NOTICE: This was taken from a group chat with the participants. u/AnActualCriminal , u/avamir , u/HalfDrowShaman , u/DragonWisper56 . That's why it is weirdly formated; I tried my best.
The party enters the spirit world, that land of infinite mist where concepts have form. Last time the group had discovered the location of the Exalted beacon and now they can see the spirits domain on the horizon(?). The domain of the of the spirit is a shining citadel made of crystal and marble. There are lines of silver and gold throughout the whole compound. Light radiates like miniature sun. In place of a sun or moon floats a giant metallic eye... watching. As the party arrive they notice something, there are no shadows in this realm
Crispin: *Crispin is jostled awake by Ichor and spills out onto the ground covered in tar.*
"Eugh. What? Oh yeah. Exalted Beacon. Shit tracks."
Riva: Riva seems... ill at ease, guarded.
Crispin: *Crispin looks at the giant metal eye for a bit too long.* He get's sunspots
Riva: "Don't look into the giant lights, imp." Riva lets out a loooonng sigh.
Agnur: Agnur weaves illusion around them it would be bad if they were spotted
Drow: *the drow casts soul shadow and light eater to give herself some magic sunglasses*
Riva: Riva just squints. "Do we attempt to kill everyone, or do you think there's a possibility of converting them back from... this?" She gestures vaguely.
Agnur: They took our friend, they made their choice
Riva: "I tend to agree with you. But at the same time... killing the zealous because of the new religion they picked up isn't the greatest look."10:33 AMRiva makes some... warding circle shades? and places them on her face.
Crispin: "Let's fucking defile this place. Stupid giant sexy eyes blinding me."
Riva: Riva grimaces at the whole "sexy eyes" thing. Ugh. "Works for me. Let's do this."
Agnur: regardless of sexing eyes how are we going to get in?
As the party walks up up to a tall wall around the citadel.
Drow: I can just walk up this
Crispin: "I can fly. Lookit."
*He does, in spite of his wings looking like one of those oil spill ducks from a Dawn ad.*
Drow: *the drow walks up the walls casually* *she makes it to the top and then shoots some ephemeral ropes out of her armor, tethering them to the wall*
Riva: Riva takes a rope and begins climbing up... in a manner like Adam West Batman, admittedly. But she isn't going to ask for a memory from Crispin so she can teleport up.
Agnur: Agnur climbs up
Ichor: *Ichor slorps up a rope with peculiar viscosity as Crispin lands at the top.*
The group looks over the wall
As they do they notice how...still it is. Nothing is out of place, there is no dirt or dust, no noise or bustle. Only silence except for a few sentries. Moving through the streets are some weird creature. It is like a shadow except shadows don't exist here. The aren't light however, just not shadows. Silver "shadows" will do for now; they stalk the streets. On top of towers however sit zealot priests in pale robes, watching
Drow: "sentries. Some kind of... Silver shadow monster..." "you wanna go in hot or cold guys?"
Crispin: "I can make a distraction. Gotta call in a debt though." *Crispin rattles a bag of teeth.*
Riva: "They don't seem to be tethered to the priest but they seem kinda similar to the undead type shadow. There is something soul adjacent about them. Probably touching you does some sort of damage to your spirit." "I wonder whether killing the priests would rid us of the... spirits."
Crispin: "Guys I think we're being too thinky here. These are order guys right? All this strategy plays right into their hands." *He rattles the bag again.* "C'moooooon."
Agnur: I mean it would give us some cover...
Drow: "why don't I just sneak ahead and try to grab one of those guys first" "just make sure I have backup"
Riva: "That works for me."
Drow: *the drow begins sneaking along the wall as best she can towards the nearest priest tower*
Ichor: *Ichor clings to the outside of the top of the wall, trailing behind Drow.*
Drow is able to sneak up the tower un-noticed. The guards are spaced out because they have a giant eye in the sky( literally). She gets behind the guy and hear muttered prayer. *the drow does a series of actions in rapid succession. First she creates a bubble of mute, then she taps the man on the back making him go blind and deaf, and finally she grips him by the neck and begins choking him out*
Drow: [do we want this guy alive or dead?]
[]= telepathic cummunication
Agnur: [he can't talk if he's dead. lets get information first]
Drow: [ok let me disable him...] *the drow touches two hands to the man's head and begins dripping horrors into his mind until he passes out from fear* [ok. What do you guys want to ask him?]
Agnur: [what the fuck is he and what does he do. we need to know how dangerous he is]
Crispin: [Where's our boy? And do these shitheads know we're coming for him?]
Drow: [ok! I'll try the normal way first, if he doesn't comply I'll kill him and ask his soul] *the drow creates an illusory similacrum of herself and places it inside the man's mind, she asks his inner consciousness the following questions and listens for his answers* "hey guy, who are you?"
