| 1 | '''Beware unmarked spoilers!''' |
| 2 | ----- |
| 3 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | ! The PlayerCharacter |
| 6 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 7 | You. An average Joe/Jane who, through one channel or another, stumbles upon knowledge of the Hours and decides to find a way to become immortal, no matter what or who has to be sacrificed to do it. |
| 8 | ----- |
| 9 | * BadassBookworm: The eldritch powers the player character is meddling with can elevate their minds and bodies far beyond the human norm, if it doesn't kill them or drive them mad. |
| 10 | * BishonenLine: In a rare protagonist version, the transformation into a Long involves the player's appearance becoming progressively more unsettling: the skin becoming loose and translucent with light leaking out for Lantern, growing grotesquely swollen with new organs popping out in inappropriate places for Grail, and charring yourself into one huge burn scar for Forge. This is reversed if you manage to complete the transformation though, with the Lantern Long [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence leaving their body behind to dwell in the Mansus]], the Grail Long literally giving birth to a new immortal body for themselves, and the Forge Long emerging from ashes phoenix-style. |
| 11 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: They start off as a fairly ordinary person; at most, an heir to a moderate fortune or a doctor. From there, they can become a HumanoidAbomination and attain immortality. Even without the eldritch aspect, they can garner a following of a couple dozen fanatical followers who are perfectly willing to kill, steal, and abduct at their word. |
| 12 | * HumanoidAbomination: Following any of the paths to ascension will gradually transform you into something that barely resembles a human being -- and fully ascending to the Mansus will transform you into a Long, completely shedding your humanity in the process. |
| 13 | * ImAHumanitarian: On both the Enlightenment and Sensation paths, the only way to increase your Marks (and thus get closer to victory) is to consume people. Spiritually and psychologically for Enlightenment, physically for Sensation. The Medium eats the dead to obtain their memories. |
| 14 | * ImmortalityImmorality: There are few things the Player Character and their cultists would not be willing to do for the sake of Ascending to the Mansus. |
| 15 | * ImmortalitySeeker: The end goal of the paths of Ascension is to become one of the Long, making yourself immortal in the process. |
| 16 | * InstantWinCondition: If you achieve a Senior Position at Glover & Glover, you can commit Passion to dedicate your life to your mundane work, abandoning your life as a cultist. Given the tone, however, it's treated more like a NonStandardGameOver. |
| 17 | * LegacyCharacter: Each successive game is an inheritor, literally or figuratively, of the previous game, whether that person ultimately ascended to the Mansus or not. |
| 18 | * {{Omniglot}}: Downplayed, but the protagonist has quite a talent for languages. Just to start off with, you'll probably pick up Greek, Latin, Aramaic and Sanskrit relatively early, so you can translate occult texts. Later on, you can learn a collection of dead (and fictional) languages, which you need for more advanced texts. However, you're not necessarily ''speaking'' the languages conversationally, just translating books written in them with references on hand. |
| 19 | * VillainProtagonist: At least, if you ask the Suppression Bureau. |
| 20 | [[/folder]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | [[folder:The Aspirant]] |
| 23 | ->''"June the 28th, once again."'' |
| 24 | |
| 25 | An [[TheEveryman everyman]] who ekes out a meager existence as a hospital orderly until a patient wise in eldritch matters takes a shine to them, and decides to pass on what they've learned... |
| 26 | ----- |
| 27 | * AlternateSelf: The title quote implies that all Aspirants are alternates of each other in the various Histories. |
| 28 | * BrickJoke: The default name of the benefactor who gets you started is J.N. Sinombre. A later bit of occult lore mentions in passing that this name, or synonyms of it in other languages, [[GenericName is an incredibly common alias among occultists]] to the point of being a cliche. Also ''sin nombre'' is [[PunnyName Spanish for "unnamed."]] |
| 29 | * CanonName: Not the Aspirant themselves, but the "previous player character reference" that gets them started on their journey will always be "J.N. Sinombre" if you're starting a fresh game. It's an ailing Sinombre who wills them the eldritch clues that get them started. |
| 30 | * MasterOfNone: Doesn't have any particularly noteworthy traits, and only receives the bare minimum necessary to advance in the game. |
| 31 | * UnexpectedInheritance: The Aspirant's path begins properly when they receive a bequest from a patient at a hospital where they worked as an orderly. |
| 32 | [[/folder]] |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[folder:The Bright Young Thing]] |
| 35 | ->''"Endowed from birth with wealth and talent. A life of ease, comfort and delight stretches ahead like an amber carpet."'' |
| 36 | |
| 37 | A bored heir(ess) to a rich family, they mostly waste their days doing whatever strikes their fancy... until their father, who recently had grown rather careless with his fortune, takes mysteriously ill and dies. It's only when going through their father's papers that they discover exactly what papa had spent all the money on... |
| 38 | ----- |
| 39 | * TheBigGuy: Possibly due to their youth, the Bright Young Thing starts off with more Health than everyone else. They're still just as vulnerable to Illness and Injury as anyone else, however. |
| 40 | * IdleRich: The Bright Young Thing's first job is "This and That," which is basically doing just [[SpoiledBrat screwing around until their allowance arrives]]. This quickly changes once their father dies, however.[[note]]The Unskilled Labor job is available from the start, but doing it before the father's death is unadvised: it earns less funds than the "This and That" action, and the random chance of receiving an injury while working ''will'' result in the character suffering from an early and permanent health penalty (each untreated injury eventually results in permanent loss of one health card; curing the injury requires to use the "Dream" action, which, in this scenario, is only available after the death of their father.)[[/note]] |
| 41 | * ImpoverishedPatrician: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] by the 'Bright Young Thing' beginning. Your father dies, and his business and fortune both vanish in debt, leaving you with no job and a serviceable chunk of leftover inheritance. You're unemployed, but you're strong and healthy enough to pick up and excel in a FallenOnHardTimesJob to keep yourself afloat. |
| 42 | * PersonalEffectsReveal: When their father dies, it is discovered that the Bright Young Thing's father had squandered most of the family's money, and a little digging uncovers the occult texts he blew his cash on. |
| 43 | * ReallyGetsAround: They get introduced to the Ecdysis Club before they even start dabbling in the occult, implying they were a promiscuous thrill-seeker. |
| 44 | * TomeOfEldritchLore: They inherit one from their father. It can potentially give you very advanced lore right out of the gate. |
| 45 | [[/folder]] |
| 46 | |
| 47 | [[folder:The Detective]] |
| 48 | ->''"I am an Inspector in the capital's police, charged with the investigation of the most vile and wretched things that one human does to another."'' |
| 49 | |
| 50 | A detective in the Suppression Bureau, the secret police division tasked with keeping the existence of occult phenomena under wraps. However, they can only stave off curiosity for so long, and a chance look at some old case files starts them on a very different path... |
| 51 | ----- |
| 52 | * BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: It is, with some effort, possible to keep working for the Suppression Bureau far into your own occult studies. And you're much better at it than any of your rivals. |
| 53 | * FaceHeelTurn: Although they start off working for the Suppression Bureau, it is ultimately intended that they will abandon their position and begin on the path of a Cultist in earnest. |
| 54 | * HunterOfTheirOwnKind: You can easily become a secret occultist working for the Suppression Bureau, using your position to investigate your rivals. |
| 55 | * InstantWinCondition: If they successfully arrest and prosecute the Troublemaker, they get a Favour from Authority which they can trade for a Promotion, which is considered a minor victory. However, given the tone of the ending, this is treated more as a NonStandardGameOver. |
| 56 | * MagikarpPower: The Troublemaker is initially just a useless character taking up space on the playing table. If you can wait around until you can gather enough of your Aspect to Exalt followers, however, you can Exalt them as a part of your cult as well, even if they don't share your Cult's Aspect. |
| 57 | * OccultDetective: It is possible to consider yourself this, hunting down other occultists with their own powers. Especially if you take a NobleDemon approach, though [[ClarkKenting you'll have to keep it a secret.]] And it's an open question whether you'll ''stay'' one of the good guys. |
| 58 | * ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: If you keep working for the suppression bureau, it's very easy to get favors from authority by investigating your rivals and arresting them. This makes getting away with your own crimes far easier. |
| 59 | [[/folder]] |
| 60 | |
| 61 | [[folder:The Physician]] |
| 62 | ->''"As the patient descended into the final delirium, I made copious notes. In the buzzing heat of the night, I re-read those notes, and they began, at last, to make a kind of sense."'' |
| 63 | |
| 64 | A respected doctor at an accredited institute, their whole life is a breeze... until a patient arrives who makes some rather startling proclamations. They don't understand at the time, but one muggy night, they read the notes they took on the patient's ramblings, and the truth of their words finally sinks in... |
| 65 | ----- |
| 66 | * BedlamHouse: The Institute where they work is implied to be this sort of place. |
| 67 | * BoringButPractical: The Physician can always work at the Institute, which produces two funds every minute. It pays moderately well and doesn't generate Mystique or expire if ignored for too long, which can be very useful. |
| 68 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The Position at the Institute is the only Career where you can avoid showing up regularly and still have it waiting for you. This is because the Director of the Institute is apparently "very understanding." |
| 69 | * TheSmartGuy: Starts off with more Reason than any other character (although they have to sacrifice at least one Reason to unlock their Passion and Temptation). |
| 70 | * UltimateJobSecurity: The Physician is the only starting profession whose occupation doesn't disappear or decay with time like the Inspector, an employee of Glover & Glover, or a professional dancer. This gives them a reliable, if rather mundane, source of income. Possibly they have tenure at their university or something like it. |
| 71 | [[/folder]] |
| 72 | |
| 73 | [[folder:The Dancer]] |
| 74 | ->''"I am young and I am strong and for a time yet I will be beautiful."'' |
| 75 | |
| 76 | A dancer at a club called the Gaiety, who finds a mysterious poem in an abandoned shoe which sparks something in them, leading them to the Ecdysis Club, and its mysterious proprietor, Sulochana Amavasya... |
| 77 | ----- |
| 78 | * CreepyDoll: Finding one that you recognize from your dreams is an early sign that your life is about to get ''very'' strange. Depending on your choices it gives you a minor Heart or Moth artifact right out of the gate. |
| 79 | * DancingIsSeriousBusiness: The character is set up to go for the Change temptation right away, which involves changing themselves via dance to something much, much more than human. |
| 80 | * DarkWorld: One endgame state has a strong connection to the Meniscate and her mirror worlds. [[spoiler: If you perfectly balance Heart and Moth ascension you instead enter the House of the Moon, waiting with [[TheOldGods the Wheel]] for the Sun-in-Splendour to be reborn.]] |
| 81 | * HeartIsAnAwesomePower: They start off with bonus Passion and Health, each of which can be used to dance (and get two different endings from the Change desire). |
| 82 | * HighClassCallGirl: What your work at the Ecdysis Club often amounts to, [[SexMagic though it is framed as part of the rituals you are performing.]] |
| 83 | * {{Irony}}: Regarding one endgame state. [[spoiler: The Carapace Cross considered turning themselves into humans to be enough of an upgrade to [[MassSuperEmpoweringEvent do it en masse.]] By the end of the Moth path your character has gone to an enormous amount of trouble to turn yourself back into one.]] |
| 84 | * TrophyWife: Or Trophy Husband, as the case may be. They can impress one patron at their regular job so much that they get invited to private sessions and eventually get a marriage proposal. |
| 85 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: The path is all about this, [[spoiler: including a series of quests where you take an animal form via AstralProjection to complete esoteric rites.]] |
| 86 | [[/folder]] |
| 87 | |
| 88 | [[folder:The Priest]] |
| 89 | ->''"In visions have I seen St Agnes. I have learnt not to speak of the form she takes."'' |
| 90 | |
| 91 | A priest of little import, who delivers quiet sermons at a quiet parish after getting in trouble for speaking of things they shouldn't have. One day, though, a strange wound appears on their body, and it reopens their mind to the worship of more eldritch gods... |
| 92 | ----- |
| 93 | * CoolGate: Your goal is to become an [[EvilIsVisceral organic one.]] |
| 94 | * DarkMessiah: Your ambitions, if you continue on the Knock path, include becoming a gate for your congregation to ascend at great pain to yourself. |
| 95 | * FateWorseThanDeath: Arguably inflicting this on yourself is your goal, becoming a living gate into the Mansus for your congregation and followers in the future. This is also, from a certain perspective, a HeroicSacrifice. |
| 96 | * GlasgowGrin: One of the many, many scars you inflict on yourself. |
| 97 | * TheHeretic: The invisible arts are not an approved part of the Church's religious practice, and mixing them into your sermons is a great way to get the Suppression Bureau on your ass. Your congregation on the other hand is heavily implied to have been heretical for a long time and the deacon privately admits that they've been waiting for a priest like you to lead them. |
| 98 | * HijackedByJesus: Inverted, the Priest works Christianity into the pantheon of the Mansus. |
| 99 | * MessianicArchetype: In a deliberate perversion of Christianity, your goal is basically dying for your congregation's sins. Also, if The Gospel of Zacharius [[UnreliableExpositor is to be believed,]] Jesus was literally following the same path you are now - a cult leader and disciple of the Mother of Ants. |
| 100 | * ScaledUp: [[spoiler: While your victory involves turning yourself into a CoolGate, in one History it also transforms you into something similar to the Hooded Princes and Younger Sisters.]] |
| 101 | * SelfHarm: Flagellation and scarification are the ''least'' of what you do to yourself along this path. |
| 102 | * SinisterMinister: If you decide to seek out a Desire, then you'll turn them into nothing more than another cult in the service of your ambitions. This is subverted if you pursue the Priest's special ending, though, [[spoiler: as you make a HeroicSacrifice to let your congregation enter the Mansus through you]]. |
| 103 | * {{Transflormation}}: If things go wrong. [[spoiler: If you die of poor health, after you have given yourself several knock scars but before you finish, the [[EldritchAbomination Mare-In-The-Tree]] takes notice. [[GardenOfEvil You sprout as a haunted tree in the graveyard]] that leads anyone who dreams near you into the Wood, with the Mare. [[MoreThanMindControl You seem happy about it,]] but it's quite unlikely to end well for them.]] |
| 104 | [[/folder]] |
| 105 | |
| 106 | [[folder:The Medium / "The Ghoul"]] |
| 107 | ->''"Everyone knows that I speak with the dead. I have been called a prophet, and a ghoul. I have no reason to disabuse them of their illusions."'' |
| 108 | |
| 109 | A bogus medium who, one day, becomes a conduit for the real voices of the dead and delivers a terrifying prophecy. Unfortunately, it gets them fired, and they are left with nothing but the clothes on their back and a few names rattling around in their head: Montmerenzi, Naenia, and a mysterious third party. The names spark a memory in them, and they head to the Montmerenzi-[=McDonald=] Gallery, finding a mysterious painting that seems to speak to them, calling them into the service of the Elegiast... |
| 110 | ----- |
| 111 | * BackFromTheDead: Unlike other ascension paths, this one doesn't make you immortal. At the culmination of your quest, you die. [[spoiler: The Elegiast brings you back from Nowhere afterwards, and you have a set death date that's impossible to change for ''anything,'' giving you enormous protection.]] |
| 112 | * ButThouMust: On the Ghoul path you are locked into the Remembrance temptation, even before you create the elixir and eat your first corpse. Winter has its claws in you and it isn't letting go. Your only way out is to refuse the occult entirely, which will only end badly for you. |
| 113 | * CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption: For most of the path you can avoid murder through grave robbery, but there's no way to obtain your first corpse beyond killing someone. Even then, grave robbery quickly becomes a poor option as the authorities start to keep a close eye on the cemetery. |
| 114 | * EarlyBirdCameo: An early book of Winter lore describe's an occultist's quest to create The Palest Painting as a masterwork. As The Ghoul you follow the same path. |
| 115 | * EatBrainForMemories: Their "Remembrance" desire and Winter ascension path requires them to eat the bodies of the dead to absorb and use their memories. They can use these memories to make their PhonyPsychic routine a lot more real. If they have a very special remnant from a special enemy they defeated during an expedition, they can even use it to paint a special painting. |
| 116 | * FictionalColor: [[spoiler: A recurring theme is discovering colors that simply don't exist anymore after the death of the Sun-in-Splendour and most of the Gods-from-Stone.]] |
| 117 | * GenuineHumanHide: [[spoiler: Creating your great work, the Palest Painting, requires a human corpse to make the canvas.]] |
| 118 | * HorrorHunger: The Medium will start to hunger for the flesh of the dead, and gains power by consuming such flesh. [[spoiler:And they will be [[NonStandardGameOver devoured]] by [[EldritchAbomination the Crowned Growth]] if they fail to feed this hunger.]] |
| 119 | * ImAHumanitarian: On this path consuming human remains is a necessity. Note that unlike the humans that get devoured for the Lantern and Grail ascensions, who need to be taken alive, this path specifically requires dead bodies (or body parts). [[AutoCannibalism You can even chew on your own decrepitude,]] though this is a risk since you are never ever getting that health back. |
| 120 | * MadArtist: Even more so than the others. Their path to ascension involves painting a special painting using memories that they have consumed. [[spoiler: As they progress, the painting becomes increasingly eldritch until it eventually becomes a stairway leading to [[EldritchLocation Nowhere]] that consumes their life as they descend.]] |
| 121 | * NotSoPhonyPsychic: The Medium starts the game with a job as a PhonyPsychic -- theatrical and profitable. Until the dead decide to make them exactly what they pretended to be. |
| 122 | * TheManInTheMirrorTalksBack: Acquires a strange painting early on that does not "talk" conventionally, but discussing memories with it or your own Restlessness will provoke a response. The painting soothes your Restlessness by assuring you that everything ends, including pain. And if you discuss a "lucrative" memory with it, a check in the mail worth a sum of money somehow shows up. |
| 123 | * SelfHarm: [[spoiler: Victory requires you to eat [[{{Autocannibalism}} a piece of your own decaying body,]] in the form of Decrepitude, while you are still alive.]] Additionally, [[spoiler: Descending to Nowhere requires feeding your attributes to the painting one by one, draining away your life. It has to be done deliberately, the Elegiast will ''not'' just take your life without permission.]] |
| 124 | [[/folder]] |
| 125 | |
| 126 | [[folder:The Exile]] |
| 127 | [[UnexpectedGameplayChange A very different character from the others.]] You are a former member of the Reckoners: an occult [[TheMafia mafia]] that trades in years of life. You are not a cult leader, and definitely not an Adept. You are an adventurer and fugitive trying desperately to run far and fast enough to stay ahead of your pursuers. Oh, yes. You betrayed your mentor, stole seventy seven years of life, and ran for it. Did we forget that part? |
| 128 | ----- |
| 129 | * AssassinOutclassin: You'll be doing a fair amount of this, either killing them or holding them off. And defeating your foe is, of course, the key to several Edge victories. |
| 130 | * BlueCollarWarlock: Relatively Speaking. While you are in some senses rich, having enough cash from stolen life not to sweat the small stuff, in the occult world you are very much small-fry. You can make excellent connections in the ordinary world among criminals, officials, and nobility. But you aren't even able to enter the Mansus, never mind getting your hands on the kinds of lore and resources the other characters do. |
