Voidus

I am regretful that I can't see this graph It'd vary a bit depending on exactly what spikes were used for the Inquisitor but for a standard Inquisitor I think that maths works. But yeah basically this is something that's only likely to come into play at much higher levels where we'd have to deal with the character as a special case anyway (As in the OP characters section). We didn't think of the specific requirement of a linchpin spike when designing the maths but the idea that at a certain point you begin actually losing points was somewhat intended to represent the costs beginning to outweigh the benefits. Sure you could spike yourself 50 times with Allomantic steel to become the best coinshot in the cosmere but you'd also be vulnerable to every soother who crossed your paths and would have some pretty serious hemalurgic side effects probably. That being said if someone listed more than a handful of spikes we'd probably be discussing it as a special case regardless, so it's sort of irrelevant for the higher numbers. But whatever anyone tells you, the goal of setting up the maths this way was definitely not to try and lure more people into the Hemalurgic arts.

A Shardblade would be an easy base point.

"Well." Laurelai replied, letting the pin be pulled from her grip and following it with a curious gaze for a moment before pulling her attention back to Lita. "If there's any night for an invigorating journey which ends in more drinks it's this night isn't it?" Laurelai was briefly distracted by the smoke spiraling from Lita's glass, the last dying puff of her cigarette that had been extinguished. She felt something pass across her mind for a moment but before she could register it as anything more as oddly familiar she winced as she felt a sharp pain in the temple. Briefly the smoke-scent seemed stronger and somehow changed, more burnt-wood and less tobacco smoke. With a swift shake to her head Laurelai dispelled both the sensation and the pain. It had likely just been a slight flaw in one of her Essence Marks, even a talented Forger couldn't get them perfect every time and mistakes were a part of life she was well accustomed to. But now was not the time to focus on failures, today was a resounding success that bordered on a miracle. True she had yet to actually see what Lita had to offer, but the very fact that Laurelai got so little of a read on the other woman was evidence enough. She could pick out most confidence tricksters, thieves and scam artists at a hundred paces, and while Lita certainly had the confidence for it there was something about her that spoke to the fact that she had not settled into such a small-time role. "So an invigorating journey, the promise of a drink and rumors of steel meeting skin is it? Quite the common combination of events on this night, I'm sure it's playing out all over the city." Laurelai said before standing with a smile and lowering her volume. "But somehow I don't expect most of those stories to unfold quite the same way this will." Motioning for Lita to lead the way, Laurelai took a moment to smooth her dress and adjust her posture before following, chin held aloft and mind whirling with speculation as to what was about to happen.

Laurelai felt her gaze pulled to the metallic point, eager to examine it. It took a good deal of willpower and much of her experience at controlling her expression to resist the temptation but as she watched the amused and knowing smile of Lita, Laurelai realised that the conversation had now reached its tipping point. She'd prepared her Mark as best she could and now it was time to take the last leap and apply it, or retreat and try again another day. But there would not be another chance like this, especially not if this was all as she assumed it to be. "I'd like to think myself above settling for a simple, blissful existence." Laurelai said, returning Litas smile. Matching her gaze with Lita she reached out for the golden pin on the table, finding herself both curious about it and somehow comforted. It was a doorway to something new, but somehow it also felt like returning home to where she was always meant to be. "If we're to continue with adages then there's perhaps one more that is appropriate." Laurelai said, her painted red lips were still pulled into a smile but a glance at her eyes could see the surge of determination had pushed her beyond the conversations earlier casual banter into something more serious. "'There's always a price'" Laurelai quoted "I can't say that I know what it would be exactly but some things are worth any price." With that her smile slowly faded and she at last gave Lita an entirely honest glimpse of herself, the keen probing glance that asked for confirmation, the quirked eyebrow that asked if she had passed this test, if a test it was, and a stubbornly set posture of acceptance that she had done what she could for now and could only await a response. With that she raised her glass and drained the last of it, setting it back down and off to one side.

