You clad yourself in flag and cross Declaring this bles’d land a shining hill, Yet gore and tear and devour your young A revealing flame comes roaring soon And after, war, ne’er changing, shall stand bare. –"America’s Doom" by Unknown, 2077

Darkness. Confusion. Sudden, reckless and restless violence. The taste in her mouth of something just a little bit like Divinity. It was a concerning taste. The screams of the strange creatures echoed as she fought her way free. They were long, lanky things with filthy claws, not an ounce of fat on shriveled, horrifyingly shaped bodies that looked nothing like people did. A relentless ticking in the distance, something dangerous… and then. And then the floor collapsed, and she tumbled down, down, down, hitting metal on the way, the noises and sounds and stench overwhelming.

And then, silence. The silence lasted long enough for her to be sure.

She was alive.

She rose slowly, a little unsteadily, and began looking around for her needle. There it was, sticking in the ground, though it looked different. It did not gleam. Of course. Time and wear seem to have happened all at once. She looked around. She was in a sort of pit, twisted tracks like of a tram all around her, the darkness swallowing up everything so that she had to squint to see anything at all. She felt different, but her thoughts were more immediate: where were the others?

She had not come alone to this strange land, but she did not see anyone around and had not for the last hour or so.

Hornet would need to find them.

*Mission: Find The Others

Mission: Uncover the Source of The Strange Energy.

DC METRO​

**What is Preserved? **

Crests (Choose 2)

Something about her endless adaptability seems temporarily to be stymied by this strange locale and its odd elements, but she can still hold onto something of her nature, and the way that she is more than one thing, and each of these things dangerous and truly impressive when it comes down to it, though it feels as if something has been lost, some core aspect of the memories behind it.

Hunter Crest (Evolved): A powerful Crest representing her truest core self, it is fast, agile, and has a flow like dancing wherein if she keeps up the rhythm and the hunt she finds herself able to hit harder and truly excel at dishing out damage and tearing her enemy apart. (2 Red, 2 Blue, 2 Yellow)

[] [Crests] Reaper’s Crest: The Crest of the Killer, the Crest of those who harvest from others and who take and take. It has powerful, slow slashes, no stronger than the Hunter’s Crest, but capable of hitting far more, and when she binds her wounds with Silk, her blows bring out extra Silk in the immediate aftermath, to benefit from the deaths of her foes. However, she finds herself with little room for other Tools when her Needle moves so slow. (1 Red, 2 Blue, 1 Yellow)

[] [Crests] Wanderer’s Crest: The Crest inspired by those she once knew in Hallownest, it is marked by fast, powerful attacks that can sometimes do more than expected, but by real difficulty in dealing with flying enemies and those capable of playing ‘keep away.’ Its mobility is somewhat less steady, and yet no doubt it is a powerful aspect of her. (1 Red, 2 Yellow)

[] [Crests] Beast Crest: Her mother was a Beast, and Hornet has in her something of that viciousness when it comes down to it, the ability to slash and tear and rip her enemies to pieces, but transforming the Binding of her wounds into a furious state in which only violence can heal: war, perhaps, shall never end, but to the Beast it is not war but struggle that does not end. Yet one then struggles to defend themselves when it comes down to it: it is the crest of a beast, after all. (2 Red)

[] [Crests] Witch’s Crest: It is a strange thing, to do magic, to do the impossible, and to do it expertly and skillfully… this is the Crest of this, yes, but also a still-dormant thing within her, tamed and harvested and used to empower her and create a strange, root-like Binding of her wounds that strengthens her immensely. (1 Red, 1 Blue)

[-] Architect’s Crest: Locked, for now.

[-] Shaman’s Crest: Locked, for now.

Hint: Other Crests beyond these may be available in time.

Silk Abilities (Choose 1)

Something is wrong in her Silk, a weakness that might take a long time to recover from, though it must surely be possible.

*Silkspear: A simple combination of Needle and Silk that shoots a precise thrust forward that can deal massive damage to enemies and in a controlled, specific way. *

[] [Silk Abilities] Thread Storm: A chaotic, costly storm of thread tears through the surrounding environs, slaughtering enemies and moving with wild abandon and neither precision nor target control, a last-ditch move that nonetheless can and has aided Hornet in her fight.

