewn throughout the city, and you find yourself thinking in Arabic. You speak, and, unlike the usual alien feeling of using the authority, the tone and speech feels natural.

You find yourself at the gang hideout- its front is a defunct restaurant and inn on the outskirts of town, and you let yourself in. The inside of the restaurant is surprisingly well maintained: the dining area has been replaced with storage and meeting tables, the kitchen has been repurposed for drug manufacture, and you see some of Zain's 'coworkers' gambling, smoking, and fraternizing. None of them acknowledge your entrance. You need to make your way to the boss if you want to take him down quickly. What's your plan?

>Ask about any jobs I can do
>Inquire about his location directly
>Ignore the gang members, I can find him myself
>Say I have something valuable to bring him
>Write-in
>>
>>5871223
>Ask about any jobs I can do
>>
>>5871223
>Ask about any jobs I can do
Let's get a feel for his organization. Remember, we get more influence if we kill all of his followers alongside him.
>>
>>5871223
>Ignore the gang members, I can find him myself
Speedrun
>>
>>5871223

>Ask about any jobs I can do
>>
>>5871225
>>5871230
>>5871238
>>5871373

You walk up to a person who fits the description of Karl, one of the pseudo-subleaders and a person who received some of the boss's powers. He's a large bald man, maybe in his thirties, with a knife scar on his right eyebrow and a scraggly blonde beard. Clad in a loose t-shirt and denim jacket, he smokes and laughs while he and some of his cronies play some poker. In fluent German, you ask him:

"Anything that needs doing, Karl?"

He responds in kind. His reply roughly translates to:

"Hmm? Youssef? Ain't you supposed to be smoking dope or suckin' dick somewhere?"

You recall that the person you're impersonating is an ineffectual bum.

"Yeah, but I thought I might as well pull some weight around here, y'know?"

"Alright, you wanna prove yourself? Climb the ranks? There aren't any big projects I can cut you in on, but everyone knows the boss hates cops. Take down an officer or two, and then we'll talk. Bring some proof, too. The badges'll do."

Alright, that's a start. How should you go about this now?
>See if I can get alone with Karl. Maybe it'd be easier for me to meet the boss with his face on
>I should go do that job
>Maybe if I tell him I'm an incarnation now, I can meet with Molotov directly?
>I can use an authority on this guy to get him unrer my thumb
>If I start a rampage, the boss will show up eventually, right?
>Write-in
>>
>>5871495
>>I should go do that job
Foreign chaos
>>
>>5871495
>See if I can get alone with Karl. Maybe it'd be easier for me to meet the boss with his face on
Based on this description nobody is going to miss Youssef, which means we can aim higher in the hierarchy.
>>
>>5871495
>If I start a rampage, the boss will show up eventually, right?
RAMPAGE
>>
>>5871495
>I can use an authority on this guy to get him unrer my thumb
>threaten him and his authority then beat his ass. Look at me I'm the captain now. (Whispers we obviously the new top dog.)
>>
>>5871495
>See if I can get alone with Karl. Maybe it'd be easier for me to meet the boss with his face on
>>
Waiting warmly
>>
>>5871512
>>5871538
>>5871696
>>5871755
>>5871942
Sorry for the late reply everyone, the holidays have been pretty hectic for me.

>See if I can get alone with Karl. Maybe it'd be easier for me to meet the boss with his face on

"Uh, hey Karl?"

"What is it. Job too hard for you?"

"Actually, I ended up getting my hands on some jewelry that looked pretty valuable. I hid it in a safe not far from here. Can you come with me to get it and then hand it off to Molotov?"

"Ha, sure buddy. When we get back, I'll but you a drink"

Obviously, he wasn't planning on mentioning that you had found it. Of course, because of that, he didn't mention where he was going to anyone.

He follows you, completely unaware of what you're about to do. You turn in an instant, slamming your fist into his ribcage. You feel a satisfying crack as his body flies backwards, slamming into a nearby wall. A red whisp escapes his mouth alongside his last breath. You strip and completely disfigure him so that nobody can recognize the body before disposing of his clothes and taking on his shape.

You return back to the hideout and the other gang members ask where you were. You tell them that your former disguise had lied to you, so you disposed of him. They laugh, thanking you for taking out the trash.

What's your next step?
>Ask where the boss is
>Snoop around the base
>Cause a commotion in the hopes of drawing him out
>Write-in
>>
>>5875642
Forgot to grant influence.

Karl qualifies as a <Follower> of an incarnation, activating your secondary directive.

Influence: 1088->1109
>>
>>5875642
>Snoop around the base

Hope you had a good time over the holidays OP
>>
>>5875642
>Snoop around the base
I was worried you'd bailed, but I'm very relieved to see that wasn't the case.
>>
>>5875642
>Snoop around the base
Hope you had a merry Christmas qm. Thanks for coming back XD
>>
>>5875642
>>Snoop around the base
>>Look for our quarters if we have any. There may be useful information.

I wonder if, because we've changed who we are impersonating, the Sweet Venom trait will activate?

Also glad to see you back Olympus :D
>>
>>5875791
>>5875642
>support
>>
>>5875676
>>5875711
>>5875717
>>5875791
>>5875884

Thanks for being understanding anons, glad to see that my hiatus didn't kill my readership. Also, enjoy the christmas themed Atë drawing.

>Snoop around the base

You take a look around the hooligans' hideout, searching for anything that might leave you to the boss. Along the way, you hear people talking about bringing things to the boss, and also hear that he's apparently doing some kind of operation in a small town about an hour's drive away the hideout right now. Neither you nor Molotov's lackeys know the exact nature of what's going on, but you know he probably won't be back for at least another day.

As you go, you recognize the limitations to the new <Faces> functionality. You may have taken on the target's appearance and mannerisms, but you still don't know who any of his associates are on a personal level. Because of this, it's almost easier for people who know the target to notice something off, since you've also adopted their tells. You must take care in maintaining your facade going forward.

You manage to ascertain the location of both Karl and Molotov's rooms. You don't have any way to get into Molotov's without breaking in, but Karl's inn key was in his pocket.

You enter the room, finding it surprisingly tidy, albeit with a noticeable stench of beer. You sit on his, now your bed, contemplating your next move.

What's your best course of action?
>For now, I'll do my best to imitate Karl and wait until Molotov returns
>My secondary directive will give me influence for wiping out this hideout. I'm taking Molotov down, so I'll need all the upgrades I can get before the fight ensues
>Maybe I can work with this guy. I'll lay low and gather intel for now to try and get information I can use as leverage for any negotiations
>If I can find Molotov's real name, maybe I can guess who he is from his powers and use a <Detective Compass>? I have enough influence for a couple of attempts
>Write-in
>>
>>5876122
>My secondary directive will give me influence for wiping out this hideout. I'm taking Molotov down, so I'll need all the upgrades I can get before the fight ensues

Casually use Touch of Madness to drive them to murderous infighting. Save a few survivors to torture for information.
>>
>>5876131
Why not slowly farm them for even more gains
>>
>>5876122
>>Maybe I can work with this guy. I'll lay low and gather intel for now to try and get information I can use as leverage for any negotiations
>>
>>5876122
>My secondary directive will give me influence for wiping out this hideout. I'm taking Molotov down, so I'll need all the upgrades I can get before the fight ensues
>>
>>5876131
>>5876122
>support
>whispers for some to be our bffs and want to gain our approval. Of course by taking care of the "doubters and trouble makers"

So when he shows up only our loyal goons are alive.
>>
>>5876131
>>5876141
>>5876167
>>5876363
>>5876568

There's been another effective tie, with one write in and 2 for 2 separate provided options. I'll roll for it in a few hours if a tiebreaker vote isn't cast
>>
>>5877395
Actually I miscounted, my bad

>My secondary directive will give me influence for wiping out this hideout. I'm taking Molotov down, so I'll need all the upgrades I can get before the fight ensues

You use your authorities to peel of some particularly malleable members of the gang before blowing your <Death Whistle> and inciting a brawl using your <Touch of Madness>

It's a bloodbath.

