Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
Dmol8
The Undead Unhinged Lunatic of the Web
- Location
- Belgrade,Serbia
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I'm glad you've covered the nuance of this argument without me for the most part, but that wasn't my point. My point more has to do with people knowing that Clark Kent is Superman on a meta level and ignoring what it does to their thought processes.
See in the DC Universe Clark Kent is supposed to be this nice quiet friendly guy who almost fades into the background on how average he is in his behavior:
- He's supposed to be not so nice that he stands out to other people for it, but nice enough that people find him pleasant company.
- He's supposed to be quiet enough to let other people talk their hearts out to fill the silence, but not quiet enough for people to notice he's doing that.
- And he's supposed to be friendly enough that people think that he's worth talking to, but not so friendly as to seem desperate or a doormat.
In other words a good unambitious journalist and Superman's disguise in human society, but it depends on the writer/reader as most things in DC do. Also Clark Kent is supposed to be a person this his friends instead of using his customer service voice, or his other customer service voice that is his kayfabe act he puts on as Superman, with them as well, but again depends on the writer/reader.
What people's knowledge of Superman's identity does to their thoughts is that they think that it's obvious that Clark Kent is Superman because the comic readily keeps that piece of information in their minds.
The same sort of error happens to writers and readers of fiction when thinking about immortals and wealth in the modern day.
Because as a reminder Dracula in Bram Stocker's novel is actually destitute. Not poor, not yet, but he had at that point fallen on hard times already. He goes after Johnathan Harker because he broke Dracula's hospitality and worse forced Dracula to feed a child to his Brides. This forces Dracula, either trough a mythic/mystic obligation or trough the desire for vengeance, to go after Harker's family and friends. His bonds to the world. Dracula starts to pick off Harker's bonds either by going for the most tenuous one or the mistaking her for the strongest one: Lucy Westenra friend of Mina Murray Harker's Fiance.
Dracula kills Lucy's family, which is easy because she only had an old mother who Dracula literally scares to death because Van Helsing was being an asshole about helping/protecting Lucy and may have been using her as bait to hunt down a vampire, Lucy rises as a vampire, stalks some children, gets reported about in newspapers about and gets staked, beheaded and has her mouth filled with garlic by Van Helsing and her three suitors. Johnathan Harker returns with his now wife Mina Harker and they all get ready to hunt Dracula.
Then Mina writes the epistolary novel up to this point, yes really from an in universe point of view the Harkers are the actual main authors/editors of the novel Dracula, which makes Dracula come after her next to make an example out of her. Renfield is used by Dracula because he is already insane, and maybe partially already a Vampire, and Van Helsing and Lucy's Suitors retaliate by using the information Mina had gathered about Dracula to hunt down his residences in London and find his boxes of native soil he was using to rest in and seal wafers of sacramental bread into them to render them useless to Dracula. Van Helsing and Lucy's Suitors lay a siege/trap to Dracula's Piccadilly house and Dracula flees with the last box of native soil dirt.
Mina turns out to have a psychic connection to Dracula which Van Helsing exploits to track the vampire and they all go to Romania where Van Helsing and Mina go to Dracula's Castle and kill his brides while Harker and Lucy's Suitors track Dracula down to a group of Roma people loading Dracula's last box onto their cart. A fight ensues, the Roma are routed and Dracula beheaded and staked which frees Mina from her vampiric curse.
Do the actions of Dracula in Bram Stoker's novel sound like the actions of a rich man? No seriously Dracula has no servants when he sets of for England, sends himself and his boxes of dirt trough the 19th century equivalent of the postal service, takes only Renfield under his actual control and flees from 5 men, only one of which has any idea how to actually fight him.
When modern writers and readers think of immortality they think that the immortal will automatically have and gain information and wisdom of all sorts because that makes the story of immortality more interesting to them.