| 131 | * BookDumb: Very much so. They can't even speak Latin, are uninterested in the [[MultipleChoicePast vagaries of the Histories]], and are unable to use ordinary Lore or enter the Mansus due to the Reckoners on the whole being on bad terms with the Long (to say nothing of the Hours themselves). [[OnlySaneMan When we see them compared to the other paths they're probably better off for it.]] |
| 132 | * CastFromLifespan: Literally. Most of your abilities and options, from making local connections to raising funds, involve trading your stolen life away. |
| 133 | * CunningLinguist: You don't speak Latin, or other occult languages. You have more practical concerns... like being able to blend with the locals from London to Siberia and everywhere in between. |
| 134 | * DeceptiveLegacy: There's a lot of this here, if you manage to track it down. And it is implied that discovering this had a lot to do with your rebellion against the reckoners. [[spoiler: Firstly [[ArchnemesisDad Duffoure, your Foe, is also your father.]] Secondly, it turns out that [[{{Demigod}} you are descended from]] [[TheOldGods the Wheel and the Flint]], which has implications in certain endings. Finally, Christopher Illopoly strongly implies that no less than Teresa, the Baldomerian, is your sister.]] |
| 135 | * DesecratingTheDead: You can do this ritually to a slain Reckoner Assassin or Lord. You present the body to be devoured by Labhites, Edge creatures of the sky. And this is also a fairly easy way to increase your edge lore. As the game puts it, "some knowledge is only properly conveyed in the blood of an enemy." |
| 136 | * DoNotGoGentle: They may have come to terms with mortality as a reckoner, but they're sure not going to make killing them easy. |
| 137 | * DuelingScar: You can get one to recruit Count Jannings at a club dedicated to the Colonel. It work as a minor tool you don't have to carry with you. |
| 138 | * FeaturelessProtagonist: Averted for the first time. While many details of your characterization are still up in the air, you still have clearly expressed preferences and an extensive personal history. |
| 139 | * GuideDangIt: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated.]] Not only is the Exile an UnexpectedGameplayChange from the other Lives, [[TutorialFailure even the in-game Beginner's Guide has no information whatsoever on what to do.]] |
| 140 | * HealingFactor: Unlike the other paths, where injuries rapidly become permanent Decrepitude, the Exile's wounds heal automatically. |
| 141 | ** Even moreso for those dedicated to the battle mysteries of the Lionsmith. These include a Heart aspect, which have a chance to spawn Vitality to heal your wounds every time you use them. |
| 142 | * HeelFaceTurn: Rebelling against the Reckoners can likely be seen as this, since it is implied that [[BlackAndGreyMorality they crossed too many lines even for you.]] But it is entirely possible to consider your character genuinely repentant, even when everything possible is known about them. [[spoiler: In some endings, Connie Lee can also offer you a job with the Suppression Bureau.]] |
| 143 | * IShallTauntYou: Part of the process of enhancing your rivalry. Sending your foe a powerful magical weapon as a present, for example. [[BringIt Or just sending them your location and daring them to come at you.]] |
| 144 | * TheMedic: It takes a forged medical license to practice, but your results are real enough. [[CastFromLifespan You just don't want to tell anyone how you're doing it]]. You can also spend a decade to remove your wounds in a hurry. |
| 145 | * NormalFishInATinyPond: In the occult world you are middling at best, at least at first. Among mundane society you are staggeringly rich, and hobnob with the wealthy and powerful. Even royalty sometimes. |
| 146 | * PointOfNoReturn: There are several destinations you can choose, all of which are Remote, where you can travel and no Reckoner [[ImplacableMan except your Foe]] will be able to follow. They are intended for a [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon final confrontation alone at the End of the World.]] Examples include a LighthousePoint in Norway, an island artist's colony, a monastery in the mountains of Tibet, and similar. |
| 147 | * ProfessionalKiller: One ending allows you to become [[TheDreaded THE professional killer]], even among [[NighInvulnerable the Long.]] Your rap sheet includes several powerful monsters, [[WorthyOpponent your foe]], an [[EatsBabies Alukite]] Forge [[UnPerson Obliviate]], and [[DestroyerDeity King Crucible]]. |
| 148 | * RetiredMonster: Several endings involve you heading into obscurity to enjoy your staggering wealth, never mind what you may have done along the way or the Percussigant Pelt by the fire. |
| 149 | * SealedEvilInADuel: A very strange (and spoilery) example.[[spoiler: This is the Edge method to become immortal, forming a mystic dyad with a rival that mirrors the Corrivalry between The Colonel and The Lionsmith. Then you get to spend eternity trying to kill your WorthyOpponent, spreading conflict and revolution across the world as you go.]] |
| 150 | * SelfDeprecation: In a meta sense this comes up sometimes. "[[PurpleProse The Watchman comes before the Velvet... is the kind of thing Adepts say.]] [[StatingTheSimpleSolution I think it means that mist is a damper kind of darkness.]]" |
| 151 | * ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: The Exile has dozens of contacts, close friends, and people who owe them favors all over Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. And you'll make quite a few more as you go. They have also met some of the [[CrypticBackgroundReference occult authors from the base game]], such as [[ScaledUp Peel.]] |
| 152 | ** Exaggerated for followers of the Colonel, naturally. Betraying rebellions not only generates money and obscurity but gives free contacts with Rulers. These normally cost a full decade to establish. |
| 153 | * SuperToughness: Not invulnerable, but you can survive up to seven wounds that could be lethal for an ordinary mortal. |
| 154 | * TrademarkFavoriteFood: A stew with juniper berries and white wine, particularly from a cheery little bistro in Strasbourg. |
| 155 | * TruceZone: One relates to an endgame state. [[spoiler: Not finding one, your Foe will track you to the end of the world. But with enough obscurity and a good safe house, [[StartMyOwn you can found one yourself.]]]] Of course no Reckoners are allowed. |
| 156 | * UnPerson: Several other conditions involve doing this to yourself, either mystically or by more mundane means. |
| 157 | * VictoryIsBoring: This is a major problem for your character in the end. Even if you escape clean and kill your Foe [[AndTheAdventureContinues you will be drawn into new challenges]] unless you're very, very comfortable. And even then [[GentlemanAdventurer you always keep it as an option.]] |
| 158 | * WeAllDieSomeday: Doesn't much mind dying, [[IDieFree as long as they're free]] and [[NotAfraidToDie it is on their terms.]] This is a sharp contrast to other paths, where the player is obsessed with immortality. If there's one thing their time with the Reckoners taught them, it's that no matter how many years you have they always run out. |
| 159 | * WickedCultured: Ironically, given your character's lowly position in the occult world, you can have a very refined sense of style and accommodation. Just how good a retirement you arrange for yourself is part of what determines your victory state. |
| 160 | [[/folder]] |
| 161 | |
| 162 | [[folder:The Apostle]] |
| 163 | A follower of the PC who remained loyal after their ascension to Longhood, and who plans to help them rise even higher to become a Name. Unfortunately, it's not so easy as it sounds: to gain great power for their master, the Apostle must pay an unimaginable price, and besides, other Long are not so keen on letting others rise above them... |
| 164 | ----- |
| 165 | !! Apostle Aestuant |
| 166 | ->''"The one who shaped us has ascended to a higher state... in one history, at least. The past is uncertain. But I will tend the crucible for their next ascension."'' |
| 167 | |
| 168 | The Apostle of a Forge Long, seeking to aid their ascension as a Name with the aid of Mrs. E. This will require them to find a flaw in the world and once there, force open the Tricuspid Door using a magical nuclear bomb known as the Dawnbreaker Core. |
| 169 | ----- |
| 170 | * AlchemyIsMagic: Unlike other Apostle Victories, you don't assemble individuals to witness or partake in your Shaper's ascension. Instead, you upgrade Forge ingredients and tools into the Dawnbreaker Core and its fuel, Blue Gold, which you use to tear open the skin of the world and propel your Shaper to demigodhood as a Name. |
| 171 | * BrownNote: The Chosen Compass is a follower who can see the flaw in the world that your Shaper can ascend through, and who leads the Apostle there. Once they gaze upon it, though...well, [[EyeScream they won't be seeing much of anything again.]] |
| 172 | * TheConstant: As it turns out, Kerisham, the village that you nuke to open the way for your Shaper's ascension, is present in all five of the Histories, and always has the same name. |
| 173 | * CosmicFlaw: Almost referenced by name. Kerisham and Vienna are said to house "flaws in the world", places where the world's skin is thin and allows for easy passage between Histories - or more relevantly to your Shaper, between the Wake and the Mansus. |
| 174 | * DoomedHometown: You and your Shaper have become [[InvertedTrope the cause of this for other people]], destroying [[VanishingVillage Kerisham]] in a nuclear blast. |
| 175 | * DoomsdayDevice: The [[FantasticNuke Dawnbreaker Device]] definitely has the feel to it, especially since it is detonated in Kerisham and the in-universe spiritual implications to bringing the dawn. |
| 176 | * EvilIsEasy: It is, technically, possible to raise the Incandescence required [[NobleDemon without hurting anyone]] though a lot of juggling and difficulty... or you could simply [[HumanSacrifice feed a few prisoners to the Spider Door.]] |
| 177 | * ImpossiblyCoolWeapon: The Dawnbreaker Core is a FantasticNuke powered by alchemical fuel rods and [[PiecesOfGod a fragment of the Sun-in-Splendour]], capable of tearing open a hole into the Mansus. Need we say more? |
| 178 | * {{Magitek}}: The Dawnbreaker Device and the increasingly refined alchemical products that culminate in Blue Gold are definitely technology, but just as definitely cannot be created without the Forge's influence. |
| 179 | * RadiationInducedSuperpowers: An alchemical nuclear bomb, set off in the right place, makes your Shaper a PhysicalGod. |
| 180 | * VisionaryVillain: You are trying to raise your Shaper as a Name to change the world, and we've seen that the setting [[CrapsackWorld definitely needs changing.]] And you know full well that [[HeroicSacrifice success will destroy you]] and are doing it anyway, without any obvious mind control or blackmail. [[VillainProtagonist Pity about the methods.]] |
| 181 | |
| 182 | !! Apostle Entheate |
| 183 | ->''"The Illuminated One waits in the House of the Sun - waits to rise higher. I am their hand."'' |
| 184 | |
| 185 | The Apostle of a Lantern Long, seeking to aid their ascension as a Name with the aid of Frau Schlessel. |
| 186 | ----- |
| 187 | * DeaderThanDead: The people you sacrifice in this ascension aren't just dead, you've also mutilated their souls. |
| 188 | * {{Glamour}}: A powerful psychic version. Part of your quest is creating a powerful beacon in the Mansus that will trap dreaming souls. It's powered by the same Fascination that is trying to drive your character insane. |
| 189 | * IdentityAmnesia: Begins the game with no memory of who they are. |
| 190 | * MindHive: The cloud of souls you gather are reduced to this. Or raised to this. It's all a matter of perspective. |
| 191 | * NeverSleepAgain: [[InvertedTrope You are the one arranging for people to die in their dreams.]] |
| 192 | * PassedInTheirSleep: Anyone your character recruits as a Witness. Additionally, finally opening the Tricuspid Door causes this for hundreds of people. |
| 193 | * ReforgedIntoAMinion: Your character themselves, by implication. Your identity and memories were eaten (just as you did to others in the Lantern Ascension) and now you serve your illuminated master. |
| 194 | * SpiritAdvisor: [[PlayingWithATrope You serve as a malicious one.]] You employ Mansus spirits to find the souls of hapless dreamers, and bring them up the Ascent of Knives. This is technically a form of enlightenment... but they don't survive the process in a meaningful way. |
| 195 | |
| 196 | !! Apostle Obsonate |
| 197 | ->''"The one who nourished us has ascended to a higher state... in one history, at least. The past is uncertain. But I will prepare the feast for their next ascension."'' |
| 198 | |
| 199 | The Apostle of a Grail Long, seeking to aid their ascension as a Name with the aid of Marinette. |
| 200 | ----- |
| 201 | * ConsumingPassion: All over the place, with yourself as the ultimate meal. Since this is Grail, it's unsurprising. |
| 202 | * DevouredByTheHorde: The final part of the Vitulation is to turn yourself into a feast for the Host, spiced by Marinette with the Seven Graces that you flavored with Three Savours. EatenAlive no less. |
| 203 | * FoodChains: Possibly. One interpretation of the game start is that your blood sickness actually originates from first tasting your Delight. |
| 204 | * HolyGrail: The closest version in this universe anyway. To complete the Vitulation you will have to go on a quest track down the Chalice Murmurous on the far side of the world. |
| 205 | * HorrorHunger: This is definitely the path for it. Most notably, [[ITasteDelicious most of the time you sound like you want to eat yourself.]] Also inverted, in that you want to be eaten as well. |
| 206 | * ITasteDelicious: You really, really think you look like a good meal. [[SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious Which is of course the point.]] |
| 207 | * LoopholeAbuse: This is why the Apostle has to be the centerpiece of the Vitulation. To ascend as a Name of the Grail, your Delight has eat someone they have given life to ''without'' committing the Crime of the Sky. The Apostle has to consume the Delight's blood to survive, so they're someone the Delight has given life, but they aren't the Delight's biological child, so eating them isn't the Crime of the Sky. |
| 208 | * NobleDemon: [[AvertedTrope Averted]], this is one of the most explicitly and personally evil paths. You're going to have to feed ''a lot'' of people to monsters in the name of yet another monster. |
| 209 | * {{Reincarnation}}: [[spoiler: The scraps of you left after being EatenAlive at the Vitulation are gathered by the Applebright in Nowhere, who promises you will see life again. Who the Applebright actually is isn't specified, other than implicitly being associated with the Witch-and-Sister in a similar way to how the Mare-in-the-Tree is associated with the Sister-and-Witch.]] |
| 210 | * TheRenfield: You are endlessly devoted to your Delight, serving the purposes of an immortal people-eating monster. If that wasn't enough to drive the point home, they regularly supply you with Delightful Blood that you have to drink to survive. |
| 211 | * SoapOperaDisease: The disease your character suffers is quite vague, other than that "My blood is wrong. My bones are sick". It is possibly a poetic description of Leukemia, or perhaps something more supernatural. It can only be temporarily cured by consuming Delightful Blood given by your Mentor. |
| 212 | * SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious: ExaggeratedTrope, your entire quest is to become delicious and nutritious ''enough'' to ascend your Delight as a Name. |
| 213 | * TaintedVeins: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] in that, while you are deathly ill from a blood sickness and drinking the blood of your Delight restores you to vigorous health, it's that very health and the delicious serums you see in your body which are the supernatural taint. |
| 214 | * ThePowerOfBlood: A recurring theme, naturally enough. |
| 215 | * {{Yandere}}: As a Grail cultist, this is expected. Not only do you refer to your patron as your Delight, but you are enthusiastically preparing yourself to be eaten alive in their name. |
| 216 | [[/folder]] |
| 217 | |
| 218 | ! The Cultists |
| 219 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 220 | ->''"Student, helpmeet, defender, champion, dupe, sacrifice... companion."'' |
| 221 | |
| 222 | The various fools and dreamers who follow your characters, whether to their deaths or to unimaginable power. |
| 223 | ----- |
| 224 | * TheBlacksmith: All the Forge aspected followers are able to repair broken mystical items, or work in illegal mystical operations for money. |
| 225 | * CameBackWrong: You can revive them as undead, should they die. [[spoiler:Ascending with your lover's zombie unlocks special endings and achievements]]. |
| 226 | * CripplingOverspecialization: By default a cultist has no secondary aspects. ZigZagged with more experienced cultists however. With one wound a Cultist becomes as proficient as a Believer in that field, and with two wounds and an appropriate gift they can match a full Disciple. It is theoretically possible, though unlikely, to have an Exalted follower who is also a Disciple in Edge Winter or Knock [[RenaissanceMan and equal to a Believer in the other two.]] |
| 227 | * DeceptiveDisciple: With the Dancer update, your followers can become Rivals, who seek to achieve their own ascension, denying you yours in the process. |
| 228 | * DemolitionsExpert: Forge Cultists are ''very'' good at blowing up doors. |
| 229 | * HeartBeatdown: Heart Cultists can defeat almost all Curses, some of the most annoying and destructive obstacles in the game. They can also manage your reputation, keeping your notoriety down because no one ''that nice'' could be involved in anything shady. They can also help you cross stormy seas. |
| 230 | * TheHedonist: Grail cultists, naturally. |
| 231 | * ICanRuleAlone: If one of them becomes a Rival, they seek to become a Long themselves, instead of aiding you in your ascension. |
| 232 | * MagikarpPower: As Believers, they're of minimal use on expeditions or Cult Business, but they become much more reliable when promoted to Disciples. Exalted Cultists are almost guaranteed to succeed at their Cult Business and can singlehandedly handle any obstacle that can be bypassed with their aspect. |
| 233 | * MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: If you treat your followers poorly, they may become Rivals, who seek to ascend in your place. |
| 234 | * MundaneUtility: Most of your cultists can find relatively mundane uses for their supernatural skills. Forge, for example, can simply work as crafters for money. |
| 235 | * {{Necromancer}}: Moth cultists with Winter wounds can easily become this, animating a corpse in a Rite with no tools or assistance at all. Winter cultists with Edge wounds can do the same, as can an Edge cultist who survives two Winter wounds. |
| 236 | * PsychoSerum: Indoctrinating cultists in forbidden lore doesn't do wonders for their mental health, even if it does increase their Aspects and, thus, their chances at succeeding at their respective tasks. |
| 237 | * ThePowerOfLove: Lover cultists have their primary aspect boosted by 1 - an exalted cultist may wind up with 11 technically stronger than most summons and only 1 away from matching a Name! |
| 238 | * PowerAtAPrice: They can become substantially more powerful and useful to the cult, even beyond their normal buffs from promotion. But only by failing on missions and recovering from injuries. This results in a bit of a perverse incentive for the player. You want them to fail to toughen them up, but not so much that they're too fragile to risk using. |
| 239 | * TheSocialExpert: Heart cultists charm people, convincing everyone that they have your reputation all wrong. Moth cultists are excellent at cons and deception. Grail cultists, meanwhile, quite literally charm the pants off of people. |
| 240 | * SummonMagic: Can become quite proficient at it with Knock wounds and a Rite. Conveniently, the cultists with the aspect to become the best summoners are also those most likely to be injured in Cult Business. |
| 241 | * SycophanticServant: All of the Cultists, once indoctrinated, are absolutely loyal, and will carry out any task given to them, even if they're woefully unprepared to handle it. |
| 242 | ** Averted as of the Dancer update, however: Push them too far and they will turn against you. |
| 243 | * TakeAwayTheirName: All Winter followers, if exalted, pay their names as a price. |
| 244 | * TurnUndead: Winter cultists can repel the dead with their presence. |
| 245 | [[/folder]] |
| 246 | |
| 247 | [[folder:Hangers-On/Pawns]] |
| 248 | ->''"I have negotiated this one's service for a little while."'' |
| 249 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: They're identified by some trait related to their aspect, like "A Practical Disciple" (Forge) or "A Sturdy Disciple" (Edge). |
| 250 | * FacelessGoons: Unlike your named Followers, your Pawns have no discernible identities or personalities or, in fact, names. |
| 251 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: Promoting your Moth-aspect Pawn will make them unstable, which will cause them to lose their sanity and, eventually, die from self-destructive behavior. |
| 252 | * KidWithTheLeash: Implied to an extent. Many summons have an aspect of eight, while promoted Pawns have an aspect of two. This makes believer-summon pairs a simple way to max out chances of success while saving other followers for something more useful. |