The accelerating beat of her own heartbeat thrummed in Laurelai's ears as her features moved with an iron will to stillness instead of the slack jawed expression that was in her heart, the stillness itself was so firm as to be unnatural a non-reaction so patently clear that even someone far less subtle than she would note it as some sort of cover for her true feelings. But what else was she to do? She had no confidence that she'd be able to force a façade that would be even passably convincing in light of Lita's answer. "That they do." Laurelai said, mouth moving instinctively to buy her more time to think. "Many a great mind has wrestled and struggled with a problem at length only to almost give up when the answer simply lands in their lap. Epiphanies are curious things, whispers of divinity perhaps? Or just our subconscious minds working on tasks more effectively than we can when trying to rationalize everything." She took a slow sip of wine, nearly draining the glass as she tried to wet her suddenly parched throat. Had Lita meant that in the way that it sounded? Or was that simply Laurelai's own preferences showing up and leading her to that assumption. Certainly the other woman had enough subtlety about her that she could have been implying half a dozen things with that sentence, but how many of them could Laurelai have been able to interpret? Or could she have meant her comment inversely, was Laurelai the seeker or the one who was sought? "Dangerous as well." She continued, her breathing and demeanor calming as she thought through her response. "The truth that is, and superstitions as well. What was that saying? 'Ignorance is bliss?'. That one always seemed a little strange to me, but an academic is not exactly the time to choose blissful ignorance over knowledge, dangerous as it may be." Laurelai kept a small amused smile at her lips, that of a young woman enjoying a game of words. But the light in her eyes still pulsed with intensity as she watched Lita. Not measuring her anymore, simply waiting to see her answer. "Not that I find myself in too many dangerous situations myself as of late." She said, giving a short humorless chuckle into the bottom of her glass. "But how about you? When you're not enjoying the fine drink and company in an establishment such as this, do you prefer the safety and bliss of ignorance? Or the danger and thrill of knowledge?"

In that case approved, I'll add it to the list. I've also added you into our PM, do not feel obligated to read through it it's mostly just for random discussions.

120 (M) + 105 (S) - 35 (W) = 190 This one's a bit over the limit @I Used To Be A Fish 180 (M) + 75 (S) -30 (W) = 225 total This one's also a bit over, I'd suggest probably dropping the ideal that they're at the first ideal? I find it tends to work better for most Radiants when you can actually write them progressing through.

I do have a bit of an instinctive aversion to Epics with Realmatic abilities since Realmatics isn't a thing on the Reckonerverse. Making things corporeal is potentially the best that I think an Epic would do and is functionally pretty similar. Still a little weird since it'd basically only be useful for countering certain Epics but some Epic abilities are pretty meta so I think it works. Next point of discussion would be force fields, because that's a very broad descriptor. Can they stop a bullet? A tank? Can they move them? Force fields are one of the more versatile of the PIs. I'm assuming by coconuts you mean that as his Epic weakness? I don't usually take extra points off for those unless they're extremely easy to notice and exploit.

Most characters who were really OP were in an era where we didn't really do scoring. I don't think we've done anyone over 1000 since scoring started.

Technically I suppose that'd be a toss up on the Stranger and Voidus at functionally infinite.

Depends on how many people are in it / how frequently they'd be involved as a group as opposed to just members of that group. If you expect/hope for significant interaction as a group then make it its own thread.

I'd suggest probably just inventing some NPCs for that, I mean obviously player characters are nice too but it's a bit too niche of an area. Rithmatists are mostly useful against each other so we don't get too many of them. Inventing a local group in the city that's populated mostly by NPCs could give some nice flavour to an underused aspect of the AV.

No worries, I was just briefly wondering for a moment if there's some part of the character you wanted to keep secret so you PM'd instead but then I saw this message Well within point limits and looks like an interesting character, approved and welcome to the Alleyverse!

Whisper looked up towards Bell, staring at him with a momentary sadness before slowly shaking her head, she allowed the words form over her once more as she stared forlornly towards the ground in the wake of the question. 'Not anymore. I can only survive on human blood.' The message hung in the air for a few seconds before another small trail of Stormlight rose to continue on underneath it. 'That was a joke.' Her expression broke and she looked back up with a sly grin pulling at her lips.