[] [Silk Abilities] Clawline: A means to quickly and surprisingly expertly move about the world, whether it is relevant or not, it takes up Silk but also replenishes it, though it requires care and precision to use.

[] [Silk Abilities] Cross-Stitch: An ability learned from the defeat of a… sister of Lace, of sorts, it counters the blow of an enemy and returns the force again, striking back against the enemy and continuing the deadly dance of war, always war.

Tools (Red) (Choose 3)

Red Tools are active gadgets that Hornet can use to attack her enemies. They have a cost to create, which will be reflected by requiring scavenging sometimes to keep on using them, but can supplement her Silken abilities and needlework quite nicely, and so do not sleep on them.

*Silkshot (Broken): This device was a very useful Weaver tool, and a powerful one at that, but it seems to have been shattered in the fall and will have to be remade, perhaps even better.

Cogfly (Broken): In the desperate fight that preceded, she ran out of cogflies, but she has one specimen. Perhaps she can find a way to repair or improve it as a weapon.

[] [Red Tools] Straight Pin: A basic tool, but one which has accuracy and precision on its side, having been used to win contest after contest down in the Marrow, tossing out at an enemy and being relatively easy to both source and create.

[] [Red Tools] Sting Shard: A strung-up shard of spikes and death, it is harder to make and costly in terms of resources to recreate, but can tear through enemies with wild abandon if placed correctly.

[] [Red Tools] Curvesickle: A gift from the Ants, it functions as a piercing, arcing attack that’s best in wide open spaces, but can go through even tough enemies and carve quite a swathe through those unwary or unprepared for it.

[] [Red Tools] Throwing Rings: A gift from Shakra, these incredibly ease to make Rings bounce amazingly well, making them a killer weapon in close up spaces, and also a memento of a true friendship.

[] [Red Tools] Flintslate: This slate-tool can be used to add flaming damage to one’s Needle, heating it up and allowing it to both harm others and perhaps be used for other functions.

[] [Red Tools] Flea Brew: While there are only so many use of it, it increases Hornet’s speed and ability to attack greatly, and perhaps a replacement can be found in time, or a way to stretch what she has further.

[] [Red Tools] Tacks: A simple ground hazard designed to punish unwary enemies and harm them greatly, though those who are careful or who can fly or leap might find them far less dangerous than expected.

[] [Red Tools] Longpin: A weighted pin that can be thrown to piece through defenses and functions in many ways like a throwable harpoon, with all the strengths and weaknesses that this implies.

Tools (Blue) (Choose 4)

Blue Tools are powerful passive abilities that strengthen Hornet and improve her ability to strike out against foes.

Weavelight (Cracked): This broken Tool of the Weavers might yet be fixed, though how, Hornet does not know. When functional it increases the speed at which her form generates Silk.

[] [Blue Tools] Druid’s Eyes: A gift from a strange Druid in Pharloom, these weeping green ‘eyes’ respond to her pain by crying for her, and by doing so granting her Silk with which she can respond to violence with violence, or find a way to heal, as fits her attitude and mood.

[] [Blue Tools] Reserve Bind: A device that has extra elements of Silk within it, granted by the Second Sentinel, now lost in this new land alongside the others, it can be filled in the evenings to give an extra bit of Silk for a day.

[] [Blue Tools] Claw Mirrors: A dramatic, rather over-the-top defeatist provided this, and these two mirrors can be carefully placed when Binding so that a damaging, powerful flash of light and energy hurts all those around her… not always good in company, but definitely a way to discourage interrupting her Binding.

[] [Blue Tools] Memory Crystal: An icy stone that remembers pain, it creates an exploding statue of Hornet whenever she is hit or damaged that will likely make any foe who is too close suffer for their actions. It is cool to the touch, and oddly soothing.

[] [Blue Tools] Warding Bell: A strange bell that is inscribed with what is holy for the land of Pharloom, it protects from damage and loss of silk when hit while Binding one’s wounds, surrounding her with strange glowing runes in the process.