| 253 | * {{Mooks}}: This is the role your Pawns basically play- too weak to do much of anything on their own, but highly expendable if you need CannonFodder or [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential sacrifices.]] |
| 254 | * SharpDressedMan: They wear suits when promoted. |
| 255 | * SinisterShades: All your Pawns wear them. |
| 256 | [[/folder]] |
| 257 | |
| 258 | [[folder:Slee]] |
| 259 | ->''"Craig Slee, the astronomer and avant-garde poet, has developed an interest in the esoteric as his health wanes."'' |
| 260 | * AppliedMathematics: He blends poetry and math into a unique form of {{Magibabble}}. |
| 261 | * EccentricArtist: Slee is described as an avant-garde poet with numerous theories. As he is promoted, he approaches full MadArtist territory as he [[MadMathematician begins to blend mathematics into his poetry,]] with it becoming harder to distinguish the difference between the two. |
| 262 | * GratuitousIambicPentameter: When Exalted Slee starts speaking exclusively in a mixture of poetry and math. |
| 263 | * MundaneUtility: It's noted that, as he is promoted, his poetry improves dramatically. |
| 264 | * RoomFullOfCrazy: If Slee is ever imprisoned, his cell quickly turns into this. |
| 265 | -->"Slee writes poetry on the walls, obsessively. If we don't provide him ink, [[CouldntFindAPen he uses what he can.]]" |
| 266 | * SicklyProdigy: Slee is a skilled artist in poor health, whose illness (which involves crippling migraines) becomes worse as his abilities become more pronounced. |
| 267 | [[/folder]] |
| 268 | |
| 269 | [[folder:"Pope" Clifton]] |
| 270 | ->''"A bellowing and unorthodox Catholic with a mystic streak and an untrimmed beard."'' |
| 271 | * BlasphemousBoast: He got his nickname because he refuses to be addressed as anything other than "your Holiness," despite supposedly being a devout Catholic. |
| 272 | * ThePowerOfTheSun: Clifton has an obsession with the Sun, as might be expected for a follower of Lantern. If he is Exalted, he will start each morning by ''staring directly into the Sun'', to find out what it wishes of him. |
| 273 | * SinisterMinister: He's this from most sane perspectives. |
| 274 | * TurbulentPriest: From ''your'' perspective, he's a religious firebrand fighting against the oppression of society and the Suppression Bureau. |
| 275 | [[/folder]] |
| 276 | |
| 277 | [[folder:Cat Caro]] |
| 278 | ->''"'Cat Caro', as she styles herself, earns a living as a stage medium and a fortune-teller. She may have deeper talents."'' |
| 279 | |
| 280 | %%* CatsAreLazy: If imprisoned. |
| 281 | %%-->"The woman who used to call herself 'Cat Caro' sleeps whenever she can." |
| 282 | * DreamingOfThingsToCome: Her true power lies in dreams, and the visions they provide. |
| 283 | * FortuneTeller: This is how she makes her living, although unlike most Fortune Tellers, she actually has some genuine mystical talent. |
| 284 | * PhonyPsychic: Before she is indoctrinated into your Cult, this is basically her job. As she is promoted, however, [[NotSoPhonyPsychic it gets a lot less phony]]. |
| 285 | * StageNames: Cat Caro, with its {{Alliterative|Name}} nature, is not her real name. |
| 286 | %%* TakeAwayTheirName: If imprisoned. |
| 287 | %%-->"The woman who used to call herself 'Cat Caro' sleeps whenever she can." |
| 288 | [[/folder]] |
| 289 | |
| 290 | [[folder:Tristan]] |
| 291 | ->''"Tristan dislikes distractions. Tristan gets things done."'' |
| 292 | |
| 293 | * BerserkButton: Tristan does not like distractions, and he's always willing to do what's necessary to get results. |
| 294 | * KillItWithFire: Metaphorically. As a rival, he is 'unafraid to use fire.' Also possibly [[PyroManiac literally.]] |
| 295 | * UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: As a rival, he is building a "little kingdom," and he has no problem doing extreme things when required. |
| 296 | [[/folder]] |
| 297 | |
| 298 | [[folder:Valciane]] |
| 299 | ->''"Valciane has operated her establishment for almost twenty years. She has never employed an assistant. Her hands are terribly strong."'' |
| 300 | |
| 301 | * DestructoNookie: In a romance she may flirt about testing the design tolerances of your bed. |
| 302 | * EmotionlessGirl: They are quite certain Valciane is not, in fact, a machine, because she occasionally makes mistakes. Otherwise, it is difficult to tell. If she becomes a Rival, she deals with her enemies "With the remorseless brio of a youth smashing bottles". |
| 303 | * LonersAreFreaks: Despite owning a business for twenty years, she has never employed an assistant. |
| 304 | * UltimateBlacksmith: All forge followers are very good. But when Exalted Valciane stops using tools altogether ''because they just get in the way.'' |
| 305 | [[/folder]] |
| 306 | |
| 307 | [[folder:Laidlaw]] |
| 308 | ->''"Laidlaw is a tinkerer and mechanic with an uncanny knack."'' |
| 309 | * MasterOfUnlocking: "Laidlaw's door is bolted, not locked. We know better than that." |
| 310 | * NoodleImplements: "Laidlaw has learnt the cleverer uses of fire and copper, wax and acid." |
| 311 | * ShownTheirWork: These are all things used in elaborate metalwork and jewelry craft. |
| 312 | [[/folder]] |
| 313 | |
| 314 | [[folder:Rose]] |
| 315 | ->''"Rose is a sly miss, and she recognises you as someone uncommon."'' |
| 316 | * CallingCard: When she is going to kill someone, she sends them a yellow rose as a gift first, to warn them she's coming. It doesn't help them, mind... |
| 317 | * TheDividual: Aside from being brother and sister, Rose and Victor are incredibly similar. Their Disciple quotes are even identical. |
| 318 | * DeadlyEuphemism: Rose doesn't have targets. She has "subjects". |
| 319 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Her and Victor's romance texts suggest they're siblings. [[spoiler:[[IncestSubtext And sleeping together.]] Even if you are married to one of them. They do seem to genuinely care for you as well, for what that's worth.]] |
| 320 | * FemmeFatale: Emphasis on the "fatale" part. As an Edge Aspected follower, the primary service she provides is assassinating your enemies. |
| 321 | * WrongNameOutburst: During her romance, it's mentioned she once calls you by the name of another cultist mid-coitus. [[spoiler:"[[IncestSubtext Victor]]".]] |
| 322 | [[/folder]] |
| 323 | |
| 324 | [[folder:Elridge]] |
| 325 | ->''"An elegant man of inelegant habits."'' |
| 326 | * BloodSplatteredWarrior: Not a good thing, in this case -- as an Edge Aspected follower, his primary job is killing people on your behalf, and he starts off quite sloppy. This improves as he is promoted, however. |
| 327 | * ImprobableWeaponUser: He needs special precautions if imprisoned. |
| 328 | -->"Elridge is not permitted a spoon, or a plate. It is probably unwise to permit him even the sharper vegetables." |
| 329 | * NoSocialSkills: Quoting his Believer description: "He has almost learnt not to pick his teeth with his knife. He has not yet learnt to keep his knife in his boot." He improves dramatically by the time he is Exalted, at which point he is ''never'' seen with blood on him, no matter what he's been up to. |
| 330 | * SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: "Elridge is never seen with a spot of blood upon his person. Not a spot." |
| 331 | [[/folder]] |
| 332 | |
| 333 | [[folder:Victor]] |
| 334 | ->''"Victor is a sly fellow, and he knows an unusual opportunity when he sees it."'' |
| 335 | * ApologeticAttacker: He likes to apologize to his victims before killing them; it's for this reason that he tends to get friendly with targets. |
| 336 | * TheDividual: Aside from being brother and sister, Rose and Victor are incredibly similar. Their Disciple quotes are even identical. |
| 337 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: His and Rose's romance texts suggest they're siblings. [[spoiler:[[IncestSubtext And sleeping together.]] Even if you are married to one of them. They do seem to genuinely care for you as well, for what that's worth.]] |
| 338 | * GoodHairEvilHair: Has a distinctive pencil-thin mustache, as appropriate for his role as an Edge Aspected followers. |
| 339 | * MeaningfulName: Like other Edge-aspected cultists, he's a nearly unstoppable killer once Exalted - very likely to be the victor in any confrontation, in other words. |
| 340 | %%* TranquilFury: If imprisoned. |
| 341 | %%-->"Victor's eyes are wells of rage." |
| 342 | [[/folder]] |
| 343 | |
| 344 | [[folder:Violet]] |
| 345 | ->''"Violet has always given unstintingly of her time, easing the pain of the dying."'' |
| 346 | * EccentricArtist: She loves to paint, but hates painting people. There are enough people in the world, in her mind. |
| 347 | * MercyKill: She enjoys easing the pain of the dying, and doesn't mind bringing their end about sooner to do that. |
| 348 | * MisanthropeSupreme: Of a sort. She doesn't seem to hate anyone specifically, and can be [[MercyKill compassionate]] [[MetaphoricallyTrue from a certain point of view.]] But she seems to think there are too many people in the world, and that killing anyone is a mercy. |
| 349 | [[/folder]] |
| 350 | |
| 351 | [[folder:Auclair]] |
| 352 | ->''"Auclair has a scholarly aspect and a morbid streak."'' |
| 353 | * ConsummateProfessional: When serving as an assassin. She carefully and quietly waits for the perfect moment to strike. |
| 354 | * DespairEventHorizon: If imprisoned, she does not speak or eat. |
| 355 | * IceQueen: More literally than most. Talking with her is described as like a fencing match, and she's hardly effusive in her affections. [[DefrostingTheIceQueen She can be quite sincere in them, though.]] |
| 356 | * NoNonsenseNemesis: Quiet, meticulous, and remorseless. She would prefer to kill you before you even knew she was there. |
| 357 | * SmartPeoplePlayChess: Romance texts mention that she enjoys date nights involving playing chess. With variant rules even! [[DistractedByTheSexy The games never get finished though.]] |
| 358 | [[/folder]] |
| 359 | |
| 360 | [[folder:Dorothy]] |
| 361 | ->''"Dorothy is an enthusiastic sort with an eclectic reading habit. She's fascinated by my hints about the shapes beneath the world's skin."'' |
| 362 | * EccentricArtist: Her Heart Aspect expresses itself as a love of dance. |
| 363 | * MagicMusic: More then the other Heart-aspected followers, her Exalting evokes music. Drums, naturally. |
| 364 | -->"When Dorothy moves, we hear the drum. When she speaks, we see the dance. Her determination is her shield and her weapon." |
| 365 | %%* MagicDance: |
| 366 | * ThePollyanna: A twisted version: she is described as endlessly enthusiastic, and intrigued by hints of "shapes of things beneath the world's skin." |
| 367 | [[/folder]] |
| 368 | |
| 369 | [[folder:Clovette]] |
| 370 | ->''"Clovette is happy in a way that brooks no counter-argument to happiness."'' |
| 371 | * AllLovingHero: Well, 'hero' may be pushing it given the company she keeps. But she really does love everyone, personally and sincerely. It's a Heart thing. |
| 372 | * FriendToAllLivingThings: She's so relentlessly optimistic that even the Detective can't bring themselves to hate her as a Troublemaker, even as they are hunting down evidence to arrest her. |
| 373 | * HopeSpringsEternal: Even when imprisoned and dying, she keeps waiting for things to turn around. [[HopeSpot They won't.]] |
| 374 | * ThePollyanna: Taken to a terrifying level. She actually weaponizes it as she's promoted. |
| 375 | -->"Clovette's optimism is daunting. She wields her joy like a hammer." |
| 376 | [[/folder]] |
| 377 | |
| 378 | [[folder:Leo]] |
| 379 | ->''"Leo is an earnest sort with an interest in the occult. He hangs on your hints about the invisible arts."'' |
| 380 | * {{Determinator}}: Like all Heart Aspect followers, he has pledged not to cease. For the others, this means unceasing dance or unceasing optimism. For Leo, it means unceasingly striving towards bringing the Cult to greater heights. |
| 381 | * UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: His primary defining trait is his willingness to do anything for his cause. ''Anything.'' |
| 382 | [[/folder]] |
| 383 | |
| 384 | [[folder:Saliba]] |
| 385 | ->''"Saliba is a man of prodigious appetites. He is long past the point where their satisfaction has given him any pleasure; but he has learnt so very much."'' |
| 386 | * EmotionEater: Implied, given how all his partners leave him "a little less". [[spoiler: This is also a hint that taking a romance ending with him as a very, very bad idea. While this still counts as a minor victory, you are implicitly drained away to nothing.]] |
| 387 | * {{Expy}}: Resembles an older Bela Lugosi in appearance -- especially given Saliba's association with blood and Lugosi's famous Dracula role. |
| 388 | * TheHedonist: Though noted to have indulged in physical pleasure for so long that he no longer derives any real joy from it. |
| 389 | * HeManWomanHater: The Grail represents both blood and birth, but Saliba only understands blood... at least, at first. He becomes more egalitarian as he is promoted. |
| 390 | * ReallyGetsAround: What you'd expect of a Grail follower, but he is specifically noted to have an unending parade of partners going to his rooms. |
| 391 | * SchmuckBait: You can romance him, even though he's explicitly mentioned to destroy all his lovers. He outright tells you that "this will end badly". [[spoiler:It does.]] |
| 392 | * TranquilFury: If imprisoned, his anger "burns like buried lava". |
| 393 | [[/folder]] |
| 394 | |
| 395 | [[folder:Renira]] |
| 396 | ->''"Renira has been found not guilty three times in three separate jurisdictions. She will likely never be found guilty of anything."'' |
| 397 | * CreepySouvenir: Alongside flowers, jewelry and poetry, some of Renira's admirers are implied to send her these. |
| 398 | * FemmeFatale: Renira has been found "not guilty" in three separate jurisdictions, although for what is not clear. |
| 399 | * IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: Implicitly part of how her [[{{Glamour}} Grail powers]] manifest. |
| 400 | * KarmaHoudini: As her quote states. The Detective notes that not only has she never been found guilty despite her activities, but that "she will likely never be found guilty for anything." |
| 401 | * ReallyGetsAround: Inverted. She very pointedly only returns the affections of those she finds worthy, and has very high standards. |
| 402 | [[/folder]] |
| 403 | |
| 404 | [[folder:Sylvia]] |
| 405 | ->''"Sylvia lost her eye in the woods when she was nine years old. Every year, at Candlemass, she returns to the place she buried it."'' |
| 406 | * CloudCuckoolander: No one is quite sure what Sylvia wants, not even herself. |
| 407 | * EyeScream: Lost her eye when she was nine years old. As her quote says, she commemorates the event annually. |
| 408 | * HardDrinkingPartyGirl: Listed among the things she is very familiar with is Irish Whiskey. |
| 409 | * LivingLieDetector: A part of how her Moth Aspect reveals itself- all she has to do is close her remaining eye, and people start spilling their guts to her. |
| 410 | * MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Romance with her is described as including this, as well as her [[ClothingDamage cutting off both of your clothes]]. |
| 411 | * MaybeEverAfter: A romance ending with her is described as extremely tempestuous, and involving infidelity in both directions. But you do always find yourselves drawn back together. [[LoveRedeems Whether that is a good thing]] [[DestructiveRomance or not]] is unclear. |
| 412 | * StealthExpert: When Exalted, she can leave a room "almost before she enters it". |
| 413 | [[/folder]] |
| 414 | |
| 415 | [[folder:Porter]] |
| 416 | ->''"Porter was a barber, until the court case."'' |
| 417 | * {{Expy}}: Loosely, a number of details about him are reminiscent of Sweeney Todd. |
| 418 | * IKnowYourTrueName: Presumably why he collects people's names. As a rival he even somehow begins an ascension path based on his name collection. |
| 419 | * NoodleImplements: It's not clear how he puts his scissors to work now that he's no longer a barber, but it seems to be quite helpful to the Cult. |
| 420 | * NoodleIncident: Whatever court case got him fired as a barber. |
| 421 | * ShearMenace: There are many worrying hints about what, exactly, he does with those scissors. |
| 422 | * StalkerWithoutACrush: The Detective discovers that Porter enjoys collecting people's names, although he can't figure out why. |
| 423 | * StealthHiBye: "Like a spider, Porter is found in the most unexpected places." |
| 424 | * StealthExpert: "Porter goes unnoticed, until he's ready." |
| 425 | [[/folder]] |
| 426 | |
| 427 | [[folder:Ysabet]] |
| 428 | ->''"Ysabet has always been most comfortable by moonlight. She has excellent night vision. She is often overlooked in daylight."'' |
| 429 | * MacabreMothMotif: More than any of the other Moth followers Ysabet draws parallels to the literal insects. In a romance ending she collects or raises live moths and lets them loose in the house. |
| 430 | * NotAMorningPerson: Ysabet prefers to sleep through the day and do her work at night, which may be a part of her connection to the Moth and the darkness of the Wood. |
| 431 | * ShapedLikeItself: Her behavior is so peculiar that it can only be described as "what an Ysabet does." |
| 432 | * StealthHiBye: "Ysabet was just here, just a moment ago. Just here. Almost certainly." Even more than other Moth followers she is focused on being unseen. |
| 433 | * WillNotTellALie: Once she becomes a Skintwister. Specifically, she never ''needs'' to lie. |
| 434 | [[/folder]] |
| 435 | |
| 436 | [[folder:Neville]] |
| 437 | ->''"Neville pauses before he speaks, and flinches easily. He laughs whenever he thinks you've made a joke."'' |
| 438 | %%* DespairEventHorizon: If imprisoned. |
| 439 | %%-->"Neville is weeping." |
| 440 | * NoSocialSkills: Aside from being very nervous, he is awkward and has a hard time recognizing social cues. |
| 441 | * SelfImposedChallenge: He just really likes opening doors, and wants to open as many as he can, while he can. |
| 442 | * ShrinkingViolet: He is an extremely nervous fellow, or at least appears that way. He starts to become more confident as he is promoted. |
| 443 | [[/folder]] |
| 444 | |
| 445 | [[folder:Enid]] |
| 446 | ->''"Enid speaks softly, and sometimes her gaze doesn't focus on anything visible. It may be that you've dreamed the same dreams."'' |
| 447 | * BlindSeer: It is implied that, the better her supernatural sight becomes, the more her actual eyesight deteriorates, although this doesn't seem to be much of an impediment for her. |
| 448 | * CloudCuckoolander: Enid often stares at things that are not visible, although it is difficult for her. |
| 449 | %%* DespairEventHorizon: If imprisoned. "Enid doesn't speak any more." |
| 450 | * SpiderSense: She always sees her enemies coming. |
| 451 | [[/folder]] |
| 452 | |
| 453 | ! The Patrons |
| 454 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 455 | * CunningLinguist: Four out of Five Patrons can tutor you in another language, in exchange for an Iron Spintria or better. Madame Bechet will teach you Greek, Count Jannings can tutor you in Latin, Dr. Ibn Al-Adim can instruct you in Aramaic, and Sulochana can tutor you in Sanskrit. |
| 456 | * EccentricMentor: To a greater or lesser extent. While they don't grant you knowledge by themselves, turning in Commissions for them can net you Erudition and Glimmering, which are essential for studying or subverting Lore. |
| 457 | * MuggingTheMonster: Menaces which randomly target Two of the Five who aren't mortal will cause them to fail and be destroyed by them. |
| 458 | * WeirdCurrency: The primary benefit of having Patrons is that they give you Spintrias- the currency of the supernatural- in exchange for Commissions. |
| 459 | [[/folder]] |
| 460 | |
| 461 | [[folder:Poppy Lascelles]] |
| 462 | * AdultChild: Despite being an older woman (with some disturbing interests), she is often described as being cute and childlike in her demeanor. |
| 463 | * CreepyCute: She speaks in a cute, childlike manner, but requests Commissions on Knock and Winter Lore- the Lores most commonly associated with loss, sacrifice and death. |
| 464 | * DealWithTheDevil: The first time you meet her, she promises to give you support so long as you introduce her to someone who will "end things properly." If you accept her bargain, she'll give you a whopping ''ten'' Funds, along with a Silver Spintria, but after a certain period of time, you'll need to give her one of your cultists as a sacrifice. Otherwise, you'll get a NonStandardGameOver. Once you do that, however, she becomes like all the other patrons, exchanging Commissions for Spintrias. |
| 465 | * AnIcePerson: While she lacks any special magic powers, as far as we can see, she appears to venerate the Sun-In-Rags, and leaves behind a Winter-Aspected Influence wherever she goes. |
| 466 | * RichBoredom: Described as a "woman of property," with a self-described interest in "matters of blood and ice." Seems to make Commissions simply to fill her time. |
| 467 | [[/folder]] |
| 468 | |
| 469 | [[folder:Mme Bechet]] |
| 470 | * EldritchLocation: She runs the Kerisham Review. Kerisham, you later learn, is a VanishingVillage on the English Coast. |
| 471 | * FemmeFatale: Has shades of this, particularly given her fascination with Grail and Moth lore. |
| 472 | * HiddenDepths: She seems like she's simply an occult tabloid reporter at first glance. She also is from a VanishingVillage, speaks Greek, and her interest in Forge implies far broader interests than you would expect. |
| 473 | * LuridTalesOfDoom: Runs the Kerisham Review, a gossipy tabloid that focuses on "material too ghastly or thrilling" for other, more reputable magazines. |
| 474 | [[/folder]] |
| 475 | |
