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Minor addition: Freeze will negate enemy physical resistance and null so physical attacks do full damage. It may also negate physical drain/repel, but I'm not sure. Ice Dance is like the bestest skill ever .
Decarabia, known also as simply Carabia, is the sixty ninth demonic ruler as listed by the Ars Goetia and the fifthy one as listed by Weyer's Daemonographia. He's an infernal marquis related to the nocturnal power of Netzach on the world of Yetzirah, and thus he can be described as an entity of the classical element of Air. Belonging to the formative world, what traditional Hermetists would call the Astral world, his nuclear essence is harder for us lowly mortals to understand, and thus also are both his character and his motivations, and by virtue of his relationship to both Air and the Moon this situation is only worsened. By looking at both the arcana related to this emanation and it's astrological correspondences we can shed some small light on his nature and thus on the motives behind his fall, though: All symbols here are those of both sociability and theological or religious insight, and at the same time of betrayal and a lack of stable patterns. It is interesting, then, that they picked Decarabia to be one of the most sociable infernal lords in the Megami Tensei series, since one way to interpret the symbolism behind his nature and his fall would be basicaly that he got too easily, and deeply, swayed and carried away by other's motivations and rethoric.
On the other hand his role as a powerful caster demon on the Megami Tensei games is also reinforced by his placement along the path of the fiery sword, as the operation of what is usually called Magic is seen, in Qabalah, as simply a form of the interaction between Netzach and Hod. So, to put it simply, Decarabia could be seen as a manifestation or entity of a completely amoral formative or creative power that as easily embraces a given pattern as he betrays it later for another, new and shinier, one. Being a nocturnal incarnation, though, he represents all that's destructive about such behaviour and as such i don't see why would someone summon him other than to send him screw somebody else.
His favorite form is that of a floating, hovering pentacle, some times flaming and some times not. The interpretation of this as a starfish is kind of totally cute, and among Megami Tensei fangirls Decarabia is seen as one of the most plushable of all the Fallen Angels, if not the most one. He rules over thirty legions, and as far as I know both Decarabia's own angelic order as those of his followers are unknown. He's sometimes called The Dark Lord of Futility by those who like to link Qabalah and Hermetism, which actually sounds pretty awesome.
Since I'm here anyway,
KalosKagathos said:
Incubi are... Oh, come on, you know who they are. If you don't, ask your mom.
An interesting, and very Codexian, but little known fact about Incubi is that both them and their female counterparts, the Sucubi, are the very same demons, just switching forms, genders, appearances, and roles on the move and depending on what fantasy is the most exploitable on their current target's mind, both conscious and subconsious. So the next time you guys are fantasizing about hot sucubi, remember they look just like...
... that, including the big, you know, horn.
That aside, thank you for the update, Kalos. I was already getting worried.
Lightbane said:
Instead of whining and crying, she accepts the situation and actually tries to do something useful.
She also gets what must be the coolest plot based superpower ever later on, if i don't remember it wrong. Her clothes still suck, though. Which is a shame, since i really like her as a character at times. Much better than some of the girls that have been inhabiting Megami Tensei since the advent of Persona 3 and Persona 4.
That automatically makes her more intelligent and likeable than let's say 90% of girls in jrpgs (and anime, manga, comics, books AND rpgs too). Instead of whining and crying, she accepts the situation and actually tries to do something useful.
Playing the game myself and got past this stage, so I decided to read up on the LP for some hints and stuffies, nya.
I noticed that when you got to Yoyogi Park that you said you get something good in the late-game if you keep the Pixie, but then you fused her (coincidentally, the same fusion I made ). Does it matter in what form the Pixie is in, how many times you fuse her, etc etc?
You have to keep her or her fusion result (which will always be in the first demon slot). The only thing you can't do AFAIK is use her as a sacrifice in another fusion. Don't worry if you don't know what a sacrifice is, its explained later. Resummoning her from your demon compendium does NOT work, it has to be the original demon.
Good. Looks like you're still safe. It seems that the Link failed and you fell into the Amala Network. But... The Amala Network is exactly that: a network. If there's an entrance, there's always an exit. Just leave it to me. I'll get you out, so head toward Ginza...
Soul:Then, let me warn you... If you don't have a map, you'll get lost.
The Network mostly consists of Y-intersections. Taking a wrong turn and bumping into a dead end teleports you back to the beginning of a section. This is a taste of things to come, more complex teleporter mazes become increasingly common near the end of the game.
Something's up... Are you stuck?
Yes.
Alright, let me try something. Gimme a minute.
Looks like the Amala Network never stays the same shape. Even you would have a hard time getting through here... Well, if something happens, call me. I'll do what I can.
