[Twi]Chronicles of the Impaler: Crisis of Infinite Draculas OOC

[Cracklord]

Sweet. Thanks.

If you want my advice, Colesign, play his capabilities a bit more realistically. He's not capable of going Doctor Who on such advanced alien species. Not really. Now he's certainly a very powerful man, but not quite that much. What he can do is go to threatened races and teach them methods to fight back. Probably not the imperium of man, given they'd shoot him as a heretic, but certainly most other places.

[Colesign]

If you want my advice, Colesign, play his capabilities a bit more realistically. He's not capable of going Doctor Who on such advanced alien species. Not really. Now he's certainly a very powerful man, but not quite that much. What he can do is go to threatened races and teach them methods to fight back. Probably not the imperium of man, given they'd shoot him as a heretic, but certainly most other places.

Actually...if anything, I've been downplaying his scientific chupatz.

In book 2, he exterminated an entire galaxy conquering empire with one battle station from hundreds of light-years away, vaporized their home world, then chased the survivors down, engaging them in a running battle at transgalactic speeds using weapons with ranges of parsecs.

In book 3, he got hurled to the far end of the universe, then built a moon-sized battleship capable of outfighting Q-style energy beings, returns home and takes back the Earth from his Nemesis, who had fortified the entire planet with all the technical prowess from book 2.

And book 4 really gets out there.

And yet...you're right, Cracklord: it would be much more interesting if Seaton was a bit more like Gandalf than a one-man army. I might do some rewrites tomorrow.

I've been trying to couch some of Seaton's 'Super-Sciency' Tricks in more modern theory anyway:

His 'propulsion drive' accelerates his ship to and fro in classic Einstenian terms, but winds up warping space at high enough velocities.

His "Zone of force" creates a Pocket universe.

His 'Faster-than Light Weapons' and 'Projections' utilize the Einstein-Rosen Bridge wormholes that constantly form and collapse in Plank Space, and they have certain limits.

He uses particle beams and lasers up to the Gamma Range, total conversion bombs at short range, and his 'Arenek' hull material is a single molecule, like the General Products Hulls.

Stuff like that.

[Cracklord]

Sweet. So not comic book science then.

You know, if you do write him that way, it does create a lot more opportunities and fit the style of the Order better.

[Colesign]

Cool

Out of curiosity, what does it take to take down a Tyranid Hive Fleet?

And Darkblade...who exactly is the Japanese Cyborg Fellow who just appeared through a mirror?

[Cracklord]

Out of curiosity, what does it take to take down a Tyranid Hive Fleet?

The entire fleet? You'd have to be a god, and that's just to survive the backlash. Actually killing it all? Well, I wouldn't know where to start. What you have to understand is that the tyranids haven't arrived yet. What has arrived a little probes, that are searching for high concentrations of biomass to be integrated.
The Ultramarines managed to take out a single fleet, over about a decade, via simply holding the line and not backing down. As the most powerful Space Marines Chapter, they managed to pull it off. Casualties were enormous, but the Tyranids were exterminated. That's the only time it's ever been done, everyone else only manages to stall them and redirect them to attack somewhere else.
The Great Devourer then decided that they were not worth it, i.e the expenditure would be greater then the reward, and so haven't returned to Macragge.
But if you revealed the capability to kill an entire Hive Fleet from a distance with your brain, then it'd see you as a threat. And the Great Devourer would then crush you with it's mind.

[darkblade]

And Darkblade...who exactly is the Japanese Cyborg Fellow who just appeared through a mirror?

A Dopant, Foundation X's first incursion into the main game. It's been mentioned to other characters that the mirrors are being watched and he was one of the people doing so.

[Colesign]

Ah. I see, Cracklord:

And thank you for the Info, Darkblade.

[doliest]

Quick correction Darkblade; Sebastian shifted to a disguise after Light told him to; he's now disguising himself to look like Claude, also from Black Butler.

Also, I'm now on an anime kick, so if anyone wants to recommend me something good to look for, I'd be happy to hear it. Please.

[darkblade]

Since we are all really united here by our mutual love for crossovers I figure this needs to be seen by all of you.

Dr. Who/Star Trek TNG official crossover.

[Colesign]

Niiicccccceeee.

And what crystal are they talking about Smedry-wise?

[darkblade]

Sorry I meant the mirror he used at the school to get to the Knights.

[Colesign]

Technically there were three Transporter's Glass Stations: One in the school, one in Smedry Keep, and the Other in Crystalia: the School one is the one that is being used to form the connection for Foundation X to invade, thus the school one must be destroyed.


Right?

