fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Only if Peabody is himself a creature of darkness.
Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
He should be, but doesn't actually matter. "I an tell if someone is a servant of Outsiders at a glance" is a factually true statement that would pass any and all truth check spells (because we have the Crown), but doesn't actually expose the Crown.
EDIT: If we are dealing with fae, we need to be able to tell fae truths.
We lack the ability to do any of that.
We dont know what Fomor magic typically looks like.
Rhys the Ragged looked physically nothing like a Fomor cantrev-lord from canon, and he barely used magic.
A sample size of one is insufficient to generalize to an entire society.
And even if we hid our personal involvement? We would still lack the ability to force the Red Court to go to war with the Fomor.
If by some miracle they thought the assassination was the fault of the Fomor, the ball would be in their court to choose to take military action. If they declined to act, it ends there. If they put off acting for ten or fifty years, it does us no good.
And frankly, our ability to keep information leaking out of the White Council is nonexistent.
Remember that we havent seen a Fomor yet.
We've seen human Pathfinder minions, and whatever the fuck the fomorach Rhys the Ragged was supposed to be. Fomor cantrev lords are very tall humanoids, and have features resembling frog men. We havent even seen any of their trusted human servitors.
1) We only activated shintai in Cleveland in the shielded basement of the nursing home.
You know, the place that was supposed to have enough warding to hide them fiddling with the prison of a not!Ishvara god-monster.
Turns out that acting outside the magical equivalent of a shielded bunker is obvious to magical senses.
2)The White Council detected Molly opening a gate in Chicago from Edinburgh, and diviners in North America dreamed dreams of the Brass Courts the same night. The Merlin could tell from Edinburgh when Mab raised a local storm in Chicago during Halloween as a distraction.
Lydia could hear Molly from across the city when she was exorcising Maeve, and Lydia does not have great magic senses.
3)Not to mention that the Fomor, who you are proposing to frame for this, have no known capability for mid-air intercepts on this scale. OR weather manipulation. They are an amphibious/aquatic nation that lives in aquatic portions of the NeverNever. Weather has never been a concern of theirs.
You're essentially trying to do the magic version of framing a Chinese warship for the destruction of a convoy in the middle of the Sahara.
4)And because they have a longtime presence in the setting and dealings with each other, the Red Court will actually know what Fomor magic looks like.
Much better than we do.
5) The Red Court know what our magic looks like.
De Leon and his Blood Packs were there in Cleveland when we dealt with Rhys the Ragged, and they had at least one sorcerer with them. The Reds will recognize our shit.
Respectfully, you are getting carried away by wishful thinking
And expecting everything else to cooperate with your wishes.
Let me count just the different forms of divination and remote surveillance we've seen in canon:
- Ulsharavas the atemporal oracular spirit in Death Masks, who is one of many, and who was able to deliver the full script of a prophecy after agents of Hell had fucked with the original message.
- Chaunzaggoroth the demon information broker from Hell in Grave Peril.
- "Lydia" the female practitioner with a gift for prophecy(Cassandra's Tears) in Grave Peril.
- Odin and his...everything in Changes.
- Rashid and his ability to view potential futures in Turn Coat.
- The Mothers and their ability to view futures in Cold Days.
- Mab's scrying in Small Favor.
- Dresden's scrying in White Night.
- Cowl's ability to scry and astral project in White Night
- Victor Sells' scrying+astral projection in Storm Front.
- Molly's psychometry/postcognition of Jessica Blanche's murder in White Night.
- Anduriel and his ability to hear shit going on in the shadows of others in Skin Game.
- All the people in Changes who suddenly started having prophetic dreams when Dresden genocided the Red Court in Changes.
Thats just the ones we see mentioned onscreen. I daresay there's stuff I dont recall, or which hasnt been mentioned in the setting yet.
===
This is a land that has had a major Red Court presence, if not rule, since before Cortez came to the New World.
They have had more or less a free hand to harvest choice human practitioners with useful talents from the local population for decades, if not centuries. They could even have a knockoff Little Mexico, the way Dresden has Little Chicago.
We arent pulling off an assassination of the Red King's daughter and hiding our involvement in their own backyard.
If nothing else, Seeker will troll us by making it known that he helped.
HIS reputation certainly benefits from being known as nothing to fuck with, even if your daddy is the high muckey muck of a significant supernatural state.
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Parallel construction - Wikipedia
The NSA showed the way.
This has always been the plan for how to use the Crown.
Ok, let me amend my statement: forcing Red Court to make war on Pathfinders, which will likely result in their backers getting involved, is more beneficial to us than getting recognition for the hit.
Pathfinders were described as an "old enemy" of Red Court - they have clashed before.
First of all, that thing wasn't an Ishvara. Ishvara are beings that duel Unconquered Sun and come out of it unbroken:
Ink Monkeys, chapter 8 "The fair folk", pages 86-87:
Secondly, ok, the time we used shintai to break the WIll of Kakuri would have been noticed by everyone in the city. We see no evidence of that at all.