| 476 | [[folder:Count Jannings]] |
| 477 | * AdaptationExpansion: He is a recruitable party member in Exile, and keeps a townhouse in Rostok where you can lay low. |
| 478 | * BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats: Despite the unusual nature of their interests, Count Jannings' "confraternity" tends to evoke this more than any AncientConspiracy. [[spoiler: Subverted, since the club includes at least one person possessed by a Strix and the [[DuelingScar scarification]] in the initiation evokes the Colonel.]] |
| 479 | * DuelingScar: He requires you get one as an initiation at his club for him to be willing to join you. |
| 480 | * GentlemanAdventurer: He and his "Confraternity of physicians and duelists" seem to evoke this. |
| 481 | * MadDoctor: He is a vivisectionist, using his powers of Edge to take things apart and Heart to put them together again. |
| 482 | [[/folder]] |
| 483 | |
| 484 | [[folder:Dr Ibn Al-Adim]] |
| 485 | * BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: His [[TheAgeless lack of mortality]], his name, and his interest in [[SecretHistory Secret Histories]] implies that he's the 13th-century historian and biographer [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_al-Adim Ibn al-Adim]] |
| 486 | * TheAgeless: He's one of the two Patron who lacks the Mortal Aspect, implying that he's one of the immortal Long |
| 487 | * IHaveManyNames: He is also referred to as the Aleppine. |
| 488 | * MagicalAsian: Aside from his name implying an Arabic heritage, his other name- the Aleppine- implies he is from Aleppo, located in modern-day Syria. As for the Magical part, see TheAgeless above. |
| 489 | * ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: Has a particular interest in the Secret Histories and Lantern Lore, both of which are tied to [[GoMadFromTheRevelation mind-blasting revelations.]] |
| 490 | [[/folder]] |
| 491 | |
| 492 | [[folder:Sulochana Amavasya]] |
| 493 | * AmbiguouslyHuman: Like Al-Adim, Sulochana doesn't have Mortal aspect. [[spoiler:When you're getting ready for dance to get Instar: Far-Travelling, she mentions that she gets nearly as far as you, but in the end chose a different way to ascend to Mansus. She also thinks of warning her sisters about your eventual ascent.]] |
| 494 | * EatsBabies: [[spoiler:She's Ligeian Club member, which means that she's an Alukite and had committed Crime of the Sky at one point. Getting the location to Miah from her will even make her tell you to relay a threat against children of people who want to ask about her when you got there.]] |
| 495 | * KnowledgeBroker: She is [[spoiler: one of the Ligeans]], and she's been around for a long time. She knows a thing or two. Such as a method to ascend via dance or even [[spoiler: the weakness of an immortal ImplacableMan.]] She doesn't trade knowledge for money though, instead doing business with those who impress her. |
| 496 | * MagicalAsian: Like Al-Adim, the AmbiguouslyHuman part kind of makes her fit in the Magical part, especially since she's the owner of the Ecdysis Club, which seems to know a lot of the occults. Her name and appearance, and the fact that she's Sanskrit tutor, also heavily implies Indian origin. |
| 497 | * ScrewThisImOutOfHere: When the Apostle Obsonate expresses their desire to complete [[DevouredByTheHorde the Vitulation]] she asks if you're really doing this. And then, disturbed or disappointed in her unflappable way, she gets you in touch with her sister and nopes out. She doesn't come back. |
| 498 | * TheUnblinking: She's described as this. [[spoiler: This is standard for Alukites.]] |
| 499 | [[/folder]] |
| 500 | |
| 501 | [[folder:The Ligeans]] |
| 502 | A group of several old, powerful, and hungry entities that consider each other sisters. They are all Alukites of various forms, and are extremely dangerous, but are usually willing to work with you for the right consideration. |
| 503 | ----- |
| 504 | * CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Considering how heinous the Crime of the Sky is regarded normally, the fact that the Ligeian Club members aren't hunted down can be surprising. This is because they're the Keyholders necessary to elevate a Long higher. |
| 505 | * EatsBabies: All of them are Ligeian Club members, who are all Alukites, which means that they had committed the Crime of the Sky at one point. |
| 506 | * LoopholeAbuse: It's a law of the Hours that no one can hold or own the Keys. As Alukites, however, they are already abominations and outside the law. |
| 507 | * MuggingTheMonster: In Exile they count as distractions, meaning that when Reckoners are hunting for you they may run into the Ligeans instead. Ordinary operatives, assassins, and underbosses are devoured without a trace, and even your Foe may be wounded. |
| 508 | * NotBloodSiblings: The Ligeian Club members all consider each other to be sisters, even if they're totally unrelated by blood. |
| 509 | |
| 510 | !!Frau Schlüssel |
| 511 | * ForScience: She is so eager to help your patron ascend because, basically, it's a rare opportunity and just plain interesting. |
| 512 | * TheHecateSisters: Her name is apparently Kleidoukhos, which is one of Hecate's epithets. |
| 513 | * MoralityPet: She keeps a little puppy. It hides under her skirts. Whether it is ''actually'' a puppy is, of course, an open question. |
| 514 | * NiceGirl: Unlike [[IAmAHumanitarian her sisters]], she is happy to aid your mentor in the opening of the Tricuspid Gate and asks for nothing in return. In Exile she will also accept a reckoner corpe, though she will take a Decade or devour a betrayed ally if offered instead. |
| 515 | %%* TheUnblinking: Like her sister. |
| 516 | |
| 517 | !!Marinette, 'Our Lady of Wires' |
| 518 | * AdorableAbomination: When interacting with her and offering someone for sacrifice the little "[grail]?" when she's hungry and the enthusiastic "[heart]!" when she's finally sated makes it sound like she's a pet asking for a treat. |
| 519 | * {{Expy}}: Her name and skeletal appearance is a reference to a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinette_(Vodou) Vodou Loa]], dangerous but also associated with revolutions and fighting for freedom. |
| 520 | * StrippedToTheBone: The people she eats, not her, though she is of course a puppet made of bones. The victims are stripped to the skin actually. She sometimes leaves the bones too. |
| 521 | * TomTheDarkLord: 'Marinette' doesn't seem like it'd be an Alukite's name. |
| 522 | * VillainousGlutton: In contrast to Mrs E. She doesn't care who she eats, or even if they're occultists... she just cares that there are ''a lot of them.'' |
| 523 | * {{Wingdinglish}}: She only speaks in lore symbols. |
| 524 | |
| 525 | !!Mrs E. |
| 526 | * AntiFrustrationFeatures: She'll usually want an Exalted follower as a sacrifice in return for her help... but if you're playing as the Society of St. Hydra, which cannot Exalt followers, she'll waive the sacrifice requirement, so the Legacy doesn't become unwinnable this far in. |
| 527 | * HiddenDepths: She is apparently interested enough in the Histories that a cult devoted to [[AlternateHistory St. Hydra]] gets you off the hook for a sacrifice. |
| 528 | * MonsterProgenitor: She calls herself [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Echidna]] when the Exile meets her in Marakesh, and has frequently worked with the Lionsmith. |
| 529 | * OneWingedAngel: Her human shape is only a polite guise. And is ''not'' the shape she prefers. |
| 530 | * PickyPeopleEater: Requires an Exalted follower before she gives her assistance to an Apostle. Unless you're in Secret History cult, since you can't have Exalted cultists. |
| 531 | |
| 532 | !!Mme. Matutine |
| 533 | * AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler: If you offer her enough secrets, she will help you ascend as a Long in the name of the Velvet.]] |
| 534 | * CoolBoat: She keeps one, ''The Sapphire'', and travels the seas of the world on it. This is also how she turns up if summoned. |
| 535 | * GivenNameReveal: Her first name is unknown in ''Cultist Simulator''. However, ''VideoGame/BookOfHours'' reveals it to be "Margot". |
| 536 | * SummoningArtifact: When she is encountered in the Exile path you can arrange an audience with her. She offers a deal that is key to one of the victory conditions, and gives you a bone flute that can be used to summon her anywhere by the sea. |
| 537 | * UnPerson: She can do this to you, [[spoiler: and ascend you to being a Long in the process]], at the cost of being given enough powerful secrets and relics in exchange. |
| 538 | |
| 539 | !!What Is Not Seen |
| 540 | * {{Medusa}}: [[CaptainObvious This is why she is not seen.]] It's unlikely she turns you to stone, [[NothingIsScarier but that is not actually reassuring when you wonder what she might do instead.]] |
| 541 | * AnomalousArt: The way you can tell she is present in the city, in a very strange way. None of the statues in the city have their eyes open. |
| 542 | * MissingTime: When you arrange a meeting with her. You simply wind up missing an hour, and are unsure that you actually met a Ligean at all except for the injuries. |
| 543 | * OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: Medusa's Riddle, which you may recall from other paths as one of the ways to get through the Stag Door. This is not only a bit of eldritch lore to become a Know but also what is required to meet her. |
| 544 | * TimeAbyss: In the Dancer path Sulochana mentions that she is the oldest Ligean alive. Given their general age and power, that's saying something. |
| 545 | * WoundThatWillNotHeal: She gives you one, permanently reducing your hit points. It works as a mystical tool, and also is useful for certain endgame conditions. |
| 546 | [[/folder]] |
| 547 | |
| 548 | ! The Hunters |
| 549 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 550 | * TheAntiNihilist: It is possible for a Hunter to develop this attitude in response to your attacks, with both the Grim and Idealist qualities. Hunters like this are mentally unshakable, and can only be harmed by physical attacks. |
| 551 | * BatDeduction: Hunters with the "Erratic" trait can find evidence against you even without any Notoriety to use, using esoteric knowledge and unexpected angles to find clues [[VillainWithGoodPublicity even you]] can't conceal. Of course, these methods are not entirely reliable. |
| 552 | * TheConfidant: You can play them this way, oddly enough. Regular conversation with them on low level lore can help maintain your sanity at the cost of suspicion, especially if they themselves have developed an immunity to those mental influences. |
| 553 | * FaceHeelTurn: As of the Dancer update, Hunters can become Troublemakers and Rivals that seek the same ascension they once tried to stop you from gaining. |
| 554 | * HeroAntagonist: Opposes the Player Character at every turn, by building cases from the Notoriety you generate in pursuit of your Ascension. |
| 555 | * HeroicSecondWind: If a Hunter survives an attempt to kill them or drive them insane, they have a chance to become resistant to similar attempts to get rid of them in the future. Worst case scenario is instead they chose to embrace the occult and becomes your rival. |
| 556 | * HiddenDepths: All of them have the potential to become dangerous and powerful occult rivals under the right circumstances. What's more, if you then recruit them they show extraordinary capabilities even beyond your regular cultists. |
| 557 | * ImDyingPleaseTakeMyMacGuffin: If a Hunter is able to generate Evidence but gets killed before they can make an arrest, other Hunters can use that Evidence to try to arrest you or your followers. |
| 558 | * IronWoobie: Despite how difficult they can be for the player to deal with, in honesty they are hugely outclassed. But they can survive and continue to hound you despite all the supernatural horrors you throw at them, and if they're lucky they may even take you down. |
| 559 | * MagikarpPower: Recruiting a Hunter is a laborious process, particularly at full strength. It requires you to [[spoiler: corrupt them and then nurture their development to becoming Long In The Making, while keeping them from interfering with your own business, before offering them a very powerful magical tool.]] ''But'' if you succeed they are some of the most powerful followers in the game and allow you to have Exalted followers outside of your cult's aspect. |
| 560 | * NoMrBondIExpectYouToDine: Just because they are trying to find enough proof to lock you away forever doesn't mean you can't have a civil conversation. It can even be a reliable, but risky, way to produce Dread or Fascination to counter your various insanities. |
| 561 | * NoOneCouldSurviveThat: Some Hunters are Tenacious, and this trope is said word-for-word when they survive an attack that should have killed them. |
| 562 | * OccultDetective: The Suppression Bureau investigates and prosecutes crimes surrounding the Mansus and its many occult mysteries. |
| 563 | * PretentiousLatinMotto: A plaque in ''VideoGame/BookOfHours'' reveals the Suppression Beaureau's to be "ALLIS LICET TIBI NON LICET." "To us it is permitted; to you it is not permitted." Which sums up the way the Bureau works pretty well. |
| 564 | * TailorMadePrison: Considering the capabilities of your cultists, this is a given. Described precautions include avoiding locks, which would just be disassembled, and not giving them anything [[ImprobableWeaponUser that could conceivably be a weapon. Down to the wrong vegetables.]] |
| 565 | ** ProperlyParanoid: While this may be overkill for simple Believers, for Disciples and ''especially'' Exalted it is more than justified. |
| 566 | [[/folder]] |
| 567 | |
| 568 | [[folder:Doctor Natalia Dragon]] |
| 569 | * AdventureArchaeologist: If you manage to recruit her she is very effective in this role. Forge defeats environmental barriers and destroys sealed doors, while Lantern locates hidden ones. [[NonActionGuy She needs a partner if any fighting is involved though.]] |
| 570 | * CurseEscapeClause: When at full strength she is notable for being able to reliably repel [[PuppeteerParasite The Worms in the World]], a remarkable feat. She can also repel a Dry Soul Curse. |
| 571 | * AwesomenessByAnalysis: As she has the Meticulous Aspect, she ''always'' produces Evidence from Notoriety, making any sort of suspicious activity even more dangerous while she's hunting you. |
| 572 | * {{Determinator}}: Her study of occult Lore got her kicked out of her respectable university job, but that didn't stop her from pursuing her studies, which is how she wound up at the Suppression Bureau. |
| 573 | * HiddenDepths: If recruited she has ten Lantern and seven Forge. She has a brilliant insight and is practical, methodical, and never gives up. |
| 574 | * ThePollyanna: As a Hunter with the Idealist Aspect, she can't be driven insane with Dread or Winter-Aspected Lore. However, Lantern-Aspected Lore and Fascination have a much higher chance to affect her. |
| 575 | * TheyCalledMeMad: She was laughed out of respectable academia for her research into the Secret Histories. She was also entirely correct. |
| 576 | [[/folder]] |
| 577 | |
| 578 | [[folder:Connie Lee]] |
| 579 | * AdaptationExpansion: She tends to be the narrative face of the bureau in supplemental materials. In Exile she reports on how the struggle with your rival went, and even possibly recruits you, while notes from the future show that after the Suppression Bureau was disbanded due to budget cuts [[CreatureHunterOrganization she formed a private organization of monster hunters to keep up the fight.]] |
| 580 | * AntiMagic: She is incredibly resistant to supernatural attack, to the point that the PC has a better chance killing her than a being like [[PhysicalGod King Crucible.]] |
| 581 | * {{Determinator}}: She starts with both the Tenacious Aspect, which makes all attacks against her have a one-in-three chance to fail, even when they'd normally succeed. She also has the Mystic Aspect, which makes her essentially immune to creatures from the Mansus. In short, she is very, ''very'' hard to kill. |
| 582 | ** Connie was even tougher in the earliest versions of the game, because her Tenacious and Mystic Aspects stacked exponentially. Once players brought this to the designer's attention, he re-coded the mechanic to make Connie (slightly) more vulnerable. |
| 583 | * GentlemanAdventurer: She's from a rich family, [[NonIdleRich she won't sit around when there are dark forces afoot,]] and she has an incredible talent for surviving even when facing staggeringly powerful supernatural enemies. |
| 584 | * GivenNameReveal: ''VideoGame/BookOfHours'' reveals that "Connie" is actually a diminutive : her full first name is Constance. |
| 585 | * HiddenDepths: If recruited she is called a [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Conqueress,]] and it is noted that she will not be satisfied serving forever. She has a full ten strength in Edge and seven in Grail on top of it. She is seductive, deadly, and ambitious. |
| 586 | * NonIdleRich: She's from a wealthy family, but has decided to use her resources and skills to hunt down cultists at the Suppression Bureau. |
| 587 | [[/folder]] |
| 588 | |
| 589 | [[folder:Inspector Wakefield]] |
| 590 | * AwesomenessByAnalysis: Like Doctor Natalia Dragon, he is Meticulous, which means he always produces Evidence when he finds Notoriety. You need to be extra careful when doing anything shady while he's hunting you. |
| 591 | * CurseEscapeClause: When at full strength he can reliably repel a Fifth Eye Curse by invoking the Elegiast. |
| 592 | * {{Determinator}}: He has the relentless patience of Winter. |
| 593 | * GivenNameReveal: If he leaves the Suppression Bureau you learn his first name is Zachary. |
| 594 | * HardboiledDetective: With his Grim Aspect, he evokes shades of this. |
| 595 | * HiddenDepths: If recruited he has ten strength in Winter and seven in Lantern, representing a chilly insight. |
| 596 | [[/folder]] |
| 597 | |
| 598 | [[folder:Spencer Hobson]] |
| 599 | * AntiMagic: He has the Mystic aspect, his [[RenaissanceMan eclectic knowledge]], erratic nature, and skill at escape letting him evade and defeat your monstrosities. |
| 600 | * BatDeduction: How it's implied he manages to produce Evidence even without Notoriety to work from. |
| 601 | * CowboyCop: Indicated by the Erratic Aspect. While he's more likely to fail to create Evidence from Notoriety, he also has the chance to create Evidence ''even without Notoriety.'' |
| 602 | * DemonicPossession: ''BOOK OF HOURS'' mentions in "The Affair of the Endless Guest" that he has been infested by the Worms. Alarmingly, it's said he retains a considerable amount of control over his mental faculties relative to previous known Worm hosts and considers them to be his "guests". |
| 603 | * HiddenDepths: If recruited he has ten Knock and seven Moth. He is erratic, unconventional, and takes paths others cannot. |
| 604 | * RenaissanceMan: Has had a collection of jobs, and though he has seemed reasonably competent at all of them, he was too Erratic to stay on any one job long. |
| 605 | * YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: When his erratic nature fails to produce results in his investigation, your character's commentary takes this tone. |
| 606 | [[/folder]] |
| 607 | |
| 608 | [[folder:Weary Detective]] |
| 609 | * CowboyCop: Normally not at all, but if provoked enough to become a Rival rather than a Hunter, it is implied by the text that he's delving into eldritch stuff just to see what all the fuss is about and to stop you by beating you at your own game. |
| 610 | * CreateYourOwnHero: The Weary Detective is the least dangerous of the potential Hunters, but failed attempts to kill him or drive him insane can cause him to pick up traits that make him much more threatening. |
| 611 | * CreateYourOwnVillain: Another possibility, if the player's attempts to drive him mad make him decide to "see what all the fuss is about" and begin practicing the eldritch arts for himself. |
| 612 | * DeadpanSnarker: Though he doesn't speak, his description indicates this sort of personality. Even if he's been captured by your cult, he mostly seems annoyed that he doesn't get to read his morning paper. |
| 613 | * GivenNameReveal: If you try to bewilder him with eldritch lore he has a chance to instead become a Rival, and then it gives him the name "Douglas." ''BOOK OF HOURS'' further gives his surname as "Moore". |
| 614 | * HiddenDepths: If recruited he has a full ten strength in Forge. [[{{Determinator}} It represents his implacable nature and refusal to give up.]] [[StealthPun On top of his being a Copper]] of course. |
| 615 | * OldFashionedCopper: Lacks any special Aspects, and seems like just an ordinary beat cop who got put on the Suppression Bureau for some reason. |
| 616 | * RankUp: Pre-release materials for ''BOOK OF HOURS'' show that he's been promoted to Detective-Illuminate, [[FeelingTheirAge much to his dismay]]. |
| 617 | * StarterVillain: A patch turns him into the first investigator who'll start following your trail (originally any Hunters can be your first), but isn't much of a threat unless you're exceedingly careless. [[SortingAlgorithmOfEvil Once you get rid of him, however, you'll draw the attention of the more effective, named Hunters.]] |
| 618 | [[/folder]] |
| 619 | |
| 620 | ! Other Mortals |
| 621 | [[folder:Mr. Alden]] |
| 622 | * KlingonPromotion: You can send a minion to kill him and take over his position at Glover & Glover. |
| 623 | * MeanBoss: As the Supervisor of Records at Glover and Glover, he has a lot of opportunity to make your life miserable (assuming you take a job with them), and he often forces you to work overtime. If you refuse to put in overtime when he wants, or don't put in additional effort in the form of Reason, he docks your pay. |