"You will pay infidel!!! The great and glorious Exalted Beacon will end you! Their (he goes into like a thousand titles and compliment I am not writing) will force you to kneel before them. All shall kneel before them so sayth their loyal preist and servant Atticus!!!
Drow: what does this exalted Beacon look like
Exalted Beacon is beautiful a statuesque, thirty feet tall, being made of the most stunning marble, crystal and precious metal. Their voice is a chorus, their eyes are brilliant rubies. They have a mosaic halo of gold with eyes on it. They also float above the ground because they are to good to tred upon it. The rest is repetitive praise
Drow: *within the zealot's mind he sees the drow prance about, threatening him. Then he sees the exalted beacon launch a bolt of light through the sky, exploding the simulacrum of the drow**the exalted beacon stands tall in the distance and booms at him*"I have come to save my loyal servant" "tell me thy purpose servant, so I shall have it known"
(this is an illusion)
"Thank you my master! I am but a mere secondary sentry, but one of the ones that joined you willingly unlike those plebian villagers. ( he just continues blubbering thanks)
Drow: "good! And have you been enjoying the powers you have been granted? Describe your abilities to me, compare yourself to your cohort" "you have done well. If you are worhty I shall grant you more powers"
Thank you lord. You have granted me the ability to smite those in your name with radiant light. I could fight toe to toe with the lowest of mages. I am slightly above average amongst my cohort but I serve well enough guarding the domain. I am also tasked with commanding the Vestiges of Shadow you have given me. Like hounds of war they hunt down the non-believers and drain them of energy before I can bring them to you.
Drow: "I see. How goes your training with the vestiges of shadow? Tell me every relevant detail about them"
Riva: Riva waits expectantly for him to spill the beans.
Of course master. They are made from the shadows of your prisoners at the throne. Screaming you praises for all eternity. This torment shatters there soul to create these vestiges in place of their shadows. From then on they act as loyal servants and drain the disgusting essence of show from a persons being. Without you intervention a person could not survive long without it. That shadow needs to be replaced with your energy to remain among the living.
Drow: *the drow relays this information telepathically*
Riva: [ "I wonder if their shadows, and parts of their soul, can be returned to them." "Another idea. Can you mimic a vestige, Drow? We are terrible nonbelievers, and you could bring us to this being. Once we have a way of dispelling its power, of course."]
Drow: [yes, I should be able to mimic one][he also mentioned the eternal torment of the civilians was how they separated their souls to make the shadows][if we disrupt that maybe we can have them despawn without killing the guy]
Riva: ["He said he drained the non-believers of energy before bringing them to this being... so if we can get in, perhaps we can disrupt this ritualized torture, and perhaps that would rid us of the vestiges? And perhaps drain this being of power."]
Drow: [yes my thoughts exactly. Now, for the last question]"servant Atticus. Tell me where kyrgrin is now."
Your most hated prisoner? At he very center of the citadel where you can keep an eye on him.
Riva: After relaying the information telepathically, Riva might ask Drow to ask whether Krygin was being used as a power source. Perhaps word it as some sort of test for Atticus. "Remind me, my servant... What treatment is Krygin receiving?" (Or something along those lines)
No your holiness. The prisoner's magic is incompatible with ours. You bound him everyway you could so he couldn't conspire against you. You worried that killing him wouldn't be permanent enough for your plans. Wizards have escaped death before and that welp is harder to kill than a cockroach. He is to be bound until the universe ceases to exist.
Riva: Riva makes a quiet, "Hm." And considers.
Crispin: "Checks out. He's not a powerhouse but last we saw him a fucking bomb was turning him into a puddle. Krygin's hard to kill."
Agnur: It was a fucking black whole....I love that little guy
Riva: "If this being is using his power to bind Krygin personally, I wonder if disrupting his power will free Krygin. Now to figure out how to disrupt this being's power."
Agnur: I mean if we mess up the palace it could help, or at least distract it
Crispin: "They're spirits, yeah. Purity. Order. The grosser and more chaotic we are the better."
Agnur: should we call in crispin's debt
Riva: "Ah! Yes, that would... ha. That would definitely do it. Ha ha." She had neglected the symbolism of things. And if anyone could make a mess, it'd be Crispin.
Riva + drow: With the questions done, and Atticus disposed of, Team Kryginator decides to move closer to the goal. Using Drows abilities at illusion, she feigns being a Vestige bringing the group (who pretend to be tired so to look like their energy is drained), and move closer into the area where people are being kept. [now crispin!]