[Colesign]

Speaking of which, here's a revision to one of the flashback sections of my Seaton story sequence, based on some very helpful input by Cracklord:

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On one of the two inhabitable planets in a rimward starsystem whose sun blazed a bright blue, there were a race of sentient telepathic birds of Paradise that called themselves the Riim.

And in the 20th Epoch of their peaceful, stable civilization, it was all falling to pieces.

Thirty percent of their youth were rioting, causing chaos, and overturning the conventional social paradigms, some of them even regressing to a bizzare form of ancestor worship. Buildings and some of the oldest arboreal habitats had been destroyed with home built explosives. On the danger-filled streets and branches, there were sightings of Otherly creatures, beasts not of either world.

But that wasn't the the worst of it. For among the affected, irrational youth, there was a core of them whose mind-gesalts were calling out as one, with one terrible will, sending forth a psychic beacon into the void far beyond the Oort Cloud of the system.

Probes had been dispatched under Inertialess acceleration, to see if there was something out there...

And in the brief moments before their destruction, they send back images of large ovoid things, sailing between the void in the multitudes, with crawling, writhing masses of monsters...all filled with hunger and hate.

And in the highest Great-Nest of the prime planet, the Great Elders of the Riim gathered, their plumages wilted and their beaks dull, transmitting a horde of contradictory telepathic gesalts, of Comfort, Fear, Plans and Counterplans, of Anger, Determination and Despair.

And then a large pink hairless monkey standing on two legs materialized in their midst.

He wore concealing clothes that called to the minds of the Riim coverings meant for harsh weather...or protection in battle. And he held a golden sphere in his two hands, covered with blinking lights in red, blue, and green colors, flashing back and forth.

And then, to the Surprise of all the Riim Elders, he–a monkey, at that–broadcast a telepathic Gesalt to each of the the bird people.

[Danger.] He broadcast. [Darkness. Hunger. Devouring of Worlds. Foe-Enemy. Beckoned Hence

Tyranids.]

Stranger Monkey. The Riim Elders replied with varying levels of caution, distrust, and fear. Bad Messenger. Unknown. Danger to the Riim? No bond, no trust.

[Reason. Urging. No Harm. Kin-Comrades. Think. Breath. Feel. Love. Progenate. Learn. Bond. Kin-Comrades. Mind.

Foe-Tyranids. Unopposed. Death of the Belly. Fight. Resist. Ward Off. Sacrifice. Indeterminate Victory. An Offering of Assistance. Knowledge. Weapons. Technology.

Hope.

No Trust Precedent. Reason Entreaty. Trust-Request Entreaty. Faith Entreaty.

Choice-Friendship?]

For a moment, the waves of the Ether quieted as the Riim Elders confered amongst themselves, transmitting little packets of gesalts amongst themselves. Then as one, their head feathers twitched.

Choice-Friendship. Thinking Monkey Kin-Comrade. Mind.


Richard Seaton placed his prototype amplifier and inducer in his satchel, then rubbed his hands together with a bit of cheer.

"Right then." He cheerfully said to himself. "First things first: let's upgrade your sun..."

[industrious]

Draxx? Steph and Cass are back and talking to Shirou.

[Draxx]

Draxx? Steph and Cass are back and talking to Shirou.

Ah, sorry. I'll get that now.

[Colesign]

Ours Is the Stake That Will Pierce Perdition!!!!!

...*cough*

[Cracklord]

Well, sorry that a Puppet Angel is the best I could do for The Count's final show-down, but the only other puppet vampires I could find are in Forgetting Sarah Marshal. I'd say I wouldn't touch that movie with a ten-foot pole, except if I had no choice, if it was touch that movie or people die, then on reflection, I'd use the pole.

[Colesign]

Quite sensible.

[darkblade]

I'm thinking of having a teenage wizard (not the one you're thinking of) summon a servant in this game to give Archer something that would be a legitimate challenge since he's untouchable by pretty much everyone in play as of right now. I got a couple concepts for it but I'm not sure yet, anyone feel strongly about...

Eragon - Rider
V - Assassin
Harry Dresden - Caster
Teddy Roosevelt - Archer
Deadpool - Saber
King Mickey - Saber

I had a few other ideas but they opened up far too many questions I couldn't come up with satisfactory answers. I am right now leaning towards Eragon or Dresden.

Well, sorry that a Puppet Angel is the best I could do for The Count's final show-down, but the only other puppet vampires I could find are in Forgetting Sarah Marshal.

Spike became a Puppet for a while in either Buffy or Angel (can't remember which the shows run together in my mind).

[Cracklord]

Yeah, he did in a comic which I haven't read. But six of one, half a dozen of the other.