You watch as the criminals open fire into their former friends, with some glowing with a crimson aura and tearing the others limb from limb. One remains at the end, but he's dispatched with minimal difficulty.

Influence: 1109-> 1216

You should have some time before Moltov comes back. What should you do?
>I should buy some items
>I should focus on cleaning up and plotting an ambush with my new goons
>I should upgrade some authorities
>I should flee the scene. Maybe I can use law enforcement to my advantage here?
>Write-in
>>
>>5877401

>Maybe I can use law enforcement to my advantage here?

Alright, here's my plan. We call law enforcement on the site, wait for Molotov, and use our powers to try and trigger an all out brawl between the local hero and Molotov and then we...

KILL THEM ALL
>>
>>5877401
>upgrades
>more combat wombat power upgrades
>>
>>5877401
>>5877445
Supporting but other way around - we don't know when Molotov is getting back. Set some of the new goons as lookouts, and then make the call when they see him.

Also while we wait
>I should upgrade some authorities
Touch of Madness from 3 to 5
>>
>>5877445
>>5877557
>>5877593

>I should upgrade some authorities

You decide to upgrade some of your authorities.

As a reminder, your existing authorities can be found on your character sheet
>https://rentry.org/ate-incarnation-status

And the level up requirements can be found in the infodump
>https://rentry.org/incarnation-infodump

Which authorities would you like to upgrade?
>>
>>5877939

> Touch of Madness from 3 to 5
>>
>>5877593
>>5877939
>>
>>5877939
>super natural speed 3 to 4
>titanic strength 3 to 4
>assess hemetia (think I spelled it wrong) 2 to 3
>>
>>5877940
>>5878029
>>5878513

Touch of Madness 3->5

It becomes possible for you to make slight->considerable alterations to the target's sense of reality. For example, as long as the approximate size, rigidity, and shape of an object is maintained, the affected individual could perceive the object as anything. The target's brain will automatically fill in the information to meet the <Concept> the user choses when the illusions are cast. However, the more outlandish or complex the concept, the more likely the target is to realize they are in an illusion. Once the target realizes that they are under the effects of an illusion, the effects of the authority will immediately end.

You test out your authority on some of your new goons. It seems as if the ease in which a target can escape your illusions is primarily determined by the intelligence and strength of mind possessed by the target, provided even vaguely believable illusions.

Influence: 1216->16/3200

Satisfied with your new power, you consider your upcoming battle. It seems intelligent to involve law enforcement: after all, they're obviously more than willing to duke it out with Molotov. Why not facilitate the process? Then again, there are a number of reasons to do things on your own. How should you approach?
>Work with the police in advance to set up an ambush
>Have my new goons call in the cops when Molotov when he arrives. This gives me some time to assess the threat and possibly attempt a solo takedown
>I'm doing this on my own. I'll kill off the remaining goons and take down Molotov myself
>I should use my new leverage to at least attempt negotiations with the target. Maybe our goals will align, after all?
>Write-in
>>
>>5880209
>Have my new goons call in the cops when Molotov when he arrives. This gives me some time to assess the threat and possibly attempt a solo takedown
>>
>>5880209
>>I should use my new leverage to at least attempt negotiations with the target. Maybe our goals will align, after all?
>>
>>5880209
>Have my new goons call in the cops when Molotov when he arrives. This gives me some time to assess the threat and possibly attempt a solo takedown.

Don't give the cops time to think about how to fuck us over.
>>
>>5880209
>>Have my new goons call in the cops when Molotov when he arrives. This gives me some time to assess the threat and possibly attempt a solo takedown
ezpz
>>
The next update is probably gonna be longer than average for this quest, and since I haven't slept in over 36 hours I'm probably gonna write that up tomorrow. In the meanwhile, what do you guys think about the drawings? Would you want more slice of life type stuff unrelated to the main narrative or some scenes that happened in the quest? Do you not care about the art at all? Let me know
>>
>>5880682
>since I haven't slept in over 36 hours
uh you ok dude

I think the art is cool, either suggestion is good with a slight preference for quest scenes, but it sounds like you should be resting instead.
>>
>>5880705
Ha, I'm a bit of an insomniac so sometimes I just don't sleep for longer than I maybe should. It's not too bad, but it does make it hard to pull together the energy and motivation to do stuff sometimes. Hopefully I can get some sleep tonight and draft up an update and maybe some art on the 3rd
>>
>>5880262
>mask
>>5880284
>>5880308
>>5880634

>Have my new goons call in the cops when Molotov when he arrives. This gives me some time to assess the threat and possibly attempt a solo takedown.

You spend your time plotting, training and running drills with your new men, and practicing using your combat authorities together. You are informed of the broad strokes of Molotov's powers: super strength, some kind of stealth ability, the ability to cause explosions, and the ability to lend his powers to some of his underlings. You continue drilling the goons until-

>Notice! Your diviner has detected an unknown incarnation within a one mile radius. However, their identity has been protected by an Authority of sufficient level.

That was unexpected. It looks like he’s got some kind of information blocking ability. You realize that if this power can even interfere with a shop item, you can reasonably assume that his level and authority levels are at least similar in number to your own. You tell your men to be ready for an assault and to inform the police that the infamous Molotov is nearby. They start doing so, scrambling to contact the authorities and assume an unassuming atmosphere, when a sense of foreboding creeps onto you. Your body moves on its own, carried by instincts and authorities as you activate <Supernatural Speed>, dashing with impossible momentum away from the wall you were leaning on. Your goons don’t seem to catch the memo in time.

A massive explosion tears through the thin restaurant walls and sends debris, violent flames, and the charred corpses of his formerly obedient, newly dead underlings flying backwards. You realize that, had it not been for your recently acquired abilities, you would be dead right now. You laugh at yourself for ever even considering sparing the hind.

A man- Molotov, from the looks of it- emerges from the smoke. He’s exactly like the man described in the witness reports: a tall, lanky man wearing the classic anarchist cosplay: black hoodie, jeans, and mask obscuring his face with a gun slung over his shoulders. He has a mop of greasy brown hair, almost obscured by his hood, cut just high enough to not impede his vision, and an almost childlike pair of grayish blue eyes. His arm, extended outwards, radiates a sinister red glow that resembles yours almost exactly and, more relevantly, the red wisps that escaped the dead gang members.
>>
>>5881522
You try to use <Assess Hamartia> on him, however, you are, as expected, met with an error message

>Your authority has been blocked by an authority of higher level

One of the surviving goons, either trying for an ambush or attempting to turn tail, asks:

“Wh-why did you do that, boss? Those were your guys! This is your base!”

“Do you think I’m an idiot? Did you really believe that I wouldn’t notice when all of the people I was lending my powers to suddenly died? I know what’s happening here. It’s either a police sting, or another god laying a trap. Either way, you guys are dead.”

Shit, you didn’t think of that. In retrospect, it seems obvious: his authority must either consume divinity or have a set maximum number of targets, otherwise he would’ve empowered his entire gang at least to some degree. In either case, he’d probably immediately notice that his lackeys were getting killed off.

As you speculate, Molotov detonates the man, sending slivers of bone, offal, and the remains of the rest of his charred flesh careening towards the rest of the room. You get cover, but some of your new minions aren’t so lucky.

You have some intel, but you remember that he just took down another incarnation, and has in all likelihood fought several. He could have a number of authorities that even his own men are completely unaware of. What should you do?

