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(Vol 6) Chapter 10: The Grumpy Cat Brigade, and Sundry
🕑 Added 2024-07-31 14:58:20 +0000 UTCIn considering the need to utilize FE that was burning a hole in her deific pocket, Sammy shifted to the potential of Servitors. She could have around a hundred and twenty total if she wanted based on her total Follower count, and she was well, well shy of that. Furthermore, she was always gaining more.
It had been a while since she’d made a new Servitor Line. Instead of going with a Pneuma entity, which she would eventually do, she wanted a generalist. She wanted a bit of fae and, inspired by her recent new allies, some water specialists to some degree, because of her particular intentions for an island base. In Greek Mythology, there was an entity of the water most famously, that had origins first as ‘bird-ladies,’ essentially. Sirens.
She now had access to Shapeshifting (Physical; Natural), which allowed up to a large animal or humanoid in size, didn’t have the Faerie Dragon Glamour limitations (easier detection and dispelling), but also lacked its highly magical flexibility and size flexibility which allowed much more unusual and bigger forms. But a ‘mer-form’ and a harpy-like form were fine, and they could turn into bears and such.
And shark mounts!
She tested a ‘giant seahorse’ too, and that was fine, as were other ‘reasonably feasible’ creatures, such as smaller dinosaurs. The hard weight limit was a thousand pounds per their class level. That made the hypothetical Archservitor capable of a massive great white shark, but even the minimum level of 2000 pounds was plenty big.
There were three options for boosting water speed to Ludicrous levels: there was the simple, effective Quick Swimming that was 10 km/h per level, a generalist option in Flight (Wingless; All Mediums) that sacrificed a lot of top speed for the versatility of movement, including in the water, aaand finally… Water Control.
Interestingly, her [Pneuma] domain had given her access to elements for her Servitors, so long as they were either non-specialists or Pneuma-specialists.
Water Control was big on versatility. In addition to boosting swimming to 7 km/h per level, it could cheaply use a Servitor’s PFE to increase this to 12 km/h, and always with more smoothness, control, and less disturbance. This was in addition to what was effectively telekinetic control of water. Minor acts within a small radius were free, but more extensive action at longer ranges for FE was possible, to great offensive and defensive capabilities, particularly underwater.
Well, well, well. I think things are decided!
The next matter to decide was the obvious tie to them being songstresses. She poured through abilities, seeing potential in raw, specialized enchantment abilities, but then she saw something even better: Muse. It was mysteriously accessible from ‘a combination of Domains’ and changed their class to something of a divine bard focused on buffs.
Holy shit! Perfection! I got the debuffers in the Cat Siths, now I can specialize in the other type of support. And [Bard] has some offensive spellcasting potential. Perfect all-arounders, pretty much.
They had something else, too, as a special ability: Soul of Stories. Naturals of the Arts, but it also gave them special preservation powers. What they observed they retained absolutely, so the travails of mortals weren’t forgotten and could be memorialized.
For the merfolk especially, but for everyone. If the Orchestration of the Fortuneteller fails, if the plan falls through somehow, I will find a way to suffer the long walk like Ozra, and in that time, that fucking World Spell is not going to continue its reign of terror. History will cease being stolen from the people.
With Shapeshifting, Water Control, and Muse, she had a free option because they had no Domain specialty. She decided to build a custom Siren’s Song after all, focusing it on a couple of key things that made it unique: a wide area of effect for battlefield potential and a ‘physical-based’ function to sidestep magic resistance.
It was essentially a raw, sound-based musical effect that stupefied, as well as weakened one to follow-up charms if needed. It could still ignore targets to focus on one or a few people, though others would hear it to some degree without outside suppression.
As a side-effect benefit, the raw attack specialty also gave them a very naturally alluring voice, a minor boost to bardic endeavors, and so forth. This stacked with benefits from Muse and even Shapeshifting, as they could meticulously focus on an ‘effective voicebox.’
With everything decided, she contoured their personalities a bit with practiced ease and then slung them all out at once. She mixed skills in between the arts and more practical things she needed to cover. Names were easy. They came to her perfectly, recalled from her Earthly memory but moreover by Fate. She also gave some of them official nicknames for ease. She made eighteen of them, nine after muses, nine after sirens, though she wasn’t exactly sure the legends weren’t mixed.
Calliope, Clio, Euterpe, Thalia, Melpomene (Mel), Terpsichore (Terri), Erato, Polyhymnia (Poly), Urania, Thelxiepeia (Thelxie), Peisinoe (Peace), Aglaope (Aggie), Parthenope (Parth), Leucosia (Leck), Raidne, Molpe, Teles, and Himeropa are born.
Eighteen Servitors appeared before her throne in a flash and burst of feathers, to the sound of a brief symphony of music that one wished would continue. Being inspired by her merfolk allies, their base forms were exceptionally beautiful humanoids with some bird-like features, including very bird-like wings extended from their arms, of resplendent rainbow pattern coloring. Their hair, if it existed, was not visible, covered by large headdresses of feathers.
In unison, they bowed in a flourish and said musically, “We live to sing of the Most High Goddess!”
Smiling, Sammy inclined her head. “So you will. Those of you with difficult names, do expect my nicknames. In the morning, you can report to Jeeves for duties. Many of you will be perfect for the more inspirational things my Resemblants have previously been handling. You’ll add more… color, I’m sure! Other than that, I set you loose. For now, go and entertain! Celebrate your birth — sing to Heaven and the world!”
