The Legend of Hieda: Daughter Zero - Completed

[Fightest]

>By what name does this stuff go?

> The now-talking thing formed from the chaos was probably expressing its surprise that something as trivial as hair has a name.

[Mr_Bob]

>"By what name do you go by?"

[Fightest]

>"By what name do you go by?"

> Koishi silently scoffs at Are's simple trickery, disguised as an extension of favor. None would give out their name like that, for giving one's name means allowing it to be taken, but perhaps these storytellers do not understand such simple truths.
> Koishi decides to use this to ... her...?
> Ah, those like Are come in two flavours, with no mechanical differences other than a few superficial ones, and Koishi decides on the one like Are's to demonstrate her superior ability to play such a character
> advantage.
> Making an extravagant, perfectly-executed gesture of greeting, hiding her own deceit with a mask of grace, she introduces herself as Satori and asks for Are's name in return.

[Mr_Bob]

>"Yes, I can see you are a satori, but do you have a name to go by?"

[Fightest]

>"Yes, I can see you are a satori, but do you have a name to go by?"

> Koishi is somewhat taken aback at her astoundingly poor luck at picking a name.
> She quips that she is what she is and, lying so gracefully it is as if she had been doing so all her life, explains that where she comes from things' names are what they are.

[Mr_Bob]

>"Then what name would you give yourself, if you did not come from whence you came?"

[Fightest]

>"Then what name would you give yourself, if you did not come from whence you came?"

> Oh, but this one is insistent, Koishi thinks, her perfect visage betraying not a hint of the irritation she felt. She adopts an expression of confusion and vulnerability and mutters that she would not feel comfortable being called anything but the name she gave Are.

Fightest's note: I know you're there, lurkers! Your participation means that this thing will go that much faster, and there is a lot of material to go through. As in, every single generation of Hieda until the formation of the Barrier.

[Jq1790]

Fightest's note: I know you're there, lurkers! Your participation means that this thing will go that much faster, and there is a lot of material to go through. As in, every single generation of Hieda until the formation of the Barrier.

Believe me, I'd participate if I could think of actions to do!  I'm sure there're a lot of other lurkers doing just that, waiting til something comes up that they can figure out a good reply to.

(Will probably edit this later to add an action if, as stated, I think of one.)

EDIT:
...how do we know this is Koishi?  The informational text uses her name, but how did we become aware of it?  Perhaps we've been subconsciously aware of it from the beginning due to her influence, and we've been going about things all wrong trying to communicate with only the information received in the conscious state?

If my guess is correct, the following should be doable(If I'm getting confused and this is information the players have but not Are, obviously ignore this action, Fightest.):
>Push aside the conversation between ourself and Koishi long enough to notice her proper introduction of herself. 
>"Ah, so I should not call you...Koishi, is it?"

[Fightest]

EDIT:
...how do we know this is Koishi?  The informational text uses her name, but how did we become aware of it?  Perhaps we've been subconsciously aware of it from the beginning due to her influence, and we've been going about things all wrong trying to communicate with only the information received in the conscious state?

If my guess is correct, the following should be doable(If I'm getting confused and this is information the players have but not Are, obviously ignore this action, Fightest.):
>Push aside the conversation between ourself and Koishi long enough to notice her proper introduction of herself. 
>"Ah, so I should not call you...Koishi, is it?"

I was wondering when somebody would aggressively metagame Koishi's bullshit.

> Koishi narrows her eyes. How could Are possibly...
> The shape warps
> from the fury that twists Koishi's expression into
> no longer humanoid
> That Are dared break the storyline Koishi so lovingly crafted was, to her, unthinkable.
> images, one after the other, memories from your childhood flash through the roiling chaos around you
> Are's character should know her place in this story!

> ...

> And you are there, once again in the dream that will never go away, six years old, your hands shaking, your legs about to give out, standing between your family and the tiger that towers three times your height over you.
>The animal has already mauled its handler and a hapless merchant and it looks ready, in its frenzy, to tear apart anything in its path.
> You are armed with:
> a stick
> your wits

[Mr_Bob]

Yeah, I was wondering what the difference was between what Are knew and what the players know and ... oh shit! Tigers!
Bob's note to players: I'm pretty much just playing by the seat of my pants.  Varied input is welcome and results in more interesting/insightful play.