Crispin: *Crispin rips open the pouch the way he opens most things. Tearing it open upside down like a dysfunctional kindergarten with a bag of dorritos, completely ignoring the draw-string.* "Been playing a lot of poker in my down-time..." *Teeth clatter onto the ground. Dozens. Each one with a name in low Sylvan etched onto it. They transform into tiny pallid creatures with gangly limbs, dragonfly-like wings, and rows upon rows of needle-like teeth.*
"I've been winning." *The tooth fairies scatter, each one set on either harassing a guard or knocking over something expensive.*
The giant eye focuses on the distraction and the party feel the energy of the domain shift aggressively. The tooth fairies will likely be driven off but it will certainly distract everyone. Guards from across the citadel converge in this area. The group moves at a light jog; *Crispin strolls languidly until Ichor picks him up and moves at a better clip*
*the drow vestige leads the pack hoping that the other guardians will let her through* The party charges through the gates. The guardians are too distracted to pay close attention to the vestige and entourage
Agnur: Agnur cuts himself and draws runes of corruption on the wall ever once in a while. The runes cause the walls to pucker like wounds as the natural energies of this place try to fight off the intrusion.
Ichor: Ichor leaves a trail of tar
The party sees the prisoners as they reach the "throne room". It is like a giant colosseum like structure. The Exalted Beacon floats in the center eyes closed; it hasn't noticed you. Around the room are hundreds of people in various states of torture such as having silver bars impaling someone. The blood runs like rubies in here. It should be discussing but something makes it beautiful. All of them ar screaming praise and begging for release. The influence of this place is makes what should be discordant noise into a choir. Silver shadows prowl but currently accept you as prisoners.
Patrolling a silver shadows with priest overseeing them.
Drow: Drow sneaks behind a priest while invisible. *the drow tries to grab him and swiftly stab him in the heart. She plans on taking his form and turning him invisible simultaneously* A invisible body drops down quitly. *for now, the drow simply takes her post and waits for the right time to issue some more interesting commands*
Riva, Ichor and Crispin hide. Crispin is in the form of a rat
Agnur: Agnur activates his Teumessian pendant and starts sneaking around. when agnur reaches one he tries to club them to death as quietly as possible. His pendant warps fate so no one is looking; he bashes a mans brains in and tries to hide the body. He dies before he can scream
Crispin: *Crispin transforms, shrieking at the top if his lungs like a baby on fire, lugung at one if the priests. The shriek is pitched and sustained specifically to counteract the choire-like atmosphere of the room.* The blood sprays across the room.
Drow: Drow gives the shadows contradictory orders to confuse them
Riva: Riva concentrates, and draws a circle. Unlike the vast majority of ones she done, however, this is strangely... green? This is very much not her affinity, but she knows the basic forms. And from this circle, she calls on the Alseid clans of the Earthen planes. Unlike a fire elemental, she doesn't bind it to her will directly, but rather asks and *pressures*.*If successful, some of these looking dudes/dudettes/etc. bound from the circle. Riva would direct them to release the hostages, Unbinding them from Thews of Earth (silver), and heal them." The Alseids have a green glow which pushes against the natural energies of the citadel.
Asleids( nice earth elemental adjacent dudes)
The Exalted Beacon starts to wake from it's trance. As this is happening Agnur notices a false wall of crystal which he deduces Krygin is behind.
Agnur: Teleports over to the wall but finds no way of opening it.
Drow: *the drow continues concentrating on the shadows, trying to get them to help break more chains* *she drops her illusory shadow and instead creates a bubble of sensory deprivation around the exalted beacon* *trying to stall it's awakening*
The "shadows" help confused but do so. Some blink out of existence as they free the human they were made from.
Ichor: *Ichor spews themselves as much as possible. Spattering the room.*
Agnur: I summon bram and he starts hitting the wall with the force a earthquake. I impower him. The crystal starts to break but it accelerates the Beacons notice
Ichor: *Ichor readies to surge at the beacon like a geyser the instant it becomes aware. They're likely not strong enough but they can hold attention.*
Drow: "Someone get a big portal ready! We gotta get kyrgin and these civs out" *she mentions the civs to appease the others but does not care at all about them*
Agnur: Agnur takes bottled rage and pours it into bram to increase his attack power
A red glows around Bram and his blows triple in power. Soon the wall will break. The Beacon wakes and tears through the illusion and the halo flares! "Who intrudes on my domain"
Riva: Riva tries to portal the civilians out of the crumbling tower, back to somewhere outside where she's been before. It's a little strange in this realm, but she shuffles them out as quickly as she can. And has one of the Alseid's go out with them to try and heal the wounded and keep them moving. Riva gets ready to crank out a bigger gate for Krygin...