Whisper shrugged in response, balancing the tray in one hand as she began adding several packets of sugar to her own cup. The letters abover her head reformed slowly as she mused over her reply before settling on the simplest answer. 'I'm not sure.' She said. 'Just something I can do.' "Okay, am I crazy, or are you changing colors?" Acacia interrupted. Whisper nodded, adding a little extra to her previous sentence to explain. 'Siah Aimian I assume?' She asked Rathi, giving Acacia a sidelong look. She'd seemed to be very interested in the various Investitures that had been evident, and had looked at the coffee pot with some interest, but not the other technologies around the room. One of the Earths perhaps? Recently arrived in any case, not many were unfamiliar with Stormlight after living in the city for any length of time.

Leaving the coffee to steep for a moment, Whisper poured some milk into a smaller jug and then set it on a tray along with a number of small sugar sachets. The busywork helped keep her body busy, which meant less of her attention needed to be focussed on controlling her reactions. Appearing to be polite and helpful was another benefit of doing suc work, though in the wrong setting that could lead to more suspicion rather than less. 'Secrets.' She replied to Acacia, the words blooming out of a looming darkness like a brief glimmer of blood seen at the end of an alley. Whisper gave herself a deprecating smile as she improvised the additional flourishes. There was a small clink of glass against ceramic as she set the pot of coffee against one of the mugs and began pouring, carefully measuring out and leaving room for cream if anyone wanted any. She poured silently as the words slowly faded back into darkness before replying to Rathi's question. 'Neither.' She said simply, holding the tray with three cups in front of her to each of the others. 'Little bit different, no spren, no other Surge.' Whisper left her explanation at that though there would doubtless be follow up questions.

Whisper felt her brow twitch sceptically at Acacia's reply but kept the rest of her face impassive as she nodded in response and gave her a small smile. She considered briefly rearranging the illusion to explain further but decided against it. Best not to seem like she was trying to lecture anyone, that kind of behaviour could backfire and earn undue attention. Quietly helping everyone along was easiest for now, try not to stand out too much. 'Whisper, Reporter.' She replied simply. 'Coffee?' The words reformed as Whisper moved to the nearby pot and began to fill it with water, pulling a stack of mugs towards herself and preparing the brew.

The illusion vanished into glowing smoke as Whisper dismissed it, absorbing some of the Stormlight back as the rest dissipated. Another brief flicker of Stormlight caused the shining words to begin forming once again. 'Stormlight. The Surge of Illumination it's called on Roshar.' She supplied helpfully. 'Mostly used by the Radiants.' The conversation was proceeding smoother than most of hers could, aided in part by her ability to actually use Illumination to communicate this time. Writing everything down on a board may conserve Stormlight but it was torturously slow for conversations to be able to flow naturally.

"So..you're not a ghost, then?" Acacia asked. Whisper shooke her head, her short tangled mess of brown hair briefly getting tangled in her face as she did so. "In that case," Acacian continued "it's quite rude to pretend to be one in such an ambiguous manner. If you're going to appear out of thin air, you should at least wear a sheet and make the appropriate 'oooh'ing noises so that people know what they're dealing with." Whisper tilted her head to the side again, watching with a momentary furrowed brow. But a moment later she shrugged to herself and expelled another brief burst of Stormlight which quickly formed into the appearance of a white sheet, a second more concentrated burst mimicked the sound Acacia had just made. 'ooooh' Acacia's voice whispered back.

Whisper gave a polite nod to each startled individual as they noticed her but she also raised a curious eyebrow. The reaction was a little more than she'd have expected, certainly in the Alleys nobody would have been anywhere near as surprised. She glanced downwards towards her attire, had she forgotten to remove the blood? Some people reacted poorly to that, but she couldn't see any on herself at the moment. She looked back up to the others, tilting her head to one side in an expression of confusion. They'd been surprised but apparently not too wary, one had suggested she might be ghost but she assumed that was intended as a joke. "Yeah... Um, hello?" One of them said, Bell from the sound of his voice. He seemed to look towards something around his neck for a moment, searching for some meaning in it. A Fabrial perhaps? She gave Bell a wave in reply before raising a hand to her throat and tilting her chin up to expose the thick ropy scar that crossed the top of her neck. She pointed at it exaggeratedly before making eye contact, hoping they'd be able to understand. But then again she'd already used Lightweaving here so she wasn't as hampered in communication as she sometimes needed to be. 'Whisper.' She wrote over her head in glowing scarlet letters, allong with an arrow pointing towards herself. After a moment for them to read the word scattered and reformed. 'Bell?' it asked as the arrow shifted towards him. 'Rathi?' the arrow shifted towards the one with what appeared to be subtly shifting pigmentation, Aimian? Or a very talented Returned. 'Acacia?' towards the woman. The voices were relatively easy to match up but it was always best to be sure.