>Do we have a mask with the image of a face on it?
>Look into the Tiger's eyes and don't lose eye contact.

[Fightest]

Yeah, I was wondering what the difference was between what Are knew and what the players know

I should probably be actually clear on this one: Are knows more than the players about the setting. In the case of Koishi, however, things are a bit different.

>Do we have a mask with the image of a face on it?

> What would the intention of this mask - or its use - be?

>Look into the Tiger's eyes and don't lose eye contact.

> The animal's eyes are a bright red, darting around in their sockets, no hint of intelligence or control in them.

[Jq1790]

>Besides that which we're armed with, do we have any sort of combat experience yet?  I mean, we're only six, but I'm not about to discount a possibility due to age.

[Fightest]

>Besides that which we're armed with, do we have any sort of combat experience yet?  I mean, we're only six, but I'm not about to discount a possibility due to age.

> You have never been in a fight before. Oh, you have experienced the scrapes and bruises of a precocious childhood, and you have seen your father break up a heated argument on the street, but nothing you have experienced could have come close to preparing you for this.

[Jq1790]

>What is in the area we're at?  Obstacles, potential barriers, other possible makeshift weaponry should our stick get taken, etc.?
>Condition of our family members behind us?
>Do we have any idea why this tiger is in such a frenzied state?

[Mr_Bob]

When Tigers hunt they strike from behind, therefore the practice of wearing a mask on the back of the head deters an attack.  This works, but reading further: only on wild tigers (not used to humans), and on hunting tigers (not frenzied).

Geez, this is even worse than when Akyu started...

>What would the handler use to control the animal?  What seemed to set the tiger off?

[Fightest]

>What is in the area we're at?  Obstacles, potential barriers, other possible makeshift weaponry should our stick get taken, etc.?

> You are in the middle of a festival, with stands, stages and booths scattered around, adorned with colourful plaques and streamers.

>Condition of our family members behind us?

> Your mother fainted at the sight of the tiger's first attack, and your father had just begun picking her up to carry her to safety, when the tiger chose you as its next targets.

>Do we have any idea why this tiger is in such a frenzied state?

>What would the handler use to control the animal?  What seemed to set the tiger off?

> You have little understanding of exotic animals from the south-west, and you did not see the tiger until its handler was already dead. The handler does appear to be holding a notched disc in his palm, like the sort one would use to maintain an Essence leash on a smaller pet.

[Jq1790]

>How do these Essence disks work, and do we know anything about animals becoming enraged or frenzied because of something regarding them?  We might or might not know, being but six years old and such.

[Fightest]

>How do these Essence disks work, and do we know anything about animals becoming enraged or frenzied because of something regarding them?  We might or might not know, being but six years old and such.

> They are simple enough: an Essence leash allows a handler to keep their pet in check without a physical restraint by sending painless signals to the animal when it leaves a certain radius. Should stronger influence be necessary, the leash can make the signals more uncomfortable. You have never heard of anything like this happening.
> Something in the tiger's mind finally goes off and it bounds forward at you, its teeth bared.

[Jq1790]

>Duck under the tiger and swing our stick at its stomach as hard as we can.
>If it's stunned for any length of time so it can't reach our parents, get that Essence disk and see if it's on some painful setting.
>If it is, turn it off.

[Mr_Bob]

>Sprint, Slide, Strike, Scramble, Skedaddle.

[Fightest]

>Duck under the tiger and swing our stick at its stomach as hard as we can.
>If it's stunned for any length of time so it can't reach our parents, get that Essence disk and see if it's on some painful setting.
>If it is, turn it off.

>Sprint, Slide, Strike, Scramble, Skedaddle.

> But are you not Are, whose name would later be spoken with equal parts adoration and wonder across the entirety of Creation? Are you not Are, whose very presence would give mighty gods pause?
> Your stick whistles through the air as you strike at the tiger's-
> But no.

> You are only six years old.

> A strange yanking sensation stops you and you get pulled off your feet.

> You feel a wetness spreading all across your left arm and, with a strange calm, you note that the tiger has its jaws firmly shut over it.

> It is like watching from a great distance, with a serene sense of separation you feel the tiger twist and tear.

