Keychain of Creation 2:The Most Sagacious Thread Evading Over Nine Thousand Autolocks

[Evil DM Mark3]

Well here we are. 9 months later we become a multi-thread web comic!

High fives and 1 point of temporary willpower all round!

Old thread is here. Comic is here. Comic's first page is here.

The title uses the numeral 2, rather than II in order to get all the name in. This is also why there is no space between 2 and :. Sorry but thats the way it goes!

So, Flame, Misho, Fire, City, Keys, Army, GO!

[lord_khaine]

Woot, first page!

also, gratulations people, we are the 3rd thread to reach multi-thread status, following great works of art like Dominic Deegan and Girl genius.

[Jerthanis]

Mostly we've gone multi-thread because we keep talking about Exalted mechanics that are only tangentially related to what goes on in the comic.

I'm not complaining though.

Well, the 2 options scenarios can be made interesting if the Hero finds a creative 3rd choice, that doesnt just rely on raw power.

It's true, and in fact, a hero being forced to choose to give X up or allow Y to be destroyed almost necessitates SOME Z element to enter the story. I was just stating that Misho pulling out the anti-Creature of Darkness Nuclear Bomb would be about as dynamic as if the very next page had Marena show up and say, "Ignore him Misho, Karen already killed his whole army, so we're all good!" Then have Misho reach over and tear off Flame's head barehanded.

Unless Misho becomes fatally stabbed in the process of casting the spell to save them all. Then maybe Blonde in the Bar Exalts on the spot with all of Misho's memories and none of her own... and now "Misho" has to reconcile having lost most of his power again, being in the body of the opposite sex, and having to leave behind people who love the person she used to be to continue the quest to save the world, and feeling guilty even though he/she doesn't remember any of them anymore...

Okay, I wouldn't go with this insane plot thread because it'd be confusing as heck.

[Evil DM Mark3]

also, gratulations people, we are the 3rd thread to reach multi-thread status, following great works of art like Dominic Deegan and Girl genius.

So we join a club made of possibly the largest internet snark fest and largest internet plot fest.

SWEET!

[Gez]

So we join a club made of possibly the largest internet snark fest and largest internet plot fest.

SWEET!

So, do you prefer a plark fest or a snot fest?

[Evil DM Mark3]

So, do you prefer a plark fest or a snot fest?

Not snot. Eww.

On to the comic. I really think that this might go one of two ways. Either Misho will Take A Third Option and avoid both handing over the key AND significant (although probably not any) loss of life, giving him a convincing win (must, not, attack, views, of, other, posters) OR he will be forced to suffer one or the other (or, because we all know how trustworthy flame is likely to be, BOTH), cue Misho Heroic BSOD, possibly swinging back via Ax Crazy (please) into the aformentioned convicing self victory. Either way there is potential from some very awesome imagry and art on the horizon if nothing else.

[lord_khaine]

So we join a club made of possibly the largest internet shark fest and largest internet plot fest.

SWEET!

Think i fixed it for you there, though im not sure how you spot the difference.

That aside, someone mentioned that Misho's limit break might be interesting, something about rage of compassion, what exatly does this do?

[Evil DM Mark3]

Ah yes, the Red Rage of Compassion.

Points are gained when people suffer and you are incapable of helping them (I think) as well as the general limit scenairos of throwing off mental influance and virtue suppressing of course. When your limit breaks something inside you snaps. You have seen all the suffering, all the anguish, all the pain that you are willing to see. It is time that the people dealing it out where taught a lesson.

During the Red Rage of Compassion you basicly have to attack, with whatever you allready have in your hands and without anything as fancy as strategy or defense, the nearest cause of suffering and anything that gets in your way.

And whoever gets in your way.

With much hurting.

And beating.

And screaming.

If you can't hurt anyone you break stuff. If you can't creak stuff you look for stuff to break. Lasts one scene, ie untill the combat you are in is over. And if you where not in combat at the begining but rather watching a servant being mistreated at the grand ball, well, you are in combat now boyo.

