RPGM Katalist [v0.098FF Test] [Tearycian]

[Azulaisbae]

...Maybe that's what it was. I thought Dom said something about it early on, but I could've misremembered.

But...I don't think the portal itself was made by the Vanias.Wouldn't it have been phrased differently than "...the Ritual occurred in the Vanias' human properties"? That makes it sound like that portal was made by an outside entity, and I also don't think Dom would know enough to build it; just enough to summon using it.

Spoiler: Or pancakes

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Julia isn't the only one that mentions "catalyst", there are some spirits at the tower entrance that also mention that.

I think with the human properties they mainly just mean that the Vania's own stuff in the human realm aka ugly chloa. Since we know they have properties in different places. They own stuff in the other chloa . The "humans" over there are called demi's. To me it mainly just sounds like they want to specify in wich area something happend. I feel like in this specific case we should just make the easiest connection instead of making the story even more complicated.

 

[Azulaisbae]

My bad, I double checked the sprites and the ghost that briefly appears moving towards the south of Fair Poison is someone other than the Witch of Blue Skies. She does bear some resemblance to the figure who shows up in _____'s Shrine and the Prison of Futility, though.
View attachment 4947723
View attachment 4947724

The Nihtlings are without a doubt a fractured organization, probably owing to pushback from members like Allan. Then there's agents like Trent who apparently care more about looking out for their own than realizing Deverou's plans, going so far as to try eliminating a VIP brought on by the principal. There's nothing solid on the level of intel the Nihtlings share, but Deverou might be privy to more specifics compared to the subordinates. Hell, she (and Cho, maybe) might just actually know what a Katalist is, considering what Julia said about them needing a "catalyst" for Niht. There was no other entity around at the time who could fulfill those requirements, not if Cho wasn't referring to Julia or a summoned succubus, so it might've been a misheard homonym.

I dont think that witch is a deity at all. To me she looks just like how Doli looks. (i dont have a save off before that event so i cant get a proper screenshot but i have this)
So yeah maby it just might be Doli doing something for Akuaki quickly?


As for the fractured niht cult. I agree with you. But i think the biggest fracture is probably the fight between miss Cho and Deverou.


I feel like Deverou might have more knowledge of the other chloa and the Vania's but miss Cho might be much younger and less experienced than her. So this also can explain why Trent could just act on his own and attack someone in the protection of the principal.

 

[NwSColeh]

...Maybe that's what it was. I thought Dom said something about it early on, but I could've misremembered.

But...I don't think the portal itself was made by the Vanias.Wouldn't it have been phrased differently than "...the Ritual occurred in the Vanias' human properties"? That makes it sound like that portal was made by an outside entity, and I also don't think Dom would know enough to build it; just enough to summon using it.

I can't remember who mentioned it, but isn't the portal pretty old? If so, it might've been so long ago that it was either already there when the Vanias acquired the land, or they set it up to have easy access between the Chloas but left it alone as time went by. Domi definitely was only learned enough to make a summons with it, otherwise he'd have been able to account for the connection to Noo's residence causing interference with his ritual.

In regards to the summons, there's a point of ambiguity I can't clear up: who is considered to have summoned Noo? Considering how both Domi and the sixth summoner were directing the rites, and doing it right on Vania property bordering on Gatastate, what is the world's general consensus of the situation?


Given the Nihtlings' interest in monitoring Noo, them being the sixth summoner could mean they had already tried to curry favor with her (but she seems to have rejected them already, judging by her reaction upon being summoned). Plus, getting a non-affiliated magician essence signature, from someone as prestigious as a Von Slaught at that, probably meant throwing off the trail to cover up Gatastate's involvement.

 

[Azulaisbae]

I can't remember who mentioned it, but isn't the portal pretty old? If so, it might've been so long ago that it was either already there when the Vanias acquired the land, or they set it up to have easy access between the Chloas but left it alone as time went by. Domi definitely was only learned enough to make a summons with it, otherwise he'd have been able to account for the connection to Noo's residence causing interference with his ritual.

In regards to the summons, there's a point of ambiguity I can't clear up: who is considered to have summoned Noo? Considering how both Domi and the sixth summoner were directing the rites, and doing it right on Vania property bordering on Gatastate, what is the world's general consensus of the situation?

View attachment 4948627
Given the Nihtlings' interest in monitoring Noo, them being the sixth summoner could mean they had already tried to curry favor with her (but she seems to have rejected them already, judging by her reaction upon being summoned). Plus, getting a non-affiliated magician, someone as prestigious as a Von Slaught at that, probably meant throwing off the trail to cover up Gatastate's involvement.

I think the monitoring is more something that happend after Dilan entered the 4th mine. I think so far we had a general consensus that the college was involved in the summoning of Noo. But what if it wasnt the college at all. Maby it was someone affiliated to the Vania's or another third party since those grounds arent exactly college property.

