So I have these things called Oracle Angels and they are angels that can tell you three different futures/ outcomes. It is tailored to that person, so the good outcome for a villain would be them successfully killing the hero. But there is a catch, the angel will ask a question to you, a very personal question ( not do you love this person but deep questions) and if you answer truthfully they will tell you your future as it should be . If you lie them they will mix up your future, like telling you that your good outcome is actually the bad one and vice versa. The problem I have is the journey that you would have to go through, how would my characters get there? I want to play on the idea that people do what ever it takes for knowledge so I need some sort of sacrifice ( but not killing someone that’s too extreme). Sorry if this makes no sense I just need a little help. Thx
so this is amazing but you should tell the audience or readers what does the Oracle Angles mean and know what type of questions the angles give to people but yeah this type of story is awesome and I will gladly read more about it so I hope you make more of this and keep going :)
and it does make sense just explain about it a little bit more also what are the restrictions of the questions and effects
Maybe revealing secrets that should be kept secret?
Sacrifice is a wide area, And an Angel would require much MUCH less sacrifice then their demonic counterparts, Seeing as an angel is literally an embodiment of good, Some common sacrifices are, Fasting. Some take this to the extreme in real life, Fasting the entirety of lent 40 days on nothing but a piece of bread and some water per day.
Animal sacrifice, Very rare nowadays, you can probably still see this in the jewish religion but it has faded into obscurity in the Roman Catholic Church and all of the three million Protestant churches.
Intense prayer, While not exactly a sacrifice prayer can, if done correctly, count in a way.
Human sacrifice.
Something an angelic spirit would never accept and would only be accepted by a Demon.
Sacrifices can also be found in Orthodoxy, specifically a few sects of Greek and Russian Orthodoxy.
sacrifice should be part of the risk reward equation.
Sacrifice in a modern mentality is so soft, hampered by conforming to contemporary sensibilities in a relatively safe and confortable world.
In the ancient world it was a desperate bargain with power to overcome the limitations of technology, life expectancy and knowledge.
If you want to evoke an ancient vibe, it should have ancient stakes.
Old testament or new testament angels? Are they passively good beings threatening no more than a stern talking to or wielders of awesome power that have to determine that you are worthy of their favour?
Sacrifice has a long and disturbing history, but all religions. Children were offered as sacrifice by parents even within contemporary religious texts, and infanticide and human sacrifice is more common than you realise.
There were old cultures who truly believed that if they took from the land, they would have to return something of equal value.
If our dominant cultures truly believed that they fundamentally would have to pay a cost too dear to bear to enjoy the exploitation we have today then maybe it could have been better in the long run?
Maybe the Angels should personalise the sacrifice to suit the individual?
Asking Wishes are a troublesome thing. You need to get the words you use so precise that they cannot be misinterpreted by the forces that apply them
What is the sacrifice supposed to do? Teach them something? Make them more responsible with the favour they recieve?
Maybe the 'punishment should fit the crime?
To problem solve your equation you could try to break it with some extremes of human nature.
Whatever is the obstacle to overcome, could it be cheated by a determined and knowledgeable agent of chaos?
Could a flawed believer be set up by evil minion to cheat the 'chosen one' out of the opportunity?
