Talk20060312

Ways the campaign can end

1. Both universes cancel each other out, when a conduit is formed between them such that matter and antimatter can freely flow back and forth.
2. Our universe is consumed by the Destroyer when Jasmine succeeds in opening a portal to the end of time.
3. The Destroyer is pumped full of mystic energy, destroying the galaxy and completing the cycle to the other universe.
4. The Earth and everything else is consumed by the Destroyer.
5. The Divine Noun, Divine Verb, Divine Atom, Divine Operator and Divine Conjunction/Relation are all consumed by the Destroyer, to halt the unraveling of space-time that has begun to occur, and form the antiverse’s "Destroyer" entity. For this scenario, all of them should be struck comatose, so that the non-Destiny individuals must decide whether to "throw them in" to save the universe. In addition, it is not enough that they be absorbed. Some additional criteria are necessary to put a stop to the Destroyer.

See Talk20060305 for more thoughts on the Destroyer, the end of the campaign and related issues.

StratCo and the Damocles project

Evan Cassenti was responsible for the funding of the Damocles project. Though StratCo and Mercabah never had an official alliance, Evan forged a secret agreement with Jonathan Cohen, who hand-picked scientists to create the Damocles series of ships. Adana knows that Evan funded the project, but she does not know a lot of details. Jonathan Cohen knew the intent was to use the ships against Earth if necessary to protect Luna from her unwilling merger, since Cohen, being a naturalist, is against the creation of another "pseudonatural" Caretaker-like entity.

Meanwhile, the Syndicate faction is working for the opposite goal, with Nald Pipwhistle researching the white goo. However, he is a pawn for StratCo.

• First, Evan Cassenti allowed his work to continue to use it in the Damocles project, to dispose of mystic energy that has been sucked away.
• Second, Nald is a member of the Brotherhood, which StratCo uses to field test illegal graft techniques.
• Bernstein is now involved with Pipwhistle’s research, to speed it along and finish it up.

Is there a "Damocles Experiment Omega"? Evan would probably want the research to continue, especially now that the day of the Deus rite draws nigh.

It is discovered that the techno-fearful feed on mystic energy from mystically infused worlds. Thus, if DEO exists, it can be deployed against the techno-fearful to sap them of their food source; it works but they take time (months) to die. a world preemptively to prevent the techno-fearful from Mars, or against Lupus or Canis as part of the war.

Malcolm, Abaddon and the stairway to heaven

The "stairway to heaven" artifact in Valhalla, invented by Pip, is a portal into the Caretaker’s mind, into its Celestial court. It can be used to visit that virtual world. Malcolm needs to travel there to cleanse himself of his sin (killing Blacksoul while he was unarmed and helpless).

The Caretaker sends a devil (Abaddon) to collect the souls of the Syndicate already promised to him. The people still had a choice in the making of these deals; the devil is simply coming to collect. Ideally, we can set up this devil to be an archnemesis for Malcolm.

Deus rite

The Oversoul is contained within a large onyx gem, which Cain needs to eat during the rite.

Gerald attends the rite, to keep an eye on things and retrieve his sword. If Monday still has the weapon, he attempts to regain it from them before the rite begins.

Lin Huntington tries to take Cain’s place as the recepient of the Oversoul. Somehow his attempt counters (and is countered by) Sulphur/Salt’s attempt (from within the Crown) to consume Cain, the Oversoul, and the Heart Tree. Perhaps since Huntington has been studying the Crown, he has misgivings but can’t put his finger on it until the day of the rite, and he suddenly has a revelation and figures out how the O.L. is hiding inside. Though Huntington’s plan to merge with the Oversoul fails, he ends up with possession of Sulphur/Salt, and quickly learns to control it. Later, he wants Max’s arm for himself so that he can forge the Philosopher’s Stone.

When Glaurung returns immediately following the Deus rite, the Saturday group can meet with Glaurung and speak to the Council again. Rae and Zee can tell Glaurung what must be done.