>Run away
>Try to use <Touch of Madness> from a distance
>Transform into the Calydonian Boar
>Hide and wait for the cops to show up
>Try to negotiate
>Activate my combat authorities and charge in
>Write-in
>>
>>5881525

>Hide and wait for the cops to show up

Let him burn divinity blowing up his goons and stay out of the way. Once he's distracted we nail him with Touch of Madness at a distance.
>>
>>5881542
+Support
>>
>>5881525
>>5881542
Sounds like a plan. Dang I hoped he wouldn’t have that kind of info feedback.
>>
>>5881525
>write in
>drop our face of his man. Pretend to be a "working girl"
>wait for cops
>try to trigger sexual interest in us to trigger sweet venom. We just need a strong man uWu.
>>
>>5881719
+1
>>
>>5881542
This is the smartest plan
>>
>>5881542
>>5881619
>>5881621
>>5881719
>>5881869
>>5882132

>Hide and wait for the cops to show up

You hide, switching your face to a minion you know didn’t have any of Molotov’s power and running from building to building, staying nearby but avoiding Molotov’s wrath. You check your remaining divinity:

>Divinity: 242/275

You also notice your influence increasing, presumably because of your dying goons

>Influence: 16->43/3200

Looks like your secondary directive won’t activate anymore, seeing as these are now your followers.

You still have plenty of power left and, listening to the explosions, screams, and shattered walls, you can presume that Molotov has been less conservative.

You can hear sirens in the distance: the police have arrived.

While ideally, they could weaken Molotov and then die, you have no way of knowing whether the cops have an incarnation with them, or, even assuming they don’t, if one will appear after the mortals confirm that this really is Molotov’s base. In both cases, you could very easily lose out on heaps of influence and the other subjugation rewards.

What should you do?

>Lie in wait, take both parties out when the time arises
>Kill and replace one of the officers, take out Molotov, and then wipe out the remaining cops
>Let the cops handle this. Then, I’ll wipe them out when they’re weakened
>I don’t need the subjugation rewards, I’m satisfied with my <Divine Folly> and <Rebuke Against Heaven> rewards
>Write-in
>>
>>5882137
>Lie in wait, take both parties out when the time arises
If an incarnation shows up or if Molotov looks like he's beginning to have a tough time, use the Touch
>>
>>5882137
>Lie in wait, take both parties out when the time arises

Thinking we hit Molotov with Touch of Madness to make him arrogant beyond reason, then try to keep the government boys just off kilter enough to lose their fight. Maybe crippling self doubt on their end?
>>
>>5882141
>>5882146

>Lie in wait, take both parties out when the time arises

...


You yawn, reaching subconsciously for a pack of cigarettes in your coat pocket that you know is no longer there. You curse under your breath, damning your father for giving you such an annoying dying wish. And such a sane one, at that. A worried voice calls out to you, snapping you out of your reflections

“Polizeioberkommissar Braun?”

You turn your gaze to the voice: a portly man who you assume was likely quite handsome once. You surmise him: expensive clothes, tailored but poorly coordinated, a watch that announces its high price tag by being as ugly as one could conceive, and shoes that were probably fashionable at one time but now remind you more of a costume than a genuine outfit. The man reeks of ego, insecurity, and new money.

“Herr Laurentz. I trust you know why I came here today?”

“Hm- oh yes, of course! It’s about that gang business, yes? Terrible stuff. I can assure you that we will cooperate with the investigation in full!”

“It isn’t just about gangs, Herr Laurentz. You should know as well as any about the unique nature of my responsibilities.”

“Yes, of course. The… supernatural business.”

You give a lazy nod in acknowledgement. You are heading a small force tasked with tracking, apprehending, and eliminating incarnations who fall on the wrong side of the law. However, the government knows as well as you do that these new gods are nearly impossible to gauge without direct intervention. In other words, you and your men essentially amount to canon fodder. Disposable pawns that the big international hit squads can use to gather intel in the case that a threat can’t be dealt with. On the bright side, you do get some toys that even the military guys envy.

“I’m sure you’ve been briefed,” you continue, “but I will remind you.”

You go on to explain the broad strokes of the case. Somewhere in Munich, an incarnation has been using their powers to create a sort of superdrug- a magically enhanced opiate that not only provides all of the normal effects of the high, but also shows the victim their deepest desires. This poor schmuck owns the businesses that the drug ring has been laundering their money through.
>>
>>5882615

“Yes, I can assure you, inspector, that we had absolutely no idea that our businesses were being used that way. Please know that we are doing everything in our power to find the individuals responsible for this outrageous offense.”

Of course, you know he’s telling the truth. In fact, you’re relatively certain you know exactly who the person responsible is: the CFO, one Eliza Wagner. However, feigning suspicion will be an excellent source of leverage.

“Is that so? Is it really possible that such an extensive money laundering scheme could have happened without you noticing a single discrepancy?”

He visibly gulps. As you’re about to get something juicy out of him, you hear your walkie-talkie activate:

“Sir, we’ve got a bit of a situation downtown.”

“I’m working on an important lead here, Chen, this better be important.”

“Yeah, uh, it’s a full on magic street fight. One of them is probably Morpheus. The other is unidentified.”

“Shit, after all that work we did to smoke him out? Have you contacted the INTERPOL guys?”

“Yeah, but all of their incarnations are locked up right now. We’ve been given orders by the higher ups to stall for time until we can get some backup”

“Fuck.”

Well, this investigation was a waste of time. Your drug manufacturer is making a big show downtown. It’d be rude not to attend, right?

Regardless, you and your recently deified subordinate are less than primed to take out one high level incarnation, let alone two. What’s the plan?

>Have Chen try to minimize casualties until you can arrive. You can think of something more refined when you arrive
>Mobilize a larger number of mortal police. Will most likely lead to significant law enforcement casualties, but will have the greatest chance of eliminating the threat
>Have her hide until you get there. Once you arrive, you might be able to take the bastards down together with the benefit of the element of surprise
>Tell her to run away. You can’t afford to lose your partner like this
>Write-in
>>
>>5882616
>Have her hide until you get there. Once you arrive, you might be able to take the bastards down together with the benefit of the element of surprise
>>
>>5882616
>Have Chen try to minimize casualties until you can arrive.
>>
>>5882616
>Have Chen try to minimize casualties until you arrive
>>
I just got caught up reading the whole thread in a couple hours. Amazing stuff. When I get home I plan to go over all the powers we got and give my opinion on them as a player. I will say I don't like the boar power or most of the physical shit that isn't for keeping her alive. I want to ditch a couple authorities with the crystals and just give them to our bird friend. Also very fitting that, starting with a power that allows shapeshifting, our protag has had a bad case of identity crisis before deciding "I AM the disaster!" and all-inning the True Demon route flavor. I do wonder how all this will affect her interactions with Pheme. Will Ate becoming the uber-disaster incarnate cause a divide to happen? For rumors to spread and more, people need to be alive to spread and believe them, for example.
>>
>>5882786
Thanks for the kind words and looking forward to the review. Always appreciate feedback, positive or otherwise
>>5882698
>>5882782
>>5882784
>Have Chen try to minimize casualties until you can arrive

“Alright, I’ll be there soon. Focus on civilian evac until I arrive.”

“But I can-”

“That’s an order, Chen.”

“Yes sir.”

You make a dash to your vehicle and drive downtown as fast as possible, presumably breaking multiple traffic laws on the way. Perks of a badge, you think to yourself, you can rush to your death so much faster.

You arrive to the sight of a winged figure, burning with blue flames, relentlessly attacking a man dressed as a medieval plague doctor. However, most of the assailant’s attacks are ineffective, either passing right through the target, or seemingly directed at something that isn’t there.

You find your way to your partner, carrying a little boy out of the rubble. She seems to know where you are before she even looks at you- a stark reminder that your partner became one of them.

“Sir!”

“Good to see you in one piece, Chen. Can the kid walk?”

“Uh, probably not, sir. His leg was trapped under some rubble when I arrived.”

“I’ve called in some backup- non combatants, purely for jobs like this. Leave him somewhere safe so we can come up with a plan.”

“...Yes, sir.”

Hesitantly, she places the boy in your car and locks the door.

“What’s the plan, sir?”

“We’re gonna have to make use of your powers for this one.”

