Keris did well for herself, I see.
Panopticon: A Game of Posthumans, Perniciousness, Paranoia, Politics, and Plasmaguns
Given one of the few Traditionalists I'm currently interested in playing is a character with Anys Syn as their avatar, this will hopefully be useful for me.
- Location
- Cyberpunk capital of the world
I take it the grand tradition of punching people into ducks died with the ages then?
Pity.
Quantumboost
Now with 50% more dots in Dimensional Science
- Location
- Ensemble Space
Just read a bunch of Econ texts and transfer Conventions. I'm sure the VEs have a place for someone who can harvest all the resources.>you must beat Long War to become a VE
I don't want to be a Technocrat anymore.
- Location
- in the trash
Are there any grimoires that come in the form of instructional videos?
The core and - dare I say - insoluble problem is that while as Mike Thorton showed us you can play two sides against each other when both of them hate you, but both of them want you alive... it's not really supported by what happens when both sides just want you dead. Like, the fundamental problem with "what if we try to play them off against each other" is it doesn't handle the case of "the Technocracy wants you dead, and doesn't care how you die". If they wanted you a captive as a high priority, you could send them a message saying "I'm going to blow up this Pentex oil refinery. I'm probably going to die doing it. If you want me, you'll have to take it down before they can kill me", but it's a lot easier for them if they just need line of sight to shoot you with a railgun.
(Likewise, going up against Pentex means that Pentex is now wanting to kill you, in addition to Pantopticon. Increasing the number of people who want to kill you is generally adverse to survival)
... and if they, oh, have anything up and running which could detect reality hacking? Around the chantry they're probably monitoring?
To me, that seems like a plan which sounds like it has a high chance of winding up with power armoured cyborgs surrounding a church and issuing a "you come out, or we come in" ultimatum.
... yeah, uh, remember that bit where I said it's important to cost-out what you're trying to do and whether you're willing to pay the price?
That relies on you actually assigning an accurate cost to the things you're trying to do. If you want to SEARCH AND DESTROY, then C-5 are the only real option. The Knights do missions, not open-ended conflicts. They are consummate professionals from what we saw of them, and they will probably not accept a job where their goal is "take on an entire 99-level Technocracy kill team" - when we saw them, they were five skilled mages who knew their limits.
Chorister, Esctatic, and Euthanatos Grimoires
People should keep considering the actual vote in question before I write that update, the grimoire stuff is generally fluff that helps you understand how traditions and conventions work as well as just some fun. Thank @EarthScorpion, @Cavalier, @Aleph, and @Scia for suggesting some of the names and grimoires themselves, and @Havocfett for helping me with the Vedic stuff a bit.
Celestial Chorus:
Fides Concordia: This Primer for the Celestial Chorus is one of the rare true pan-faith efforts of the Chorus, written in the 19th century, a when the Technocracy was so ascendent that the Traditions had become unified in ways that the current Traditions would find impossible to believe. This Primer teaches how all religious teachings reflect the divine truth behind the world, and more importantly how different interpretations of a single religion can be true-as well as how multiple religions can be simultaneously true as the idea that there is only one single valid Truth to the world is a lie in and of itself. Although most Choristers pay only lip service to it after reading it, the Fides Concordia clearly holds some divine truth, as it is a perfectly effective Primer. The Concordia teaches Arete 1 and Prime 1.
The Rigveda: Should someone be fortunate enough to find an original copy of the Rigveda, they will find it to be an immensely valuable primer. Modern copies lack the mystic significance and the power to enlighten their users, but the originals still retain most of their mystic strength. The tales of immense cosmic power brought down by faith allow someone who meditates and internalizes the poems to memory (requires Willpower 8, Intelligence 4, Stamina 4, and Endurance 3) to learn Forces 4 if they already have Forces 3, and advance to Arete 4. The Celestial Chorus claims this grimoire and has most of the remaining copies, but the Euthanatos and Akashics both have a single copy of it in their libraries. The Technocracy had one copy, kept underneath the Moscow museum and slated for either destruction or exchange for concessions, but it was lost in the events of the MUSCOVITE invasion.