The act of Becoming is far more magically significant than shintai activation. I'll give you a counter-example - when we god-forged Bane, giving birth to a minor, but real god through the same mystical mechanisms that gave birth to Creation itself... no one noticed at all.
Lydia is mystically connected to Molly, not just in a doylist sense of being designated our circlemate, but in watsonian sense too, as evidenced by her advancing in essence levels together with Molly.
... We lied to him, you remember that, right? There was no actual betrayal from Red Court. His reputation would be that of an oathbreaker and a gullible fool easily led on by a pretty girl.
- Location
- Norway
I think the plan goes something like this:
Molly gives Harry a tip-off saying it's from information sources she'd rather not spread around (Harry knows about the Crown and can probably infer it, but don't say it)
Harry passes this on to the Merlin, saying "Molly has information sources she wants to keep secret, but tells us to check the ink for ourself"
The Merlin is competent enough to understand other people having secrets, also appreciates a tip where he doesn't need to trust people, he can check it personally
The Merlin checks Peabody's ink and finds it's laced with mental manipulation stuff, probably handles Peabody in a better way than calling him out around manipulated people.
Possibly there should be some more safety steps in here like inviting the Merlin to do a ritual to clear himself of mental influence, but I think the general idea is sound, we establish that Molly has information sources without needing to reveal the Crown (leave ambiguous whether it's magic or people or even looting Arianna's dossiers) and questions to Harry get a "Molly told me".
Personally I'd rather not claim to have tortured people.
We just need to know what evidence of treachery exists.
That sounds great in theory, but in practice it requires things we probably don't want to deal with.
The senior council trusts Peabody, and an internal accusation is different than an external one. They could very well still investigate, but messing with their internal operations isn't going to be taken well.
They don't want to offend us, but turnabout is fair play. If we start meddling in the affairs of wizards they'll start meddling in ours.
They're going to want to know how we learned this information, and if it means we're hip deep in their business already. If we won't tell them they'll go looking.
Using Harry as a go between is basically less than worthless if he cites us as a source without a narrative to it, because it doesn't change that equation and it requires him to play politics with authority figures he doesn't get along with.
We'd also probably be causing Dresden a lot of problems. Even if he can avoid giving our secrets away, which is a toss up because everyone here is nearly supernaturally stubborn, I doubt his ability to hide the fact that he knows something if pressed.
Which turns this into another point of contention between Harry and the council, but this time it's him protecting a secret for an external power that is directly related to topics that have killed hundreds of wizards and could be lethal to the organization as a whole.
Not that they'd necessarily suspect us, or fail to understand the difficulties of Harry's position here, but they'll remember how he jumped nonetheless.
A good narrative to go with the information helps because it gives cover from those issues. It doesn't have to be perfect, just plausible enough that they can fill in the blanks with more typical secrets that aren't worth the trouble of immediately digging into.
I'm not necessarily against involving Harry here, just to tying a letter to his leg like a carry pigeon and sending him off without cover for either of us.
Vote closed
I have to ask - how was Peabody discovered in canon?
Arc 9 Post 18: Skating By
Skating By
20th of November 2006 A.D.
It's Monday, it's a schoolday and today I'm going to Mexico, even though I've have never been any closer to Mexico than hearing the Elvis song on the radio, even though I don't know enough Spanish to get through a traffic stop. Goodbye grey Chicago skies hello sunny Ciudad de México, goodbye dad a call away, hello demon who kidnapped my friends two days ago and that's all the help you'll get . All though English and first period you do not talk to Izzy and Alec at all and you tell yourself that it's for secrecy's sake, that it's for their own good. That's not why you drop your eyes. They think it's over, they think it's done, like turning the last page of a comic book, Alec talking about grav-ball, Izzy teasingly asking if you're going to need a consort now that you are a queen.
Regained All Essence -> Now at 15/15
Regained 1 Willpower -> Now at 8/9
The walls are getting thinner, the worlds you had neatly stacked apart in miles and in minutes they are shuffling together like cards in the dealers hands. What does it matter that you have no fate when they do? What does it matter than you can stand up to the monsters of the world when they can't? You won't be here tomorrow if something bad happens, and if it doesn't there will be other days, there will be other times you'll have to go make IFV for Odin or talk in front of the White Council...
Bottles of hawk blood, sapphire and skull cap mushrooms blended and bespelled jostle in your bag as some guy Jim, Jared, Joe? Something like that... As some J guy bumps into you in the hall on purpose because he's been reading some book or another about 'body language' and he wants to gouge if you're into him without taking the risk of opening his mouth to ask.