The civilians try to escape as quick as they can. Every peson saved seems to dim the Beacon's glow
Ichor: *Ichor surges forward and Crispin lights the tar with a firebolt. A geyser of flaming tar would slam into the Beacon like a locomotive.*
The Beacon slams against the other side of the room but grabs at Ichor. It's touch burns( though because Ichor likes fire it is more of an acidic burn) "Do you Challange a god!!"
Drow: *with all the civs freed, the drow releases her other illusions and pulls out her spell grenade launcher. She launches a ball of incendiary darkness at the pillar*
Agnur: I enhance the runes I places around the castle to weaken it
The darkness slams into the wall and it shatters and the walls shake as the walls start to corrupt
Ichor: "BalaNCE MUsT bE rEStOReD!!!" No one but Krygin really speaks primal tar, but that's what they say
Crispin: *Meanwhile Crispin is saying every swear word he knows at the top of his lungs. Every obscenity. Every vile act one can do to a hole. Fulness and impurity of another kind.*
As the smoke clears Krygin is revealed. Krygin "sits" boneless with silver chains around his wrist. He sits in a circle of salt surrounded by a circle of pure water.
Agnur: Agnur uses a piece of Sorrowsore to pollute the water
The Beacon begins shooting flashes of divine energy at Ichor while a translucent "reflection" of it appears before the rest of the group and punches the ground before disappearing
Drow: *the drow goes invisible and prepares to bolt. She leaves behind 3 illusory duplicates to continue fighting*
Ichor: *Ichor can't take much more. They try to hurl the Beacon into a wall and retreat. Too much Tar has been used up.*
The Beacon is slammed into the wall leaving a crater. The beacon begins to charge up a divine blast.
Riva: *Riva kind of... kicks some corpses over at him(Krygin)? Can he eat that? Us that to reconstitute himself? while she redirects the Alseids to poop on things, kick over the salt, and piss into the pure water.* *Kicks corpses at Krygin. She'll try and open a portal once he's able to... uh... move? Slither?*
As soon as Krygin can slither he slides forward a a burger on grease and swallows the corpses whole like a a snake. Bones shift under skin. He isn't 100% but he can walk now
Crispin: "I missed this repulsive fucker."
Drow: *the drow runs next to the portal and launches an ephemeral rope at kyrgin, grabbing and pulling him like a child down a slip and slide to the portal* *her other clones try to distract the beacon while she does"
Krygin: "Wait what?! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Several reflections of the beacon strike at illussions. Shattering the area around them
Ichor: *Ichor doesn't have time to grab a corpse. Headed for a portal. Crispin grabs some deer poop, ignites it, and throws it before fleeing.*
drow: *the drow grasps the weird slime creature they just saved and falls backwards through the portal like a trust fall*
Agnur: Agnur summons up all his rage greif and desperation from the past while and pours it into a curse. calling favors from fae, demon, spirit and monster he brings rot and decay to the pure. bram carries him out
Riva: *Riva keeps the portal open until everyone is out, then tries to snap it shut.
At the last second the beacon grabs the portal; not magically just pulling reality open but then Agnur's curse hits them like a truck. So hard in fact that a small piece of crystal fractures. The Beacons cries in pain and the portal closes.
Drow: Hey job well done guys. Where are we riva? *the drow immediately takes out some tea and begins sipping*.
They were in an Ithicar hospital.
Ichor: "LAWyeR. ArE yOU All rIGhT?!"
Krygin: Krygin shakily stands. "I'm ... free. I'm free. I'M FREE!!!!" He tries to jump for joy but hurts himself. He gives Ichor a goopy hug
Riva: Riva thanks the Alseid's in greek, and they make appropriate polite noises in their ungulate sorts of ways, and disappear.
Drow: Hey krygin, nice to meet you. I'm your savior, the Drow.
Krygin: The just looks at drow with the placid expression of a frog. "Sure, I'm used to dealing in favors"
Drow: *score, the drow thinks* Also Riva. You owe me too! The rest of you... We should get drinks later
Crispin: "Waaaaay ahead of ya." Pulls out a bottle of medical alcohol and drinks
Drow: *the drow taps his alcohol bottle with her tea vial*
Riva: "Sigh. I'll add it to the tab."
Krygin: "I... must... throw a feast!" "You are all invited!"
Riva: "Glad to see you back, Krygin."
Krygin: "I'm glad as well Riva
Crispin: "You just ate a corpse!"
Drow: Don't act like you've never eaten a corpse crispin. I know I have
Crispin: "Not a whole one! I'm small!"
Riva: "There is much to catch up on." Riva doesn't mention the Pact being mostly empty, and Krygin probably being the only one left to fill a position, EON, Belial's disappearance and reappearance, the assault on Lemarcia, etc. etc.
Krygin: (he needs to catch up on so much. He doesn't even know about sorrowsore!) "Yeah, I was gone for a long time"
Agnur: "we're just glad your back." He says as he rest a kind hand on Krygin's shoulder
El Fin
/uw Here's a big shout out to the players of this post! They were great. I can't belive Krygin's been gone for two months!!!! I was going crazy!!
Also not kidding about the feast. In a few hours of posting this.