The Mission of St. Marianne: Some of the strangest grimoires are those built in institutions. The Mission of St. Marianne is one of those institutions, a mission dedicated to saving the bodies and souls of the impoverished and suffering. Magi who join the Mission must learn humility by giving up the use of their immense powers for a month, but nevertheless help the Sleepers via the sweat of their brow and their best mundane efforts. These magi are rewarded at the end of their service and sacrifice by understanding Prime 3 as they learn more and more about how the relationship between the mystic and mundane is not a hard barrier, but also they may learn Mind 1 and Life 1 by being around the Mission as its personnel diagnose the ailments, both mental and physical, that the impoverished suffer. The Technocracy has, at several points, sought to inconvenience or terminate the magi dedicating themselves to the Mission, but a complex Entropy/Time rote has made this difficult, by ensuring the safety of its supplicants. When the rote is insufficient, the Mission has militant Choristers guarding it, and sometimes will even hire mercenaries as protection.
Cult of Ecstasy:
A Cookbook For Partygoers: The Cookbook is a chemistry textbook with a heavily drug-related focus. Someone with Science (Chemistry) 2 or above can comprehend this book, which teaches its readers a variety of fun mind-and-body affecting chemicals (gives an extra dot of Science [Chemistry]) and also teaches its reader Mind 2 and Life 2 should they comprehend what the changes these chemicals can do to a human. Progenitors, Iterators, NWO Operatives, Etherites, Virtual Adepts, and Ecstatics can all benefit from its teachings. Contraband copies are often found in Technocratic academies, and teachers generally turn a blind eye to them turning up as the paradigmic advice taught is perfectly acceptable and their efforts are better served ensuring more dangerous memetic hazards do not pass into the possession of students. More than a few Progenitors displayed copies of this book proudly after the Ascension War, although with the political realignment of the Progenitors with the hardliners this practice has largely stopped and many copies have been destroyed.
Jimi Hendrix: The Untold Stories: A recorded interview of Jimi Hendrix, this record talks about Jimi Hendrix's time in the Kreisau Circle fighting Nazi Germany which had, by that time, taken over most of the world. This interview is logically impossible, but nevertheless the recording exists. Listeners who spend time listening to it again and again while heavily intoxicated eventually comprehend that time is an illusion, and there are many possibilities that can lead to this future, as well as many possible timelines that branch off of each point. Alternatively, a listener can substitute Science (Physics) 5 to understand it intellectually via the Many-Worlds Theory, if one is an Etherite or a Technocrat, but Ecstatics note that this method is significantly harder and not nearly as fun. This recording teaches Entropy 2 and Time 2, allowing one to view potential alternate timelines.
Euthanatos:
The Book of Endings: Despite its almost religious name, The Book of Endings is an eminently practical grimoire, written by a Euthanatos in the mid-20th century. It teaches the paradigm of the Greek Euthanatoi via practical advice for assassinations, terrorism, and a variety of tools of the trade. This grimoire has been faithfully reproduced, rewritten, and updated to keep up to date with modern technologies-a complex Correspondence ritual used to create it means that legitimate updates to the Book of Endings are propagated through all the copies in existence. Readers learn from the tools and their history and significance, as well as from the stories of their users. To understand its lessons, a reader must have a Tactics specialty in Terrorism or Tactics 3, as well as Stealth 2 and a weapons skill (Melee or Firearms) at 2. The Book of Endings teaches Life 3 and Forces 2, and can be used by Greek Euthanatoi, House Thig Hermetics, and the New World Order. The New World Order considers it one of a rare few Reality Deviant grimoires that does not constitute a memetic hazard, as the paradigm it teaches, when stripped of the religious statements, is word-for-word identical to combat Operative training.
Maharavana: This tale holds the stories of Ravana, one of the finest ancient doctors and King of Lanka, who held the secret of the celestial nectar of immortality. His stories teach ancient Vedic medicine, and the secrets of life, death, and immortality. Someone who understands the Sanskrit this tale was written in, and holds the Vedic Euthanatos paradigm or something similar, may meditate on its lessons and gain knowledge of Life 4.
The Oracle: The Oracle of Delphi is another grimoire etched into the very Earth and anchoring a mystic site. Euthanatoi who meditate at the Oracle for several weeks may learn Entropy 4, Time 4, and Arete 4 by improving their knowledge of time and fate. However, these Euthanatoi find the paradigm taught is somewhat restrictive-the spheres the Oracle of Dephi grants require complex ritual and may not be used in combat time (they're effectively "Lab" spheres).