In truth age is not wisdom, just a chance for it if taken, and just like people around Clark Kent have to first ask themselves if Clark could be Superman or keep their mind open enough when encountering people to identify faces by their structure and not their association, which is a skill most people aren't even aware exists let alone is something that has to learned, before actually even comparing the faces of Clark Kent and Superman in their minds so to the readers just assume that any immortal that shows up in a story is rational enough, when so much of history was written by whims and passions unbound, economically educated enough, when most people even today still don't know and never learned how economy as a concept works, and patient enough, which is a skill a plurality of people has but not all, to invest their money discretely so that they earn enough interest to become not simply self-sustaining, but wealthy when even today wealth has more to do with social and political connections than with hard or skilled work.
"What is the consequence of fighting her?" "Death." " What is the consequence of just being the Rulers on the Night with her in the world?" "Death" "Well then."
Scorched earth begets scorched earth. Especially with the sort of monsters Broken Seeker is.
As an aside, we have indirect coverage from the quest on the Accorded stance on what the red court just did here.
If you gamble on the Accords there are terms by which the members will enforce the deal, up to and including souls. Arianna is on the hook for this specific deal on both the duel and the hit.
Come to think of it, we're also a directly seen the red court taking Outsiders through the nevernever. If that Way Ebenezer used was in Winter we've actually got some valuable evidence on hand.
Winter probably knows already; but there's politics, evidence, and the many specific limits on how they're allowed to poke things in the mortal world that restrict them. I wouldn't be surprised if Summer is explicitly set up to complicate things like this so that Winter can't justify doing whatever it likes with the mortal world in the name of hunting loose Outsiders, just to name one example.
The relevant thing here isn't just going to Winter though. We can profit twice, help a nominal ally, and screw an enemy all at once by working through the council.
We're a neutral party to the war technically speaking. As a witness in a court room we have more weight than the he said she said of red vamps and wizards claiming stuff only they were around for. Especially one Mab very publicly holds in high esteem.
We'd need to be careful, but making it known that we'd give reasonable testimony to the what we've seen of both issues before Accorded Arbitration would make for one or two very valuable markers with the wizards as a faction.
This incidentally is where rep comes up again. Revealing the crown or our divination game is a nonstarter, and we're a newcomer. Easy challenge from the opposition.
Except we've to date never broken our word and worked amicably - technically speaking - with even powers like the Red Court themselves doing so. Mab also essentially backs our bullshit powers work without requiring us to explain them, purely because she publicly did that with us and we haven't stained ourselves with any lies since.
If we're lucky we could immediately spend part of that credit redirecting wizard resources at Broken Seeker. They already will have members who want to do that, so getting them to super size it should be an easy sell. Promising to help with the ramp issue means attacking her, it doesn't protect Broken Seeker unless we make a stupid agreement.
Even still, we could hypothetically walk into a room and get paid to have other people publicly humiliate and then kill everyone involved in this. All without ever even getting close to foul play.
All Hail the Queen Baby.
This has already loosely been talked about, but I wanted to dredge up the quote from our Accord read through and suggest a more specific route for doing so.
Ebenezer is the perfect contact for this, we could get our revenge meaningfully rolling today IC.
Arc 8 Post 55: Seeking Sanctuary
Seeking Sanctuary
18th of November 2006 A.D.
A deal means an ambush, the thought is instant and for the most part unburdened with thoughts of what it would do to your reputation. Izzy and Alec's lives are on the line here. You push down a shudder. More than their lives. But that just means I should be careful. Descending upon the enemy sword of fire in hand can be called many things careful isn't one of them.
"If we are going to be cryptic," you mock sigh, nothing of your inner turmoil in your voice, Broken Seeker would be on that like a shark on blood. "Arianna Ortega, that is who holds your contract, dark haired lady, looks like she should be on the walls of a Mayan temple, dresses like it, probably ate a lot of Mayans."
There is a moment of surprise, then a burst of laughter unlike the ones before, not mocking, not trying to hide his feelings, surprised and... joyous. This is probably the closest such as the skinwalker can come to honest joy, the prospect of a hunt with a worthy quarry before him and a worthy companion.
"What are you offering?" comes the question, more a formality than anything, you would not have tipped your hand, shown you know the name if you were not planning to settle accounts and both of you know it
"Payback."