She hasn’t told you all of the minutia of her powers, but you know the broad strokes: Annalie Chen is the incarnation of Theia, the titan of sight. She can enhance her physical strength, see everything around her without line of sight or even open eyes, see through illusions, and grant her <Eyes> to others. Powers perfect for a marksman, except for the fact that she’s a terrible shot.

“At your command, sir. What should we do?”

>Use your abilities on me. I can take out Morpheus, and then we can work something out for the demon
>Use your abilities on the demon. She can take down Morpheus and then maybe we can deal with her
>Stand down for now. I think I understand how Morpheus is dodging those attacks, I can use it to my advantage
>Write-in
>>
>>5882871
>Use your abilities on Morpheus and help take down the demon. Better the enemy you know than the enemy you don't
>>
>>5882871

>Use your abilities on me. I can take out Morpheus, and then we can work something out for the demon
>>
>>5882921
>>5882871
>support
>have her attack too weaken all of them then we clean up.
>buff us we kill both then finish her off. Yummy upgrades here we come.
>>
>>5882917
>>5882921
>>5882938
>Use your abilities on me. I can take out Morpheus, and then we can work something out for the demon

“We’re trying out the trickshot.”

“But sir, we’ve never used that in a practical setting! Who knows what will happen if it goes haywire with all of these civilians around!”

“We have no choice. We know that Morpheus has some sort of trick that makes it hard to hit him. Not even that other incarnation can put a hand on him. If we want Morpheus, we’ll need to use whatever we can get our hands on.”

“...Yes sir.”

You can feel her golden divinity seeping into you, coursing through your body and focusing on your eyes. The sensation is unsettling, as if somebody else was rummaging around your insides. You shiver, but decide to focus on the task.

The information overload assaults your brain- you weren’t made to be able to see in every direction, after all, and the ability to both see through walls and see the walls themselves at the same time creates a sense of dissonance that strains the limited computing power of your brain’s visual cortex. You bring yourself back to reality, focusing on the task at hand.

You can now not only see the phantoms that the unfortunate incarnation was lashing out at, but the mechanism behind Morpheus’s evasions. Really, the attacks aren’t phasing through him: it’s be more accurate to say that he was phasing through them, turning parts of his body into smoke to avoid the hit, and then resolidifying his body to tap his adversary, presumably to plant more of his illusions. Regardless, your suspicions on his authority have been confirmed: he can’t dodge an attack he can’t see coming.

You pull your rifle out of your bag: specially made to tear through steel like paper. You hope that its power will be enough. You wait until right after he avoids one of the demon’s attacks before exhaling, lining up the shot, and firing right into the bastard’s temple. He crumbles to the street like a puppet with its strings cut.
Chen turns to you, and, with an excited whisper, informs you:

“We got him sir! The notification just came in!”

“Don’t celebrate so soon, Chen. We’ve got one left.”
>>
>>5882981

The demon lunges at Morpheus, probably not even realizing that he died. When it notices what happened, the demon, who you can now see is a woman thanks to your enhanced sight, collapses onto the asphalt, a vacant expression plastered upon her face. The flames die down, and the wings lie limp at her sides. She seems so much smaller without them; honestly, you wouldn’t be surprised if she hadn’t even hit 20 yet.

“What should we do, sir? Chen asks you, “She doesn’t seem to be a threat anymore. Should we take her in for questioning?”

“Don’t forget all of the collateral damage that happened here today. Even if she’s docile now, we don’t know how that will change if we try to incarcerate her. Or when she finds out that we just stole her prey.”

“You make a good point, but wouldn’t it be wrong to just murder her while she isn’t even moving?”

“You know we have special clearance for these sorts of situations.”

“That’s why I didn’t say illegal, sir. I said wrong. The call is yours. What’s the plan?”

>Let’s go in together. Maybe you can help me talk her down so we can bring her in
>I’ll go in alone and attempt an arrest. Be ready to call for backup if I don’t make it
>She’s too dangerous. We can’t risk her going berserk again, who knows how much damage she’ll cause?
>I’ll let you make the call. Do what you think is right, Lieutenant
>Write-in
>>
>>5882983
>I’ll go in alone and attempt an arrest. Be ready to call for backup if I don’t make it

Bet she'll feel so guilty if we die
>>
>>5882983
>I’ll go in alone and attempt an arrest. Be ready to call for backup if I don’t make it
>>
>>5883037
>>5883060

>I’ll go in alone and attempt an arrest. Be ready to call for backup if I don’t make it

"But sir, it's too dangerous! You could get seriously injured, or worse!"

"You had a point earlier, Chen I don't think I could live with myself if I killed that girl like this."

"I can go-"

"Impossible. You're too valuable to send alone, and the situation could completely devolve if we both die. Cover my back."

"...Yes, sir."

You approach the girl, making sure your pistol is hidden and holstered, but loaded just in case. You come up on her from behind, but somehow you sense she knows you're coming. Now that you're closer, and looking with your own eyes, it dawns on you just how young she is. 16 at the oldest. She's on her knees, crying. She looks more like a lost child than a murderous demigod now.

"Here to arrest me?" she asks you. Her voice seems hollow. You estimate that she's completely given up on life.

"Not necessarily," you reply, "That depends on you. You seem like a decent person. Why go on a rampage like this?"

"Rampage..?" she seems dazed, as if she just woke up from a dream. She looks around, taking stock of her surroundings: the crumbling buildings, the cracked streets, and the casualties, thankfully all living, but many just barely. "O-oh god. I wouldn't- I didn't mean to-:

"I get it, kid. Tell me what happened."

Her eyes flash with rage for a moment, but those emotions quickly peter out.

"He, no, that THING killed my mother. His drugs, I don't even know what they were, but they killed her. She was everything to me, especially after dad died, and, and"

"You couldn't let the guy who destroyed your world go."

She gives a weak nod.

You sigh, reaching once again for a cigarette you know isn't there.

"Honestly, kid, things aren't great for you right now. Whether you meant it or not, the government isn't gonna let what happened here today go. Not only that, but people have seen your face. They might find you, even if I let you go here."

"I don't care," she replies, ":I've got nothing left to go back to, anyway."

"Well, you do still have options." You pause, waiting for a reply. She doesn't speak, but you feel as if she's waiting for you to continue.

"My partner and I are a part of- basically the entirety of- a task force designed to take out people like the man who took your mother. It'll be dangerous, difficult, and it'll probably force you to make a lot of hard choices but it'll at least get the feds off of your back."

"I'll join" she says, without an ounce of hesitation.

"Or," you continue, "I know a guy who can make you a new life. You might not get to be a kid anymore, but you can at least live out the rest of your days as a person, instead of as the government's hunting dog."

"I'll join."

"Look, I'm telling you that I can-"

"Please sir. It's all I have left."

This is gonna be hard to explain to Chen.

"Fine. I'll take you back to our office. Let me know if you change your mind."
>>
>>5883200
You take her back to your car. It seems like the reinforcements you called already saved the kid with the crushed leg. You drive her back to your office, emphasizing how unpleasant and potentially lethal the job is. This only seems to make her more invested in joining. The girl's name is Rosa Beisel, and she's the incarnation of Tisiphone.

As you drop her off at the office and inform the higher ups of the new acquisition, you see before you a shimmering golden panel.

>Congratulations! The unique circumstances of your participation in the death of an incarnation have allowed you to claim a myth despite being a <Mortal>. Would you like to accept the myth of <Diomedes?> (Warning, this will result in a deification process)

Christ. When will you catch a break?

On the one hand, the idea of turning into one of those freaks is a little unpleasant. You're not entirely convinced that taking on those myths doesn't mess with their heads. I mean, would Rosa have really done what she did without a fury rattling around in her head?

On the other hand, you're probably gonna die really soon without a bit of power on your hands. It's annoying, but you really should accept the system's offer.