| 624 | * MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: It's not terribly surprising if you get tired of being forced to work overtime for him, but fortunately there are a few ways to deal with him: you can send an Edge or Winter Aspected minion to assassinate him, or a Grail Aspected minion to seduce him and ruin his reputation with scandals, or you can send a Moth Aspected minion to drive him insane. [[spoiler: Or you can just wait until he retires and he'll hand you the Senior Position himself.]] |
| 625 | * StealthMentor: Seems to be one reason for Mr. Alden forcing you to constantly work overtime- he's preparing you to [[spoiler: take over his job for him.]] |
| 626 | [[/folder]] |
| 627 | |
| 628 | ! The Hours |
| 629 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 630 | * AbstractApotheosis: Several Gods-from-Blood, such as the Moth and the Red Grail, are abstract concepts given form. |
| 631 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: Several Hours were once mortals who penetrated the Mansus - these are known as the Gods-from-Flesh. It's also possible for some Gods-from-Blood [[note]]Those who became Hours by being sacrificed[[/note]] to have once been mortals. |
| 632 | * EldritchAbomination: The in-game art depicting them is more a symbolic representation than anything else; their 'real' appearances aren't quite comprehensible to humans. |
| 633 | * IHaveManyNames: Most Hours are known by several different names. |
| 634 | * TheOldGods: Two flavours. There's the Forge of Days and the Sun-in-Splendour, both of whom descended directly from the Glory, and the six Gods-from-Stone, which existed before humanity. |
| 635 | ** DeathOfTheOldGods: A long time ago, the other Hours rose up and killed all but two of the Gods-from-Stone. |
| 636 | [[/folder]] |
| 637 | |
| 638 | [[folder:The Moth]] |
| 639 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_moth.png]] |
| 640 | ->''"We call upon the Moth, who beats within the skull; who is dappled; who seeks among the trees of the Wood."'' |
| 641 | |
| 642 | The Hour of chaos, yearning, madness, passion, and identity. Also known as the Dapple-King. |
| 643 | ----- |
| 644 | * AbstractApotheosis: Moreso than other Hours. The Moth is abstract enough to name the aspect it embodies. |
| 645 | * DeadPersonImpersonation: [[KillTheGod Killed the Wheel]], one of the Gods-From-Stone, by subverting its identity. [[spoiler: He didn't do as thorough a job as he thinks he did.]] |
| 646 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: The Moth embodies the knowledge-seeker who goes mad. It always answers "Yes" to the question of the Glory, even to its own destruction. [[ArcWords "Into the fire we fly."]] |
| 647 | * MothMenace: An ancient god of madness, chaos, loss, and yearning in the form of a giant moth. |
| 648 | * MadGod: As a being born of [[AnthropomorphicPersonification the primal madness of humanity]], the Moth is utterly insane. Higher lore makes parallels to [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Dionysus]]. |
| 649 | * ShearMenace: The reason the Moth aspect is so closely associated with scissors. When the Moth subverted the Wheel, he's described as first cutting off its fingers, then hair, then 'everything else'. |
| 650 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: Both of shape and identity. |
| 651 | [[/folder]] |
| 652 | |
| 653 | [[folder:The Door in the Eye]] |
| 654 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_door_in_the_eye.png]] |
| 655 | ->''"We call upon the Watchman, who navigates; who illuminates; who is not compassionate."'' |
| 656 | |
| 657 | The Hour of light, reason, enlightenment, knowledge, and mercilessness. Also called the Watchman and the Doorkeeper. |
| 658 | ----- |
| 659 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: He's a God-from-Flesh as well as a God-from-Light, with one part of his origin being an Unwise Mortal who learned the arts of [[AlchemyIsMagic Flint]] during the days of the Carapace Cross and ascended to the service of the Egg Unhatching, who he ended up merging with within the Glory to become the Watchman. |
| 660 | * EyeScream: "The Watchman's eye was opened: not in the usual way, but with a knife." |
| 661 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: The merciless Watchman is the Hour embodying this concept. |
| 662 | * LightIsNotGood: Rather, light is not ''compassionate''. Knowledge, being knowledge, does not care what its effect on you might be should you learn it. |
| 663 | --> ''"Mercy," saith the Watchman, "is found only in shadow."'' |
| 664 | * MessianicArchetype: Of a sort. He is one of the Gods-from-Light, originating from the Glory, and in time, he will return, bringing seven worthy souls with him. |
| 665 | * NinjaPirateZombieRobot: So far he's the only Hour to have 3 origins all at once, which is referred to as Amber by a writer, namely being a God-from-Flesh [[note]]One part of his is a mortal who learned the arts of Flint then ascended[[/note]], God-from-Stone [[note]]Another part of him is the Egg Unhatching[[/note]], and God-from-Light [[note]]When most likely that the Mortal and the Egg merged together within the Glory to become the Watchman[[/note]]. There are, however, lores that dispute the Watchman's origin as a God-from-Light. |
| 666 | * VisualPun: One of the three entities that merged to form him was the Egg Unhatching. Now he's a giant eyeball. |
| 667 | [[/folder]] |
| 668 | |
| 669 | [[folder:The Velvet]] |
| 670 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_velvet.png]] |
| 671 | |
| 672 | |
| 673 | The Hour of darkness, secrecy, and shelter. Also known as the Black-Flax and Moldywarp. |
| 674 | ----- |
| 675 | * AlienKudzu: Its presence or influence in the Wood is heralded by vast flows of moss. |
| 676 | * AnimalMotifs: Moles. "Moldywarp" is an old word for mole, and she is depicted as a mole on her tarot card. |
| 677 | * BarrierMaiden: Stands with the Horned-Axe to contain the Crowned Growth. |
| 678 | * {{Blackmail}}: It goes with the territory of being a goddess of secrets. One notable example has her offering the Hooded Princes blackmail on the Moth, Ring-Yew, and Witch-and-Sister after they refused to help the Princes fend off a Timurid army. Needless to say, their next appeal to those Hours was much more successful. |
| 679 | * CatsAreMagic: One of the Velvet's Names can only be seen by certain cats, and following Cats in Exile will lead you to a shrine of the Velvet. |
| 680 | * RefusalOfTheCall: The god of this, among other things. The Velvet rejects the Glory where the Moth embraces it, and keeps the Wood's canopy sealed against its light. |
| 681 | * SecretKeeper: It is said to guard the secrets of the other Hours. |
| 682 | * TheExtremistWasRight: The Velvet is entirely correct that pursuing the Glory is guaranteed to be dangerous, immoral, and self destructive. |
| 683 | * UnPerson: As the Hour of secrets, this is her domain. One of her servants is even called the [[TakeAwayTheirName Nameless Name.]] |
| 684 | [[/folder]] |
| 685 | |
| 686 | [[folder:The Malachite]] |
| 687 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_malachite.png]] |
| 688 | ->''"We call upon the Ring-Yew, who is succulent; who encompasses; who renews."'' |
| 689 | |
| 690 | The Hour of fertility, bees, desire, restlessness, and whimsy. Also known as the Ring-Yew and the Honey-Tree. |
| 691 | ----- |
| 692 | * AnimalMotifs: Bees. Her tarot card is covered in dripping honeycombs, and when the Hooded Princes called on her to help them defend India, a quarter of the invading Timurid army was ''[[EatenAlive eaten]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath alive]]'' by bees. |
| 693 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: As a God-from-Flesh. |
| 694 | * FertilityGoddess: Associated with plants, growth, and renewal. |
| 695 | * TheHecateSisters: One of three feminine Hours worshipped by the Sisterhood of the Knot that give this impression. The others are the Red Grail and the Horned-Axe. Ironically, none of these Hours like each other very much. |
| 696 | * LiminalBeing: Maybe. The highest level Moth lore reveals her liaisons with the Mare-in-the-Tree. The Mare-in-the-Tree "has sometimes been the Witch's Sister", which if true would put the Malachite as another aspect of The Witch. But none of this is confirmed in lore, since they're tangential to the player characters' interests. |
| 697 | * NatureEqualsPlants: She represents the renewing, vegetative, and creative aspects of living things. This is in contrast to the Red Grail, which represents its consumptive aspects. |
| 698 | * StarCrossedLovers: She has secret (but rumored) liaisons with the Mare-in-the-Tree, a [[EldritchAbomination God-From-Nowhere]]. |
| 699 | [[/folder]] |
| 700 | |
| 701 | [[folder:The Thunderskin]] |
| 702 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_thunderskin.png]] |
| 703 | ->''"We call upon the Thunderskin, who cannot be stilled; who demands the dance; who is beaten, like a drum."'' |
| 704 | |
| 705 | The Hour of vitality, protection, music, storms, dance, and eternity. Also known as the Heart Relentless, the Vigilant Storm, and the Pine-Knight. |
| 706 | ----- |
| 707 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: He was originally a musician from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrygia Phrygia]] (a region in the west-central part of modern-day Turkey) before being forcefully transformed into an Hour by the Red Grail. |
| 708 | * FlayedAlive: Repeated references to flaying in pieces of Heart lore, a comparison between the Thunderskin and the mythological satyr [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsyas Marsyas]], statements that the Grail "ripped the Thunderskin from Flesh" and that the Thunderskin "pleaded at his ascension", and the Thunderskin being described as being "beaten, like a drum" seem to imply that the Thunderskin's transition from mortality to Hourhood involved being unwillingly flayed alive by the Red Grail. |
| 709 | * GenuineHumanHide: As an Hour, he essentially is this. |
| 710 | * TheMedic: In his aspect as the Vigilant Storm, where he breaks curses. He can even destroy Worms infesting a cultist, though it takes a lot of power. |
| 711 | * TheScapegoat: Some accounts show his flaying by the Grail to be recompense to the Horned-Axe for the Hours’ killing of the other Gods-From-Stone to placate her. |
| 712 | * ThunderDrum: Very much his thing, evoking both drumming and mountain storms. He, of course, is the drum. |
| 713 | [[/folder]] |
| 714 | |
| 715 | [[folder:The Mother of Ants]] |
| 716 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_mother_of_ants.png]] |
| 717 | ->''"We call upon the Mother of Ants, who encircles; who opens; who arises from wounds."'' |
| 718 | |
| 719 | The Hour of wounds, doors, oracles, serpents, poison, and martyrhood. Also known as the Daughter of Venoms, the Key-Serpent, St. Agnes, and Nagi. |
| 720 | ----- |
| 721 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: As a God-from-Flesh. |
| 722 | * HijackedByJesus: She is conflated with St. Agnes by Christian cultists. Also [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]]. [[spoiler:The ''Gospel of Zacchaeus'' suggests that Jesus was a Knock occultist in service of the Mother of Ants... [[FantasticReligiousWeirdness who it names the "Mother of Salvation".]] It even cites how Knock can subvert all other aspects as evidence that she should be considered TopGod.]] |
| 723 | * KillTheGod: Ascended, along with the Colonel, after helping him kill a [[TheOldGods God-From-Stone]] called the Seven-Coils. |
| 724 | * MeaningfulName: One of her aliases, "The Daughter of Venoms." [[MultipleChoicePast Depending on her origin]] she was baptized in, drowned in, or arose from the blood of the Seven-Coils. |
| 725 | * MultipleChoicePast: There are several different accounts of her ascension. The Colonel, with the help of a mortal priestess, slew the Seven-Coils, but from there, things get complicated. One version says the Colonel baptized the priestess in the Coils' blood to make her into the Mother of Ants, another that she drowned in it, and a third saying she arose from the Coils' blood. Perhaps all are true. Or perhaps none are. |
| 726 | * OneBadMother: Her name might be a clue. Played with, however - she's actually one of the more merciful of the Hours, and her Rite spares the assistant who is ritually offered to her. |
| 727 | * PoisonIsEvil: Is also referred to as "the Daughter of Venoms." You can sometimes find bottle of Sthenic Venom, which is associated with her, and kills its victims by [[DeathOfAThousandCuts "opening the body in uncountable places."]] Whether this means literal wounds, bleeding from every orifice, old wounds opening, or all of the above is unclear: all these options occur in different parts of Knock lore. Regardless, it may be fast, [[CruelAndUnusualDeath but it isn't pretty.]] |
| 728 | * SnakesAreSinister: Despite her name, she is also closely associated with monstrous serpents - her "Younger Sisters" - that appear throughout the game, impeding your path. Subverted -- if you invoke enough Knock, you can defeat Younger Sisters by [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath reminding them of the Mother of Ants and making them cry.]] |
| 729 | * YouKillItYouBoughtIt: She is not the Seven-Coils, who she and the Colonel killed together, but she has a number of similarities beginning with her serpentine form and associations with wounds. |
| 730 | [[/folder]] |
| 731 | |
| 732 | [[folder:The Witch-and-Sister and the Sister-and-Witch]] |
| 733 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_witch_and_sister.png]] |
| 734 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_sister_and_witch.png]] |
| 735 | ->''"We call upon the Twins, who cannot be touched; who cannot be separated; who are pearl."'' |
| 736 | |
| 737 | The Hours of hunger and healing, the moon and the sea, crossroads and shores, unity and dissolution. Collectively referred to as the Twins, as well as the Two-One, the Sea-Twins, and the Crossroads-Twins. |
| 738 | ----- |
| 739 | * ArchEnemy: They are in eternal conflict with the Horned-Axe because of their conflicting natures. [[LoveGoddess The Twins]] unite, the [[BarrierMaiden Horned]]-[[LiminalBeing Axe]] divides. |
| 740 | * BrotherSisterIncest: Of a sort. While they're NotBloodSiblings, they consider themselves sisters and often meet to seek union. |
| 741 | * DrivenToSuicide: When they were mortal they ascended to Hourhood in part by drowning themselves. This is why Heart can be invoked to calm storms. |
| 742 | * HeartBeatdown: The Sister side of the Sister-and-Witch is quite strong in Heart, and uses it to her advantage. |
| 743 | * LightFeminineAndDarkFeminine: The Sister is Light, the Witch is Dark. The Sister-and-Witch's chiefest aspect is Heart, and the rite used to petition them involves an assistant offering their hand in marriage. The Witch-and-Sister's chief aspect, on the other hand, is Grail. |
| 744 | -->"'The Sister-and-Witch were born in two wombs, one poor one rich, across the sea. The Sister was stronger in the aspect of Heart, and so their survival was assured; the Witch was stronger in the aspect of Grail, and so they were not satisfied...' |
| 745 | * LightDarknessJuxtaposition: Naturally. Aside from their powers in Heart and Grail, this is reflected in their origins. The Sister was born a rich princess, and the Witch was born a poor 'monster'. |
| 746 | * LiminalBeing: It's not clear whether the Sister-and-Witch and Witch-and-Sister are two aspects of the same being, or two separate but related beings. References to how the Mare-in-the-Tree "has sometimes been the Witch's Sister" do ''nothing'' to clarify the situation. |
| 747 | * LoveGoddess: The Sister-and-Witch unite. One of the ways this manifests is love, and one of their rites invokes a symbolic marriage. |
| 748 | * OppositesAttract: Despite their vast differences in character and nature, they love each other to the point of being inseparable. If they are, in fact, separate entities at all. |
| 749 | * TomeOfEldritchLore: Their story is told in ''The Geminiad'', the only book that can be used as a tool (specifically as a Knock tool, which is incredibly useful for summoning) after being read. It also provides a lot of valuable lore and a useful rite. It's an extremely powerful book, as such things go. Despite all of the above, [[PlayingWithATrope it actually sells for a pittance to the muggles and hobbyists who don't know what they have.]] |
| 750 | * TwinTelepathy: Despite being born to separate mothers, and even in separate countries, they consider themselves sisters, and possessed the ability to communicate telepathically. |
| 751 | [[/folder]] |
| 752 | |
| 753 | [[folder:The Colonel]] |
| 754 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_colonel.png]] |
| 755 | ->''"We call upon the Colonel, who is blind; who is scarred; who cannot be denied."'' |
| 756 | |
| 757 | The Hour of scars, efficient warfare, tactics, strategy, experience, cunning, ruthlessness, the old, and the status quo. Also known as the Cartographer of Scars, the Tribune of Scars, the Scarred Captain, the Thousandman, the Chiliarch, and the Great One. |
| 758 | ----- |
| 759 | * AdaptiveAbility: Any weapon or attack used successfully against The Colonel leaves scars. [[ItOnlyWorksOnce The scars mean it will never work again.]] |
| 760 | * ALessonInDefeat: [[ArcWords "All scars are weapons."]] |
| 761 | * ArchEnemy: He's engaged in a millennia-long battle against the Lionsmith. |
| 762 | * ArrogantGodVsRagingMonster: The Arrogant God. Again the archetype of experience pitted against rage and power. |
| 763 | * BothOrderAndChaosAreDangerous: He forms half of this dynamic, along with the Lionsmith. Both sides have self evident virtues and glaring flaws. The Colonel is duty, stability, authority, and civilization. He is also tyranny and colonialism. |
| 764 | * ChevalierVsRogue: The Rogue to the Lionsmith's Chevalier. The Colonel's main followers are an order of assassins, and he emphasizes skill over power. |
| 765 | * ColonelBadass: The epitome of the concept |
| 766 | * CoveredInScars: Ritually, for protection. They were applied by the Mother of Ants when they were not yet Hours. |
| 767 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: As a God-from-Flesh. |
| 768 | * DisabilityImmunity: He deliberately had his entire body, including his eyes, ritually scarred in order to protect him from the gaze of the Hour known as the Seven-Coils. |
| 769 | * DisabledDeity: Blindness. Self-inflicted. |
| 770 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Possibly in ''[[KillTheOnesYouLove The Account of Kanishk at the Spider's Door.]]'' After learning Kanishk stabbed his lover in the back so he could gain immortality, the Colonel forced Kanishk into his eternal service. Then again, given that he embodies loyalty, this may have just been him acting according to his nature rather than out of any personal disgust. |
| 771 | * ForceAndFinesse: Finesse |
| 772 | * FullCircleRevolution: He forms half of this dynamic, along with the Lionsmith. He is the re-establishment of order and the status quo after the revolution. |
| 773 | * GoodScarsEvilScars: Depending on your AlternateCharacterInterpretation regarding where The Colonel falls on the axis of Civilization to Tyrant. |
| 774 | * HandicappedBadass: He's blind and heavily scarred, but still an extremely dangerous Edge-Hour. |
| 775 | * ImplacableMan |
| 776 | * KillTheGod: Ascended, along with the Mother of Ants, after killing the God-From-Stone known as the Seven-Coils. |
| 777 | * RedOniBlueOni: Blue to the Lionsmith's red: he has the Winter aspect, and is associated with authority, cold, patience, and cunning. |
| 778 | * TheReliableOne: The Colonel ''is'' duty. This, among other things, is why he is in charge of guarding the [[EldritchAbomination Worm]] [[GlassyPrison Museum]]. |
| 779 | * SoldierVsWarrior: The Soldier to the Lionsmith's Warrior |
| 780 | * SufferingBuildsCharacter: The god of this, among other things. |
| 781 | * TigerVersusDragon: The Dragon to the Lionsmith's Tiger. Rival powers bound by destiny, with the Colonel representing experience cunning and wisdom. |
| 782 | * UnstoppableForceMeetsImmovableObject: The Immovable Object, part of his dynamic with the Lionsmith. The Colonel cannot be wounded, and cannot be denied. |
| 783 | * WarGod |
| 784 | * WarIsHell: He symbolizes the notion of war as a place where people get scarred, both physically and mentally. |
| 785 | * YouKillItYouBoughtIt: Less so than the Mother of Ants, but they both gained divinity together by killing another god. |
| 786 | [[/folder]] |
| 787 | |
| 788 | [[folder:The Lionsmith]] |
| 789 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_lionsmith.png]] |
| 790 | ->''"The nature of the Lionsmith is to be stronger; to be seamless; to make monsters."'' |
| 791 | |
| 792 | The Hour of strength, romantic warfare, valor, honor, betrayal, challenges, the young, and revolution. Also known as the Golden General and the Shaphur. |
| 793 | ----- |
| 794 | * AlwaysSomeoneBetter: It is said that it is the Lionsmith's nature to be stronger, and to become stronger still. |
| 795 | * ArchEnemy: He's engaged in a millennia-long battle against the Colonel. |
| 796 | * ArrogantGodVsRagingMonster: The Raging Monster. Again the archetype of experience pitted against rage and power. |
| 797 | * BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: ''The Book of Thrones'' implies that [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memnon_of_Rhodes Memnon of Rhodes]] was one of his identities before his apotheosis, though he is also said to have studied under the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycenae#Perseid_dynasty Perseid dynasty]] long before the historical Memnon was born. |
| 798 | * BombThrowingAnarchists: He is associated with radicals, anarchy, and revolution. |