As for a servant, Mickey, V or Roosevelt would be your best bet (if you want to keep away of the plethora of more conventional heroes). V would make a great assassin, and could have some power based around his use of references to culture. But Dresden might not work so much. Remember, it's all about how much in the collective unconscious they are remembered, not just how awesome they were in life, and Dresden was always small potatoes in that. The vast majority of humanity have no idea he even existed.

[Colesign]

Daauuuwww...

But Servant Dresden would be Awesome.

*Puppy Dog Eyes*

Actually...that would be an interesting plot point. Servants cannot be called to this world without, legendary regard, without them living on in story and whisper and in the hearts of man.

And Servants are powerful creatures for good or ill. And certain heroes, without intervention, may be forgotten and 'inaccessible'.

So...what if a secret group of mages were cultivating and spreading tales of certain heroes for the express purpose of gaining access to them as Servants? Conversely, perhaps they are also trying to suppress the legends of certain heroes to lock them out of reality, Oblivion War style?

...Speaking of which, what about Shirou being Archer? Did Shirou ever achieve a level of fame and legend? (In the Future?)

[Draxx]

In mine, he fought the war that destroyed the Brittanian Empire and fought against Kira as well. So yes he certainly did. In the original subject matter, there are these things called counter guardians, which I consider to be cop-outs.

[darkblade]

The way I saw Dresden is that while insignificant in the grand scheme of things he was constantly an annoyance to just about every major player in his world and was subject to lots of hero worship by the younger generation of Wizards the likes of Molly and Ramirez. Add in the fact that he was a major part of the final battle of the First Tower War (Let's face it, it's not going to be the last) his story has spread in small amounts across every world which has a cumulative effect on his potential to be a Heroic Spirit.

[Cracklord]

Well, the wizards are maybe two hundred people, and Molly Carpenter and Lex Luthor killed most of them, so that's hardly any faith and belief. Certainly not enough to apply for sentient archetype status. And the Tower war is known about (as to it's actual purpose and in a complete way, rather then as a few confusing incidents) by perhaps a hundred people, given that the tower's existence is an incredibly closely guarded secret, because if it was well-known every two-bit evil overlord would gravitate there irresistibly. But that's all easily hand-waved aside.
Sorry, rant happened. Ignore it unless you appreciate my caustic self.

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Personally, I think the books have already given far too much power to Dresden and liked him better when he defeated the badguys with intelligence and a lot of heart, rather then being an infalible power-house who every character in the series, even those who are evil and should be trying to kill him, line up and tell him how awesome he is, but I'm biased.

Well if we do make him a heroic spirit, and there is no reason why not to do so, that necessitates a few changes to my plans for him, but that's not a problem. What is a problem is it locks the character in a cycle that he can never break from, under any circumstances (without really cheapening Archer, which would be a little harsh), both limiting him and granting him nearly endless possibilities. First up, he now exists non-linearly to time and space. He can be called anywhere, by anyone. He can now appear in any setting, and can now be paired with any character who has the resources to call him up. But he can only be called in certain circumstances, and now has to act according to certain conditions. That's from a story perspective. Form a meta perspective, it's a lot more firm.
Essentially, he's reduced to background character, or side-kick, if a powerful one. His role in the stories (and lets face it, we have fans of Jim Butcher aplenty so he'll be back) has gone from protagonist to expendable asset of protagonist. He's no longer free to interact as he wants, to have his own power base, even to make pop-culture references. He's forced to be static, preserved unchanging.
So it's an option, and has the potential to be interesting, but in a very real way that's an option that will be the end of his story.

Also, since the Fantasy game is over, I better write an end for it. Since if Phyrexia took over there, that would be so incredibly bad I don't even want to describe it. I also better draft Dresden's recruitment into the hero business, and finish the dram quest.

[darkblade]

I think it'll probably be Mickey then since he has a metafictional connection to the summoner.

[Colesign]

Mmm. And, all things considered, summoning Dead Characters as Heroic Spirits is a good way to use them again in games without delving into superheroic resurrections.

And lastly, Cracklord's engrossing fictional interludes about Ghost Dresden patrolling Purgatory with Gene Hunt tie in nicely with the idea of Heroic Spirits: the souls of the valiant returning to serve magi in the hopes of gaining a very dear wish.

[Cracklord]

Well, some of them are valiant. Atilla the Hun is a servant as well, you know.

[industrious]

My weekend work was finally finished.

I was beginning to write the update for this game.

And then I got food poisoning.

I might need a few days. Sorry, guys.

[Colesign]

Ditto. I've been a bit loath to post ever since Zim's death.

...but that's just my own issues getting in the way: I'll update for both games tommorow.

[Cracklord]

We've all been there. Well, get well soon.
Incidentally, I've finally lost all faith in democracy's ability to create a leader in any way, shape or form worth having.