Big thanks to this sub! I would have never known about ys and this is easily the best quality tea I’ve had in my young journey. So far I’ve tried the first flush green and the wild tree purple. The green is excellent and reminds me of genmaicha a tiny bit because there are some light roasty notes. The purple is very interesting, almost no flavor at first but on the back end its very fruity and beautiful vibrant; barely turns the water any color at all. Anyone had any of these? And what are yalls faves from ys?

30M, New to this, advice please!
30M, New to skincare, and just bought all of this after doing some quick research. Its ‘Boots’ own brand (a cosmetic store in the UK), interested to see if anyone has had good experiences with any of it.
Have been having difficulty with persistent spots and ingrown hairs from shaving / trimming my face & downstairs (like to keep as smooth as possible). As well as black heads on my face / nose.
Plan for a routine is:

1. Foam face wash to cleanse (tea tree & witch hazel)
   
2. Face scrub to physically exfoliate (tea tree, witch hazel & activated charcoal)
   
3. AHA / BHA to chemically exfoliate (gradually, starting once a week and building up to every 2 days or so).
   
4. HA moisturiser, especially after shaving.
   
5. Treat any spots with SA gel
   

Will keep you posted with how things go anyways, but keen to hear from you reddit pro’s if this is a good starting setup, and if i’m missing anything.
Cheers!

There are 5 acne-fighting face washes along with their pros, cons, and ratings:
https://preview.redd.it/6wvwv3bc3f0d1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=8d5710e6196e60599d5c202a038ab2b83fb4c2e2
1- Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser
Pros: Gentle, non-comedogenic formula suitable for sensitive skin. Effective at removing dirt and oil without overdrying.
Cons: May not be effective for severe acne.
Rating: 4.5/5
2- Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash
Pros: Contains salicylic acid to treat and prevent breakouts. Oil-free formula won't clog pores.
Cons: Can be drying with prolonged use.
Rating: 4/5
3- La Roche-Posay Effaclar Medicated Gel Cleanser
Pros: Formulated with salicylic acid and soothing thermal spring water. Targets acne while calming the skin.
Cons: Higher price point.
Rating: 4.5/5
4- Proactiv Renewing Cleanser
Pros: Contains benzoyl peroxide to fight acne-causing bacteria. Helps prevent future breakouts.
Cons: May cause dryness and irritation.
Rating: 4/5
5- Paula's Choice Clear Pore Normalizing Cleanser
Pros: Contains salicylic acid and soothing botanicals. Unclogs pores and reduces inflammation.
Cons: May not lather well.
Rating: 4.5/5
Buying Guide for Acne-Fighting Face Washes:
When choosing a face wash for acne-prone skin, consider the following factors:

1. Ingredients: Look for active ingredients such as salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, or tea tree oil, known for their acne-fighting properties. These ingredients help unclog pores, reduce inflammation, and prevent future breakouts.
2. Skin Type: Consider your skin type and any specific concerns you may have, such as sensitivity or dryness. Choose a face wash that is suitable for your skin type to avoid exacerbating existing issues.
3. Formulation: Opt for a gentle, non-comedogenic formula that effectively cleanses the skin without stripping away its natural oils. Foaming or gel-based cleansers are often preferred for acne-prone skin, as they help remove excess oil and impurities.
4. Reviews and Ratings: Take into account the reviews and ratings of the product from other users. Look for feedback on its effectiveness in treating acne, its texture and scent, and any potential side effects or drawbacks.

When purchasing a face wash for acne-prone skin, consider these factors along with your personal preferences to find the best option for your skincare needs.

Any ideas on how to style or prune? What would look best/be healthiest? (Fukien Tea Tree)