Avatar of Raineh Daze

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5 mos ago
Current i'm not sure the appropriate use of an OLED TV is to play random scenic train videos but here we are
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7 mos ago
swish
8 mos ago
Being truly on my own is a bit of a weird feeling. It's never really happened.
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9 mos ago
Let it never be said that sometimes extreme brevity isn't the most appropriate post, though. Everything is a tool.
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11 mos ago
a loaf is a surprisingly hard thing to make
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Tyaethe Radistirin - Candaeln


"Yes, all vampires need to have exceptional mana reserves whilst still alive and I don't know of a single exception. Unlike sapient undead, it seems to be a very consistent process," she answered, wondering if there was any point going into speculation about why that might be--not really, that was more a thing for the mage college and the details they wanted were out of her skillset, "Find someone with enough mana and all that matters after that is how determined the target is. I don't know why someone would have picked Damon Cal, but I seem to still be here because I tried to kill the one responsible."

Tyaethe turned around and started erasing her existing diagram, replacing it with a grid.


"I like to think you can categorise most vampires based on how long they've had to practice and how hungry they are. Someone who hasn't been a vampire for long won't have anything on their side beyond extra strength, so you could probably take them with a bit of caution," she said, turning around and putting her hands on her hips. "If they're an experienced warrior, they're more likely to avoid fighting when starved, but if you can force it then you just need to overcome the strength difference and any healing they can still do."

Now she seemed to be annoyed, frowning and pointing at the last column, "The problem is this lot. Charging a mage with that much experience and mana head on, or getting into some magical contest with them, is a bad idea even when stabbing them will be fatal. You can bank on some predilection towards blood related magic, since every vampire seems to have some affinity for it, but they could just as easily fill a corridor with a wall of blades. Unless you have some idea of what an unknown vampire can do or how old they are, rushing in could easily get everyone killed. You need to be prepared for magical retaliation."

Though the frown did seem to go away as she looked at the diagram again, "If you ever meet a vampire who's both a powerful mage and warrior instead of splitting the difference like Damon Cal: first, why are you near Talderia; second, don't pretend you like undead or don't mind, just be honest and try to kill her. You're more likely to live."

@ghastlyInc@Crimson Paladin
Also this one has no specific right answer.
Evelyn and Elisabeth


Travelling to Japan across the breadth of the world had been entirely uneventful compared to the runup, which had almost inexplicably--to Evelyn, at least--involved strange, hushed meetings with Church officials. Who was she, what did she want, who was putting her up to this? Despite Elisabeth's insistence that this was for her own safety, it had felt rather like she was being assessed for death. The later explanation that this was entirely true but still preferable to getting the information from an actual magus had been... disquieting. As much as she disliked her eyes, having them plucked from her head and her arm cut off as a key into this war was a step down from wearing a blindfold.

Once in Japan... well, she was a girl of limited means; there was no fancy catalyst for her summoning. All Evelyn could do was hope that whatever spirit most resonated with her was strong enough to have a chance at victory. So far, she seemed fortunate...? Orion was a legendary figure, the second most identifiable constellation and likely the greatest hunter to have ever lived. How that would translate into fighting other Servants, though, or if he was really all that... she couldn't say for sure.

For some reason, Elisabeth had taken a near immediate dislike to him and started arguing over nothing much in particular. Not enough to refuse his assistance in reaching their current position, though, as she begrudgingly stood beside the hulking figure and looked down at the city.

Evelyn, having no business standing near the edge of a skyscraper like those two, had instead seated herself cross-legged in the middle of the roof and lit up a cigarette.

"You really think you can spot a Servant from up here? They're probably hiding," Elisabeth said, doubting that anyone would do anything to reveal themselves so blatantly. "I'm telling you, we'd be better off checking with the Overseer. Last thing we need is to antagonise the Church."