What should you do?
>Accept
>Decline
>>
>>5883203
>Accept
A CHALLENGER JOINS
>>
>>5883203
>Accept
>>
>>5883203
>>Accept
Dude Diomedes was like the biggest fucking chad of the ancient world. Probably the only guy who could definitively say he came out ahead after the Trojan war and went on to found a bunch of cities to the point where he was deified after his death. The man put in WORK.
>>
>>5883213
>>5883214
>>5883217

Begrudgingly, you accept the deification. A cold surge of energy washes through your body as it flashes a dim silver glow.

>Retroactively granting influence for completing your directive

>Diomedes, Hero of the Achaeans

>God Rank: F
>Synchronization Rate: 75.32%
>Level: 2
>Influence: 154/200
>Divinity: 50/50
>Directive: Lay Low
You gain Influence whenever you eliminate or subjugate an incarnation. Amount proportional to the strength of the incarnation

>Trait: Pierce the Divine
Your attacks partially bypass the defenses of other incarnations

Authorities:

> Blessed Body (EX): Keeps your body in prime physical condition for your gender and age. Makes you immune to disease and decay, but does not protect you from physical injury

>Grit (1):
Allows you to move your body as if it was in perfect condition, regardless of any injury. May exacerbate the damage by doing so. Consumes divinity proportional to the damage

>Combat Acuity (1): Keeps your mind clear during combat. Also increases the speed of your cognition in a combat scenario. Consumes divinity proportional to the increase to the speed of your thoughts (max 10 divinity per minute).

>Infiltrator (1):
You may expend your divinity to go unnoticed by the people around you. Can be counteracted through relevant authorities or a massive difference in level. Consumes 10 divinity per hour.

>Pantheon: Bane Against Troy
Assemble your pantheon to gain a bonus to the effective level of all authorities, as well as a bonus authority that is only available upon full pantheon assembly

You look through the system’s information panel. Though you don’t trust everything it says, you get the broad strokes of the information granted to incarnations.

You have some influence on your hands, probably from killing Morpheus and taking in Rosa. How should you spend it?

>Purchase items
>Upgrade authorities
>I won’t spend anything
>Write-in
>>
>>5883250
>I won’t spend anything
Simply lay low and learn how these powers work. Experiment and go from there.
>>
>>5883250
Forgot to add influence for leveling up, should be 75/75
>>
>>5883266
And by influence, I mean divinity. I shouldn't update drunk
>>
>>5883256
Support that is the directive
>>
>>5883250
>>I won’t spend anything
>>
>>5883250
>Upgrade authorities
>>
>>5883256
>>5883287
>>5883301
>>5883411

>I won’t spend anything

You decide it prudent to save your influence for now. According to Chen, it's better to focus on leveling up before the influence requirements skyrocket at the higher levels, anyway.

Speaking of Chen, you'll have to explain the situation with Rosa to her. You get approval from the higher ups almost immediately- she's too good a tool to pass up- but your partner is gonna take some more convincing.

Regardless, wrapping up the issue with Morpheus in such an unexpected manner has left your schedule pretty much free. What should you prioritize?

>Training Rosa. She'll need to learn how to actually fight and survive if she wants to live long in this business
>Investigative work. Many criminal incarnations hide amongst other criminals without law enforcement even knowing that they exist
>Take on a foreign case. We owe the Swiss and Austrians a couple of favors, plus it's a great way for me to garner influence
>>
>>5883505
>Training Rosa. She'll need to learn how to actually fight and survive if she wants to live long in this business
Immediate issue first
>>
Also, I'd appreciate some feedback on the new arc. I understand that it's a pretty big gear shift to suddenly be piloting a completely different character. Rest assured that Atë will be back, however
>>
>>5883505

>Training Rosa. She'll need to learn how to actually fight and survive if she wants to live long in this business

Teaching others is training ourselves

>>5883510
It's neat! Keep expecting this to swing back into him lining up a shot on Atë at any moment.
>>
>>5883510
Oh I thought we just many faced our way into the cops team.
Well fuck. I would of liked to play the abused "working" woman to sweet venom and whisper that we needed protecting. And wrap them around our finger.
>>
>>5883505
Take on a foreign case
>>
>>5883509
>>5883561
>>5883569
>>5883670

>Training Rosa. She'll need to learn how to actually fight and survive if she wants to live long in this business

After getting an earful from Chen, but ultimately convincing her by demonstrating the severity of the alternatives, you go home and get some rest. You decide that Rosa is a potentially game changing trump card, but in order to make use of it, and hopefully keep her alive while doing so, she's going to need to train.

You meet Rosa in your office. For now, she's staying in a hotel room nearby and being constantly watched and transported by undercover police personnel. She seems a bit depressed, but lights up at the idea of training.

You take her to the basement of the building containing your office. The government repurposed the former storage space into a facility specifically designated to your task force, outfitted with a training room, firing range, various analog documents and video tapes to record supernatural or secret intel, a cafeteria and dining area, and an impressive armory. The basement is depressing, with gray cement walls, steel doors, and stark yellow lights, but they have all of the facilities you could realistically need.

You lead her to the training room, take off your overcoat, and loosen your tie.

"Pop your wings and take a stance."

"I don't know any martial arts stances."

"Firstly, on hours you should refer to me either by rank or as "sir." I don't really care, but my supervisors will get on my ass if I don't maintain my authority properly."

"Fair enough. Sir."

"Second, there probably won't be any existing martial arts that can help you out. Please manifest your wings."

She does so, with a pair of leathery blue wings popping out from her shoulder blades. It doesn't seem like they tore her clothes at all.

"How heavy are they?"

"Honestly, I can't even feel their weight. It's like, I know they're there, and they definitely have mass, but it's like my body naturally compensates for it. Sir."

"Interesting." You assume a neutral stance, making sure to account for your new body's slightly altered center of gravity. "Try to replicate this."

She does so, but you can clearly see that the pose is awkward.

"I don't think this is working out, sir."

"Looks like it. In that case, let's do this."

You rummage through the supply closet until you find an excercise ball.

"Use this to get a feel for your center of gravity. I know the system calibrates it for you, but until YOU know exactly where it is and how it works, you could make exploitable mistakes in a fight."

"Yes, sir."
>>
>>5884031
You observe for a while, and, as predicted, though she balances correctly on instinct, whenever she begins to slip, her corrections are entirely wrong, based on her body without the massive new additions. She seems to be improving, albeit slowly. Unbeknownst to her, this training is twofold: not only does it help with balance, it's also training to help her keep her calm. After all, she IS the embodiment of vengeful wrath.

The training so far is going well for her, but the type she's doing now won't help you improve at all. She'll probably improve faster with your help, but you'll probably stagnate for a while. What should you do?

>Focus entirely on this training. It's important to lay the groundwork for adjusting to her new body before we begin with spars and technique
>Try some spars, mixed in with the balance training
>Leave her to complete the training. Your aid won't help too much, and you have better things to do
>Let Chen take over the training. As long as it has nothing to do with guns, she's around as capable as you are
>Write-in
>>
>>5884037
>Focus entirely on this training. It's important to lay the groundwork for adjusting to her new body before we begin with spars and technique
So what if we stagnate? We can make it back. She can't without the ability to do so. By giving her the know-how and competence, we assure her survival as well as others. I feel it's fitting for Diomedes to give a shit about the youth and their future, since he survived the Trojan War.
>>
>>5884037
>>Focus entirely on this training. It's important to lay the groundwork for adjusting to her new body before we begin with spars and technique