(This must have happened a LOT in the First Age...)

Role playing coming out of Red Rage is often ocomplished with a My God What Have I Done moment and (sometimes if you have a nasty enough Storyteller) a point of limit caused by the limit break itself

[lord_khaine]

well, now i do have a funny mental image of Flame running around screaming with Misho on his back, trying to bite off his face.

[Evil DM Mark3]

The other cannon compassion limits are not as awesome. Am away from books ATM but I know one makes you sit there an cry, ignoring everything around you. I think the other forces you to interpose yourself between danger and people, but that might be Valor.

Of course Mr Misho-pants probably has a custom Limit.

No idea why I said Mr Misho-pants.

[Porthos]

Woot, first page!

also, gratulations people, we are the 3rd thread to reach multi-thread status, following great works of art like Dominic Deegan and Girl genius.

<nitpicky>
The Goblins thread beat out this thread by a couple of weeks.
</nitpicky>

Still a hell of an accomplishment thou.

[lord_khaine]

hmm, yeah how annoying, and also a bit strange, i usualy dont remember seing the gobling thread in the top.

[Yuki Akuma]

The other cannon compassion limits are not as awesome. Am away from books ATM but I know one makes you sit there an cry, ignoring everything around you. I think the other forces you to interpose yourself between danger and people, but that might be Valor.

Of course Mr Misho-pants probably has a custom Limit.

No idea why I said Mr Misho-pants.

Cannon Compassion Limit sounds like some sort of special attack, probably owned by a magical girl.

(Hint: "Canon". A cannon is a very large gun.)

[The Rose Dragon]

Cannon Compassion Limit sounds like some sort of special attack, probably owned by a magical girl.

Sounds like something your Sidereal would do, really.

[Gez]

Cannon Compassion Limit sounds like some sort of special attack, probably owned by a magical girl.

If she's feeling compassion for cannons, she must be some gun-nerd wrench wench. "Hey! Cut down on the refire rate! Can't you see the poor li'l guys are overheating? And the rifling lands are all worn down on that one, you heartless bastard! I'm calling PETA* right now!"

* "People for Ethical Treatment of Armaments"

[The Demented One]

If she's feeling compassion for cannons, she must be some gun-nerd wrench wench. "Hey! Cut down on the refire rate! Can't you see the poor li'l guys are overheating? And the rifling lands are all worn down on that one, you heartless bastard! I'm calling PETA* right now!"

* "People for Ethical Treatment of Armaments"

...is it bad that I actually made a Limit Break to do that?

[Evil DM Mark3]

...is it bad that I actually made a Limit Break to do that?

No good sir. It is awesome. It may be strange, but that is KEY to good exaleted work.

[Lord Iames Osari]

Man, I really hope Misho spends the willpower to ignore his Compassion right now. Flame may be telling the truth about the short-term, but Falafel can't have anything good planned for using the Key.

[Evil DM Mark3]

Table Fu.

That is all.

[lord_khaine]

Hmm, im starting to think that Misho might not get out of this with the Key after all.
Also, it sounds like FaFl know Misho pretty well?

[Justyn]

Also, it sounds like FaFl know Misho pretty well?

Well, the Lion was a First Age Solar, so he might have known Misho's reputation, maybe about as much as Misho knew about, say, Desus'.

Anyway, Misho has Investigation charms. How spread thin is this guy!?

[lesser_minion]

I think I'm hoping to see Secret do something cool about now.

I'd guess that Misho is on the verge of having to choose between a Limit Break and giving up the key, which might not be great either way. Unless he rolls 5 failures out of 5 or convinces the ST that it's enough of a moral dilemma that he shouldn't have a problem.

[Revlid]

Oh, now that right there, that is effective goddamn villainy. That is why Flame is a good villain - he understands that the hardest choices are not the false ones, the Catch-22s, the "heads I win tails you lose" offers, but those that are very real.