| 799 | * BothOrderAndChaosAreDangerous: Forms half of this dynamic, along with the Colonel. Both sides have self evident virtues and glaring flaws. The Lionsmith is courage, change, revolution, and freedom. He is also anarchy and treachery. |
| 800 | * ChallengeSeeker: Being the intersection of Edge and Forge, this is his bailiwick overall. He has started wars and created monsters so that he might become stronger from his subsequent victories. |
| 801 | * ChevalierVsRogue: The Chevalier to the Colonel's Rogue. Chivalry and strength matched by cunning and skill. |
| 802 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: As a God-from-Flesh. |
| 803 | * DissonantSerenity: The Lionsmith heals without scars, mental or physical, in contrast The Colonel. Which leaves them cheerful and unharmed in the midst of brutal combat. |
| 804 | * ForceAndFinesse: Force |
| 805 | * FullCircleRevolution: He forms half of this dynamic, along with the Colonel. He is revolution, transformation, and anarchy. |
| 806 | * GeneralRipper: The Golden General, and god of the passionate and romantic notion of war. |
| 807 | * HorrifyingTheHorror: The Worms are scary enough that even the Lionsmith, as much as he hates the Colonel, will not challenge the Colonel for the job of guarding the Worm Museum; either because he genuinely doesn't want the post, or because he [[EveryoneHasStandards takes their threat seriously enough]] that even he won't put their rivalry ahead of Worm security. |
| 808 | * InsigniaRipOffRitual: Subordinate-instigated version. The Lionsmith shattered his sword when he turned on his mentor, the Colonel, increasing his own power through the [[InvokedTrope symbolism]] of the act. |
| 809 | * MakerOfMonsters: He has created countless deadly beasts, and many still survive. |
| 810 | * MonsterKnight: The Lionsmith is the intersection of valor, romance, and brute force. |
| 811 | * RedOniBlueOni: Red to the Colonel's blue: he has the Forge aspect, and is associated with rebellion, rage, fire, and bravery. |
| 812 | * SoldierVsWarrior: The Warrior to the Colonel's Soldier. |
| 813 | * TheStarscream: The Lionsmith is said to know the secrets of betrayal. In practice he betrayed The Colonel, and derives his initial power from the act. |
| 814 | * TigerVersusDragon: The Tiger, or rather lion. The Colonel and Lionsmith are linked rival powers, with the Lionsmith representing straightforward power. |
| 815 | * UnstoppableForceMeetsImmovableObject: The Unstoppable Force, part of his dynamic with the Colonel. The Lionsmith [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter is stronger, and becomes stronger still.]] |
| 816 | * WarGod |
| 817 | * WarIsGlorious: He symbolizes war as its romanticized incarnation, a place where men become stronger, strong men become heroes, and heroes become legends. |
| 818 | [[/folder]] |
| 819 | |
| 820 | [[folder:The Elegiast]] |
| 821 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_elegiast.png]] |
| 822 | ->''"We call upon the Elegiast, who calls each of the Dead by name; who cannot be deceived; from whom nothing more can be taken."'' |
| 823 | |
| 824 | The Hour of the dead, memory, loss, and grief. Also known as the Ivory Dove and the Keener. |
| 825 | ----- |
| 826 | * BestServedCold: The Elegiast will never forgive or forget the murder of the Gods-Who-Were-Stone. |
| 827 | * BewareTheHonestOnes: The Elegiast cannot be deceived, never lies, and always keeps its promises. |
| 828 | * DarkIsNotEvil: A death god, but a reasonable and dutiful one. |
| 829 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: When invoked, he is described as one from whom "no more can be taken." |
| 830 | * TheDeadHaveNames: The Elegiast remembers the names of all the dead, because no one must be forgotten. |
| 831 | * DefectorFromDecadence: Despises other Hours for murdering the Gods-From-Stone, and made a secret pact with the Long of the Ordo Limiae (later Obliviates) to save their souls from other Hours if they die. |
| 832 | * DontFearTheReaper: He's a Winter Hour with dominion over the dead, but he's also the one Hour who is never cruel, and he refuses to forget those who have died. |
| 833 | %%* TheGrimReaper: The closest figure in the setting in any case.%%How? |
| 834 | * MysteriousPast: The other Hours have origins that fit fairly cleanly into a number of categories. But for the Elegiast, no origin is given at all. |
| 835 | * PlagueDoctor: He has this appearance when he takes human form. Or, more likely, plague doctors dress like him. |
| 836 | * ProphecyArmor: He won't make you immortal. But he ''will'' fix the date of your death, and you are absolutely not dying before that point. Even if he has to haul you back from Nowhere himself. |
| 837 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The Elegiast always remembers and keeps its promises, and is never cruel. [[spoiler: When you ascend as a Long under his auspices you have to die, but he won't kill you even if you've reached that level of commitment. You have to do it of your own volition.]] |
| 838 | [[/folder]] |
| 839 | |
| 840 | [[folder:The Beachcomber]] |
| 841 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_beachcomber.png]] |
| 842 | ->''"We call upon the Beachcomber, who sees what is lost; who opens the earth; to whom belongs what is not possessed."'' |
| 843 | |
| 844 | The Hour of hoarding, thieves, spies, voyeurs, and gossip. Also known as the Beach-Crow. |
| 845 | ----- |
| 846 | * CleverCrows: A gossipy collector of lost and broken things. |
| 847 | * CollectorOfTheStrange: It hoards rare and curious things, ranging from curios to the shameful, secret affairs among the other Hours. Those things it takes from others which are most precious, it claims 'found'. |
| 848 | * DeityOfHumanOrigin: As a God-From-Flesh. |
| 849 | * InsistentTerminology: It doesn't ''steal'' its most valuable possessions, it ''finds'' them. |
| 850 | * ThePeepingTom: A cosmic version. |
| 851 | [[/folder]] |
| 852 | |
| 853 | [[folder:The Meniscate]] |
| 854 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_meniscate.png]] |
| 855 | ->''"The Meniscate is found in moonlight; her light is cold; we cannot turn away from her."'' |
| 856 | |
| 857 | The Hour of the moon, revelation, mirrors, and space. Also called the Mirror-Queen. |
| 858 | ----- |
| 859 | * DarkWorld: The Streets Strange By Moonlight, an eldritch phenomena where you can walk an otherworldly version of London by night. [[spoiler: Also the House of the Moon, which you become a part of by balancing the number of Old Form and New Form dances at the Ecdysis Club while pursuing a Change victory.]] |
| 860 | * NotQuiteDead: Not the Meniscate herself, but there is a very important secret connected to her. [[spoiler: [[TheOldGods The Wheel]] still turns in the House of the Moon, even though the Moth is supposed to have killed it.]] Learning this makes Christopher Illopoly very thoughtful in one endgame scenario. |
| 861 | * PiecesOfGod: One of the three Hours created from the division of the Sun-in-Splendour, alongside the Madrugad and the Sun-in-Rags. |
| 862 | * PoisonIsEvil: Glassfinger Toxin is sacred to the Meniscate. Glassfinger Toxin kills painlessly. The victim [[FadingAway simply sublimates away]] [[NoBodyLeftBehind into a Winter influence.]] |
| 863 | [[/folder]] |
| 864 | |
| 865 | [[folder:The Sun-in-Rags]] |
| 866 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_sun_in_rags.png]] |
| 867 | ->''"We call upon the Sun-in-Rags, which is distant; which burns; which is not as it was."'' |
| 868 | |
| 869 | The Hour of dusk, sorrow, and beautiful endings. Also known as the White. |
| 870 | ----- |
| 871 | * DeadlyEuphemism: The "beautiful endings" that it brings are this. Granted, what little information we have on them indicates that they ''are'' genuinely beautiful [[BlueAndOrangeMorality from a certain perspective]], but any way you slice it they're still deadly. |
| 872 | * InadequateInheritor: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. Before the Sun-in-Splendour's division, the Sun-in-Rags was simply one of his Names, representing his aspect as the departing sunset. After the Intercalate, however, it's been forced to act as the solar TopGod at ''all'' times of day, a role which it's completely unsuited for. |
| 873 | * LightIsNotGood: A solar Hour with Lantern as one of its aspects. Also one of the few Hours whose domain is unavoidably lethal. |
| 874 | * PiecesOfGod: Created through the division of the Sun-in-Splendour. |
| 875 | [[/folder]] |
| 876 | |
| 877 | [[folder:The Horned-Axe]] |
| 878 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_horned_axe.png]] |
| 879 | ->''"We call upon the Horned-Axe, who bears two blades; who permits passage when passage is to be permitted; who waits at the threshold."'' |
| 880 | |
| 881 | The Hour of thresholds and guardians, separation, and distinction. Also known as the Double-Edged. |
| 882 | ----- |
| 883 | * ArchEnemy: The Horned-Axe is eternally fighting the Twins due to their conflicting natures. The Twins unite, while the Horned-Axe divides. |
| 884 | * BarrierMaiden: The Horned-Axe watches all thresholds to ensure that the [[EldritchAbomination Crowned Growth]] does not break out of the Mansus. |
| 885 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: She is a fairly benevolent protective force, at least [[DamnedByFaintPraise for an Hour.]] ''None'' of the new Hours that arose from humanity wanted to challenge her when she was considering revenge. It makes sense, [[MasterOfAll as Knock is able to subvert every other aspect]] and Winter is, among other things, death. |
| 886 | * TheHecateSisters: One of three feminine Hours worshipped by the Sisterhood of the Knot that give this impression. The others are the Ring-Yew and the Red Grail. Ironically, none of these Hours like each other very much. |
| 887 | * LastOfHerKind: She's the last remaining [[TheOldGods God-from-Stone]]. |
| 888 | * LiminalBeing: She exists on thresholds and divisions. |
| 889 | * TheMothman: Her most humanoid guise evokes the Carapace Cross rather than humans. |
| 890 | * MultipleChoicePast: Strongly associated with the many different Histories, and the way the Knock aspect connects them. |
| 891 | * TheOldGods: The last survivor of the Gods-from-Stone. |
| 892 | * TimeAbyss: Having existed before humanity, she is, at a minimum, millions of years old. |
| 893 | * RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Narrowly averted after the Gods-from-Flesh slaughtered the other Gods-from-Stone. She was convinced not to pursue revenge, but only after a great deal of argument and compromise with the other Hours. |
| 894 | [[/folder]] |
| 895 | |
| 896 | [[folder:The Madrugad]] |
| 897 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_madrugad.png]] |
| 898 | ->''"We call upon the Madrugad, which goes before the Sun; who quells and quiets; who cannot be unbalanced."'' |
| 899 | |
| 900 | The Hour of silence, death, dawn, and precision. |
| 901 | ----- |
| 902 | * BalancingDeathsBooks: In a completely amoral fashion. The Madrugad is the Hour that [[TheSyndicate Reckoners]] invoke to work their trade [[CastFromLifespan in stolen years]]. |
| 903 | * NeatFreak: She's described as "[looking] unkindly on sloppiness", with the Exile taking special care not to make any mistakes when calling on her to help convert their stolen decades into years. It's never stated how she punishes those who don't live up to her standards, but given that she's an [[EldritchAbomination Hour]] it's likely not very pleasant. |
| 904 | * PiecesOfGod: Created through the division of the Sun-in-Splendour. |
| 905 | * {{Psychopomp}}: One of the Hours responsible for collecting and escorting the dead. |
| 906 | * TheQuietOne: Silence is a recurring theme when the Madrugad is involved; the process of converting decades of lifespan into years under her gaze needs to be performed in absolute silence before dawn, and the nine years she spent ruling Abydos were characterized by "silent beauty". |
| 907 | [[/folder]] |
| 908 | |
| 909 | [[folder:The Red Grail]] |
| 910 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_red_grail.png]] |
| 911 | ->''"We call upon the Red Grail, who gives life; who takes life; who is not sated."'' |
| 912 | |
| 913 | The Hour of birth, blood, hunger, lust, pleasure, and sensation. Also called the Great Mother, the Mother of Mountains, the Mountain-Mother, the Cinnabar Cup, and the Source. |
| 914 | ----- |
| 915 | * AbstractApotheosis: Even more than most Hours. The Red Grail is abstract enough to simply name the aspect she embodies. |
| 916 | * BirthDeathJuxtaposition: She's both the goddess of birth and [[ImAHumanitarian the feast]], representing how animal life as a whole grows by consuming itself. |
| 917 | * {{Blackmail}}: The Red Church, her holy place in the Mansus, is full of stained glass depictions of people fulfilling their desires. Often they're not very nice, and sometimes you conveniently recognize someone important in them. |
| 918 | * ConsumingPassion: The epitome of the concept. |
| 919 | * TheCorrupter: It comes up a lot with the Grail, especially in context of HorrorHunger. |
| 920 | * GodEating: The Red Grail ascended to Hourhood by ''drinking'' [[TheOldGods the Tide.]] |
| 921 | * TheHecateSisters: One of three feminine Hours worshipped by the Sisterhood of the Knot that give this impression. The others are the Ring-Yew and the Horned-Axe. Ironically, none of these Hours like each other very much. |
| 922 | * HemoErotic: Very much so, between the sexuality and hunger and thirst. |
| 923 | * HorrorHunger: All appetites are amplified to horrific and monstrous degrees, with a special emphasis given to thirst. |
| 924 | * LoveGoddess: She represents sexuality and fertility, among other things. |
| 925 | * NotWantingKidsIsWeird: Her Names don't quite know how to react to the House of Lethe and other Long who forswear heterosexual sex. On the one hand, they honor the Grail through sex; on the other, they aren't bearing fruit. |
| 926 | * OneBadMother: She's also referred to as the Great Mother and the Mother of Mountains. And while she is most associated with thirst and devouring, her other primary aspect is birth. |
| 927 | * ThirstyDesert: Referenced. The Grail's power over thirst allows her followers to cross deserts. |
| 928 | [[/folder]] |
| 929 | |
| 930 | [[folder:The Wolf Divided]] |
| 931 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_wolf_divided.png]] |
| 932 | ->''"Three natures hath the Wolf Divided; he unmaketh; he unmaketh; at the last, he unmaketh."'' |
| 933 | |
| 934 | The Hour of agony, hatred, and annihilation. Also known as the Divided One. |
| 935 | ----- |
| 936 | * {{Expy}}: Of [[Myth/NorseMythology the Fenris Wolf]]. |
| 937 | * HannibalLecture: [[spoiler: If you pledge yourself to its service]] in Exile, you get to hear a speech comparing fire to the Corrivality and the Wolf's use of it to bring about the apocalypse. |
| 938 | --> ''One day, then, sooner than you think, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the world will be all aflame]]. And a final function of fire: if you've ever cooked meat, [[EvilTastesGood you'll know it brings out the juices]]. So when the flame burns down, the Wolf and all the wandering flames will feast.'' '''''My mouth is watering already.''''' |
| 939 | * OmnicidalManiac: It hates everything, and wants to devour the entire world and then itself. |
| 940 | * SavageWolves: A nihilistic embodiment of despair and destruction. Also a wolf. |
| 941 | * SuicideAttack: Starting a cult of the Wolf Divided in Exile allows you to recruit fanatics, who are very effective at violence and ''very'' willing to die for the cause. They have a finite lifespan before turning to a corpse, and are referred to as Damned. |
| 942 | * WoundThatWillNotHeal: The ''personification'' of one. The Wolf Divided is said to be the wound from the Sun-in-Splendour's division. |
| 943 | [[/folder]] |
| 944 | |
| 945 | [[folder:The Vagabond]] |
| 946 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_vagabond_6.png]] |
| 947 | ->''"We call upon the Vagabond, who tells her tale to the willing and the unwilling; who cannot be stayed; who cannot be exhausted."'' |
| 948 | |
| 949 | The Hour of wanderlust, exploration, and storytelling. Also known as the Centipede, the Pilgrim, the Laughingthrush, and the Sight-Thief. |
| 950 | ----- |
| 951 | * BerserkButton: Punishing her for going forbidden places. As an Hour she cursed Miah for when, as a mortal, she was punished for entering a temple district. She has a similar attitude to the other Hours for exiling her from the Mansus. |
| 952 | * BestServedCold: As an Hour she didn't forget Miah's treatment of her as a mortal, and returned there specifically to curse them for it. |
| 953 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: One of the few powers who can be reliably invoked to defeat the Worms, prone to cursing those who cross her, and managed to commit some offense that outraged [[EveryoneHasStandards even the other Hours.]] |
| 954 | * CourtJester: Served this role to the Sun-In-Splendor before its death. |
| 955 | * FlyingDutchman: The Vagabond has been everywhere. ''Everywhere.'' Except the Mansus, which she cannot enter, and the Glory, which is her destined final destination. You can follow her Maps to some of the most distant and obscure places found in the Secret Histories. |
| 956 | * GodIsFlawed: She founded the House of Lethe, a society of independent Long who later would become the Obliviates, but abandoned them halfway. They still resent her for this. |
| 957 | * IHaveManyNames: Almost every Hour is known by more than one name, but she takes the cake: she's also known as the Laughingthrush, the Centipede, the Sight-Thief, and the Pilgrim, among others. Unlike other Hours, these are not just aliases, but masks, each with its own role and personality. |
| 958 | * MotorMouth: The Laughingthrush tells her tale to the willing and the unwilling, and cannot be exhausted. You can imagine how this goes. |
| 959 | * TheNavigator: In the aspect of The Centipede, who knows the way. This is true both literally and metaphorically, meaning that The Centipede may need to be invoked even if you have access to higher Moth lore. |
| 960 | * OrificeInvasion: The Centipede is described as finding her way in ''anywhere'' there is a path, with eyes ears and mouth specifically mentioned. Others are delicately alluded to. |
| 961 | * TimeyWimeyBall and NoodleIncident: She, or at least some of her forms, are barred from the Mansus because of some unspecified event. This event is yet to occur. |
| 962 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: Strongly implied, as a Moth Hour with names referring to a variety of different animals and forms. |
| 963 | [[/folder]] |
| 964 | |
| 965 | [[folder:The Flowermaker]] |
| 966 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_flowermaker.png]] |
| 967 | ->''"The Flowermaker cannot touch you; he cannot find you; he always has what you desire."'' |
| 968 | |
| 969 | The Hour of dreams, hallucinations, addiction, greed, desire, and self-destructive pleasure. Also called the Lilyking. |
| 970 | ----- |
| 971 | * AlluringFlowers: The epitome of the concept, and creates the deadly Foxlily Meadows in certain high mountains. |
| 972 | * FlowerMotifs: In this case, some of the ideas being invoked are [[DrugsAreBad opium poppies]] and [[LotusEaterMachine the Lotus Eaters]] of Greek mythology. |
| 973 | * ForbiddenFruit: The god of this. |
| 974 | * MadArtist: The Flowermaker is associated with artists, particularly ones outside the norms and driven by mad passion and brilliant insight. In Exile you find the Flowermaker's influence among the bohemians of Paris and a remote island artist colony, for example. |
| 975 | * SchmuckBait: The god of this concept, among other things. He won't hurt you unless you seek him out, and he will give you what you want. And it's almost certainly going to destroy you. |
| 976 | * YourHeartsDesire: Is said to have this. |
| 977 | [[/folder]] |
| 978 | |
| 979 | [[folder:The Forge of Days]] |
| 980 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_forge_of_days.png]] |
| 981 | ->''"We call upon the Forge of Days, who remakes with fire; who ends what will not change; who will end all nights."'' |
| 982 | |
| 983 | The Hour of fire, smiths, creation, transformation, destruction, ingenuity, and progress. Also known as the Unburnt God, the Burning Queen, St. Spark, and the Leashed Flame. |
| 984 | ----- |
| 985 | * AbstractApotheosis: Even among the other Hours. The Forge is one of three Hours who simply name the Principle they embody, the others being the Red Grail and the Moth. |
| 986 | * CapturedSuperEntity: In one of the Histories she was captured by a version of the British Empire. They were proud enough of it to actually call themselves The Sovereigns of the Leashed Flame. It didn't end well for them when she escaped. |
| 987 | * KillItWithFire: Naturally, but especially during her time as the patron of the Sovereigns of the Leashed Flame. |
| 988 | * KillTheGod: She killed not only the Sun-in-Splendour, but also the Flint, who was the Hour of remaking before her. |
| 989 | * NiceJobBreakingItHero: When the Forge killed the Sun-in-Splendour to keep them from becoming [[HorrorHunger Alukites]], the [[PuppeteerParasite Worms]] bred in his corpse. That hasn't worked out well for anyone. |
| 990 | * SamusIsAGirl: Some occultists were surprised that the ancient god of smiths was in fact a goddess. |
| 991 | * StarCrossedLovers: She loved the Sun-in-Splendour, but ultimately killed him, which is stated to be the one thing she would regret [[BlueAndOrangeMorality were she capable of the emotion.]] It was likely to prevent them from [[EatsBabies becoming]] [[HorrorHunger Alukites]] when they [[KillTheOnesYouLove consummated their love.]] |