The dungeon has a different gimmick going as well: some doors can only be opened by Hijiri. The trick is that he can only be contacted from specific spots.
BGM: Battle -Amala Network- This is an arrangement of Old Enemy from SMT: if... I can't find the original track on YouTube, but it's track 34 on disc 1 of Shin Megami Tensei Sound Collection easily obtainable by googling.
This is Erthys, an earth elemental. These can only be obtained through fusion or bought at a certain shop. Unlike Wilders, Haunts and Fouls the language barrier isn't an issue, demons of the Element race are simply too :trueneutral: to care for your struggle. Demons belonging to races heavily leaning towards Light or Dark will refuse to join for similar reasons.
Soul:I don't wanna talk to anyone. I'll heal you if you just go away.
The soul healed you.
Soul:I'll heal you anytime. Just don't bug me.
A terminal and a free healing spot are nearby.
Soul:If you really want to talk, there's a place where you can talk to the outside world... So talk all you want there.
Souls here seem to enjoy solitude.
...y...he......y...It...me......Hijiri. ...Can you hear me? Answer me! Can you hear me now?
I can hear you.
Good! Looks like you're in a spot that gets good reception.
From now on, if anything happens, let's meet up in stable places like the one you're in right now. ...Oh, yeah. You're stuck, huh? Just wait a...sec...
Upon entering the third section we're treated to a montage of three more doors closing. One leads to the exit, the other two are connected through another floor and can be used to reach a room with Cache Cubes and a Mystical Chest.
Yes. Soul:You see the red things running along the walls and roof? That's all Magatsuhi. Magatsuhi is born from the flow of emotions, such as suffering, anxiety, and sadness... That's right. Emotions bring forth great powers.
Aeros, air elemental. These are annoying: they can heal, they can charm, they are resistant to the four basic elements, and they don't have a weakness.
Soul:So, there are demons that jump in here, looking for Magatsuhi. Be careful not to be picked on.
............It's good to know you're alive. Guess you didn't become a demon for nothing. You couldn't go any further, huh? Wait up.
It seems that someone's trying to intercept my communication with you. Might be an enemy. Be care...ful...
We'll...tal...k...la...er...
You hear nothing.
All three doors are open now.
Choronzon is another demon I'll leave for Black Cat to describe. All I can tell is that he's extremely important in ceremonial magic, of which I know next to nothing. Why are there so few demons originating in Greek mythology in Nocturne? You wouldn't be able to get me to shut up if there were more.
Oh yeah, Choronzon is one of the few demons in the series to get a radical redesign. This is what he looked like in SMT I:
Maybe Atlus had a hard time creating 3D model out of it, or maybe they ran out of time, I don't know. Regardless, the current Choronzon design is a reskin of Legion whose concept art I'll post when we encounter one.
Choronzon is also a total bitch to fight: high HP, resists physical damage can turn your demons into stone (thankfully, the accuracy is low). High Pixie's Wing Buffet spell (works like Ice Breath, but deals Force damage) is incredibly useful in exploiting his weakness.
Reggie learns Berserk from Marogareh, which is the physical equivalent of Ice Breath. Accuracy is crap, though.
The visit to the treasure room doesn't pay as well as I hoped it would: one Cache Cube is a trap that deals damage to the entire party, and the Mystical Chest has to be opened immediately because full Kagutsuchi is 13/16 of a cycle away, something that my party will have trouble surviving (curse you, low MP!). A Life Stone is all that the Chest yields as a result.
A Choronzon decides that joining us is better than dying. Outstanding resilience for his level, but Magic is only 4, and he has a skill set of a spellcaster. Fusion fodder.
This is the door that leads to freedom.
Soul:But... the Network is in a bad mood, as you can see.
Soul:I don't want to involve myself with anyone or anything! I'll heal you. Just get outta my face.
You have been healed.
Soul:I'll heal you anytime, so leave me alone.
A terminal and a healing spot conveniently happen to be located right around the corner.
You're finally here... The exit is close to where you are. Let me open the -
Specter:YoUuuuUuuUU! I kNOW, I KnoW! This MaGATsuHi hEre. YoU waNT yOURsElf? yOu kilL me, hUh!?
Yes.
Specter:Me fIx PrObLem... Me eAT yOU! aNd MaGaTSuhi ToO! Me EaT YOu, tOooOooOoO!!
Second boss fight, and the first one that requires you to put at least some effort in it. All Specters are resistant to offensive magic, so physicals are your best bet. When they get to act, they mostly use Agi and the basic attack. Nothing too bad.
Several turns in, he decides to try the opposite approach. After the merge he only has 2 APs, but he gains an AoE Fire attack. There's absolutely no way High Pixie's Dia can keep up with Specter's damage output, making rushdown the most viable approach. High Pixie and Lilim cast Rakunda, drastically increasing the amount of damage he takes, and he's defeated in 2-3 turns. No casualties.
