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The line is a paraphrase from Robert Frost's Poem: The Road Not Taken.

It looks like this is the clear choice among readers, so let's take it. But before Ozzy starts galumphing down it, what is it?

He's making a choice on his Heritage. I envisioned this as an option some players might earn and that is offered to all of the Contract Workers who push back against the corporations and start doing things.

Genesis is a system that rewards doing things by making more things happen. This isn't always good...but never boring. Both Ozzy and Milo (especially Milo) are magnets for weird shit. Gadobhra is also a center point of chaos.

One of the rewards for doing things is Heritage. The actions, core skills bought, and stories that a CW create influence Heritage choices and rewards. Sometime before the fourth Tier each worker can choose a main Heritage. Jon and Cham have gone down a path called Prince of the Ironwoods. Suzette has allied with the Alfheimr Fae.  Ben stays human, and soon we find out more about the House of Franklin. And Rolly...yeah. So much heritage, going all the way back to the origin of the first Draconae Titans.

Getting sidetracked, this is about Ozzy. You all have voted for him to ignore the Heritage options picked by the system, and gain The Path Less Taken So what is it?

The Path Less Taken
Reject your heritage and build your own legend
Gain: +5 free stats.
Gain: 1 Skill of your choice
Gain: Mastery of one weapon or magical damage type.

This isn't just a set of random picks. It needs to be a path. A story. A Heritage.

So with that said, I've got my own ideas, but you can create something and offer it up as an option.

Comments

Kedar

Hmm I thinking this is kinda the capstone of the "foundation" tiers so he would think this is the last time to expand and solidify his foundation. So I think his picks would go along those lines. I think for skill he would lean toward some type of earth/stone manipulation. This would expand and empower all his dig type skills while giving them more utility. Also it's something he might be able to teach to other workers, so a win for him and his friends. For the magical damage type I think he would go with smoke to reinforce his skill there as it has the most utility and honestly the least likely to be resistant from a meta game perspective. I think these pick would expand his ongoing story about how much crazy strength and skills he has from almost the beginning it feels like he has ben building towards. I feel like his ongoing story centers around how thru his strength, ingenuity and perseverance transformed him from just a simple worker into a growing legend, I assume he already is at least notable if not a small legend on the smoke and a local legend in sedgwick, so will be interesting to see how his legend spreads beyond. Assuming he is already top of the local legions list of notable people and with that I think it would be interesting as a side note if the legion hired him and maybe a couple others to do something like sapper during a seige and have him just break the seige all him self as I imagine between all his strength, lifting and ship breaking skills him just walking up to a stone wall Lifting it would cuase a ridiculous amount of damage.

Silence the Lamb

The Path Less Taken Reject your heritage and build your own legend as The Butcher Known By Gods. Starting as a butcher with nothing but your own hands and tools of trade you have risen beyond being a simple butcher. Facing demons, ‘Angels’, and having dealt with gods. While remaining a lover of simple butchery and barbequing. You have been graced by many forms of divinity and your legend though short has reached a great many ear and tongue. You have held a piece of a god within yourself. You have the fashion sense that matches one specific god's tastes. Artemis, the current God of Butchers, has employed you to butcher for her. You may gain a dim ember of divinity recognized by the heavens. You are no god or demigod but might become a godling with enough legends and renown. Be Careful of what you become known for as those with divinity have responsibilities. Don’t wanna be the god of gopher butchery. Gain: +5 free stats. 2 Cor 2 Rad 1 Cha Gain: 1 Skill of your choice- Charnel Mastery- A divine Butcher can always control his pits even if they are a few steps above them(alternative is like a butchers seal/stamp, keeps the product fresh and spreads a symbol that becomes known with the best butcher) Gain: Mastery of one weapon or magical damage type.- divinity or divine smoke or something along that sense.

Gabriel

A heritage based around being a stable provider in all situations and settings seems to fit him to a tee. From his time being a behind the scenes mastermind keeping his friends fed, to saving Billy's ass while finding wiggle room for all of them to providing all that was needed in the smoke. Ozzy is a peak architype of "The Provider." Maybe a skill or mastery that makes everything he does last longer? So food takes longer to spoil, wounds take longer to heal and all contracts signed by him have 10% more time for him than expected by both sides.

Gabriel

Simple sounding mastery. "the provider providers more of all that's needed. Everything that comes from you is increased." Flexible and fun while allowing it to not be too strong.

Gabriel

Simple sounding mastery. "the provider providers more of all that's needed. Everything that comes from you is increased." Flexible and fun while allowing it to not be too strong.

Meschmee

For the Weapon Skill, as a Butcher he should be a Master of the Block because the best Butchers don't have just one tool in their toolbox.