Celestial Chorus:
Fides Concordia: This Primer for the Celestial Chorus is one of the rare true pan-faith efforts of the Chorus, written in the 19th century, a when the Technocracy was so ascendent that the Traditions had become unified in ways that the current Traditions would find impossible to believe. This Primer teaches how all religious teachings reflect the divine truth behind the world, and more importantly how different interpretations of a single religion can be true-as well as how multiple religions can be simultaneously true as the idea that there is only one single valid Truth to the world is a lie in and of itself. Although most Choristers pay only lip service to it after reading it, the Fides Concordia clearly holds some divine truth, as it is a perfectly effective Primer. The Concordia teaches Arete 1 and Prime 1.
The Rigveda: Should someone be fortunate enough to find an original copy of the Rigveda, they will find it to be an immensely valuable primer. Modern copies lack the mystic significance and the power to enlighten their users, but the originals still retain most of their mystic strength. The tales of immense cosmic power brought down by faith allow someone who meditates and internalizes the poems to memory (requires Willpower 8, Intelligence 4, Stamina 4, and Endurance 3) to learn Forces 4 if they already have Forces 3, and advance to Arete 4. The Celestial Chorus claims this grimoire and has most of the remaining copies, but the Euthanatos and Akashics both have a single copy of it in their libraries. The Technocracy had one copy, kept underneath the Moscow museum and slated for either destruction or exchange for concessions, but it was lost in the events of the MUSCOVITE invasion.
The Mission of St. Marianne: Some of the strangest grimoires are those built in institutions. The Mission of St. Marianne is one of those institutions, a mission dedicated to saving the bodies and souls of the impoverished and suffering. Magi who join the Mission must learn humility by giving up the use of their immense powers for a month, but nevertheless help the Sleepers via the sweat of their brow and their best mundane efforts. These magi are rewarded at the end of their service and sacrifice by understanding Prime 3 as they learn more and more about how the relationship between the mystic and mundane is not a hard barrier, but also they may learn Mind 1 and Life 1 by being around the Mission as its personnel diagnose the ailments, both mental and physical, that the impoverished suffer. The Technocracy has, at several points, sought to inconvenience or terminate the magi dedicating themselves to the Mission, but a complex Entropy/Time rote has made this difficult, by ensuring the safety of its supplicants. When the rote is insufficient, the Mission has militant Choristers guarding it, and sometimes will even hire mercenaries as protection.
Cult of Ecstasy:
A Cookbook For Partygoers: The Cookbook is a chemistry textbook with a heavily drug-related focus. Someone with Science (Chemistry) 2 or above can comprehend this book, which teaches its readers a variety of fun mind-and-body affecting chemicals (gives an extra dot of Science [Chemistry]) and also teaches its reader Mind 2 and Life 2 should they comprehend what the changes these chemicals can do to a human. Progenitors, Iterators, NWO Operatives, Etherites, Virtual Adepts, and Ecstatics can all benefit from its teachings. Contraband copies are often found in Technocratic academies, and teachers generally turn a blind eye to them turning up as the paradigmic advice taught is perfectly acceptable and their efforts are better served ensuring more dangerous memetic hazards do not pass into the possession of students. More than a few Progenitors displayed copies of this book proudly after the Ascension War, although with the political realignment of the Progenitors with the hardliners this practice has largely stopped and many copies have been destroyed.
Late Nights and Early Mornings: Late Nights and Early Mornings, jokingly known as "69 days without sleep" because of the duration of study needed to master its lessons, is a collection of erotic stories that shifts to accommodate the fetishes of its reader, describing a variety of sexual stories that appeal to the person reading it (Entropy 1, Mind 3). Although reading the stories themselves gives the student nothing but fap material, should the student find a willing partner or willing partners to go through the sexual acts described in the stories, the student finds that the Cult of Ecstasy's understanding of pleasure is true-that pleasure can be just as effective a teacher as pain, and a much more satisfying one. Finishing the activities in the book requires Stamina 4, but doing so teaches how to extend the ephemeral nature of pleasure or accelerate the passing of one's life, teaching Time 3 and Life 3.