>>5884053
We aren't even really stagnating. Getting all mythical has given the guy a huge step up just by existing now. I for one can't wait for him to have an identity crisis and reaffirm his belief that he is who he is, and not some stupid title with magic powers slapped on. As an exact opposite to Ate's breakdown. But that won't be for quite a while I'm sure.
>>
>>5882871
>>5882786
OK here I go
>Directive: By Their Own Hand
>You gain Influence whenever a person touched by your influence meets disaster as a result of their own folly. Additionally, you gain influence for each bystander harmed in the process.
I don't like Ate going and killing people personally, as it goes against the directive. Only if we're actually being pursued or cornered should we fight personally, that's what I think. It goes against the character too, and we've been gaining percent ups in "Phonoi, Spirits of Murder (Plural Myth)" doing so. I don't like it being 80% as that puts us in danger of losing what we have going for us.
>Secondary Directive: Rebuke Against Heaven
>Gain significantly more influence by laying low divinities and their followers
This was stupid to take. We should have taken "Oceans rise, Empires fall" in >>5862705 instead. We've been targetting divinities just to gain levels, that's it. It comes across as the usual /qst/ anon schizophrenic playstyling to me
>Trait: Sweet Venom:
>All of your authorities are more effective against individuals who either like you or are under the impression that you are a person that they hold affection for, proportional to the feelings they hold.
This only plays into the simp gathering cult factor we have going. I guess it plays into Thousand Voices/Faces too, plus the developing preference for going at people in person nowadays?
>A Thousand Faces, a Thousand Voices (4)
Core Authority. We gotta max this asap
>Whisper of Temptation (5)
I assume 5 is maxed? Good
>Touch of Madness (5)
Same thing
>Cursed Gold (1)
I want to crystal this and ditch it, if we aren't going to walk into banks worldwide and curse whole vaults of money
>Life Insurance (2)
Surprisingly good for the future, I say we keep it for the long game
>Regeneration (4)
Survival Authority; we max this and keep it forever
>Titanic Strength (3)
This is not an ungatard character we are piloting. I like keeping this only for the desperate situations when we're 1v1 or cornered
>To Mortals, A Scourge (3)
I love this for the flavor factor. I think this is worth maxing with how much we're whispering at mortals
>Bane of Calydon (3)
I hate the pig morph. I fucking HATE it. Crystal it and give it to Pheme as a literal "when pigs fly" joke or delete it forever. Absolutely unfitting garbage
>Assess Hamartia (2):
Core Authority, we need to max this
>Omen (2)
Survival Authority, same as Regen. Maxing it is good, but it'd also be good to keep it at 3
>Preservation Instinct (3)
Why are we not maxing this? This is literal Ultra Instinct
>Supernatural Speed (3)
I don't think we need to max it. It's fine as it is.
>>
>>5884117
Interesting insight, and It's really cool to me that people are actively invested enough to rank and evaluate the powers. It makes sense to me that you (and a lot of people who were invested in Atë's unique approach and powerset as compared to other incarnations) would dislike the 'multiclassing' so to speak, as both a charmer and a bruiser.

One minor correction is that the authorities' max level is whatever the level of the incarnation is. So for Braun, a lvl 2 incarnation, the maximum level for his authorities is 2. For Atë, meanwhile, since she's a level 6 incarnation, her authorities can go as high as level 6. As of yet, none of her authorities are maxed out
>>
>>5884117
>Phonoi, Spirits of Murder (Plural Myth) = 80%
Nuh uh. I don't like this one bit. I hate it being this high, why can't we lower it?
>Chrysus, Spirit of Gold = 17%
We're no greed or money being. It doesn't fit us
>Epimetheus, Titan of Hindsight = 8%
implying we ever care about past events or thinking twice
>Polyphemus, the Blinded Cyclops = 5%
implying we ever eat properly
>Pandora, Harbinger of Maladies = 90%
Now THIS I'm fine with keeping high
>Wrath of Artemis, Calydonian Boar = 20%
REMOVE PIG
>Atalanta, the Swift-Footed Huntress = 10%
Beasts are free kills, but that's all they are for our build
>Pride of Artemis, Ceryneian Hind = 1%
implying we ever run away

>Pithos of Pandora (Divinity Stored: 8,076)
It'd be hilarious and in-character if we pop this with the 100 mil right before we die as a grand fuck you to everybody else
>Euterpe's Harp (copy)
Great for the memetics, that's it
>Death Whistle
Why have we not used this as a memetic to spread online yet?
>Whenever an incarnation kills a <Victim>, they gain one influence in addition to any gained with their directives
This gives all incarnations everywhere free exp on victim kills, which could easily backfire on us, but ah well. I can easily imagine us having ALL the followers listen to a song with the Death Whistle embedded into it, all of them become Victims, then when we trigger them all to let loose and they all start dying, we get even MORE exp out of them that stacks with the Directive

>>5884122
>really cool to me that people are actively invested enough to rank and evaluate the powers
Power autism is crack to some anons out there. Look at Joker Quest and others
>makes sense to me that you (and a lot of people who were invested in Atë's unique approach and powerset as compared to other incarnations) would dislike the 'multiclassing' so to speak, as both a charmer and a bruiser
Now don't get me wrong, I like most of the bruiser shit we have with the excuse of "this helps us NOT die to other bullshit". I don't like it being on equal level or gaining any degree of prominence over what we already have established. It clashes too much for fuck's sake
>authorities' max level is whatever the level of the incarnation is
So Ate's would be level 6 max on Authorities because she herself is level 6 as a deity. Good way to cap people and balance the system out.
>As of yet, none of her authorities are maxed out
But soon...

And yeah, you're welcome OP. Looking back, the art you drew of her and Pheme are kinda off-putting now in the wake of us players deciding to full commit to the "mass disaster" embodiment. I have no doubt she's working against us in Colombia, seeing the future to come. One day we're gonna get the report of the NAP being broken from Pheme's end, and that's when it'll be ex-friends against each other.
>>
>>5884127
Oh, also, one quick thing I should mention, since <Atë>'s synch rate is at 100%, no other myth could forcibly redeify her since you can't surpass 100%. You get the max sync bonus, but you don't change incarnations unless you want to once that threshold is reached. Also, assuming the system is telling the truth, sync rate for incarnations has no effect on that incarnation's psyche, so at this point there are really no downsides to boosting sync rates beyond the inconvenience of doing so
>>
>>5884132
>no other myth could forcibly redeify her
That is a huge relief. But what happens if we have more than one at 100%?
>you can't surpass 100%
Yet?
>you don't change incarnations unless you want to once that threshold is reached
I never want to change then
>assuming the system is telling the truth
Who is behind this system then, huh? I bet they have no reason not to lie to players in this twisted game (that needs to be reset)
>sync rate for incarnations has no effect on that incarnation's psyche
Uh huh. Sure...
>no downsides to boosting sync rates beyond the inconvenience of doing so
I guess free bonuses and free exp is all we're getting
>>
>>5884138
>That is a huge relief. But what happens if we have more than one at 100%?
You get the 100% sync rewards, and can choose to redeify if you want. However, there are some consequences to doing that which will be explained if they players ever elect to do so

Honestly, this whole experience has been super interesting to me because I was like 80% sure this quest would end up as a slice of life fishing sim as a river somewhere or a more conventional rise to the top story, but the players picked a villain and stuck with it, which led to in my opinion some really cool moments that probably wouldn't have occurred to me if I was writing something on my own. One of the cool things about /qst/, I guess
>>
>>5884037
>Let Chen take over the training. As long as it has nothing to do with guns, she's around as capable as you are
We have more important things to do
Like drinking and smoking
>>
>>5884140
>One of the cool things about /qst/, I guess
Welcome to /qst/. The most unknown, isolated, dead board in all of 4chan.
>>
>>5884053
>>5884098
>>5884144

>Focus entirely on this training. It's important to lay the groundwork for adjusting to her new body before we begin with spars and technique

Over the next week or so, you focus on getting her familiar with her new form and recalibrating her instincts and movements so that she can readily shift between winged and unwinged movement. Ironically, you have to have her unlearn a lot of the instincts that were given to her by the system, since feeling and recognizing the weight of her new appendages is vital for full motor control.

>Congratulations! You have tutored an incarnation to better understand their own abilities. You may claim the title <Divine Tutor>!

Looks like the system's given you some rewards. You wonder what the motivation for its creation might have been, but you leave such matters to others more qualified. You turn your thoughts back to your new protege.