Reggie levels up and learns Sukunda, a debuff that reduces the accuracy and evasion rates of all enemies.
Specter:...YoU...... I eAt yOU oNE dAy...... Me...ErGh...sWeAr IT...... Me nO foRGEt yoUr uGLy FaCe!
......Alright... It looks like... everything's stabilizing. Hey, Reginald, you okay?
Yes.
I see... You're getting used to being a demon, aren't ya? I'll open the door. Hang on.
Hooray!
Nice work. Now, let's hurry on.
You hear nothing.
You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?
Wow, that certainly was a lot of build up for a shot of an old man opening his eyes.
This is the farthest region of Amala... Humans call it the netherworld.
You may be wondering how it is that you arrived here and if you are in danger, but do not worry. We will send you to your original destination.
There is nothing you can accomplish here right now. At this point, you still lack the strength.
This candelabrum will be your guide... when you lose your way in your quest for power.
You obtained the Candelabrum of Sovereignty.
Then, I will send you to Ginza. We shall meet again, if fate so desires...
I guess you made it to Ginza alright. You had me worried there... I lost track of you for a while, and I thought you may have gotten lost in the Amala Network... Anyways, I'm glad to see that you're okay. So, can you look around Ginza and gather some info about Hikawa? You might run into tougher demons, but I'm sure you can handle them. I'm not cut out for fighting, so I'll track down Hikawa some other way. I'm sure we'll meet again, since we're both after the same thing. Alright then, see ya.
The voice could no longer be heard.
Starting from now, we can freely teleport between all terminals we found. Handy.
Next update: Ginza.
EDIT: Fixed three broken images. Bloody ImageShack.
Choronzon? Now we are going straight into the weird stuff. Choronzon is a demon first mentioned by John Dee back on Elizabethan England, part of the (ridiculously) complex and puzzling cosmology upon which both Enochian Magic and Enochian Philosophy are based. Dee's occult research became later what we could call the third pillar upon which the Golden Dawn's system, and thus those posteriorly developing from it, came to be, and so Choronzon became intermingled with both Qabalah and Hermetism. Since Enochian Magic and Philosophy have also a following among postmodern magical traditions Chaos Magicians and many other both countercultural and ecclectic Witches and Warlocks came to play with him.
Now, in modern occultism Choronzon is seen as the guardian or ruler of Da'at, the eleventh sephirot. Da'at, however, doesn't exist by itself and is seen as a virtual sephirot. He has many of the same attributes as Abaddon, who is also considered to be a ruler, to put it simply, of Da'at, so many believe Choronzon to actually be an aspect or emanation of Abaddon, or both to be aspects or emanations of the primal force to be found in Da'at.
Da'at will seem strange to a modern western individual. Da'at means Knowledge, but at the same time it is The Abyss that separates Neschamah, the region of the Tree formed by Kether, Binah, and Chokmah, from Ruach, the region composed by all those Sephirah, other than Malkuth, not part of Neschamah. Neschamah represents enlightened consciousness while Ruach represents intellectual and philosophical consciousness. Nephesch, the third of those regions and including only Malkuth, represents animal or materialistic counciousness. In a way they could also be said represent Superego, Ego, and Id.
Back to Choronzon, he is both the guardian of the Abyss and the Abyss itself, and he's a being of pure disolution and destruction. In all occult traditions the murder of the father or the murder of the mentor is a recurrent symbol, representing the anihilation of all that has been learned in a kind of rebirth. Choronzon, then, is the overseer of such rebirth, and all that come before, or into, him find themselves being slowly, say, digested, and all that's considered lowly or inferior is anihilated, including the witch's personality, ambitions, desires, likes, ego, etc. Only those elements that belong to Neschamah or that are close enough to those of Neschamah to take the last step as a result of such a traumatic situation survive and, in the end, if too little of the adept remains her entire being is destroyed and her, to give it a name, soul simply disipates into nothing.
Given that Choronzon and Abaddon are seen as being emanations of the same thing we can also deduce Choronzon is an uncontrolable, chaotic, wild, and all destroying force you can, in theory, summon facing the general direction of whatever you want very dead and hope he doesn't feels like turning back, which given to how many demons it applies reveals much on the absolute lack of sanity most daemonologists suffer from. As a final bit of trivia, Choronzon and Abaddon i already said aren't just the guardians of the Abyss but the Abyss itself, which means in normal catholic and xtian belief Hell would be built inside of them. Ewww.