> And it is as if the pain is not even your own when the sinews part, the bones pop from their sockets, the muscles rip and the skin breaks when your left arm separates from your body at the shoulder.

> It is then for this sensation that, despite being flung like a rag doll, you pick yourself up,
> entertain the thought that your new dress is thoroughly ruined,
> wonder what it is that everyone is shouting - and why they are being so quiet about it

> And pick up the leash disc, just a few feet away from where you landed. It has an unusual button on it, and it seems to be stuck in the "on" position.

[Jq1790]

>Turn it off
>Contemplate what sort of dress we should get later to replace this one

[Fightest]

>Turn it off
>Contemplate what sort of dress we should get later to replace this one

> A speck of sand appears to have gotten the button stuck.
> You pick at it, and the button snaps back into its default position.
> You see the tiger's legs collapse out from under it. Is this what the fuss was-

> But you'll worry yourself about that later, it is getting very cold.

> You lie down and pull your stained silk scarf tighter around yourself. It is normally so warm this time of year. Maybe you should ask for a thicker dress-

> Go into shock? Y/N

[Jq1790]

> Go into shock? Y/N

>As much as we'd like not to...Y.  We did just get our arm torn off; I think a little bit of shock's in order now that the immediate threat seems to have passed.
Yeah, thinking further after reading the post below this one, we should
>Resist.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>No. Shock in this context is a physical condition. Overcome it.

[Mr_Bob]

>Curl up into ball (to make sure blood flows to internal organs), breathe evenly (to prevent hyperventilation), and count to 10 (to keep the mind calm).

[Fightest]

>Resist.

>No. Shock in this context is a physical condition. Overcome it.

> closer, deeper
> dull pain in your prosthetic arm

> You are bleeding out
> Your skin grows clammy and cold
> Your heart rate starts to lose rhythm

>Curl up into ball (to make sure blood flows to internal organs), breathe evenly (to prevent hyperventilation), and count to 10 (to keep the mind calm).

> Your blood diverts to support the functions of your major organs. You breathe steadily, supplying oxygen and Essence to your body, and, with this little bit of power, your heart stabilizes its sickly pace to keep your systems functi-

> Koishi reels back in surprise. This girl, this... Are resists literally with every fiber of her being. Everything Koishi threw against her was nothing more but yet another challenge to overcome.
> Some other time, Koishi thought, some other place, she will come back. She would bring her stories to this Creation yet. She could wait an eternity, and come back when this Are is nothing more than bones long buried.

> And with a rushing sensation the roiling chaos pulls back, back, yard by yard, mile by mile, leaving in its wake pristine land, as if nothing had ever happened. Soon, the wave disappears in the distance.

[Mr_Bob]

>"Ugh." Fall to knees. That last one was close to home/personal memories/heart.
>Check arm and breathe. Make a fist.
>Run to check on comrades.  The land was unscathed, what about it's people?

[Jq1790]

>Search for anything tangible the wave might have left behind as it returned from whence it came, make sure the land's as unharmed as it seems while we(as said by Mr. Bob) check on our allies and see if any survivors of the region exist.

>Prod the Parser to catch his attention and remind him this still exists

[Fightest]

>"Ugh." Fall to knees. That last one was close to home/personal memories/heart.
>Check arm and breathe. Make a fist.
>Run to check on comrades.  The land was unscathed, what about it's people?

>Search for anything tangible the wave might have left behind as it returned from whence it came, make sure the land's as unharmed as it seems while we(as said by Mr. Bob) check on our allies and see if any survivors of the region exist.

>Prod the Parser to catch his attention and remind him this still exists

I'm not dead, this isn't dead!

> Even to this day, the dream - and the memory - are an unsightly crack in the mighty fortress of your mythic power.
> You open and close your left fist. The prosthetic arm responds as well as it always has, and often you forget about it being there, aside from the occasional uncomfortable reminder.
> You find Mo-Ko nearby, her form vague and flickering, barely keeping a human silhouette, muttering to herself.
> "Talk about bad taste in storytellin'" [hurtvulnerable] "snap outta it. Ye've got a new nick, Mo-Ko, keep up w'yerself."
> Besides her, beyond the line where you first stopped the chaos wave, there is nothing but unscathed land. No people remain.
> Half of your armies remain intact, those that the wave did not reach.