Call0013

Maybe a Skill that lets him make/found a Contract Workers Guild(or maybe a Contract workers Union).

Kensai

Ozzy has essentially followed the same Path his whole life, the Servant-Leader. He’s the spymaster, the maitre’d, the Grand Vizier. One who serves another as a leader. Considering this, I’m thinking Efreeti. They were the djinn, the servant with Cosmic Power but itty-bitty living quarters to paraphrase Will Smith and Robin Williams in Aladdin. Ozzy is wonderful to command as long as you respect his power and skill, otherwise, he follows your instructions precisely to your destruction.

Anonymous

Smoke as a magical damage type was mentioned. That's an Ozzy level idea. Leadership skill: Something that combines his smoke pit and his previous life dancing around/manipulating the powerful. People like good food - it's one of the first forms of leadership to provide food for those around you. The line between leadership and manipulation is just whose interest you optimize for.

Douglas Hoeflin

Thinking about it the path less taken option kind of reminds me of the legend mythic path from pathfinder wrath of the righteous. Don't have anything to add just a random thoguht

AlbusScitus

I like this a lot, but traditionally jinn are creatures made of smokeless flame. And that's not really Ozzy

Kensai

Depends on the mythos. I googled Efreeti and a LOT of the images were Ozzy, Tall, exceptionally muscular, bald etc. plus the ifrit were considered beings of fire and smoke. Plus it takes two to makeup a bloodline, so possibly Efreeti on one side and something else on another, so instead of following an already established Efreeti Path, the combination allows him to make his own. I’m seeing a line of Chaos and Whimsey mixed in there. More like Erin Solstice with the ability to ask the impertinent question and make things happen by sheer will and fun.

The-Nowhere-Man

If we consider how Ozzy has been taking lessons and direction from Joe, practically on the level of an apprenticeship, as well as his Journeying to the Smoke plane where Ozzy learnt hands on the workings of the Smoke as well as a major if temporary boon from Jack the Burning Man, Freed and befriended Mariah another Cyclone followed by the rescue of another Great Cyclone Old Smoke who rewarded him with further tutelage in advanced smoke magic. Then was rewarded with permanent boons and the acknowledgement of all the Gods of the Smoke when he returned to the Conjunction. I'd say that Ozzy is practically a spiritual successor to the Cyclones of the Smoke, a mortal learning the ways of primal forces made manifest, not trying to control them but learning their ways and working with them rather than against them. That right there is definitely a story and a heritage. Definitely agree with some other comments regarding Ozzy's dual rejection and acceptance of both Radiance AND Corruption and his act of balancing between the two forces letting neither side gain an advantage while forging his own path forward as an important part of his new heritage, which nicely fits into the ways of the smoke. For the Mastery of the Magical Type Smoke is of Course the choice to make. The Skill gains would probably be +1-2 Corruption +1-2 Radiance (Depending on how many other stats get a boost) +1 Charisma [would tie into his role as an 'Ordinary Butcher' plus his constant negotiating, contracts and even befriending of Major characters such as the various God's, Nobility like Alwyn & Billy, Legion Officials like Marcus, Old Smoke & Smokey Joe, Mariah the Cyclone & Captain Woodrat etc. Plus his constant handling of his sentient Pit] +1 Strength [very much tying into his stature as well as the physical labour Ozzy is always getting into plus the creatures he needs to wrangle and dismantle] +1 Constitution [Tying into again his stature as well as how much physical exertion Ozzy manages to get himself involved with plus the fairly frequent injuries or just overtaxing himself] For the +1 skill we already have Ozzy's skill to summon the Billhook attuned to his Pit, we could take that skill and attune it even further to his Butcher's Pit, for example allowing him to summon it anywhere, strengthening its abilities like the heat it can channel, possibly allowing the chains of his pit to manifest along with it to take a more active role. Alternatively the skill could be one that lets Ozzy attune and strengthen more Butcher "Tools of the Trade" to his pit, such as his current Flensing Hatchets and the Trammelian Chain... and of course we can't forget about his 'Instant Stump' with complimentary Ginsu Choppers (even if we haven't seen it in a while) maybe even his Sausage Grinder. A good Butcher needs all manner of tools, blades and accessories for the proper processing of meat and more again for the spices and herbs used to flavour it in the smoking/cooking process.

Silence the Lamb

I realize mine is probably a much later tier. i think one possible option would be a mix of this but the title being "The Beloved Butcher". as we all know ozzy is not just an ordinary butcher. he is a lovely ordinary butcher

IAMather

What about a butcher of the elements or elemental butcher? Izzy has smoke and fire and in the newest chapter he’s started seeing how he reacts to new elements. Well maybe he starts learning how to harness those elements really steps away from his fire related heritage