Various yips and yays resounded as they went in every direction in a puff of feathers, gleeful and ready.
One stayed, however. She began to sing something of a cheerful and celebratory cadence that brightened up the throne room, together with the playing of a harp. To one side of the throne, a wide, colorful, and ornate chair morphed out of the floor, with a golden book lying in it. The Siren floated over to it to lie in it, playing the harp upside down and gazing at her goddess as if studying and admiring her.
Sammy smirked, even as the song and music buttered her soul. “Calliope. Are you dreaming up my epic?”
The siren made her song fade instead of cutting off to reply. “Of course, Your Majesty.” Her voice was peace and serenity; milk and honey. “But more than any other, I think that I am Heaven’s Bard. Wouldn’t you say?”
Sammy raised an eyebrow, putting on cool, imperious airs. “You plan on that chair being more or less permanent, do you?”
Calliope grinned and batted her eyelashes while playing an especially sweet line of harp notes.
Sammy burst into an incredulous laugh and shook her head. “As if that would work on me! I am the Number One Puppy Dog Eyes Bullshitter! I perfected it!”
Calliope batted her eyelashes more, now looking expectant and pitiable.
Sammy shifted her expression to one of supreme, imperious resistance, completely uncaring and unmovable. She crossed her arms.
Supreme Puppy Dog Eyes countered this on Calliope’s expressive face, pitiable cuteness edging into a pout. The harp got mournful.
Soon, Sammy found she was squinting and tapping her foot against a great and ‘terrible’ pressure. How could she deny such a simple request? Why be stubborn about it? And she was so adorable!
She caved. “Gah! Fine! You’re the court bard. But don’t overdo it with that harp. And sit up straight!”
The Siren complied immediately, a beaming grin on her face as she replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. You are most generous!” She played cheery but light background notes, maintaining a meek expression.
Pretending she wasn’t enjoying the music, Sammy soon began configuring some additional reinforcements of her other Servitor Lines.
One particular long overdue Cat Sith was Gandalf, whom she gave the special skill [Research], which would help out Dick and Zephyr in particular, she figured. She added Hermes with the special skill [Alchemy] to help out existing alchemists. Then Circe was created, to whom she gave the special skill [Sympathetic Targeting], aiding her reach with curses.
And so the Grumpy Cat Brigade gained in strength and breadth.
[Sympathetic Targeting] on Servitors is nasty, almost feels like an exploit! Especially with buffs. She had also given the Sirens Himeropa and Peisinoe the skill, so their songs could reach across any distance — or would when they were higher level.
In her Angel and Faerie Dragon Lines, she added eight more enforcers and combat specialists, wanting to have a solid core of them down the road, and she could ultimately never have enough of them to distribute through the empire. Names she pulled out of the ether.
On a similar note, she added five more Resemblant sentries and observers, as well as four Faerie Dragon spies to be under her existing specialists. Constance requested a few Sirens assigned to her network, which was something Sammy had planned on anyway due to their shapeshifting ability and enchanting nature.
All in all, she was near to a hundred Servitors. She planned to maintain a bit of cushion from maximum at all times, but more would come later regardless, and probably a new Line or two.
Hmm, what would be the Line for [Magic] in the future? Both that and [Pneuma] feel rather wide open.
With the Servitors decided and a nice blob of FE spent, it was time to turn her attention to other things. The trade of Galynth to Caneboro and Dax to Geirkos was well underway, them both having said all their goodbyes, packing up, and heading out in the evening, arrivals set for around bedtime. Galynth’s bedtime, anyway — Dax was more of a cat napper who’d adjusted to the roguish way of Lucky’s ilk, which tended to involve nighttime operations extensively.
They both seemed a little sad but also excited. Galynth looked forward to working with Estara, but even more so to work with such people as Sir Oliver, Sir Finely, Sir Pashett, Lord Carlisle, Marchioness Agatha, the hero Sir Beikiar Darkhunter, etcetera… all the ‘noble’ knights of the Borderlands. He felt like it was his destiny. He also hoped to meet Crow in the flesh as well.
Those two kept in touch through the Sammyverse since their one-time meeting at the mind-realm pastry shop. It seemed that Galynth appreciated Crow’s impartial advice on things. He’d evened out quite a bit from his experiences, though Sammy was sure his idyllic outlook about chivalry and such would never die.
If anything, authentically decent and honorable folk like Oliver and Carlisle will reinforce it to some degree. We all make compromises, but Geirkos is ironically more the den of that than Caneboro. Orswyth has changed, and overall the personalities are hyper pragmatic. If I station Galynth more in Mot Mekess, he'd be in heaven, comparatively.
Dax, meanwhile, was for the most part perfectly fine leaving, and even slightly relieved to get away from so many old memories. The biggest issue of regret wasn’t even Crow at that point, but Estara, whom she was fiercely protective of like a big sister. But Estara could not only take care of herself, she had plenty of other protectors.
Did they get a firm talking to before she left, though? Absolutely. Bob was assigned as her ‘glue,’ and Dart was usually there when not needed for big missions.
Yep, I think I’m pretty proud of myself for this change! Dax and Canmore belong together, and I need Dax closer to my main operations, besides. I feel such a divide between us, lately. I don’t like it.
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Comment: Sorry about the name explosion. :P I'm largely in the habit of introing any Servitor with their Line indicated, understanding very few will remember them all. In any case, I've finally given up on naming them all! Sammy only had so many tarot decks! New names may or may not crop up depending on the situation and inspiration.