Jimi Hendrix: The Untold Stories: A recorded interview of Jimi Hendrix, this record talks about Jimi Hendrix's time in the Kreisau Circle fighting Nazi Germany which had, by that time, taken over most of the world. This interview is logically impossible, but nevertheless the recording exists. Listeners who spend time listening to it again and again while heavily intoxicated eventually comprehend that time is an illusion, and there are many possibilities that can lead to this future, as well as many possible timelines that branch off of each point. Alternatively, a listener can substitute Science (Physics) 5 to understand it intellectually via the Many-Worlds Theory, if one is an Etherite or a Technocrat, but Ecstatics note that this method is significantly harder and not nearly as fun. This recording teaches Entropy 2 and Time 2, allowing one to view potential alternate timelines.
Euthanatos:
The Book of Endings: Despite its almost religious name, The Book of Endings is an eminently practical grimoire, written by a Euthanatos in the mid-20th century. It teaches the paradigm of the Greek Euthanatoi via practical advice for assassinations, terrorism, and a variety of tools of the trade. This grimoire has been faithfully reproduced, rewritten, and updated to keep up to date with modern technologies-a complex Correspondence ritual used to create it means that legitimate updates to the Book of Endings are propagated through all the copies in existence. Readers learn from the tools and their history and significance, as well as from the stories of their users. To understand its lessons, a reader must have a Tactics specialty in Terrorism or Tactics 3, as well as Stealth 2 and a weapons skill (Melee or Firearms) at 2. The Book of Endings teaches Life 3 and Forces 2, and can be used by Greek Euthanatoi, House Thig Hermetics, and the New World Order. The New World Order considers it one of a rare few Reality Deviant grimoires that does not constitute a memetic hazard, as the paradigm it teaches, when stripped of the religious statements, is word-for-word identical to combat Operative training.
Maharavana: This tale holds the stories of Ravana, one of the finest ancient doctors and King of Lanka, who held the secret of the celestial nectar of immortality. His stories teach ancient Vedic medicine, and the secrets of life, death, and immortality. Someone who understands the Sanskrit this tale was written in, and holds the Vedic Euthanatos paradigm or something similar, may meditate on its lessons and gain knowledge of Life 4.
The Oracle: The Oracle of Delphi is another grimoire etched into the very Earth and anchoring a mystic site. Euthanatoi who meditate at the Oracle for several weeks may learn Entropy 4, Time 4, and Arete 4 by improving their knowledge of time and fate. However, these Euthanatoi find the paradigm taught is somewhat restrictive-the spheres the Oracle of Dephi grants require complex ritual and may not be used in combat time (they're effectively "Lab" spheres).
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Yes, you can. It basically represents how draining creating one of these is, because a grimoire is almost always a magnum opus of its creator.
She did. Also, thanks for updating the TVTropes page for this quest. You should do more!
Kessler: "... I have the weirdest sense of deja-vu right now. I feel like someone I used to have possibly be has heard these events before."
Nichols: "J was a good friend, elseneveronce. I've lost most of unthen, but enough scraps remain that I can altremember him."
Kessler: "Huh?"
Nichols: "Read Tenses: A Chrononaut's Guide. It's a grimoire which can be used to teach you Time 1."
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Deadly Snark
Tryhard As Fuck
This one I have to read.
Also, was this made by a NWO person who defected to the Brotherhood? Because it feels very nwoish.
It's like Tai Qi except occasionally instead of moving around slowly like an old person you shiv someone in the dick.
Okay. So. I have an overall objective set. It's going to hurt. It's not going to be pleasant for her. She's going to lose the life she's built up. But it might leave her with a chance of saving the people she cares about whose lives she put in danger because she got involved with them without causing the greater number of deaths that unleashing C-5 would cause. It will save the greatest number of people, and so what if it makes her unhappy? At least innocents won't be dead because of her.
The Union doesn't waste these kinds of assets after a bunch of Orphans. Orphans get MiB teams sent after them at most. MiBs are about as cheap to task as police. If they're deploying invisible ARCs with railguns, they're going to be racking up millions in repair costs per unit, just from wear and tear. So they're after her. Her chantry are at risk because of their link to her, no other reason.