 

[Azulaisbae]

Some new stone dialogue i found. Changes depending on where you are. The cells she doesnt like because it feels empty while at this part its sad.

 

[NwSColeh]

I dont think that witch is a deity at all. To me she looks just like how Doli looks. (i dont have a save off before that event so i cant get a proper screenshot but i have this) View attachment 4948598
So yeah maby it just might be Doli doing something for Akuaki quickly?


As for the fractured niht cult. I agree with you. But i think the biggest fracture is probably the fight between miss Cho and Deverou.
View attachment 4948602

I feel like Deverou might have more knowledge of the other chloa and the Vania's but miss Cho might be much younger and less experienced than her. So this also can explain why Trent could just act on his own and attack someone in the protection of the principal.

You were absolutely correct. Checked the sprites, they match.


The Doli sprite moving towards the southern woods was translucent though, so it doesn't seem to be happening in real time. I don't know when the sprite's sequence is meant to be viewed (it's triggered only once I believe) with respect to the story, so it could've been something Doli'd done in the past. Assuming it's meant to be seen as part of the main story, however, it could be a hint to the player that the real Doli was no longer there, as her "self" was exiting her house and going somewhere unreachable.


Great catch on the wiki there, this could clarify a lot. If it all boils down to which of the two central figures the Nihtlings are following, the disparate attitudes they hold for Deverou isn't random. Allan and Beatrice would probably be among Deverou's loyalists as opposed to Trent, if that is the case. (not me thinking Trent was some nepo baby thinking he had authority thanks to coming from a faculty member's family )

I think the monitoring is more something that happend after Dilan entered the 4th mine. I think so far we had a general consensus that the college was involved in the summoning of Noo. But what if it wasnt the college at all. Maby it was someone affiliated to the Vania's or another third party since those grounds arent exactly college property.

Yeah it's very much up in the air who the summoner is, given the story's previous developments I wouldn't expect a linear reveal for such a long-kept secret.

What I meant by consensus though was, rather than what we have been able to conclude from the audience's perspective, what do the characters likely perceive? The informant's letter I attached before, for example, was sent to Maven. The entirety of the letters probably isn't enough to construct her outlook, but if she had to point fingers, would it be anyone we already know? She and other intelligence agents in the story are trying to make sense of where Noo's allegiance may be turned, so us guessing who they think is responsible could be an interesting step towards figuring out which party is getting heat on them next.

 

[Azulaisbae]

You were absolutely correct. Checked the sprites, they match.
View attachment 4948630

The Doli sprite moving towards the southern woods was translucent though, so it doesn't seem to be happening in real time. I don't know when the sprite's sequence is meant to be viewed (it's triggered only once I believe) with respect to the story, so it could've been something Doli'd done in the past. Assuming it's meant to be seen as part of the main story, however, it could be a hint to the player that the real Doli was no longer there, as her "self" was exiting her house and going somewhere unreachable.


Great catch on the wiki there, this could clarify a lot. If it all boils down to which of the two central figures the Nihtlings are following, the disparate attitudes they hold for Deverou isn't random. Allan and Beatrice would probably be among Deverou's loyalists as opposed to Trent, if that is the case. (not me thinking Trent was some nepo baby thinking he had authority thanks to coming from a faculty member's family )




Yeah it's very much up in the air who the summoner is, given the story's previous developments I wouldn't expect a linear reveal for such a long-kept secret.

What I meant by consensus though was, rather than what we have been able to conclude from the audience's perspective, what do the characters likely perceive? The informant's letter I attached before, for example, was sent to Maven. The entirety of the letters probably isn't enough to construct her outlook, but if she had to point fingers, would it be anyone we already know? She and other intelligence agents in the story are trying to make sense of where Noo's allegiance may be turned, so us guessing who they think is responsible could be an interesting step towards figuring out which party is getting heat on them next.

To start with the Doli part. Yeah so it was as i suspected as much. I can vagueley remember seeing that sprite before in the forest like 2 updates ago when i went there. Even then Doli's house was interactable with you being able to hear breathing behind the door IIRC. So it definently hints towards it being either some ghost of the past or hinting that Doli is just an empty shell of her former self pre Akuaki reveal. No matter what it is i think a hint may lie towards that path that Doli walked.

To get onto the Niht cults bit. If you want some more juicy details and actual in game proof just go to miss Hobbs in the teacher's residence in like the evening. She tells you some stuff about the teachers etc if you ask her.
This is part of her dialogue about miss Cho. So to the teachers who are not in the know of the niht cult the principal is not here. (wich we know isnt true). Cho has been reforming stuff around the school. (worth checking out yourself).