Regardless of any meddling from the system, your student has been learning remarkably quickly. Not only is she completely dedicated to the training, but she seems to have a remarkable talent for movement and balance. You think to ask:

"Did you do gymnastics at all when you were still in school?"

"For a while when I was 13, but I got bored of it pretty fast. My grandpa was a pretty famous gymnast, though. Apparently he made it all the way to the Olympics."

Talent really is something else.

The training has been fruitful, but your superiors are pressing you for more tangible results from your new acquisition. Since you took down Morpheus, you don't think you have to worry about any direct action, but you'd like it if your boss was as happy with you as possible.

Should you accept the title?
>Yes
>No

What's your next step?
>I should focus on training Rosa. Just a little more and she should be the ace of our squadron. Chen can look into some leads while I get her combat ready
>I can do a little investigating while Chen trains Rosa
>She can practice on her own while Chen and I investigate
>She's prepared enough for a minor scuffle. We need her power now
>Write-in
>>
Also, who would you be most interested in seeing art of?
>Jackson (Simp incarnation)
>Jane (the hind)
>Molotov
>Braun
>Chen
>Rosa
>Write-in
>>
>>5884233
>Yes
>I can do a little investigating while Chen trains Rosa

>>5884237
>Jane (the hind)
>>
>>5884233
>Yes
We're no Chiron, but OK
>I can do a little investigating while Chen trains Rosa
Rotate out!

>>5884237
>Jane (the hind)
The girl who literally sacrificed herself to Ate in front of her
>>
>>5884233
>>Yes
Why not. We're building a team.

>I can do a little investigating while Chen trains Rosa
Rosa has however been doing this fancy game shit longer than us so it'd be worth it to have her insight for the new girl.

>>5884237
>>Jackson (Simp incarnation)
I have to see how he managed to keep a neckbeard despite having abs you could grind steel on. Can't help it.

>>5884258
Honestly the most metal shit I've seen in a while.
>>
>>5884304
Whoops, meant Chen has been doing the fancy game shit. My goof.
>>
>>5884117
> I don't like Ate going and killing people personally, as it goes against the directive. Only if we're actually being pursued or cornered should we fight personally, that's what I think.
We had reasons for taking all of those combat authorities, new-fag. We need to prove to pheme that we could hold our own in combat in order for her to join us and let us keep our pantheon by promising to kill off the less desirable ones. Not only that but killing divine incarnations has been the best way to get influence as well. To do so we can’t rely on mind control powers because as the pig proved they can resist them so we need physical force as a up back option.
We took Rebuke Against Heaven because it plays into our play-style as an assassin killing incarnations while the empire ability would just us in trouble with world wide organizations.
>>
>>5884304
He kept his neckbeard out of LAZINESS. Out of SLOTH. His literal god powers did NOTHING to fix his habits and tendencies. And yeah that suicide moment was intense, especially all the pressure and moral dilemma facing both the protag and the players in the lead-up to it

>>5884327
>prove to pheme
Who is betraying us offscreen RIGHT NOW
>kill off the less desirable ones
Have we even tried to find or recruit any desirables? We haven't
>killing divine incarnations has been the best way to get influence
Very strange how that gets us more influence in this battle royale than making mortals worship the people with god powers, which is how real deities got actual influence. Very strange
>the pig proved they can resist them so we need physical force as a up back option
It needs to be a back up option and not a go-to option. I'm saying we need to use mind control powers way more often until we can prove the target is resistant or a no-sell
>plays into our play-style as an assassin killing incarnations
Only because we got put into this situation with our NAP with Pheme. We had to adopt this playstyle as a result of her deal
>the empire ability would just us in trouble with world wide organizations.
What if I WANT to play it that way, huh?! What if I WANT to set the world on fire? What if I WANT mass chaos in this quest and make people fuck themselves worldwide? What if I WANT to play the walking talking memetic disaster straight, and not bend all the way into being a full assassin?
>>
>>5884334
>Who is betraying us offscreen RIGHT NOW
Wtf are you getting this from?
>Have we even tried to find or recruit any desirables? We haven't
Our long-term plan was still to form our pantheon. Tbh, I think most people just forgot about it (we weren't really promoted to do so) and were more focused on getting strong enough to survive combat.
>Very strange how that gets us more influence in this battle royale than making mortals worship the people with god powers, which is how real deities got actual influence. Very strange
Yeah, we tried multiple times to get passive income but it was always pretty inefficient compared to actually risking our lives in combat. Personally, I find tracking down incarnations and abusing their weakness to get them to commit suicide a lot more fun than just sitting around being a streamer, so it's all good in my book.
>It needs to be a backup option and not a go-to option. I'm saying we need to use mind control powers way more often until we can prove the target is resistant or a no-sell
That's what we've been doing. To kill the pig we tried mind control before goring him to death, we got the hind to commit suicide, and we got the simp to commit suicide as well.
>Only because we got put into this situation with our NAP with Pheme. We had to adopt this playstyle as a result of her deal
Naw it's been the best way to progress this whole time. Being passive was not only boring, but it was inefficient as engaging in combat produces much greater results.
>What if I WANT to set the world on fire?
I think most anons are good with that we just have to understand our limitations. Taking down an entire country means fighting their entire incarnation defense force who could resist mind control and take us down easily. It made a lot more sense pragmatically to focus on just killing individuals until we have a big enough group to back us up.
>>
>>5884353
I'm simply paranoid about Pheme because she left to Columbia and has not returned. Not even a message from her feathers.
Yeah I still want to go for the pantheon, but I'm unsure if anybody else will bother to accept it given Ate's goal of "mass chaos and discord and insanity worldwide". That IS our goal, isn't it?
>get passive income but it was always pretty inefficient compared to actually risking our lives in combat
Thoughts on the Death Whistle double exp plan I threw out in >>5884127? I do agree we need to do more weakness abusing; that's what we have Assess Hamartia for. We've been doing good so far overall.
>Being passive was not only boring, but it was inefficient as engaging in combat produces much greater results
You'd think us following the directive would get us more EXP by default instead of cucking us out of it. The managers of this greek god battle royale are retarded, or maybe there's more to it than that... You're also right about the limitations that are in place. Mind control resistance is a pain, but destabilizing an entire nation is still doable with mass memetic warfare. They can't simply GIVE their entire populace anti-memetics or mass manipulation cures, can they?
>>
>>5884353
>>5884382

Generally, the system favors actions that the incarnation in question has already taken. Because Atë got <First Blood>, she ended up with milestone rewards and epithets that favor active confrontation. Of course, if she focused on her passive income, it's entirely possible for her to increase its dividends over time

Updating the quest tomorrow morning, so the vote is still open
>>
>>5884382

Pretty sure if we focused on building our popularity and following we could build a pretty massive passive income. We've put pretty little effort into it. If we detonated our fanbase it would get us a pretty nuts amount of influence. And if we took off as a musician...holy shit the possibilities.

Really we ought to look into taking over a country and installing ourselves as their goddess queen.
>>
>>5884452
>Pretty sure if we focused on building our popularity and following we could build a pretty massive passive income. We've put pretty little effort into it.
We have tried multiple times to grow the passive income and it’s remained a lot less efficient compared to spending our actions just doing stuff. I think the whole idea is risk vs reward where our passive income is not very risky so we don’t get much out of it. I think we should still work towards it, but it’s not always the best use of our time.

>If we detonated our fanbase it would get us a pretty nuts amount of influence.
I’m personally against this because their our must secure source of passive income that we have taken a lot of action to cultivate. If we want to detonate a fan base we should just take over a celebrity’s identity instead, since by the time we’re caught their fans will already be dead.

>Really we ought to look into taking over a country and installing ourselves as their goddess queen.
I’m not against the idea but I think we should get some of our pantheon working with us before we try something that ballsy.
>>
>>5884255
>>5884258
>>5884304

>Yes

In for a penny, in for a pound. You’ve already let the system meddle around your body, you might as well take all the power you can get.