So.
Alice needs to persuade both the people she cares about and through them, the Technocracy, that she never cared about them, that they were just a cover for her and a way of hiding from the Union, and so she's abandoning them without a second thought. That everything she did was just a case of her using her deep cover training to find a way of blending in, to become unobjectionable to the Union so the locals would ignore her even if they found out who she was because they had bigger problems to deal with.
It doesn't matter if they hate her because of this. At least they'll be alive. They won't be dead because of her. If the Technocracy trained her to lie and deceive and cheat, then she'll use those skills to try to save them.
So how do you fool the watchers into thinking that you've just abandoned them like a good Operative discards a false identity?
Maybe she can hand the chantry over to a member of the Traditions who she can trust to keep doing its goals, at least so the members of the chantry can have their disillusionment with her channelled towards the Traditions, rather than towards cynicism.
The Union doesn't waste these kinds of assets after a bunch of Orphans. Orphans get MiB teams sent after them at most. MiBs are about as cheap to task as police. If they're deploying invisible ARCs with railguns, they're going to be racking up millions in repair costs per unit, just from wear and tear. So they're after her. Her chantry are at risk because of their link to her, no other reason.
So.
Alice needs to persuade both the people she cares about and through them, the Technocracy, that she never cared about them, that they were just a cover for her and a way of hiding from the Union, and so she's abandoning them without a second thought. That everything she did was just a case of her using her deep cover training to find a way of blending in, to become unobjectionable to the Union so the locals would ignore her even if they found out who she was because they had bigger problems to deal with.
It doesn't matter if they hate her because of this. At least they'll be alive. They won't be dead because of her. If the Technocracy trained her to lie and deceive and cheat, then she'll use those skills to try to save them.
So how do you fool the watchers into thinking that you've just abandoned them like a good Operative discards a false identity?
- Death 2 probably works to spoof Entropy 1 truth detection, so they won't be able to tell that she's lying. Alternatively, she can use Mind 4 to believe what she's telling them for just long enough to tell them it, through self-mind-hax.
- Maybe somehow tell the truth to people with Entropy 1 ("I really do care. I'm just pretending."), so the fact that you're shielding yourself against Entropy 1 gets picked up, and they go "... why would you stop people telling that you're lying when saying something like that".
- Call your partner. Tell them that you'll be out of town for a few days, but you'll certainly be back. Let the Technocracy who clearly have a wire-tap hear that, and know that you're lying. Don't say things like "I love you". Be prepared for them tapping the wire and hence relocate rapidly.
- Go to the creepy old house on 98th street where Old Man Williams murdered his wife, children and dog and which had fallen to ruin after the murder-suicide of the last tenants which everyone in the neighbourhood believes to be haunted, where you destroyed Old Man Williams and talk to the ghosts. See what's happening in the literal underworld - not least so you know if there's a Maelstrom going on, so you know whether that's an escape route - and then get the ghost of the wife/children/dog to carry a message to a member of the chantry informing them that the Technocracy is coming, you're abandoning them, and that they shouldn't expect any help from you. And that it's pointless for them to fight to the death. The Technocrats will probably have listening devices (both conventional laser mikes and hypertech ones) which will pick up on the reactions to the message, and so they'll know that you're abandoning the chantry.
Maybe she can hand the chantry over to a member of the Traditions who she can trust to keep doing its goals, at least so the members of the chantry can have their disillusionment with her channelled towards the Traditions, rather than towards cynicism.
Wow. That is very poignant. I think it has a good chance of working, too.
[X] Plan So Long And Thanks For All The Fish
[X] Plan So Long And Thanks For All The Fish
The "You are now a duck" Sidereal Martial Art teaches Matter 2 and Life 2. As @EarthScorpion points out, clearly Exalted mortals are a Simple Life Form as they lack an Avatar and have a different soul-structure to human beings, and thus can be affected and transmuted by Life 2, much like bacteria and ducks.
Perfectly Reasonable oWoD Calcs are the best calcs.
[X] Plan So Long And Thanks For All The Fish
Quantumboost
Now with 50% more dots in Dimensional Science
- Location
- Ensemble Space
It should also teach Spirit 2/Forces 2, since it lets you turn spirit-stuff into rocks and ducks and fire by punching Least Gods.