| 992 | * UltimateBlacksmith: As the chief Hour of the Forge Principle, she is both this and the UltimateForge at the same time |
| 993 | [[/folder]] |
| 994 | |
| 995 | [[folder:The Crowned Growth]] |
| 996 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_crowned_growth.png]] |
| 997 | ->''His the power of lust and disease, his the will to infect and become. Do not permit him to touch you.'' '''''[[ParanoiaFuel Do not even look upon his face.]]''''' |
| 998 | |
| 999 | The Hour of decay, disease, and assimilation. |
| 1000 | ----- |
| 1001 | * TheAssimilator |
| 1002 | * BlobMonster: It seeks only to infect and become. |
| 1003 | * EldritchAbomination: As a God-from-Nowhere, it is eldritch even compared to the other Hours. |
| 1004 | * HorrorHunger: A being whose strange hungers frighten even the other Hours. |
| 1005 | * MoreThanMindControl: If [[EatenAlive things go wrong]] and you are devoured by it you don't actually seem to mind. |
| 1006 | * ZombieApocalypse: It has on occasion been known to cause this among the dead at the White Door. The teeming spirits become infectious avatars of its power and presence, even if the Horned-Axe, the Velvet, and other older Hours keep it from fully escaping the House. |
| 1007 | [[/folder]] |
| 1008 | |
| 1009 | [[folder:The Mare-in-the-Tree]] |
| 1010 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_mare_in_the_tree.jpg]] |
| 1011 | ->''"O Demeter, who dwelleth in the earth; who sends up gifts; who art the mare who destroyeth in mercy..."'' |
| 1012 | |
| 1013 | The Hour of deception, seduction, and false friends. |
| 1014 | ----- |
| 1015 | * DarkIsEvil: A God-from-Nowhere, and [[https://twitter.com/factoryweather/status/1133780277376028673 is said to be one of the most perilous Hours of all.]] |
| 1016 | * EldritchAbomination / HumanoidAbomination: Despite being a God-from-Nowhere, she is usually depicted in human form. |
| 1017 | * FalseFriend: The goddess of the concept. |
| 1018 | * LiminalBeing: She "has sometimes been the Witch's Sister". What exactly this entails is unclear, but adds to the already complicated situation involving the Twins. |
| 1019 | * MoreThanMindControl: If things [[{{Transflormation}} go wrong]] and you become a monster under her power you seem quite happy about it. |
| 1020 | * SchmuckBait: She sends gifts. As the Goddess of False Friends they tend in this direction. |
| 1021 | * StarCrossedLovers: Secretly lovers with the Ring-Yew, sharing forbidden couplings with her in the Wood. |
| 1022 | [[/folder]] |
| 1023 | |
| 1024 | [[folder:The Sun-in-Splendour]] |
| 1025 | ->''"Noon, the saying goes, is not what it was."'' |
| 1026 | |
| 1027 | The deceased Hour of the sun, light, and Glory. |
| 1028 | ----- |
| 1029 | * BigGood: Possibly. The subtly post-apocalyptic state of the world was certainly caused by his death, and there are [[MessianicArchetype prophesies of his return.]] The game's tagline is even "Bring The Dawn", and while you cannot restore him in-game the events of several paths could contribute to it or hint at how it could be accomplished. |
| 1030 | * MessianicArchetype: According to prophesy, it will return to life in the Second Dawn. |
| 1031 | * PosthumousCharacter: Of sorts. It was divided into pieces by the Forge of Days, and isn't currently alive as the Sun-in-Splendour. |
| 1032 | * ThePowerOfTheSun: The first and mightiest of the solar deities. |
| 1033 | * RainbowMotif: Of a sort. When the Ghoul acquires memories of before the Sun's division they note that colors were far richer, and many existed that simply don't anymore. |
| 1034 | * StarCrossedLovers: With The Forge of Days, which [[KillTheGod ended poorly ]]. |
| 1035 | * TopGod: The ruler of the Mansus before the Intercalate. The Mansus is still referred to as The House of the Sun. |
| 1036 | [[/folder]] |
| 1037 | |
| 1038 | ! Summonable Spirits |
| 1039 | |
| 1040 | [[folder:The Baldomerian]] |
| 1041 | ->''"Oh, the world is flat; oh, but it's flat! I won't stay long. I shan't stay long. Tell me a secret."'' |
| 1042 | |
| 1043 | Teresa Galmier was once an occultist and apparently Christopher Illopoly's lover, who wrote The Locksmith's Dream series of books that you can study, until she went off a deep end and ends up becoming a Name of the Door in the Eye. |
| 1044 | ----- |
| 1045 | * {{Blackmail}}: She is quite displeased with the Suppression Bureau for their persecution of her lover, [[TheLostLenore Christopher]], and will sometimes give you their incriminating secrets. |
| 1046 | * CastsNoShadow: One of the indicator that she's not quite human anymore is that she's described this way. |
| 1047 | * HalfHumanHybrid: Possibly. When [[InVinoVeritas in her cups]], she occasionally claimed her mother [[CastsNoShadow cast no shadow.]] This seems to be a trait common to Lantern-Long like her. And the Exile path suggests that her father was descended from [[TheOldGods the Wheel and the Flint]]. |
| 1048 | * InformationBroker: She has extensive knowledge, and even more extensive contacts. [[spoiler: You need her to get in contact with a Ligean in the Lantern Legacy.]] |
| 1049 | * TheMedic: She has Phylaxian, which means she can preserve you against death from poor health. |
| 1050 | * NonMaliciousMonster: She's the only summon that will not go out of your control. |
| 1051 | * TheReliableOne: As far as an occultist is concerned, since she is always successfully summoned. Of course you very rarely have need for twelve lantern influence...[[spoiler: unless you're caught by surprise by an enemy Long attacking your dreams.]] |
| 1052 | * SanitySlippage: Underwent this as a mortal, with the third and fourth books in her ''Locksmith's Dream'' series being little more than incoherent ramblings and paranoid theorization respectively. [[SubvertedTrope She becomes more lucid after her ascension, though.]] |
| 1053 | * StarCrossedLovers: Christopher Illopoly is this to her, as opposite-sex intercourse is forbidden once you cross the Tricuspid Gate and gain immortality. |
| 1054 | * TheQuietOne: Subverted. While she lives in Lodge of the Sage Knight, which is accessed through The White Door, which robs speech, she can still speak. That's because she didn't arrive there through the Door. What she did, how, and why, she won't explain. [[OldShame She's not proud of it.]] |
| 1055 | * WasOnceAMan: She's now a Name. However, her appearance when you summon her is still that of a human. |
| 1056 | * YoungerThanTheyLook: Or rather, far younger than you'd expect of a Name. Most immortals mentioned have a provenance of centuries, while Teresa was publishing books and apparently mortal as recently as 1926. This implies a positively meteoric rise in the Mansus, much like the player. |
| 1057 | [[/folder]] |
| 1058 | |
| 1059 | [[folder:Burgeoning Risen]] |
| 1060 | ->''The growths of the Wood have encompassed the corpse's organs, swelled its skull like a gourd, twined around its heart. It eyes are moist with cunning, and it moves with jerky puppet grace. Its bones are rotten wood, and soon it will take root, but until then it will be a swift and subtle servant.'' |
| 1061 | |
| 1062 | A corpse that has been reanimated by the ritual implantation of plants, causing it to rise and do your bidding, at least for a time. Far more enduring than the other basic form of undead, the Shattered Risen, since with pruning and maintenance its countdown can be reset. |
| 1063 | ----- |
| 1064 | * BotanicalAbomination: A cross between plants and the undead. |
| 1065 | * FantasticReligiousWeirdness: Even for this game. There is a story of someone who became a Saint by being made into a Burgeoning Risen as a means of redeeming their sins after death. |
| 1066 | * ILoveTheDead: The most likely form of undead to [[CameBackWrong raise your lover as]], since unlike Shattered Risen it isn't doomed to decay. |
| 1067 | * TheMedic: One of several spirits with Phylaxian, which means it can preserve you against death from poor health. |
| 1068 | * OurZombiesAreDifferent: One of two varieties of zombies in the game. May qualify as a TechnicallyLivingZombie due to the plants that grow inside of it. |
| 1069 | * PlantPerson: A Burgeoning Risen is created by taking a corpse and planting seeds in various parts of its body. For a time, the plants animate it, but it loses its power once it grows enough to take root. |
| 1070 | * ZombieGait: Averted- the Burgeoning Risen are described as surprisingly subtle and swift. |
| 1071 | [[/folder]] |
| 1072 | |
| 1073 | [[folder:Caligines]] |
| 1074 | ->''At the corners of the Forge, in the bounds of the Mansus, the Glory's fire meets baser elements. Here is a cunning vapour to infect your enemy's dreams.'' |
| 1075 | |
| 1076 | A Mansus spirit that is created when the power of the Forge burns away less pure elements. Can be used to attack enemies in their dreams. |
| 1077 | ----- |
| 1078 | * DeadlyGas: Affects an enemy's dreams rather than their bodies, but is quite dangerous all the same. |
| 1079 | * SuperSmoke: Takes the form of [[FogOfDoom "a cunning vapor to infect your enemy's dreams."]] |
| 1080 | * TheBlacksmith: Despite being technically incorporeal, its high Forge rating means it's quite good at repairing broken magical items. |
| 1081 | [[/folder]] |
| 1082 | |
| 1083 | [[folder:Ezeem, the Second Thirstly]] |
| 1084 | ->''"Change me. Change me. Change me harder. Now:'' '''''my''''' ''turn."'' |
| 1085 | |
| 1086 | A Name-Emanation of the Red Grail, an inveterate seducer and hedonist with an intimate understanding of change. |
| 1087 | ----- |
| 1088 | * AchillesInHisTent: After his timer runs out, it simply says "Ezeem is Sulking." |
| 1089 | * {{Expy}}: He greatly resembles the Chatterer Cenobite from ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'', a being obsessed with receiving and giving the ultimate pleasure to those who had summoned him and his fellow Cenobites. |
| 1090 | * EyelessFace: Has no eyes, just a big, grinning mouth. |
| 1091 | * HotAsHell: As an emanation of the Grail, Ezeem is a master of seduction, with the highest Grail score in the game. |
| 1092 | * TheMedic: One of several spirits with Phylaxian, which means it can preserve you against death from poor health. In this case, [[BloodMagic through feeding you]] [[TheRenfield a single drop of its blood.]] |
| 1093 | * NoodleIncident: What happened to the first Thirstly? Given that it serves The Red Grail, [[CannibalismSuperpower certain]] [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt possibilities]] spring to mind. Alternatively, Thirstlies' number may simply indicate rank rather than seniority, and the First Thirstly is alive and well. |
| 1094 | * OurVampiresAreDifferent: References to Thirstlies in the Mansus give the impression of hedonistic vampires in service of the Red Grail. Possibly one of many varieties, since there is also talk of Lovelies and Ivories. |
| 1095 | [[/folder]] |
| 1096 | |
| 1097 | [[folder:Hints]] |
| 1098 | ->''The Hinter are most comfortable behind. Behind the scenes, behind the mirrors, behind you. They can slide under doors and can kill with glass, but they cannot survive the gaze of a living mortal.'' |
| 1099 | |
| 1100 | Frail wisps formed from those who have died and entered the Mansus, Hints live in mirrors to avoid the direct gazes of mortals. When they do leave their glassy homes, they prove to be vicious and subtle killers despite this weakness. |
| 1101 | ----- |
| 1102 | * EnemyRisingBehind: Said to be their preferred method of attack, to avoid potential eye contact and subsequent shattering. |
| 1103 | * FromTheLatinIntroDucere: In-universe, their name actually stems from a pun or mistranslation. ''On What Is Contained By Silver'' names them as "Behindlings", and other texts refer to them as Hinter (from "Back" or "Behind") before the name settles on the modern Hints. Which, while appropriate for their Lantern aspect, leaves out important information [[SneakAttack about their strategies]] [[EnemyRisingBehind and behavior.]] |
| 1104 | * GlassWeapon: They kill using mirror shards. |
| 1105 | * GoneHorriblyRight: With 8 Edge, their main purpose is as an assassin. If they break free during a summoning, they'll happily turn that Edge on your cultists. |
| 1106 | * MirrorMonster: Live in mirrors to shield against human sight, and [[GlassWeapon weaponize]] them when needed. |
| 1107 | * TheQuietOne: Noted for a lack of flashy theatrics when summoned. Given that drawing attention could be fatal, it makes sense. |
| 1108 | * RubberMan: Played for horror. They can survive despite their weakness to being seen by being able to stretch, fold, and flatten themselves through any gap and hide behind anything. It's specifically noted that they can easily creep under locked doors. |
| 1109 | * WasOnceAMan: Hints are said to be former humans, altered into something much stranger. |
| 1110 | * WeaksauceWeakness: For all their power, a direct gaze from a mere human will kill them instantly. |
| 1111 | [[/folder]] |
| 1112 | |
| 1113 | [[folder:King Crucible]] |
| 1114 | ->'''''"[[IncomingHam IN THE DESERT I WAIT IN THE RUINS I BURN -- METAL IS WATER -- STONE IS WAX -- FLESH IS SMOKE -- ENTER ME AND BE NO LONGER.]]"''''' |
| 1115 | |
| 1116 | A Name-emanation of the Forge of Days, King Crucible is a being of fire and destruction. |
| 1117 | ----- |
| 1118 | * CunningLinguist: Will teach you Deep Mandaic. |
| 1119 | --> '''''"TOGETHER WE WILL COMMEMORATE THE TONGUE OF THE UNBURNT GOD."''''' |
| 1120 | * DestroyerDeity: Primarily, though it is noted that this is actually a [[RequiredSecondaryPowers prerequisite]] for ThePowerOfCreation. |
| 1121 | * LargeHam: He always speaks in an overblown and dramatic manner. |
| 1122 | * NoIndoorVoice: King Crucible's dialog is always rendered [[PaintingTheMedium IN ALL CAPS.]] |
| 1123 | * OnlySaneMan: Relatively. He was perfectly aware that the Forge and the Sun-in-Splendour would end badly. |
| 1124 | * PlayingWithFire: Melts down and destroys everything. |
| 1125 | * UltimateBlacksmith: Has the greatest Forge score in the game. |
| 1126 | * UndyingLoyalty: To the Forge of Days, despite his disapproval for her relationship with the Sun-in-Splendour. |
| 1127 | [[/folder]] |
| 1128 | |
| 1129 | [[folder:Maids-in-the-Mirror]] |
| 1130 | ->''"The ascent is glass. The walls are knives. Each step is blood." The Dead who rest before a new-cracked mirror, who pass through the Peacock Gate, who master the Sharp Stair: those Dead enter the service of the Sun-in-Rags.'' |
| 1131 | |
| 1132 | A dead person who rested in front of a cracked mirror, who has entered the Mansus through the Peacock Door and came into the service of the Sun-In-Rags. Exceptionally skilled at killing in a quiet, efficient manner. |
| 1133 | ---- |
| 1134 | * AnIcePerson: Is quite strong in the Winter Aspect, even if their equally powerful Edge Aspect is more generally useful. |
| 1135 | * MirrorMonster: As their name suggests, a Maid-in-the-Mirror usually appears in the mirror, right before they attack. |
| 1136 | * {{Sadist}}: Noted to be particularly cruel. |
| 1137 | * StopCopyingMe: Maids have no expression of their own, instead perfectly matching anyone they interact with. |
| 1138 | * TurnUndead: Maids-in-the-Mirror, with ten Winter aspect, leave the Dead terrified and unwilling to approach. |
| 1139 | * WasOnceAMan: Was once human, but after crossing into the Mansus, they have changed substantially. |
| 1140 | [[/folder]] |
| 1141 | |
| 1142 | [[folder:Percussigants]] |
| 1143 | ->''The Percussigant! It loves the sistrum's shiver, it loves the thrum of the tympanos, it recalls with fondness the flaying of Marsya, and so it will not'' |
| 1144 | ->''will not'' |
| 1145 | ->''will not stop dancing.'' |
| 1146 | |
| 1147 | A Heart-aspected spirit that never, ever, ''ever'' stops dancing. It can learn any dance, but prefers only one. |
| 1148 | ----- |
| 1149 | * BeastMan: The design evokes this, along with WildMan and a touch of BigfootSasquatchAndYeti. |
| 1150 | * BigBallOfViolence: A rare serious version. An attack by a hostile percussigant is described as a whirling ball of violence and music. |
| 1151 | * DanceBattler: Implied, given how it's a good fighter that literally is always dancing. |
| 1152 | * DiedStandingUp: Even extremely dead, and skinned, a Percussigant pelt keeps trying to dance. |
| 1153 | -->"EPPUR SI MUOVE" |
| 1154 | * DrumsOfWar: Deadly Edge, and loves the sound of drums. |
| 1155 | * HeartBeatdown: Very good at resisting curses. |
| 1156 | * MadnessMantra: A more physical form with their dancing. The description evokes it with repetition, and it's portrayed as an unstoppable compulsion. |
| 1157 | * TheMedic: One of several spirits with Phylaxian, which means it can preserve you against death from poor health. |
| 1158 | * MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast: Averted - it enjoys music, but it is perfectly capable of dancing to the beat of drums while flaying you alive. |
| 1159 | [[/folder]] |
| 1160 | |
| 1161 | [[folder:Raw Prophets]] |
| 1162 | ->''Sometimes it divides, sometimes it unites, sometimes she speaks words of warning, sometimes he advises on appetite. Its prophesies are confusion, their whispers confound.'' |
| 1163 | |
| 1164 | A strange, inchoate spirit that constantly shifts its shape, and doesn't even seem to have a distinct agenda aside from causing chaos. Also known as Undergoers. |
| 1165 | ----- |
| 1166 | * AdorableAbomination: It's an oozy BlobMonster... but when summoned successfully, it's described as having the personality of an affectionate puppy. |
| 1167 | * ChaosIsEvil: Zig-zagged, depending on whether the Raw Prophet is serving your needs or if it has rebelled against you. Although it can be debatable [[VillainProtagonist which side is "evil."]] |
| 1168 | * CoveredInGunge: When interacting with it it is noted that you're going to need new shoes. |
| 1169 | * HalfHumanHybrid: They produce them, [[InvertedTrope getting pregnant by humans rather than the other way around]]. Several generations down the resulting hybrids are called 'five-goers'. They have a powerful Grail affinity, and a certain amount of [[VoluntaryShapeshifting maleability]] to their form. |
| 1170 | * HotAsHell: Their Grail aspect allows them to ''seduce'' potential threats on expeditions. It's unclear whether they play the ShapeshiftingSeducer role to do it, or if they have a supernatural ability to instill desire despite being horrifying in appearance. |
| 1171 | * TheMedic: One of several spirits with Phylaxian, which means it can preserve you against death from poor health. [[{{Squick}} Its method involves sloppy blob makeouts.]] |
| 1172 | * NonMaliciousMonster: Played with. All indications are that it's genuinely friendly, and if the summoning goes awry it won't hurt anyone ''on purpose''. But uncontrolled it will drive you insane regardless just by it's nature. |
| 1173 | * StarfishAlien: It's fairly amorphous, but it is indeed consistently shaped vaguely like a starfish. |
| 1174 | * TentacledTerror: Yeah, it's a non-malicious tentacle monster. Its Grail aspect makes it, against all appearances, incredibly seductive. |
| 1175 | [[/folder]] |
| 1176 | |
| 1177 | [[folder:Shattered Risen]] |
| 1178 | ->''A rending force has dragged this corpse back to near-life. When it moves, it crunches like broken glass. Its fists are claw-nests of bone-shards. It won't hold together for long.'' |
| 1179 | |
| 1180 | A corpse brought to life by a shattering force. It is close to alive, but slowly disintegrates from the power that animates it. |
| 1181 | ----- |
| 1182 | * AbsurdlySharpClaws: Composed of its own shattered hand bones. |
| 1183 | * EverythingsDeaderWithZombies: Thanks to its Edge Aspect, it has got a decent shot of assassinating anyone you send them against. |
| 1184 | * LiterallyShatteredLives: Going through a slow motion version of the Ice variant as their Winter and Edge aspects tear them apart. [[HellIsThatNoise It's bad enough that they crunch like glass when they walk.]] |
| 1185 | * OurZombiesAreDifferent: One of two types of zombies, along with the Burgeoning Risen. |
| 1186 | [[/folder]] |
| 1187 | |
| 1188 | [[folder:Voiceless Dead]] |
| 1189 | ->''Sometimes the Dead enter the Mansus by the White Door. At its threshold they lay down their power of speech forever. Call them back to the world, and they will have no voice, but their skins of dust are yours to command.'' |
| 1190 | |
| 1191 | A dead soul that has crossed through the White Door into the Mansus, and as such has lost their voice. |
| 1192 | ----- |
| 1193 | * NoMouth: Like all spirits who have passed the White Door. There's a ''reason'' they're Voiceless. |
| 1194 | * OurGhostsAreDifferent: Unlike the Risen, the Voiceless Dead are purely spirit. |
| 1195 | * SenseFreak: They long for the sensations of life, which allows them to be summoned. They contantly stare, trying to drink it all in. |
| 1196 | * TheQuietOne: Like all who cross through the White Door, they lose their voice. |
| 1197 | [[/folder]] |
| 1198 | |
| 1199 | ! Supernaturals |
| 1200 | |
| 1201 | [[folder:The Carapace Cross]] |
| 1202 | Mothlike insect people who lived before humanity. Now extinct, though some allegedly survived for some time after the rise of humanity. |
| 1203 | ----- |
| 1204 | * InsectoidAliens: Of the {{Ultraterrestrials}} variety. |
| 1205 | * TheMothman: Certainly have some similarities. |
| 1206 | * MothMenace: Giant moths associated with madness. |
| 1207 | * TheOldGods: Worshipped the Gods-From-Stone before they went extinct. |
| 1208 | * PosthumousCharacter: We only know of them through fragments of lore, such as Songs of the Carapace Cross, and from memories and visions on the Medium or Priest path. [[spoiler:Some of the endings of ''VideoGame/BookOfHours'' bring them back.]] |
| 1209 | * {{Precursors}}: The Carapace Cross predate the rise of humanity. |
| 1210 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: [[spoiler: One of the options on the Change path transforms you into one.]] |