>You have gained the title <Divine Tutor>! You may copy 1 authority from any incarnation that you have taught, however, you must get permission from the target incarnation to do so. EX rank authorities can be copied, but in a degraded state. Additionally, you gain the myth of <Chiron> as an epithet!

You have 2 available rewards from <Divine Tutor>!

This is certainly interesting. At first, this power seems incredible, but realistically, how often is this gonna come up? Also, it says 2- clearly including Chen- who you tutored when you weren’t even an incarnation. Maybe the teaching for the skill doesn’t have to be based on supernatural elements? Regardless, you ask Chen and Rosa if you can copy one of their powers. Rosa immediately agrees, almost looking ambivalent to the matter. Chen, on the other hand, agrees promptly but shows visible signs of disappointment.

Which should you take?

From Tisiphone:

Fury’s Wings (EX):
Sprouts wings from your body. Not only do they enable you to fly, but they also act as sensory organs, detecting human presences and specifically identifying a designated target

Fires of Wrath (1):
Summons a blue flame that you can freely manipulate, including attaching it to your person. This fire will not burn anything you do not wish it to

Berserk (1):
Increases all of your physical attributes, including durability, proportional to your rage. Additionally, deepens your anger when in use. Consumes divinity proportional to the strength of the authority’s manifestation

Rend (1):
Sprouts claws from your hand that can be used as a weapon

From Theia:

Theia’s Eyes (EX):
Allows you to see in every direction, unobstructed by barriers, with an increase in resolution over distance equivalent to your level

Titanic Strength (1):
You may infuse your body with divinity, strengthening the power and durability of your muscles. Overuse may cause damage to connective or skeletal tissue

Truesight (1):
Allows you to see through illusions while active. Can fail due to a massive difference in level. Consumes 1 divinity per minute

Lend Perspective (1):
Allows you to share your perception based authorities with a target. Consumes the divinity that the target uses, but does not consume divinity itself. You may not share or use the authorities already lent to a target
>>
>>5884735
>Fires of Wrath (1)
Portable light lets go!
>Truesight (1)
Yet another cop skill
>>
Haven't had the energy for a full digital illustration, but here's a pencil sketch. Jane on the left, Jackson on the right. That black bit under Jackson's chin isn't shadow, it's his neckbeard
>>
>>5884773
Forgot the image
>>
>>5884770
>>5884735
>support
>>
>>5884735
>>5884770
>+1

>>5884776
Bro even stands like he has no balls. Indeed cosmetic mutation surgery cannot fix natural bitch energy. Also damn Jane was cute. Oh well.
>>
>>5884770
Support. The imagine of a gritty cop lighting his cigarette with supernatural blue flame is hard to pass up.
>>
>>5884770
>>5884786
>>5884786
>>5884797
>>5884803

You select <Fires of Wrath> and <Truesight>. You consider taking the gamble with <Theia's Eyes>, but you decide not to risk getting a potential dud over something you know will be useful.

Your information can be found at https://rentry.org/diomedes-incarnation-status

>I can do a little investigating while Chen trains Rosa

You decide that Chen, someone who has spent longer as a godling than you have, should be able to give Rosa training as good as if not better than yours. Chen still seems uncomfortable with letting a kid go out and fight superpowered psychopaths but you don't need to remind her that this is Rosa's only shot at living a normal life later down the line.

Now it's time to get to work. A majority of the incarnations running around are <Plural Myths>- you and your team have already taken out multiple <Phonoi> (although Chen rejected their epithets). Still, in the grand scheme of things any incarnation is going to be pretty rare, so your job involves a lot more looking than finding.

One of the best ways to track down incarnations is to cooperate with the more normal departments in order to find impossible details or discrepancies. Who should you turn to?
>Homicide
>Arson
>Let's talk to the beat cops
>Cyber-Crime
>Drugs
>Terrorism
>Write-in
>>
>>5884828
>>Homicide
Most of these incarnates seem to have really shit impulse control. And they like to kill each other. Even if they are being quiet they're probably shanking each other in the dark on the side.
>>
>>5884828
>go out drinking run into beautiful woman who whispers sweet nothings in our ear. Aka Ate.
>>
>>5884828
>Arson
the most based of crimes
>>
>>5884903
Nah that'd be an evasion of a certain tithe.
>>
>>5884828
In the interest of tiebreaking
>Homicide
Also practice using Fires of Wrath to light cigs. If we're going to be urban fantasy nightmare setting cop, we need to learn how to do this. Doing it for other cops alone will get us supporters due to the cool factor.
>>
>>5884912
Are we going to wind up with the catchphrase "Need a light?"?
>>
>>5884859
>>Homicide
>>5884859
>>5884896
>>5884903
>>5884912

>Homicide

You decide to pay a visit to the homicide department. Many incarnations have the deaths of others as a part of their <Directive>, so it’s often a pretty safe bet. You punch in the access code and leave the basement before heading to the nearest actual police department near your office (You and your department have been cordoned off in a mostly defunct building for security reasons).

You enter, greeting the secretary and making your way to the homicide investigation unit. Almost immediately, you are greeted by the unit’s lead, an older man who managed to maintain a sense of positivity despite the grim nature of his role, not by naivete, but rather from a sort of acceptance with the state of the world and a drive to do what he can to make things better. Your former senior partner and a good friend, Lukas Köhler.

“Ah, Braun, just the man I wanted to see!”

“Do you have something for me s- Köhler?”

You almost called him ‘sir’ on instinct. Due to your new assignment, while you’re not technically the same rank as him (seeing as the existence and personnel of your unit is somewhat obscured by government order), you are, internally, equal to him or higher in terms of the chain of command.

“Yes. We’ve been dealing with a string of murders with odd details in the methodology. At first, we just assumed that the abnormalities were done symbolically or out of some sort of pathology, but we now suspect that some of your… supernatural business is involved.”

“I see. Care to share the file with me?”

He nods, and hands over the details to the case.
>>
>>5885057
Looking at the list of victims, your first thoughts immediately spring to ecoterrorism: the CEO of a logging company, a high level executive of a chemical company, and, recently, a Saudi oil baron who had recently visited Munich as a tourist.

You turn to the cause of death: blood loss due to a stab to the heart. Curiously, you notice that, in all cases, the autopsy report found bark, splinters, and dirt in the wounds. You can understand why they could have interpreted this as a mortal trying to spread a message, but if that were the case, you’d imagine they would have left the implement inside the victim for the police and media to find. From where you stand, this is obviously the work of an incarnation with some sort of plant based ability.

On the one hand, you’re reasonably certain that the perpetrator is an incarnation. On the other, the high profile nature of the victims makes things annoying- you’ll have a lot of eyes on you when you work this case. Additionally, this individual is not only a serial killer, but one with at least one authority that can be utilized in a combat scenario. That’s a pretty high danger level for Rosa’s first case.

There’s no definitive evidence of incarnation involvement, so you won’t face reprisal for misjudging the situation. What should you say?

>This looks like standard ecoterrorism to me, I’d refer the case to them
>This is definitely one of ours. Thanks for the heads up, we’ll take it from here
>>
>>5885058
>This is definitely one of ours. Thanks for the heads up, we’ll take it from here
With how they got past all that security to kill these rich victims? Yeah they're an incarnation
Also we're on page 10, you might wanna archive this properly. Go ask /qtg/
>>
>>5885061
I have it up on thisisnotatrueending. I've just been procrastinating on the new thread
>>
>>5885058
>>This is definitely one of ours. Thanks for the heads up, we’ll take it from here


>>5885061
There is another option, the killer is someone in a similar sphere of peers. A CEO or worker for one. Bumping off competition. Enabling hostile takeovers or muscling-in on turf. That sort of thing. Though I doubt it, it should stay on the table.
>>
>>5885058
>This is definitely one of ours. Thanks for the heads up, we’ll take it from here
>>
>>5885061
>>5885072
>>5885080

New thread
>>5885101



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