All in all, a very comprehensible and low-impact broadly applicable style for an up-and-coming young Akashic.
Cornuthaum
Be kind to each other.
- Location
- Austria
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I wonder how many of the Deeds of Jamelia have become part of that book.
Still gonna ream your ass with Paradox
The question is, how did Ryoga get ahold of this book?
The UFO: Extraterrestrial Combat Principia reminds me of The Last Starfighter, somehow. And I really want to listen to the Jimmy Hendrix tape.
Society of Ether Grimoires
So, because I want to induce more of you to vote, have some more Grimoires. Etherite Grimoires.
Society of Ether:
Chicks Dig Giant Robots (Doctor Michael Shields): A very non-scientific engineering treatise on giant robots, their potential use for finding love and companionship, and their care and maintenance. Although the tortured metaphors are definitely incredibly tortured, Dr. Shields is a brilliant engineer and has a fair bit of knowledge on the construction, use, and repair of mecha. This grimoire teaches the reader Matter 4 (Giant Robots) and Forces 3, although it requires Engineering 4 to fully decipher. Anyone without the requisite Engineering 4 is unlikely to understand that even the chapters on giant robots to demonstrate social status are vital to the understanding of the history and use of the humble ten meter tall humanoid killing machine. Chicks Dig Giant Robots has many pages of technical diagrams on both Etherite and Technocratic machines. Rumors are that Dr. Shields is seeking to buy passage on an Ethercruiser to find out more of the unknown biomechanical combatants seen in Moscow.
EtherQuest: The Endeavor's True Adventures (Captain Jessica Talia Kirkland): This entertainment holovideo, originally produced by Etherites and Ecstatics on Gernsback Station, was based on the true adventures of one of the then Sons of Ether's few female Ethercruiser captains, Lady Jessica T. Kirkland, as she explored the Umbra, fought Technocrats, and fenced with the dashing Void Engineer captain Nathan Adams. Obsessively watching the entire series teaches the watcher Cosmology 2, Pilot 1 with a specialty in Ethercruisers, Heavy Weapons 1 with a specialty in Naval Artillery, and Strategy 2. Furthermore, should someone be able to figure out the technobabble that sometimes comes up in an episode (by having Engineering 3+) they may raise Matter and Dimensional Science from 2 to 3 over the course of the series. EtherQuest copies were made in Gernsback, and with the destruction of the station in the Avatar Storm, copies have become increasingly rare and difficult to find, especially since many of the copies were kept on Gernsback itself. The Etherites have approximately three dozen copies, while the Virtual Adepts have 2, House Thig has 1, and the Void Engineers also had 1. Rumors state that the Void Engineers have traded away that copy to take bloodless possession of a handful of weak Etherite-controlled nodes, although the Void Engineers deny it and say that the node seizure involved armed conflict, even if they were lucky and the only losses were expendable remotes.
Defictionalization: A Shadow Ministry Guide to Finding Truth From Fiction (Analyst William "Bill" Johnson): Defictionalization is a guide to one of the more unorthodox methods of gathering large-scale societal and strategic intelligence that the Shadow Ministry uses-the use of fictional works to spot trends in society. This grimoire teaches a reader familiar with literary analysis (Academics [Literature] 3+) how to see beneath the surface of the fictional work and understand the trends and political leanings it reflects, and whether or not they're reflective of society as a whole or a small subset of it. Although even some Etherites dismiss it as quackery, there is no doubt that Analyst Johnson is one of the finest Shadow Ministry intelligence analysts still alive and has correctly predicted many trends, including the evolution of Iteration X cyborg combatants, somehow. This grimoire teaches Time 2, Entropy 2, and Correspondence 2.