[Raz_Fox]

Table Fu.

That is all.

And the prize for silent badassery goes to Ten Winds. Seriously, that was the most awesome part of the strip.

And yes, I too hope Secret will get to do something cool now.

[Drakyn]

Oh, now that right there, that is effective goddamn villainy. That is why Flame is a good villain - he understands that the hardest choices are not the false ones, the Catch-22s, the "heads I win tails you lose" offers, but those that are very real.

That, and so far he hasn't done anything jerk-ish for no good reason. Just because you're doing something horrible or causing something horrifying doesn't mean you have to be constantly going "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA PUPPYSTEW MMMMM TASTES GOOD TASTES GOOD" while you do it.

EDIT:

And the prize for silent badassery goes to Ten Winds. Seriously, that was the most awesome part of the strip.

And yes, I too hope Secret will get to do something cool now.

Seconded and seconded.

[Revlid]

That, and so far he hasn't done anything jerk-ish for no good reason. Just because you're doing something horrible or causing something horrifying doesn't mean you have to be constantly going "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA PUPPYSTEW MMMMM TASTES GOOD TASTES GOOD" while you do it.

True. Even his destruction of Mew Cai was an accident based off frustration rather than sadism. He seems professional in his evil, which is fitting in his role as the emotionally involved Misho's opposite. Ben seems more mercurial and flamboyant, but we've yet to see really casual/petty evil from either of them.

Of the two, I'd probably peg Ben as the one most likely to perform nastiness for no good reason, but would note that Flame's definition of "good reason" is incredibly broad.

[ZeroNumerous]

Oh, now that right there, that is effective goddamn villainy. That is why Flame is a good villain - he understands that the hardest choices are not the false ones, the Catch-22s, the "heads I win tails you lose" offers, but those that are very real.

You're forgetting something.

Not once does Flame specify that he won't come back.

[Revlid]

You're forgetting something.

Not once does Flame specify that he won't come back.

Why would he bother? It's some no-name town in the middle of Nowhereshire, and if Misho went through with the deal, Flame, Ben and the band would have one of the most vital artifacts on the face of Creation in their hands, ready to give to a very grateful, incredibly powerful boss.

After which they'd be sent after the next key, presumably. The only reason to go back there would be spite, which frankly doesn't really fit either of them - Ben's too fun-loving (note that he has a somewhat different definition of fun than most sane people) and Flame's too business-like.

The only reason they'd go after the party any more is to get Secret's Exaltation and Misho's knowledge. And that's not exactly on the same level as control over Creation.

[ZeroNumerous]

Why would he bother? It's some no-name town in the middle of Nowhereshire, and if Misho went through with the deal, Flame, Ben and the band would have one of the most vital artifacts on the face of Creation in their hands, ready to give to a very grateful, incredibly powerful boss.

Because he's an Abyssal. Unlike Secret, he embraces what he is. Flame, like Ben, is fate-damned and driven to bring all of Creation to death. Why wouldn't he send his zombies back to wipe out the mortals? He loses nothing, slows down the Exalts as they try to save the mortals and gets to strike a small blow against Creation. On top of that, Flame and Ben can probably travel faster alone than with a big mob of zombies following them.

I'm not saying he'd go back in a day, or even a week. No, I'm saying he sends his army back the very minute they're out of town. He kept his end of the bargain, he left. Not once, however, is he required to stay out.

[lord_khaine]

Well, the first and biggest problem would be that he has then forever shown that he can not be trustet, for a just about insignificant gain in slowing Misho down.

The second is how exactly Misho's gift of detecting lies work, for that thing would be cutting it awfully close to be a outright lie, and might even be caught by someone who is good at reading people.

All in all, he risks the chance of getting his hand on a key, for the opportunity to make a puppie smothie, i belive Flame is smarter than that.