Questioner
Hey Will I want to know something about Asylum's magic system. Intent, does it work even if the object itself does not possess the property the user is attempting to augment it for?
Eg.) Superstitions about the luck a rabbit's foot gives. If the person whom hangs it around his neck 'believes' it grants him that property does it actually accumulate that property?
Will Wight
Luck is one of those things that's difficult to quantify. People do invest objects to make them luckier, but they've been proven not to affect things that actually rely on pure unaffected randomness, like a lottery.
Therefore, it's believed that objects like a lucky rabbit's foot (for instance) would only increase your confidence or concentration, depending on what you mean by "luck."
Most of the invested or Awakened objects with crazy powers have Kameira elements, meaning they're borrowing some of the elemental powers of the Kameira. Or the reality-twisting powers of the Elders.
Questioner
Its been a while since I eead Elder Empire. How did Estyr and Jorin manage to live so long.I know not all of them had Nakothi hearts and I recall that they were in a deep sleep...
Will Wight
Awakened coffins. Keeps them asleep and alive until they're needed.
They've individually lived a few hundred years apiece, thanks to some extremely creative alchemy and investing on the Emperor's part, but they've EXISTED for basically two thousand.
Questioner
Simon minus his nye essence vs Urzaia.
Will Wight
Without the Nye essence, Simon loses what I think is his biggest chance to kill Urzaia: going all-out from the very beginning.
The problem is that Urzaia's hatchets can turn a blow from Mithra, as can his Soulbound Vessel (the hide of a Sandborn Hydra). Without Simon's Nye essence, he can't blitz a win, so Urzaia probably wins on the strength of endurance and superior experience.
Questioner
Simon vs. the Emperor
Will Wight
Assuming, as I have for all of these other fights, that the characters actually have a reason to kill one another and are actively trying to do so...no, the Emperor crushes Simon like a bug.
Questioner
Kai vs. Bliss
Will Wight
I would love to write this fight.
Probably Bliss, but only because Kai has no frame of reference for understanding her powers. If he did get a sense for them, then he could take it. He's stronger and faster and more experienced in combat than she is. But the weirdness of her powers would be her biggest advantage.
And Kai would need a doll.
Questioner
Valinhall vs. Elders and Estyr Six
Will Wight
Valinhall vs. the Great Elders is an interesting matchup because it depends entirely on which one they're fighting. Against Nakothi, for instance, a full team of Valinhall Travelers would do even better than the Emperor and the Regents did. They would tear Nakothi apart with minimal losses.
Same goes for Kthanikahr or Othaghor. The Emperor WISHES he had an elite team like the Valinhall Travelers when he was going after Othaghor, because he basically just spawns endless minions.
Against Tharlos, on the other hand, the Valinhall Travelers would just have their minds warped and go insane, or they would be turned into ooze or a lamppost or something. He breaks all the rules. Urg'naut's shadows would be able to kill Simon without him ever being able to resist, and Ach'magut would arrange matters so that it never came to a direct confrontation.
Versus Estyr Six...I guess it depends on how many Valinhall Travelers show up. All thirteen could definitely do it, six would be pushing it, three wouldn't be enough.
Questioner
Emperor vs. Incarnations
Will Wight
The Incarnations are not stronger than the Emperor. The Emperor's more powerful than he ever got a chance to demonstrate in scene during the actual stories themselves.
He might have difficulty dealing with them at first, because he doesn't know what they are or how they work. But they would pose no threat to him.
He would observe them, capture them for study, and slowly kill them when they were of no use. Emperor wins, no contest.
Questioner
Simon vs. Meia
Will Wight
Similar situation as against Urzaia, except that in this case it depends on who gets the first move. Because unlike Urzaia, Meia will try to kill Simon instantly.
So if Simon doesn't take it seriously from the very beginning, he's likely to lose. 60-40 Meia. If he does, it swings his way a little bit. Maybe 55-45 Simon.
It would be close, though.
Questioner
Simon vs. Urzaia
Will Wight
The Nye essence gives Simon the edge here, but only at first. Honestly, based on the way Simon fights, he wouldn't start out a duel against an unknown opponent with an all-out offensive blitz. And that would be his best chance.
Urzaia can take a hit from Mithra. His weapons can stand up to it, and his Soulbound Vessel can stop it as well. On top of that, he has the strength to (more or less) match Simon and enough reaction speed that he wouldn't be completely overwhelmed by Nye essence unless Simon pushed it to the limit from the very beginning. Plus, he's dueled a hundred times more people than Simon has.
Given that Simon starts the fight trying to be conservative with his powers and then ramps up, Urzaia wins. If Simon knows how much of a threat he is and treats him that way from the very beginning, Simon MIGHT take it.