[] [Blue Tools] Pin Badge: A gift from a warrior Pinstress given upon victory in a duel, it speeds up and empowers the Needle Strike, making it that much more useful and likely to be deployed, and marking Hornet as a member of that sorority.

[] [Blue Tools] Longclaw: A simple talisman made from a predator, it lengthens the blows of Hornet’s needle, thus allowing her to attack with greater aggression and power, focusing her efforts on a ‘close range’ build.

[] [Blue Tools] Injector Band: Surgical pins designed to forcibly insert Silk in the shell, they can be used to Bind with absolute speed, and might be used in other ways, depending, and yet also have their costs.

[] [Blue Tools] Sawtooth Circlet: Metal teeth affixed to the hem of her cloak, Hornet can use these to damage all around when she flares the cloak when jumping, allowing her to combine maneuver and attack into one seamless display.

[] [Blue Tools] Wreathe of Purity: This strange ‘wreathe’ keeps one pure and clean of maggots and other sickness and disease. Might it have some other use? It is quite unsure whether this is the case.

Tools (Yellow) (Choose 4)

Yellow Tools are far simpler, and yet this simplicity might belie all sorts of uses one can get from them.

*Compass: A simple and humble compass, it may help Hornet get her bearings and figure out where she is, though she has no map currently in order to orient herself. *

[] [Yellow Tools] Shard Pendant: This strange tool helps find shell shards, but it might also be useful for helping her to find and identify scrap that might be usable.

[] [Yellow Tools] Weighted Belt: A simple belt that helps keep her from moving around when she doesn’t want to when attacking, and keeps her from getting knocked around by the foes she’ll face.

[] [Yellow Tools] Shell Satchel: A straightforward pouch perfectly designed to hold tools, traps, and tricks and access them quickly and easily, allowing her to carry more of them with her at once.

[] [Yellow Tools] Magnetite Dice: Lucky dice, or so it seems. She’s found them quite fortunate before, but there’s no telling whether the luck might eventually run out.

[] [Yellow Tools] Scuttlebrace: A strange ‘artificial spine’ that can be wrapped around Hornet’s Shell to allow her to sprint backwards to get away from an attack or, frankly, to unnerve her opponents.

[] [Yellow Tools] Spider Strings: A sophisticated device that resonantes with the music of her Needolin, strengthening and speeding its effects and otherwise improving her musical ability and its results.

[] [Yellow Tools] Silkspeed Anklets: These experimental Weaver tools use the natural Silk that Hornet produces to increase Hornet’s speed of movement significantly.

Other

Hornet has incorporated three Silk Hearts into herself, and while her needle has been scoured by the strange change, it perhaps can be honed to perfection again. She also has a cloak designed for both floating and for warmth, the flexile spines just a little bit worn but still mostly functional (for now), and the Needolin.

She also still remembers how to Cling Grip, and can still dash, more or less, though she feels oddly faint.

A/N: So, this will absolutely be spoilers for the True Ending of Silksong. Those who have played the whole game, please also be aware that this is not a mechanical quest, and so everything is to an extent balanced. Longclaw is still good, don’t get me wrong, but Sawtooth Circlet has more use, and generally many of the "insta win" builds (and Crests) that you might be thinking of are probably balanced to be very good but not superior to other choices. What you’re determining in this character creation is the kinds of tools she’ll start with access to and therefore the kinds of ways she can and will approach her problems. She’s very strong, by starting her with most of what she has I’m deliberately skipping the idea of having her slowly get stronger against overwhelming foes in favor of still having difficulties and challenges (Super Mutants are absolutely Mini-boss territory, for instance, at the minimum) but also dealing with social challenges and a strange and unfamiliar world in a way that even Pharloom wasn’t, where at least there were sentient bugs around.

Also, we are going to be very loosely using Fallout 3, all things considered. But I couldn’t resist using the capital, considering the themes of decay and decline. There’s going to be degrees of fusion and degrees of regular crossover. We’ll see how it goes!