Alan is not a loyalist. Or atleast hes on the edge between the two factions. According to dialogue from like the event when we teleported to Deverou and had our first meeting. She told Alan that she was dissapointed in him (hes probably siding with Cho but is not too loyal to her). Alan retorted with wanting to protect her somehow IIRC? Il replay that part with this information in mind when 0.098. 01 drops. Beatrice we see as the most loyal of the bunch. She can be seen guarding her office etc. So if Trent isnt too loyal we can kinda make a link with Ortega not being either. Since to warn Trent Beatrice only had to say that name. Macky has to be loyal to the principal since Cho hates her guts even demoting her to class 1- D wich according to dialogue of Hobbs is like a status thing.

Little sidenote. I think that the Niht cult works in like a mentor student dynamic. Like we know from Julia that it was miss Cho helping her with the transformation. So in Trent's case it might be miss Ortega. Beatrice the principal? Feels like every teacher is responsible for a group of potential candidates and afterwards the pearling wich eventualy makes them nightwalkers who are then placed under their supervision (Dilan might be in miss macky's group of potential candidates).


As for who will get the heat next? Probably the Vania's. There will be some scrutiny based on them from the crown. Maby thats why the queen helped with the building of the hotel to keep that powerfull family close to her. Keep your friends closer and your enemies even closer.

 

[NwSColeh]

To start with the Doli part. Yeah so it was as i suspected as much. I can vagueley remember seeing that sprite before in the forest like 2 updates ago when i went there. Even then Doli's house was interactable with you being able to hear breathing behind the door IIRC. So it definently hints towards it being either some ghost of the past or hinting that Doli is just an empty shell of her former shell pre Akuaki reveal. No matter what it is i think a hint may lie towards that path that Doli walked.

To get onto the Niht cults bit. If you want some more juicy details and actual in game proof just go to miss Hobbs in the teacher's residence in like the evening. She tells you some stuff about the teachers etc if you ask her. View attachment 4948682
This is part of her dialogue about miss Cho. So to the teachers who are not in the know of the niht cult the principal is not here. (wich we know isnt true). Cho has been reforming stuff around the school. (worth checking out yourself).

Alan is not a loyalist. Or atleast hes on the edge between the two factions. According to dialogue from like the event when we teleported to Deverou and had our first meeting. She told Alan that she was dissapointed in him (hes probably siding with Cho but is not too loyal to her). Alan retorted with wanting to protecrt her somehow IIRC? Il replay that part with this information in mind when 0.098. 01 drops. Beatrice we see as the most loyal of the bunch. She can be seen guarding her office etc. So if Trent isnt too loyal we can kinda make a link with Ortega not being either. Since to warn Trent Beatrice only had to say that name. Macky has to be loyal to the principal since Cho hates her guts even demoting her to class 1- D wich according to dialogue of Hobbs is like a status thing.

Little sidenote. I think that the Niht cult works in like a mentor student dynamic. Like we know from Julia that it was miss Cho helping her with the transformation. So in Trent's case it might be miss Ortega. Beatrice the principal? Feels like every teacher is responsible for a group of potential candidates and afterwards the pearling wich eventualy makes them nightwalkers who are then under their supervision (Dilan might be in miss macky's group of potential candidates).


As for who will get the heat next? Probably the Vania's. There will be some scrutiny based on them from the crown. Maby thats why the queen helped with the building of the hotel to keep that powerfull family close to her. Keep your friends closer and your enemies even closer.

I concur, the forest path is just begging to be explored. I understand it's been there for ages, but now that Doli has plot significance hopefully we'll see something happen there within two updates' time.


And yeah, I got through Hobbs' thoughts on the staff as well, it seems almost unthinkable that certain members of the long-term faculty are actually involved with Niht, but I guess Dilan'll do what he must (even if one feels guilty for socking Vulpus in the mouth). Knowing that Evans is with the inner circle, the Nihtlings could've easily been overseeing the Occult Club's activities, permitting them to get away with the more outrageous events as of late.

On your assessment of the Nihtling factions, I definitely agree with your view of Macky. There's been word that she doesn't get along with some of the teachers since her route was implemented, but the reasoning behind it didn't seem to go further than vague, cliquey elitism. Macky being a valuable agent for Deverou would explain Cho's hostility, as well as how Macky ended up with her mundane school responsibilities when the others were working the mines and performing relevant work for the cult.

On Allan, I can see him being on the edge between the factions, but I'm still of the belief that he's leaning towards Deverou. The most he has done to assist Cho seems to be preparing candidates like Julia and containing info spills, things that generally would've stayed on the cult's agenda regardless of leadership. Furthermore, if pearling new Night Walkers is now Cho's domain, then Allan would've been opposing her when he enlisted Dilan's help to save Beverly. I'll be on the lookout for Allan's bit about protecting Deverou that you mentioned, probably'll shed more light on the nuances of his stance.