Whisper continued to sit tucked into one corner of the room, remaining covered by an illusory water cooler. She couldn't put faces to names yet without disturbing the illusion but she was furiously comitting the voices she heard to memory. A reporting job had seemed a nice easy way to be supported while continuing her work, she wouldn't need to change much other than create a publicly available version of her notes for the paper to print. But now it was critically important that she be aware of the others who would be working with her, any one of them could become a hazard to her if they found out too much. Best to seem upfront at least, don't give anyone any reason to go looking further. There was a part of her that relished the possible challenge of having to deal with something a little more exciting than the usual simpletons who took one look at an innocent child like face and then paid her no more mind. With so many inquisitive indivudals around she might have to actually work to maintain appearances this time. Her ears twitched as a brief silence took over the room, she let it extend for a moment before standing and dismissing the illusion that had covered her. As the Stormlight wavered and then collapsed back into her body it briefly illuminated the 14 year olds scrawny form. She'd chosen a cloth cap today and some of her more well made clothes but the shirt and trousers were still of obviously cheap fabric, a washed out blue dye suffusing the fibers. As she appeared her eyes rapidly darted to each individual in the room before scanning each corner with a deeply suspicious look, watching for anyone else who may have hidden as she had. After seeing no other ripples of disturbed Illumination, Whisper gave a brief nod of satisfaction to herself then matched her gaze with the others present and giving them another nod of her head in greeting.

And Sorana posts about 20 seconds before I managed to

"Far-fetched?" Laurelai replied contemplatively. "Some might say so, but legends originate somewhere after all. The Alethi's Almighty may not be the creator of all things but he certainly existed once upon a time and you can hardly blame some bronze age farmers for mistaking a Shard as a deity." She felt her heart palpitating within her chest, her excitement mounting at the suddenly broached topic. Laurelai fought to keep her voice even, and to keep the burning spark of interest from lighting her eyes. Many within the city dismissed those stories as legends, as Lita said. Others relegated them to something mythological, perhaps real but in the distant past and not relevant to today. Laurelai believed neither, there were certainly powerful figures who had created this world none could deny that. Was it that much more of a leap to assume that similarly powerful beings kept watch over it? "And scoff as some people might it's still rare to see someone venturing along into some of the dark alleys in the cities depths." Laurelai continued, seeking to adopt Lita's earlier tone of semi-interested smalltalk. "Superstition is hardly something to be taken as fact, but if you follow its threads you can usually arrive at some interesting truths." With great effort Laurelai kept her gaze smooth and steady as she slowly watched Lita's expression. Watched her eyes, her cheeks, her brow for the slight movements that would betray someones inner thoughts. A twitch of surprise, a narrowing of eyes when suspicious. Anything to tell her who exactly Lita was and what had prompted this conversation.

She noticed a handful of blonde eyelashes? Laurelai wondered. Someone very used to observing smaller details at the least, if not a Tineye or an Awakener. An Awakener was less likely given the womans appearance, accent and lack of an aura but it wasn't impossible. Still even with enhanced senses to notice the discrepancy most people were not likely to actually come a deduction like a Forger. Could Lita be a fellow Forger perhaps? Used to noticing such details and prone to bias in assuming the cause? Laurelai herself had changed her features and accent on numerous occasions, becoming a red headed Scadrian was not out of the realm of possibility. "Quite a pretty charm," Lita said, interrupting Laurelai's chain of thought and pulling her attention back to the other woman. "Is it a Sellish currency?" For a moment Laurelai repressed the impulse to quirk her lips into a smile but then decided there was little point and allowed her amusement to show. Many people might ask such a question perfectly innocently, but someone as perceptive as Lita appeared to be and knowledgable enough about Forgery and Selish heritage to pick Laurelai out so accurately would have known better. The coin had no obvious markings of any Selish script on it, and the Arelish Deo and most other Selish currencies were common enough in the city that someone this attentive would be aware of them. She's curious about it? She mused with interest, glad to have a moment to turn the tables. But hiding her curiosity behind smalltalk, does she know what it actually is? "Not quite." Laurelai replied, staring a little more directly at Lita. "Or if it is then it's from no part of Sel that I've been able to find. It's a little difficult for a Forger to admit but I'm not even sure where the metal came from, let alone where it was minted." Her amused smile melted quickly into a nostalgic warmth as she remembered the years she'd spent puzzling over this mystery from her mother. It was one of the first projects she'd ever set out to Forge and one of the only projects that she hadn't completed at this point, stymied by her lack of awareness at where the coin had come from. It had been a constant source of frustration, curiosity and joy throughout her life, in many ways a channel for the mother who she could not direct those emotions to. "But hardly something elaborate enough to be showing off tonight of all nights." Laurelai said, leaving the coin where it sat nestled against her skin. "Though perhaps a little more fitting for the Coin than it is for me." She kept her tone and smile polite but her eyes shone brightly as they examined Lita, curious to know the other womans interest and hopeful that she may be able to startle her at least a little in return for her own treatment at Lita's hands.