Meanwhile, in the great tree, that being the tree that does not represent a world or multiversal level but the whole of creation, the Abyss, and thus its guardian, is the barrier separating the creation of the little creator (the God of the Old Testament) from the chaotic dark sea beyond, the world of the true creator. This may sound familiar since all occult traditions are, in a way, Gnostic. And by in a way i mean they influenced gnosticism, where influenced by gnosticism, or came on their own to the same conclusions as gnosticism. This also means the, say, postmodern extremist Gnostics, like the Immanentize the eschaton crowd, who believe all structure to be a tool of the Demiurge and the Archons, and the Demiurge and the Archons themselves to be nothing but Lawful Evil cosmic horrors that leave both the Great Old Ones and the C'tan as total noobs, have gone and took Choronzon as kind of a Patron Saint.
Curious as it may seem this is not the first time such a thing happens as it is believed to be the origin of Moloch's own cult, but that's an story for another day.
KalosKagathos said:
Oh yeah, Choronzon is one of the few demons in the series to get a radical redesign.
Indeed. Not only is Choronzon a reskin of Legion, but Legion itself i believe to be inspired by Duke Dantalion of the Ars Goetia, which has been both described as a man of many countenances and a head of many countenances.
Well, that's it for today. Back to Darksiders. I mean, no, back to my homework i go. Yes, to my homework. Right away.
*poofs out*
Edit: Will the next update feature a remixed version of the Ginza song? I don't really remember if the game had one, but that would be amazing. Ginza Song > Every other Megami Tensei song ever.
Edit 2: I forgot...
Ghostdog said:
Yeah, that was one really facepalming guest appearance.
It's stupid, but it's also strangely well done since it fits perfectly with the plot of the new dungeon.
Lucifer is calling the strongest among the Fiends, a demonic clan that includes many hybrids of human and demon as well as humans that became demons in diferent ways, to find someone hardcore enough to lead a new assault into heaven.
So, you know, him being a human and demon hybrid that kicks impossible amounts of butt makes him into the perfect kind of guy to be added as guest character into such a fighting game like kind of sub-plot.
You're doing it wrong, it would be something like this:
Lol, how "animeish" design, looks unrealistic lollol an old man with blonde hair lol his nose looks strange and looks worse than a generic barbarian lol jrpgs are retarded shit and wrpgs are better
/Codex Mode
Just kidding. Anyways, I noticed your first post of this lp doesn't have a table of contents, you should do one as soon as you can, you'll need it when the chapters start to pile up.
Just kidding. Anyways, I noticed your first post of this lp doesn't have a table of contents, you should do one as soon as you can, you'll need it when the chapters start to pile up.
In other news, Matador has fallen. I hope I will have learned Rakukaja by the time I fight the next buff-heavy boss, that Taunt at the end came out of nowhere.
You're doing it wrong, it would be something like this:
Lol, how "animeish" design, looks unrealistic lollol an old man with blonde hair lol his nose looks strange and looks worse than a generic barbarian lol jrpgs are retarded shit and wrpgs are better
Congratulations. And the next chapter will be one hell of an update, i guess. All of Ginza, the dungeon, the mannequin's town, and Matador is a whole lot of writing.
OK, so what the hell is Imageshack's problem? I just noticed that some screenshots fail to display, despite everything having worked fine at the time of upload. Is it a temporary issue caused by increased strain on their servers that will disappear by itself in a couple of hours, or are the screenshots forever corrupted and have to be reuploaded? If it's the former, then I'm switching the image host.
The former, I believe. If it's the same that happened to me on my old Shin Megami Tensei LPs you can still see most of the images that fail to display if you right click on the X icon and pick to open the image on a new window or a new, say, whatever the name of the thingies that Chrome and Firefox use instead of new windows.
Edit: Also, a couple of times I saw the images get corrupted, as in becoming a mess of colours and scrambling parts all around, but that's also temporal as long as you remember to clean your internet cache once the problem, either of your connection or theirs, is fixed.
Whoops! I must've had a brain clot when I wrote that. I actually recruited a new one too and fused her the same way you did.
Keep up the good work!
Also a side question: What level do you expect to be around just before the final dungeon/boss fight(s)? I got into my old Pokemon habit of planning my party out ahead of time, but, unlike in Pokemon where I always get to the big four at around lvl 50, I have no idea what level range I'll be at in the late game.
I think it depends on how much time you spend dicking around in the labyrinth and how much you use the enemy evading spell. Most of the 'normal' boss fights can be won at very low levels if you abuse the hell out of the press turn system and have the right immunities. That said you'll be over 60 at least by the end I'd imagine, if you aren't being insane. I think I was in the 90 range myself when I won, but I like to explore every inch of the game.
). Does it matter in what form the Pixie is in, how many times you fuse her, etc etc?