| 1211 | * WasOnceAMan: Inverted. [[spoiler: The Carapace Cross gradually transformed themselves into humans. The magics used involved cutting off their wings.]] |
| 1212 | --> ''[[spoiler:The Carapace Cross is gone, extinct as the dodo or the dragon. Only humans remain. But still my wings unfurl, and still my skin has hardened to scales, and still the facets of my eyes are shining anthracite.]]'' |
| 1213 | [[/folder]] |
| 1214 | |
| 1215 | [[folder:The Great Hooded Princes]] |
| 1216 | -> ''Great princes lie hooded in garments of striped black and yellow and rich ornaments of gold, upon the fields of bone. Their eyes are open to the sky. Their scales are scarred and cold. Now at last are they visible, and to look upon them is long-forbidden knowledge.'' ''[[MindScrew This did not occur.]]'' |
| 1217 | |
| 1218 | ----- |
| 1219 | * AlternateSelf: In most Histories there are fifty four Hooded Princes. In the Fifth, none remain...and in yours, there are 108. |
| 1220 | * DeadpanSnarker: They show a tendency towards this. One, who wrote an occult manual detailing all forms of escape and evasion, has a writing style described as irreverent and chatty. Another, a worshipper of the Thunderskin, cheekily refers to himself as Peel. [[DontExplainTheJoke This refers to]] both snakes shedding their skin and [[FlayedAlive the Thunderskin's origin.]] |
| 1221 | * ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: One occult author among them noted that, while the secrets they were recording probably aren't safe, recording it is critical in case they need to flee again. And so if the others want to punish him for it, that's their problem. |
| 1222 | * ScrewThisImOutOfHere: The fifty four Hooded Princes in one History were doomed to die, so they evacuated en masse to another and allied with their counterparts. |
| 1223 | * SerpentOfImmortality: Immortal, or at least incredibly long lived, SnakePeople with great occult knowledge. |
| 1224 | * SnakePeople: Nagas, or something similar. |
| 1225 | * SorcerousOverlord: They usually rule India. How well they rule is unknown, but it is known that they defend India against various colonial powers. Usually successfully. |
| 1226 | [[/folder]] |
| 1227 | |
| 1228 | [[folder:Miss Naenia]] |
| 1229 | ->''A painting of a dark-skinned woman with snow-coloured eyes and close-cropped ivory-coloured hair. She stands before a small marble tomb overgrown with star jasmine. The painting is signed 'Jonas B. Munch, 1811'.'' |
| 1230 | |
| 1231 | Gentlest of the Elegiast's Names, Miss Naenia plays a small part in the Heart path of the Dancer legacy and a major one in the Ghoul legacy. |
| 1232 | ----- |
| 1233 | * CreepyChangingPainting: Played With. The painting itself doesn't change, but her moods are shown by the way you interpret the painting so it gives this effect. |
| 1234 | * EmotionBomb: She amplifies both your Dread and your Fascination, should you discuss them with her. Played with in that this is voluntary on your part, and often beneficial. Creating more Dread to counter Facination or as an Edge influence, for example. She will also swap your Restlessness for Reminiscence and back again. |
| 1235 | * MadOracle: She's very helpful in providing information, but as a Name she's not really sane by any human definition. |
| 1236 | * MysteriousBenefactor: She's very good at providing useful advice and information in exchange for the memories you give her. |
| 1237 | * MysticalWhiteHair: Which forms a stark contrast with her dark skin. |
| 1238 | * TheShrink: She is very helpful for managing your sanity, surprisingly enough. |
| 1239 | * SpookyPainting: She manifests her power through one. |
| 1240 | * TheQuietOne: As a Winter Name. While she can communicate quite clearly, she never uses words. |
| 1241 | [[/folder]] |
| 1242 | |
| 1243 | [[folder:Vak]] |
| 1244 | ->''"I am Vak, both the tongue and the Goddess. I am the only entrance into secret light. I was worshipped before you upright apes, and I will be still when all of you are ugly ash. Listen, and I will prove it."'' |
| 1245 | |
| 1246 | A non-summonable Name. Vak is both a language and a goddess of language. She is also the spirit of the Peacock Door. |
| 1247 | ----- |
| 1248 | * AbstractApotheosis: Vak the goddess ''is'' Vak the language. This is a reference to Vedic goddess [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vāc Vāc]]. |
| 1249 | * CunningLinguist: As the goddess of language. She teaches Vak, the first language, to those who meet her. |
| 1250 | * ThresholdGuardian: Vak is not only the goddess of language but the spirit of the Peacock Door, symbolizing how the language she embodies is the key to the highest mysteries of the House of the Sun. |
| 1251 | [[/folder]] |
| 1252 | |
| 1253 | [[folder:The Worms]] |
| 1254 | * EldritchAbomination: Even for this setting. The Worms terrify the other Hours, have overrun at least one History, and remain an existential threat in all others. |
| 1255 | * HorrifyingTheHorror: Even the Lionsmith, MakerOfMonsters and Hour of [[ChallengeSeeker self-empowerment through conflict]], wants nothing to do with them and allows his ArchEnemy the Colonel the duty of keeping them penned in. |
| 1256 | * ItCanThink: Not only are they insidious parasites, but they engage in sophisticated strategy. They appear to have overrun at least one version of Vienna through manipulating secret societies, and can learn [[PuppeteerParasite new techniques]] over time. |
| 1257 | * MercyKill: If a character is taken by the Worms in the World curse, it is implied that they don't die from the infestation. Instead it is the point where the infestation has become irreversible and you kill them to avoid the horror that is to come. |
| 1258 | * NonElemental: The Worms don't fit into the standard Aspect system, which is one reason they're so hard to fight with magic. A Tantra of Worms suggests Winter and Moth are closest... but that source is [[SchmuckBait unreliable at best.]] |
| 1259 | * NoKillLikeOverkill: Response to the Worms ''starts'' at this and then escalates. An infested corpse is [[KillItWithFire reduced to ash]], and then you have to sift the ash to remove anything that survives. |
| 1260 | * OrificeInvasion: Sometimes Worms simply drill their way through the skin. But other times they'll use existing paths. |
| 1261 | * ParanoiaFuel: On a few levels, even beyond [[PuppeteerParasite the obvious.]] For a start, Worms stalking through a city leave mystics seeing them as things that look exactly like eye floaters. There is a book that describes how to fight them, and remove them from bodies. It is completely impractical, and the techniques would kill the person you're trying to save. Is this incompetence, is it a consequence of how hard the Worms are to deal with... or is it SchmuckBait put out by the Worms themselves? Most evidence suggests the later. |
| 1262 | * PoisonIsEvil: The most dangerous poison in the game is Worm corpses. The remains are still deadly even centuries dead. |
| 1263 | * PuppeteerParasite: Not at first, [[ItCanThink but they learned.]] It's how the Second Worm War was lost. |
| 1264 | [[/folder]] |
| 1265 | |
| 1266 | ! Hostile Long |
| 1267 | |
| 1268 | In Apostle Legacy, you will face enemy Long that will try to stop you from fulfilling your Mentor's goals. |
| 1269 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 1270 | * AbusiveParents: [[spoiler:Longs and other immortals are compelled to devour any offspring they have with other immortals as soon as they become aware of their existence. This is known as The Crime of the Sky. Usually it's the mother who ends up doing the deed as she's, well, right there. Those who commit the Crime of the Sky become Alukites]]. |
| 1271 | * TheAgeless: Long can't die from old age. They can be killed, but it'll take a lot of punishment to take them down for good. |
| 1272 | * AwesomeButImpractical: Your foe launching an attack through the Mansus, using its denizens to devour your mind, is pretty horrifying. But not only do dream attacks need to consume two stats to win rather than one, the defenders destroyed are are expendable summons rather than irreplaceable cultists. |
| 1273 | * BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: A character with max physique and the Murder skill can fight the Long themselves rather than sacrifice their followers. It works... but [[HeroicRROD you break yourself in the process,]] crippling you and destroying your Physique skill entirely. |
| 1274 | * CantHaveSexEver: [[spoiler:Because of the risk of committing The Crime of the Sky, Longs and other immortals tend to avoid heterosexual sex, with one in history going to far as to castrate himself to avoid the urge]]. |
| 1275 | * EnergyBeings: Lantern-Long stoke their inner light, thinning out their mortal bodies until they are gone. |
| 1276 | * FirePurifies: Forge-Long literally burn away their mortality, necessitating hotter and hotter fires each time, until they are hairless, smooth as marble and imperishable. |
| 1277 | * MortonsFork: Fighting them is this: are you going to directly trying to stop the Long's action against you, increasing the Long's stat and making them more likely to bring out bigger guns [[note]]And when a stat is 10, making the Long come after you directly[[/note]], or suffer whatever action they're taking? Balancing between these two is a key to delay and prepare for the eventual fight against the Long. |
| 1278 | * TheStarscream: Beating each of them grants you a method to betray your mentor and, with exception of J.C.'s method, allow your character to ascend into Longhood. This also serves as a backup victory condition if you ends up in a situation where you cannot win Apostle victory due to critical ingredients and such being lost. |
| 1279 | * YourMindMakesItReal: If the Long directly attack you from the dream, this trope applies. As the game described: "The battle is imaginary. The war is not". If your Passion and Reason drop to zero, you will die. The same goes in the reverse: enough wounds in the dream, and the Long will die. |
| 1280 | * NighInvulnerable: Long can be hurt... it just takes attacks that would kill a normal human a dozen times over. |
| 1281 | * NoSell: Every Long is immune to assaults by some Mansus-spirits, usually ones associated with their Principle: |
| 1282 | ** Captain Welland is immune to Caligines, implied to be due to his connection to the [[SupernaturalElite Society of the Noble Endeavour]]. |
| 1283 | ** As a Lantern-Long, The Diarist is immune to attacks by Hints. He's also immune to attacks by Maids-in-the-Mirror due to being on first name basis with the Dead of the the Ascent of Knives. |
| 1284 | ** Due to his nature as a Winter-Long, Julian Coseley is immune to attacks by Maids-in-the-Mirror. |
| 1285 | ** As a Grail-Long, Tryphon is immune to attacks by Raw Prophets. |
| 1286 | * YourDaysAreNumbered: Winter-Long have made a deal with the Elegiast, which sets a death date for them. Until that day, they cannot be killed, even by the complete destruction of their body, but on that day they will die beautifully. |
| 1287 | [[/folder]] |
| 1288 | |
| 1289 | [[folder:Captain Welland]] |
| 1290 | ->''"This is no Noble Endeavour. We'll have no Jack-come-quickly jumping up the House ranks."'' |
| 1291 | |
| 1292 | An old Forge Long who has fought in many wars, in many eras, under many names. He holds "the great secret of betrayal" that made the Lionsmith betray the Colonel. |
| 1293 | ----- |
| 1294 | * AristocratsAreEvil: He is one of the Sovereigns of the Leashed Flame, and he's certainly your enemy. Of course, [[EvilVersusEvil 'evil' is]] [[VillainProtagonist relative here.]] |
| 1295 | * BlueBlood: He seems to hate your patron because he considers them [[SelfMadeMan a pretentious upstart]], unlike him. |
| 1296 | * PlayingWithFire: He's a Forge-Long, so this goes with the territory. |
| 1297 | * TheStarscream: Not him personally, but he holds "the great secret of betrayal", which is taught by Darius to the Lionsmith, making the Lionsmith betray the Colonel, and later told to Alexander to make him stop his conquest and turn back. He'll bequeath you this in his letter if you managed to defeat him, letting you pull one on your mentor. |
| 1298 | * StrawMisogynist: If the letter he gives to the Apostle post-mortem is any indication, he never considered the possibility that he could have been beaten by anyone other than a "sir". |
| 1299 | * WorthyOpponent: If you defeat him, he considers you to have been this. He says you deserve better than to be pyre fuel for your patron's ascension, and urges you to pursue your own immortality. |
| 1300 | [[/folder]] |
| 1301 | |
| 1302 | [[folder:The Diarist]] |
| 1303 | ->''"Your pretender is going to make a damned good footnote. But I wouldn't expect anything more than that."'' |
| 1304 | |
| 1305 | Formerly Lars Westergren, the Diarist is an adventurer, interviewer of spirits, biographer, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick and notorious murderer.]] |
| 1306 | ----- |
| 1307 | * EnergyBeings: As a Lantern-Long, he doesn't have a physical body outside of the Mansus. Because of this, direct assault by the Diarist is impossible; he'll only attack you directly through the Mansus, or via proxies before he takes matters into own hands. |
| 1308 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Referred to only as the Diarist, though he's implied to be Lars Westergren, author of ''The Concursum Diaries''. |
| 1309 | * HiddenDepths: Maids-in-the-Mirror, some of the most deadly entities in the game, won't attack him. Not because he has some mystical protection, but because they've talked and he's been genuinely interested in them [[WasOnceAMan and their stories.]] |
| 1310 | [[/folder]] |
| 1311 | |
| 1312 | [[folder:J.C.]] |
| 1313 | ->''"No more Names. That's it; I'm sorry; I don't have time to make conversation."'' |
| 1314 | |
| 1315 | Julian Coseley was a 16th-century occultist, the author of ''The Six Letters on Necessity'', an owner of books stored at the Gwaer Inn library, and part of an organization of free Long seeking to overthrow the rule of the Hours. Now he's your enemy. |
| 1316 | ----- |
| 1317 | * AmbiguousSituation: What exact state he's in after being defeated is unclear. He's probably not dead, exactly, but whether he's simply given up or has been more permanently taken out of the picture is unclear. It's apparently even debated InUniverse, according to some flavor text of a painting of him found in ''VideoGame/BookOfHours''... although he does have the potential to show up in person during Numa, so he's definitely still around in some form. |
| 1318 | * BoringButPractical: He doesn't specialize in an attack method, and just focuses on increasing his stats. This means you can't predict how he will attack you, and you don't have much control over when. |
| 1319 | * AnIcePerson: He's a Winter Long, so this goes with the territory. |
| 1320 | * IDieFree: He offers you this chance if you defeat him, urging you to forsake your mentor and immortality alike. |
| 1321 | * NighInvulnerable: Due to his Winter affinity, Julian [[ProphecyArmor can't die until a fixed date]], even with wounds that would have killed other Long. He'll merely give up and retreat if you hurt him enough. |
| 1322 | * RageAgainstTheHeavens: He is a 'Worm', as warned against by his former student, in sense that he is part of the faction of the Obliviates who want to overthrow the Hours and the Mansus. |
| 1323 | * WildCard: He's the only Long who isn't bound to a specific ascension route. Plus, he's the only one whose betrayal method doesn't give you any alternate temptation. |
| 1324 | * WhoWantsToLiveForever: His description and letter after you beat him implies that he grows tired of being an Immortal. His method of betraying your Mentor merely removes the Mentor card but doesn't give you standard temptation that other Long give, implying he wants you to remain mortal. |
| 1325 | [[/folder]] |
| 1326 | |
| 1327 | [[folder:Lady Tryphon]] |
| 1328 | ->''"No, He cannot harm you; He cannot find you. But I suffer no such circumscription."'' |
| 1329 | |
| 1330 | A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryphon,_Respicius,_and_Nympha 3rd century saint]] who ascended as a Grail Long, and seems to have changed gender in the process. |
| 1331 | ----- |
| 1332 | * BestHerToBedHer: A particularly twisted version, where she's apparently ''really'' into the fact that you've killed her. This is ostensibly why she offers you the means to betray your mentor. |
| 1333 | * CrimefightingWithCash: She is, through the right connections, able to completely destroy your savings. |
| 1334 | * HistoricalGenderFlip: She's a female version of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryphon,_Respicius,_and_Nympha Saint Tryphon of Campsada]]. However, ''The Rose of Nuriel'' describes her with male pronouns, implying she may have been assigned male at birth but [[UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} transitioned]] some time after her ascension. |
| 1335 | * ImAHumanitarian: She followed the Grail ascension path, and ''The Rose of Nuriel'' mentions that in the process she ate both corpses and living people. Additionally, the method she offers you for betraying your mentor involves eating a small fragment of her corpse. |
| 1336 | * MaliciousSlander: She makes effective use of social attacks, including spreading rumors of things [[NotMeThisTime even you haven't done yet.]] |
| 1337 | * WomanOfWealthAndTaste: When not preventing the rise of new Names, she spends most of her time travelling across Europe and staying in luxurious hotels... with no end of companions, of course. Also has killer nail game. |
| 1338 | [[/folder]] |
| 1339 | |
| 1340 | ! Exile Characters |
| 1341 | [[folder:The Foe]] |
| 1342 | ->''"Seasoned like oak and scarred like sea-cliffs. I have seen his strength, and I would be a fool not to fear it."'' |
| 1343 | |
| 1344 | The Foe, also known as Duffoure, is a Reckoner Lord and the Exile's archnemesis after the latter stole 77 lifespan years from the organization. The Foe is the FinalBoss of the Exile DLC, being the most formidable enemy the Exile can face and the game's goal is to either defeat him or hide from him well enough. In the meantime, it is best to avoid his attention at all as when he finds the Exile, his strikes are truly dangerous. [[spoiler:He is also implied to be the Exile's father.]] |
| 1345 | ----- |
| 1346 | * ArchnemesisDad: The Foe is heavily implied to be the Exile's own father, as the last of the Antaean Initiates informs you. He fell in love with the Exile's mother and abducted the baby after she died during childbirth despite her categorically refusing to have him raise the child. It's implied the Exile hates the Foe too and that it was destined for him to betray the Foe at some point as he was "born under the shattered sword" and thus marked by the Lionsmith, which is the rival of the Foe's patron Hour, the Colonel. |
| 1347 | * CoveredWithScars: The Foe is described as being "scarred like sea-cliffs". |
| 1348 | * TheDreaded: The Foe is the most formidable Reckoner the Exile will face and it is ultimately his personal wrath that you are trying to escape. He serves as the ultimate enemy, being able to wound the Exile twice, can easily kill any ally, and the Exile not even feeling confident he can face up to the Foe unless he has a very high Edge lore (or enough battle experience and techniques). Indeed, even the Exile acknowledges that he would be a fool not to fear the Foe's strength. |
| 1349 | * DuelBoss: If the Exile reaches a Map's Edge's destination, then he will be able to face the Foe in a duel, which is advantageous because the Foe usually summons an assassin with him to pile up on the Exile and his allies. |
| 1350 | * EvilMentor: The Foe taught everything to the Exile, who specifically recalls learning to play chess, to cheat at cards and to end lives under the Foe's tutelage. |
| 1351 | * FrenchJerk: His real name Duffoure sounds positively French, he is an occult gangster with violent tendencies and various people have a poor opinion of him. Your most knowledgeable contacts are glad you left his side and in Alexandria, Dr. Blackwood calls him a scoundrel. |
| 1352 | * RankScalesWithAsskicking: The Foe is a Reckoner Lord and he is the strongest Reckoner the Exile can face. Unlike ordinary Reckoners with die after two wounds and inflict one every attack in return, the Foe takes seven wounds to defeat, will inflict two wounds upon attacking and is immune to profane weapons. |
| 1353 | * ImmuneToBullets: The Foe is immune to all mundane weaponry, which includes guns. |
| 1354 | * ImplacableMan: The Foe will never stop chasing after you and he outpowers you easily, having 7 wounds, being able to wound you twice every attack, is immune to ordinary weapons, can also break your sacred weapon when they are used against him, and he will follow you anywhere. It takes a lot of preparation in order to be able to properly challenge him and even then you may lose everything and still die. |
| 1355 | * NighInvulnerability: Just like the Exile, the Foe is exceptionally durable. On top of his seven wounds, he is immune to profane weapons. |
| 1356 | * WeaksauceWeakness: The Foe is sensible to either Trembling Heat, Freezing Winds or the Sea. The weakness of the Foe is determined randomly and is said to make him slow and stupid, thus going to the right place allows the Exile to use the weather as a distraction. However, he is only susceptible to one of the three every game. |
| 1357 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: The Foe has hidden fears which can be used to distract him. The phobias are determined randomly and thus you can have the Foe being afraid of either cults, heights or even cats. However, he is only susceptible to one of the three every game. |
| 1358 | [[/folder]] |
| 1359 |
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