Things requiring additional thought and planning

• Campaign ending possibilities and final session tasks
• Technofearful plotline: Wednesday/Saturday joint sessions (16 & 17?) – what happened to the individual ecosystems
  • Saturday has been to their world, and Max is responsible for their creation
  • The techno-fearful make their way to the Terran systems, first taking over Laboro, then eventually to Wolf 359 and hit Lupus; Khan claims they are some terrible weapon sent by the dogs, as a last ditch effort; the UNF sends 41 ships (including Perseverance), and the battle inflicts terrible losses
  • Trenton is linked to the techno-fearful through his DNA; they use Trenton Verner as their mouthpiece to make their demands on the Terrans: they want all mystic energy eradicated
• Brotherhood/Pandora’s Children plotline, relation to Trenton; see Talk20060205
  • The Brotherhood’s smear campaign against Ridge and the soulmechs present for the Mars incident
  • Dorian still knows more details about what’s going on
  • Dorian has a contact in Arcadia – who is it? Plan out more details of the Arcadian underworld. How is it linked to the Syndicate? How is it linked to the Brotherhood? How is it linked to StratCo and necrophagia?
  • What about Lensherr’s offer to Meechum to become head of their genetic R&D department?
• Nald Pipwhistle/Deblin Gaddelsmocks "white goo" plotline
  • StratCo’s deal with the UNF to augment their soldiers with permanent necrophagic grafts via the "juice" (white goo) and controlling nanites; these soldiers are later converted into techno-fearful drones during the Wolf 359 battle
  • Monday learns about DEO
• Deus rite (see above)
  • Saturday attends the rite, and deals with it physically: Huntington vs Sulphur/Salt
  • Monday stops DEO (one ship, or a fleet?) from draining Earth’s magic
  • How is Wednesday involved?
• The Silent Syndicate mass suicide
• Zee’s background and history, including both the human, and the reasons for the phoenix (Oversoul) choosing him
• The event that resulted in Nikolai and Jasmine being chosen as parts of the Divine Calculus (if any)
  • Jasmine’s power manifested in a way to save her parents
• William Moss
  • What happens with Moss, Nyx and Gaia’s Order when Moss returns to Earth in the Filthy Mongrel; see Talk20060226
  • How Moss gets to Mars, and hooks up with the undead there, including the NPCs played by James & Paul, and the three remaining vampires (who, let’s not forget, are associated with the Syndicate) who helped spring Cain from Magitech
  • After falling out with Gaia’s Order, Moss demands his gear back from Ariona, refusing to answer questions and killing those who obstinately refuse to heed his demands
  • Details on Mars’s new consciousness, Aries, and undead regeneration
• Elaborate on Magitech/StratCo politics, the fact that StratCo now has two factions, one controlled by the Syndicate, etc.
• What happens with Mordred now that he is free; what happens with Meera – does she "respawn" eventually?
• Ian Thorpe’s relationship to Hoenir, Xela and the royals – more about the Forterol research in which they were involved; is Thorpe really dead? Did Xela reuse his soul(s) for something? Was her goal to separate Thorpe’s soul from that of the Canadian agent?
• What are the current goals of the remaining Magitech elves? Adana? Evan? Astarte? Aben? Cail? Vondre Willowtree? Others?
• Ned has emailed Xela about the latest situation with the Artifacts; how does Xela respond?
• Who is Matt Smith’s father? Biological mother? Enemies? Could his father be an enemy?
• How does the Arcane Order take action to prevent StratCo from mass-producting genetically engineered mystics?
• Since they were trained in psionics, do the elves still care about Peters? Laiden?
• Huntington’s cloak is the Shroud of Turin; what does it allow him to do?
• How can Harry Bryant be stopped from eating the moon? How do they learn of the Ambrosia growing on the Sun’s Heart Tree that can cure Bryant’s madness?
• How does Lefty and the World Mystics Union get involved in the campaign?

To do this week

• Create miller2 rules
  • Selective phasing
  • Point-to-point small objects
  • All DEE’s stuff
  • All Serra’s stuff
• Read mike’s prestige class changes

Miscellaneous reminders and possibilities

• McLean’s prophecy of threes: "Three and three they are, but two make one and one is three."
• Caretaker as Vishnu the Preserver
• Could Harry Bryant’s white goo nanites infect Luna’s Great Forest?
• Ivan knows that Huntington "stole" Baba Yaga’s book (a book in the Volokhovs’ possession)
• The eight members of the Arcane Order who left the island are: the four founding members of Pandora’s Box, Merlin’s parents, and one other, forming the Seven – as well as Merlin himself, making eight; see Talk20060213 for details

Quotes

[[Thursday, February 9, 2006 - 12:48 am]

Laiden (Jason) to Andrew (Paul): "We’re not trying to put you on trial for your beliefs. It’s just that you brought a bug on board that may have given tactical information that could have caused our recent encounter with Cain to go much worse. … And that does present something of a problem." GM (Curt), jokingly: "We’re going to have to throw you out an airlock – I’m sorry." Lucas: "We did like you, but you are Paul’s character."