***
As you descend at the edge of the parking lot then take the two fifty yards to the car just a little too fast your dad's expression comes a little too sharply into view, worried, but undaunted, his eyes dark but without shadows, understanding. There are some things a girl does not want anyone to understand, like just how easy she finds it to step into the mind of a monster.
"He agreed to let them go," you speak in a rush, not giving them time to get any of the numerous natural objections in. "I convinced him that his employer wanted him dead as much or more than he wanted Harry dead, after all you do not pay dead mercenaries and as payment for... enlightening him and for helping him deal with... What is the proper word for a vampire sired by the Red King? Lady? Duchess? I'm going to go with Missus Ortega just because it will probably piss her off more. After that... well after that he is still a horrible monster, but not one who has my friends hostage you know." You pause then add cheerily. "I'll get to learn his moves while we are fighting vampires."
As dad opens his mouth to speak you bowl him over too. The best way to stop them from asking for details is to give them plenty of other things to chew on. "I know you can't help dad, it is a spirit of terror and spiritual pollution. That is fine, I will be fine. Harry you are his actual target I do not think it would be safe for you to get near Broken Seeker, less safe than most living things are in general."
"What about you then?" your father asks. As he takes his hand from the hilt of the Sword you can guess what he is going to say, he can come without it.
"I'm not most." The words might have sounded prideful, they could have sounded bold, instead they are just a statement of fact. "Please he's not... his mind is about as stable as the forms he takes."
"And that is supposed to be reassuring?" Harry asks. "You need to work on that start of the third arc routine."
"Start of the what? What are you talking about?" There's a part of you that is cheering Harry's tendency to go off on tangents, it is distracting for him or for dad, keeps him from asking the questions you would rather he didn't ask.
"That is where the hero... heroine," he catches himself and it is hard not to smile as tense as things are. "When she thinks she can take on the Big Bad alone and her friends have to rally behind her and show they can take on the Empire together."
"Mangled references aside Broken Seeker might be bad, he's not that big, not to me, but he can crush my friends so, so easily."
That does it. Even though it is painful to watch, even though you did not want to do this to him you know Michael Carpenter Knight of the cross will not endanger an innocent, not when he knows that armed and armoured in brass, flame and broken idols you are among the best in the city to be facing down the likes of Broken Seeker
***
The meeting is at the Chicago Synthetics Warehouse, a show of how much he knows about you and, as far as such a thing could be said to dwell in the heart of a Naagloshii, a show of good will. Dad stops the pickup about fifty yards away, close enough that he and Harry can see what's happening, but not so close they are in the meeting.
Of all his sins one cannot accuse Broken Seeker of tardiness, barely twenty seconds after you pull in a hawk that is not a hawk calls out overhead, the old van turns the corner and pulls to a stop, the doors slide open half way. It looks... in Usum's words it looks like a menagerie inside, one with an affinity for raptors and canines and it does not smell any better than it looks,
"Here," the voice is familiar, the form is not. Humanoid yes, but far too tall to be a human. If he were not sitting hunched the accursed messenger would be about eight feet tall with lynx's eyes and and far too many teeth. The hand that holds Izzy by the back of her shirt like a sack of flower seems made of skinless snakes that hiss as they bleed.
You pick her up and set her down, same for Alec, looking over them with gut-wrenching worry that only dims slightly when you see no signs of obvious mistreatment, other than Izzy's missing lock of hair at least. Broken Seeker hands that over too, in a plastic bag, the kind they use for evidence. You do not want to know where he got that from.
"I will... contact you on the morrow when you are less busy. Fare thee well sister..." with that the doors close and the red van speeds away.
You look down at your friends, their shirts red with blood, not theirs just a monster being dramatic. But it could have been theirs so easily. This could have been the last day in their lives and all because they happened to know you, because they sat with you at lunch and went out to drinks and dancing, because they gave you cheat sheets to use in Spanish.
It's not safe for them to be around you, no matter what you do or what you might teach them there is nothing that would make them able to stand up to the likes of Broken Seeker. Your words to dad and Harry come back to haunt you even as you can hear the car behind you. He's not even that big.
It's not safe...Nowhere is safe...
In the dark behind your eyelids
In the quiet between heartbeats
In the place where you are whole
In the stillness of your soul
A gear, a lock clicks
A door shifts
Do you open it?