Questioner
Simon vs. Shera
Will Wight
I give this to Simon by virtue of super-speed, but in "Of Killers and Kings" we get to see Shera using both her newly Awakened knife AND Syphren at the same time. In that state, she'd be able to give him a fight, and it would depend on several specific factors (that I don't want to spoil for fear of revealing too many of her new powers).In summary: current Shera dies.
Questioner
Which of your characters would be most likely to make it as a self-published novelist?
Will Wight
Kerian, the Consultant from Elder Empire.
She's relentless, she reads a lot of novels, and she knows how to make a sale. She's also highly literate, unlike a lot of my characters.
Questioner
Which of your characters could survive the best in almost every kind of story setting?
Will Wight
He's well-educated enough to adapt to a more modern world, skilled in enough basic skills to adapt to a more primitive world, and he has his Reader skills. Assuming they work in his setting, they'd be useful under pretty much any circumstances.
Plus, he's resourceful enough to make a living in legitimate business or in a life of crime, as circumstances require.
Questioner
How intelligent can Kameira become? Are there any that can Read intent?
Will Wight
Kameira aren't like sacred beasts--they can't actually develop human-level intelligence, though many stories and myths suggest that they do. They are powerful animals, and there are none that can Read Intent.
Questioner
What would happen if someone Awakened a horror novel?
Will Wight
Intent accumulates in an object based on the purpose it is used for. So a horror novel's Intent would either scare people or fascinate them, depending on the Intent of the people who have read the novel over the years.
I can imagine a novel that frightens people just by sitting on a table, where you keep casting sidelong glances at it without knowing why, taking any excuse to get out of the room away from a book. Conversely, I could imagine a book that practically hypnotizes those who read it, so it's all but impossible to voluntarily stop reading until you reach the end.
Questioner
I'd like you to make up a 6 or 7 book series about the founding of the elder empire!
Will Wight
I like six or seven books as a series size. Idk about the founding of the Elder Empire--depends on how the main series does after the relaunch.
Questioner
What is the most powerful awakened item in EE that doesn't have great elder intent in some way
Will Wight
Estyr Six's Soulbound Vessels have no Elder Intent. They're the skulls of ancient, powerful Kameira that she defeated in battle.
The Magisters have sealed away a spear that combined the powers of multiple ice-controlling Kameira, but it was too difficult to use. Their tests blanketed an isolated Magister facility in snow for years.
Mierin
If the Emperor had been born on a world like Cradle where he could actually train and develop instead of having to hold back the Elders, how high would he or someone with his will/strength/etc. have been able to advance?
Will Wight
He certainly COULD have reached Monarch, but most of those with the potential to reach Monarch fail to do so. It requires so much luck and unique opportunity that it's impossible to guarantee anyone with reach Monarch, no matter how driven and/or talented. In the Blackflame Empire, he would have almost certainly become a powerful Underlord. With the right resources and chances, he could have potentially left the Empire and ascended to Overlord or better outside.
Questioner
Are there any independent nations or territories on Asylum? Are there multiple worlds in the Asylum iteration?
Will Wight
No, there are no independent nations or territories in Asylum. There are isolated communities that aren't aware they are part of the Empire, but the Empire considers them Imperial territory. They're not undiscovered, after all, just so remote as to be not worth collecting taxes from.
Questioner
So if I loose my horse while training for the Blue Ribbon Race, and I accidentally run into a elderspawn instead of the usual skunks and such, what should I do?
Will Wight
Now, this depends entirely on what kind of Elderspawn you've encountered.
If it has the spindly legs of a spider and eyes on stalks, you just don't want to do anything interesting. As long as it has no reason to investigate you, it won't tear you apart and rearrange your organs alphabetically. You should respond in the most boring possible fashion: by turning and running away, screaming as loud as you can.
This is the response it expects, and it will be bored and turn away. Usually.
If it looks like a frog the size of a human infant, dripping with luminous slime and humming with a high-pitched sound you can barely hear, you should kill it immediately. If you succeed, you have saved us all from an outbreak.
If you leave it alone for too long, it will consume anything organic nearby: grass, leaves, roadkill, garbage, small animals and insects. When it has eaten many times its body weight, it will give birth.
The hordes of Othaghor have devastated many isolated communities. No one has seen these Elderspawn in centuries, which contributes to many ordinary citizens considering them myths. They are not.
Questioner
Is there a limit to how many Vessels can be bound to a person?
Will Wight
This is a subject of debate and research in the Aurelian Empire. The Vessel gets its power from the Kameira or Elder parts that went into its creation, but it's connected to the Soulbound through Intent. Basically, it has to be connected to you personally in order for a bond to be born.
The Magisters would see any claims of a Soulbound with three Vessels very skeptically. They would never believe a report of a Soulbound with four.
But in theory, the limit is however many objects you see as part of your identity.