Society of Ether:
Chicks Dig Giant Robots (Doctor Michael Shields): A very non-scientific engineering treatise on giant robots, their potential use for finding love and companionship, and their care and maintenance. Although the tortured metaphors are definitely incredibly tortured, Dr. Shields is a brilliant engineer and has a fair bit of knowledge on the construction, use, and repair of mecha. This grimoire teaches the reader Matter 4 (Giant Robots) and Forces 3, although it requires Engineering 4 to fully decipher. Anyone without the requisite Engineering 4 is unlikely to understand that even the chapters on giant robots to demonstrate social status are vital to the understanding of the history and use of the humble ten meter tall humanoid killing machine. Chicks Dig Giant Robots has many pages of technical diagrams on both Etherite and Technocratic machines. Rumors are that Dr. Shields is seeking to buy passage on an Ethercruiser to find out more of the unknown biomechanical combatants seen in Moscow.
EtherQuest: The Endeavor's True Adventures (Captain Jessica Talia Kirkland): This entertainment holovideo, originally produced by Etherites and Ecstatics on Gernsback Station, was based on the true adventures of one of the then Sons of Ether's few female Ethercruiser captains, Lady Jessica T. Kirkland, as she explored the Umbra, fought Technocrats, and fenced with the dashing Void Engineer captain Nathan Adams. Obsessively watching the entire series teaches the watcher Cosmology 2, Pilot 1 with a specialty in Ethercruisers, Heavy Weapons 1 with a specialty in Naval Artillery, and Strategy 2. Furthermore, should someone be able to figure out the technobabble that sometimes comes up in an episode (by having Engineering 3+) they may raise Matter and Dimensional Science from 2 to 3 over the course of the series. EtherQuest copies were made in Gernsback, and with the destruction of the station in the Avatar Storm, copies have become increasingly rare and difficult to find, especially since many of the copies were kept on Gernsback itself. The Etherites have approximately three dozen copies, while the Virtual Adepts have 2, House Thig has 1, and the Void Engineers also had 1. Rumors state that the Void Engineers have traded away that copy to take bloodless possession of a handful of weak Etherite-controlled nodes, although the Void Engineers deny it and say that the node seizure involved armed conflict, even if they were lucky and the only losses were expendable remotes.
Defictionalization: A Shadow Ministry Guide to Finding Truth From Fiction (Analyst William "Bill" Johnson): Defictionalization is a guide to one of the more unorthodox methods of gathering large-scale societal and strategic intelligence that the Shadow Ministry uses-the use of fictional works to spot trends in society. This grimoire teaches a reader familiar with literary analysis (Academics [Literature] 3+) how to see beneath the surface of the fictional work and understand the trends and political leanings it reflects, and whether or not they're reflective of society as a whole or a small subset of it. Although even some Etherites dismiss it as quackery, there is no doubt that Analyst Johnson is one of the finest Shadow Ministry intelligence analysts still alive and has correctly predicted many trends, including the evolution of Iteration X cyborg combatants, somehow. This grimoire teaches Time 2, Entropy 2, and Correspondence 2.
Deadly Snark
Tryhard As Fuck
So, how did this story of destined rivals/Battles to surpass each other/star-crossed lovers/Oh God some much Sexual tension end? In reality and in the series.
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The series ended with a To Be Continued after the climactic fight in the rings of Saturn. As to how their fates ended in reality? They survived the Dimensional Anomaly, fought together for several years, both died when the Autopolitans revealed their Hunter/Killer units. The Void Engineers think they confessed their love to each other before that happened. Or maybe they made that part up because they wanted something in the story to be happy. Either way, the fans of the series who are in the know insist that that must be the case. Even if there were no survivors of the mission. Even more dedicated fans insist that they survived, somehow, and they're limping back on STL drives, and they'll be back within a few decades, just you wait.
But that might not be true. The H/K unit they fought seems to be much, much more experienced and lethal nowadays, and has used some very risky FTL maneuvers for tactical advantage (such as microjumps, partial phase-outs, and even hyper-rams), much like both Kirkland and Adams were fond of using. Some intelligence analysts very quietly suggest that both of them were captured alive, husked, and force-uploaded. But don't let fans of the series hear you say that.
But maybe that isn't true. Maybe the Autopolitans are playing a psychological warfare game here. Maybe they're deliberately taking risky actions not because they husked and force-uploaded two captains, but as a psychological warfare ploy to make them think they did.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
THRAAAAAAAAAAWN
Deadly Snark
Tryhard As Fuck
Well that's more depressing than I expected, and I expected them to be forced to kill each other, which now seems like a happy/optimistic ending.