I can't judge if Ortega is with Cho or not (she's just been that absent), but Beatrice was basically just calling Trent by his surname. On its own, the dialogue doesn't really tie Miss Ortega to either side imo, but your mentorship theory makes sense to me, and it is quite possible that each mentor-mentee pair espouses the same leader. Continuing in the train of your theory, it is interesting to think of Macky putting Dilan through pearling. Would it even work? If it does, does Dilan end up with a Deity in his head for the second time? Vaila was averse to allowing Niht's Essence to fully integrate with Dilan, but if he does adopt Night Walker traits, it wouldn't seem to be a far cry from what he's doing as a succubus hybrid, killing and absorbing and all.


You nailed a good one with the queen's connection to the Vanias there, the Crown has secured a highly advantageous position from which to handle whatever unfolds next. I just hope this is the case, since my fear is that most outside observers would instead deem Domi as the one responsible for summoning Noo, not knowing the circumstances beyond his control.

 

[Fistom]

The public version for the newest update is not out right?

 

[imrock]

The public version for the newest update is not out right?

Yea I think so

 

[rokon]

any link for 0.98.1? (newest version)

 

[2341Name]

snip snip snip snip

I don't think Trent is that loyal to anyone judging by how his fate turns out in this update. By what he does and what Tracey says about him, it sounds like he's been going rogue for a while, particularly around the topic of Dilan (using Occam's razor I'd assume that he's mostly very pissed about us killing Walter, though he clearly also dislikes succubi more than the rest).
Also given how they can all tell when somebody's a succubus, I assume that they're aware about Skylar? But she's not a long term teacher, maybe she's using magic bullshit to infiltrate or whathever. Speculation at this point.

Honestly, love the cult's writing because it gives me huge World of Darkness vibes, inner politics and whatnot. Hmm, I wonder how one would run Katalist... VtR-CtL crossover I guess?

On another bit of speculation, does anybody with a fresher memory or save remember what we learn about Caroline's missing sister in her quest? I have a crackpot theory that it's Julia but it's like entirely based on vibes and the fact that their faces kinda look similar (which could 100% be an artstyle thing)
Shoutout to professor "Not Albert Wesker" McGibbons. Can't wait for him to do anything in the story.

 

[d2dacameron]

I don't think Trent is that loyal to anyone judging by how his fate turns out in this update. By what he does and what Tracey says about him, it sounds like he's been going rogue for a while, particularly around the topic of Dilan (using Occam's razor I'd assume that he's mostly very pissed about us killing Walter, though he clearly also dislikes succubi more than the rest).
Also given how they can all tell when somebody's a succubus, I assume that they're aware about Skylar? But she's not a long term teacher, maybe she's using magic bullshit to infiltrate or whathever. Speculation at this point.

Honestly, love the cult's writing because it gives me huge World of Darkness vibes, inner politics and whatnot. Hmm, I wonder how one would run Katalist... VtR-CtL crossover I guess?

On another bit of speculation, does anybody with a fresher memory or save remember what we learn about Caroline's missing sister in her quest? I have a crackpot theory that it's Julia but it's like entirely based on vibes and the fact that their faces kinda look similar (which could 100% be an artstyle thing)
Shoutout to professor "Not Albert Wesker" McGibbons. Can't wait for him to do anything in the story.

I'm confused about Caroline in general.

Is she just a human who somehow got ahold of magic lipstick?

She hates the teachers because of the missing sibling but kinda just behaves like a bit of an asshole.

 

[2341Name]

I'm confused about Caroline in general.

Is she just a human who somehow got ahold of magic lipstick?

She hates the teachers because of the missing sibling but kinda just behaves like a bit of an asshole.

As per the wiki (and, AFAIK, the in-game info and code stuff) she's a human. The lipstick stuff is definitely a mystery. Honestly to some degree I'm not discounting the possibility that it's just entirely mundane and Dilan is just that much of a freak.

She more or less knows about the cult stuff (definitely not much of the specifics) and is investigating because of her missing sister. She's an asshole to us because she assumes that we're working with the teachers, and something happens off-screen in the last stage of her quest to lead her to believe so. But other than that, you know, she's a mean girl. You gotta have a mean girl.

 

[d2dacameron]

She's an asshole to us

So is everyone else except John lmao.

That scene in the latest update where Verl listed off how everybody Dilan knows just sees him as a tool was really cathartic because we've been saying this for years.

It's pretty sad that he doesn't seem to have a true ally that thinks of you as a person and not a tool to be used.

There's also the fact that (almost) everybody is hiding their true intentions which makes Dilan seem more isolated.