GOLDEN


"Yo, Master!" the Berserker said, uncharacteristically cheerful for... basically anyone summoned into that class, as he turned around to look at her. From somewhere else in the mansion, he'd managed to pull a full-length mirror and had, until her appearance, been admiring himself in it. That, at least, was something trivial for him to do. How the man had so rapidly acquired a change of clothes and sunglasses...? Well, his shopping ability was probably golden, too.

"Feelin' better now? My ol' costume ain't golden enough, so I got somethin' fresh that should fit in more."

Not that he really had any hope of fitting in. If there was one thing Kintoki wasn't, it was subtle. Or unobtrusive.
@PaulHaynek@Crimson Paladin@ghastlyInc

Anyone else is free to respond if they want to be there, though.

TL;DR version: vampires and sapient undead are A) unageing, and B) by nature have huge amounts of mana to throw around.
Tyaethe Radistirin - Candaeln


"Well, you're all right... sort of," she said, cutting off any more answers could come in, though from the expression she directed at Gillian, she wasn't entirely pleased with the long-winded explanation or the unnecessary detail. "The blue circle contains entities that have a soul, which is why anyone in these three groups is able to think and act independently. You can also think of this as 'people I will get arrested for attacking in passing'."

That look was directed at the Reonites. "If you somehow identify another vampire in passing, you can't stab them just for existing. We don't need another diplomatic incident with the Academy of Meridan..."

She scratched her head, clearly trying to remember her train of thought. "Anyway, the red circle is undead, or beings animated by magic. Mindless undead are just puppeted by the magic animating them and most necromancers have no interest in using more to prevent the decay. You might find some that are well-preserved because they wanted to keep some combat proficiency, or whatever caused them to rise up is just oozing it, but in general they're going to fall apart.

"What sapient undead and vampires have in common is having so much mana that it replicates most of the functionality of the life-providing portion of the soul and keeps it anchored in place far beyond fatal injuries. Eating, sleeping, thinking, reflexes; about the only thing it doesn't emulate is growth or natural healing. Half alive, as it were, but never ageing. Sapient undead have the mana reactor Reynaud mentioned, vampires... well, it's something to do with intrinsic blood sacrifice. I don't know how, whatever necromancy did that happened before anyone except the gods remember."

"Well... probably. Some elves and undead are annoyingly old." Hearing this coming from someone over two centuries old but looking about nine wasn't all that reassuring.

"What these have in common," Tyaethe continued, underlining the sapient undead and vampires for emphasis before turning back, "Is that they always have a vast mana reserve before replenishment comes into it. All vampires did even before being turned. Even if a vampire is starving and can't possibly replace what they use, what does this tell you about the type of enemy you're going to be fighting?"


Approximation of the diagram
Attendance is not compulsory. xD
Tyaethe Radistirin - Candaeln


From somewhere, the diminutive paladin had managed to wrangle a reasonably sizeable blackboard and set it up, along with steps so that she could actually reach closer to the top of the surface. Already drawn onto it were three childish drawings of humanoid figures, oddly contrasted with neatly written, almost scribe-like labels: alive, sapient undead, and vampire. A fourth sketch of a skeleton was left unlabelled, assuming that what it represented should be obvious based on the context. Having produced some coloured chalk, a blue ring had been drawn around the humanoid figures and a red one around the undead.

With a long pointer in hand, Tyaethe finally hopped off the steps and indicated the first group, then the second. "Can anyone tell me what these groups represent and why something would be in it?"

She was probably the smallest lecturer they'd ever see.
Jack the Ripper


Where did she want to go today? Wherever her mother was, of course. But that couldn't be the answer she was looking for, so where could she go...? She had clothes, so clothes weren't needed. She didn't want to go to school again because that was boring and it wasn't somewhere that you could just go to... parks were nice but as a Servant she always had an unfair advantage in playing.

Before she could actually decide on something, Yuriko had guided her onwards towards a crying girl. Ah... that wasn't good! But why was she crying? Maybe she'd been abandoned? She couldn't have Jack's mother if that was the case but maybe if it was just someone doing something nasty that could be fixed so it wouldn't happen again.

"Um... what's wrong?"
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