Laurelai gave the headpiece another appreciative glance, a brief flash of envy striking her at the abilities of Soulcasters to so easily create from nothing at all. People often thought of Forgers in much the same vein but in truth the two practices were vastly different in spite of some of their superficial similarities. But still, now that she'd seen it and heard the story she might be able to create a stamp to produce something similar. Perhaps something to save for next year. She nodded politely back as Lita introduced herself, though Laurelai felt her brow twitch for a moment at the lack of a last name. She's just begun another sip of port to disguise her moment of surprise when Lita asked her next question. "So, how long did it take you to Forge your hair black?" Lita said, smile gleaming on her face as she watched Laurelai. Laurelai felt her arm twitch and almost sputtered half of her drink back into its glass in surprise, completely destroying the calm atmosphere she'd been presenting. Her gaze darted up to meet with the amused green eyes of Lita and Laurelai felt a sudden welling of admiration and irritation washing through her. As she set her glass back to the table her free hand reached up to coil itself around a lock of hair as though to reassure herself that it was still there. There's no way she could have seen the stamp is there? Not through a dress and when it's on my back. Not even the Lord Ruler's tin was that good surely. Dabbing at her mouth to clean up and more importantly give herself a moment to recover and regain her demeanour, Laurelai forced the panic from her mind. Panic was distracting, she needed to think this through appropriately, rationally. Had the woman simply read her? She certainly seemed sharp enough to read most people but picking up something that obvious about a Forger was no easy feet. If she'd been in the middle of her workday then perhaps noticing some loose flecks of Soulstone would have done the trick but as it was Laurelai had nothing on her to identify her as such. "An hour to finish the stamp, a moment to use it." She replied, forcing a smile. For a moment Laurelai had considered feigning ignorance but given her own reaction that wouldn't be too convincing. Could Lita have seen her before and know that her hair had changed since then? Some of the students her father had taught knew her from a distance, and though Lita didn't exactly seem the type Laurelai couldn't exactly judge her solely by appearances at this point. Her headdress was bronze she'd said, could she be a Ferring? Being able to stay awake was certainly something that led many down the path of researchers and study. But that didn't quite seem to match, perhaps something else. "You must have quite the keen eye." Laurelai said, still smiling. "There's not much of a point to it if people can easily tell." The Windlass was not as noisy as much of the city was, but still for Lita to have overheard the conversation that Laurelai had when she'd arrived she must have at the least been paying attention or had particularly good hearing. Many tineyes kept tabs on their surroundings like that out of habit, had she noticed something that those with less refined senses couldn't have picked up perhaps? Lost in thought once again Laurelai found that she'd once again pulled her mothers coin free, the simple iron was cool the touch as she rolled it between her fingers. The familiarity and comfort had become something of a habit when she was thinking deeply about something but that usually only happened while puzzling over a particularly difficult piece of history or forging. It wasn't often that she lapsed enough mid conversation to seek that comfort. "Sorry." She half-muttered, tucking the coin back away again. "Nervous habit." She used the motion to break eye contact as well, unsure if she may have been staring while she'd gotten lost in thought. It was thoroughly uncomfortable to be on the back foot this much in a conversation, best to try to right it if she could.