tobiasbegley

Bit of an unusual vote this time...

Added 2025-02-26 12:59:01 +0000 UTC

Like the title says, this vote is going to be a bit less diegetic than I usually aim for, but hey, it is what it is. Basically, I have two ways that this upcoming search and assembly for the remaining bits and powers of the soul strengthening array can go, and I want you to vote for the one you think would be most interesting / most beneficial for Malachi.

Option One: Malachi and co search through the ruins of the city, using their mana senses, psychometry, and Orykson's spell to identify the array's pieces and put it back together, at least enough for a few uses. This has the benefits of better odds of finding stuff left behind or was hidden, ghosts from that era, and mana sources that have popped up in the centuries since. Even if the group can't use what they find, they can be sold and split for points.

Option Two: Malachi and co are led by Orykson's spell to a partially unmoored shadowrealm, where they have to move through the shadow of the original city and fend off the spirits, beasts, and other things that hid from the slaughter spirit taking over the territory. This is less likely to have direct loot, but the realm can be consumed by Dusk upon completion to add certain aspects to her realm, like how consuming the time catch slowed the aging of beings inside her.

This is definitely a more Doylist vote than a Watsonian one, as if Option One is picked, then the shadowrealm would have unmoored before they got there, and if we pick Option Two, they'll have to release the slaughter spirit before they can get lootin' done.

Full disclosure: I think both routes present different benefits, but I don't think one is strictly better than the other.