[] Yes: Spend -20 XP Take The King and the Kingdom: The Thousand and First Hell (•••••)
The Infernal shapes her heart, soul, and Essence into the shape of a realm of her devising, featuring whatever oddities of geography or natural law suit her nature.
[] No The door remains shut for now
OOC: Rolls will be posted in a bit I have to run
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
[X] Yes: Spend -20 XP Take The King and the Kingdom: The Thousand and First Hell (•••••)
taovkool
Forever Gone
- Location
- The Library, Department of General Works
Right. What does this do, exactly?
ThatGazzer
Minds Eye Bind
- Location
- PNW
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] Yes: Spend -20 XP Take The King and the Kingdom: The Thousand and First Hell (•••••)
We Have Waited For This
for so long
We Have Waited For This
for so long
It does exactly what it says on the tin, Molly will create a world, a kingdom, The Thousand and First Hell.
We get a few points to customise even, like advance civilization inhabited by humans and devils, resources etc. Think there are a few example builds in the side story or apocrypha tabs.
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Edited in the fluff of the charm, the system is too complex to put in whole. In short you have extraplanar place in your soul, at any size from large house to planet and you can use your point allotment to have civilizations, various forms of plant and animal life etc...
Rolls
Molly not to talk about the creepy flirting with a monster vs Harry; Michael
Molly to keep the meeting to just herself not preclude any friction vs Harry; Michael
Really not Michael's day roll wise and it is about to get weirder
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[X] Yes: Spend -20 XP Take The King and the Kingdom: The Thousand and First Hell (•••••)
[X] Yes: Spend -20 XP Take The King and the Kingdom: The Thousand and First Hell (•••••)
Lots of things depending on how it's played. It's the charm for becoming, among other options, our own planet full of demons. The tricky bit is in balancing that.
Practically speaking it's also a really powerful upgrade to Shintai if we take it as our first signature, modifies a bunch of other charms, and gives us access to all sorts of potential lore/resources.
Taking it now means we're finally a proper hell queen, and that we get to see the look on Harry's face when it happens right in front of him.
Lots of things depending on how it's played. It's the charm for becoming, among other options, our own planet full of demons. The tricky bit is in balancing that.
Practically speaking it's also a really powerful upgrade to Shintai if we take it as our first signature, modifies a bunch of other charms, and gives us access to all sorts of potential lore/resources.
Taking it now means we're finally a proper hell queen, and that we get to see the look on Harry's face when it happens right in front of him.
Functionally nothing, their is no mechanical or fluff befit to the charm, save as a somewhat save place to put mortals.
[x] No The door remains shut for now
taovkool
Forever Gone
- Location
- The Library, Department of General Works
Oh hell yes. Literally.
[X] Yes: Spend -20 XP Take The King and the Kingdom: The Thousand and First Hell (•••••)
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
It manifests an inner world inside Molly's soul customizable to some degree to reflect her personality. The most time we can spend there is 5 days in 5 days out but we can bring and take out people/supplies. Look for Yogs fivefold courts of fate in the threadmarks if you want the most detailed proposal that will probably win.
- Location
- washington
welp time to be a queen of a hell while living with our mom. Also only hell I currently like is yogs hell. For us that is.
I wonder how noticeable this is going to be even if it is only inside Mollys soul, reading through the thread it was mentioned that supernaturals could feel power being thrown around to an extent. And creating a world is... not a small thing.
- Location
- washington
hey dp can we eventually make custom charms for longer times in our hell or can we just circumvent the issue entirely by becoming a devil tiger and no longer having a time limit in and out of our hell? Of course thats a far bigger ask than anything else.
By the point you ascend to Devil Tiger, if you manage that a portion of your consciousness will always be looking inwards
- Location
- Who knows?
[X] Yes: Spend -20 XP Take The King and the Kingdom: The Thousand and First Hell (•••••)
I have no idea how "sudden technologically advanced demon world" is gonna work out, but shit I'm down for the ride
I have no idea how "sudden technologically advanced demon world" is gonna work out, but shit I'm down for the ride