He flinches at the touch of ice-cold skin.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." you say ruefully, he flushes with embarrassment. "Say you're a tech guy right, they are having trouble getting the projector to work over in Mrs. Huntington's Civics class. You know how she is if that thing doesn't get fixed pronto those poor kids are getting a pop quiz."
Lost 2 Essence (Empathy and Subterfuge Excellencies) -> Now at 13/15
And just like that he's on a new track, a little happier, a little more self-confident, a lot less likely to to try to get to know girls by bowling them over. Who knows, maybe he'll even make a new friend there.
Clippy rings, it's mom, you'd know even without the ringtone, she's still not happy with you going alone, even though she knows all the reasons dad can't come, all the reasons she can't... even all the reasons Harry can't come and hadn't it been a surprise when she suggested that last night.
'Molly you are barely eighteen.'
Her math's not wrong, but is she right when you can just do that? A few words and a smile and you can move people like pawns, without them knowing, without them feeling more than a hint of chill.
Chapalu had bowed low to you last night, as low perhaps as feline pride allowed, he had taken the envelope and though he quaked at the name upon it he pledged to see it passed on. Mab did not answer but her daughter did. Maeve, Lady Winter herself had pledges to hold the paths of Winter against any Intrusion that 'might' happen. According to the old malk she had not come to say so in person because she would prefer that upon second meeting she would have the chance to offer you the blood of common foes.
"Hello," you try not to make the word a sigh, but she does not make it easy when she asks if you have antivenom. Like you would forget that.
Granted you are still miffed that Harry would not take payment for the stuff. 'It's war expenses, I'll bill the Council,' he said at last, supremely stubborn. Well alright then you will hold him to that.
Gained
- 5 Doses of Speed
- 3 Doses of Vampiric Antivenom
How do you travel?
[] Take the plane normally, the Red Court might be watching but there's only so much they can guess from your destination
[] Take the Ways, Broken Seeker knows them well
[] Use Rendered Villain Dispersal, fast and safe, but the more you use it the more likely someone is to guess something like this exists
[] Write in
OOC: I went a bit experimental with the order of actions here, both to speed up the flow of the quest and to give some sense of how Molly is feeling after the emotional wringer she has been though over the last few days.
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Rolls
Reading
Redirecting
Getting a cat to play messenger (Maeve's offer is all her, not roll dependent)
Getting Harry to take payment vs... damn he really did not want to
Alchemy in a freezer with a magic gun programed to shoot Molly is she left too early
Reading
Redirecting
Getting a cat to play messenger (Maeve's offer is all her, not roll dependent)
Getting Harry to take payment vs... damn he really did not want to
Alchemy in a freezer with a magic gun programed to shoot Molly is she left too early
- Location
- washington
Maybe we should bring some toxic stuff in case we want regen?
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
I wish would could have acquired or crafted some flash-bangs, some grenades, and maybe a claymore mine. You never know when explosives might come in handy.
As for how we should travel, RVD all the way. One of the reasons we got the power was for fast travel, and now is a perfect time to use it. It's near instant, avoids muggle delays and observation, and doesn't rely on Broken Seeker or the Ways.
[X] Use Rendered Villain Dispersal, fast and safe, but the more you use it the more likely someone is to guess something like this exists
-[X] Bring along a water bottle of bleach in our backpack, along with whatever other essentials we decide to carry, such as holy water and potions.
As for how we should travel, RVD all the way. One of the reasons we got the power was for fast travel, and now is a perfect time to use it. It's near instant, avoids muggle delays and observation, and doesn't rely on Broken Seeker or the Ways.
[X] Use Rendered Villain Dispersal, fast and safe, but the more you use it the more likely someone is to guess something like this exists
-[X] Bring along a water bottle of bleach in our backpack, along with whatever other essentials we decide to carry, such as holy water and potions.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
We only need to bring a penny pack of bleach to put into any small glass of water given that we can hide in a teacup. I just assumed that Molly always has a small penny pack with her. Bringing a whole water bottle seems like too much load.
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- Location
- washington
This okay with everyone else or dp to just say we have this?
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
I am now imagining Molly being searched by a cop and having to explain that the tiny pack of white powder on her is bleach.
"I like to deal with stains quickly."
"I like to deal with stains quickly."
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[X] Use Rendered Villain Dispersal, fast and safe, but the more you use it the more likely someone is to guess something like this exists
Secrecy adds value to RVD, but even if it's not a secret, it remains an untraceable and unblockable instant global transport magic. If we force our enemies to move offshore deep inland for fear of instant infernal interrupt, that's a win.
Secrecy adds value to RVD, but even if it's not a secret, it remains an untraceable and unblockable instant global transport magic. If we force our enemies to move offshore deep inland for fear of instant infernal interrupt, that's a win.
- Location
- Who knows?
Does Molly know enough about Way travel to try and make it plausibly deniable she used them to travel instead of instant water teleport?
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
This is one of those instances where being new on the supernatural scene comes in handy. People don't know what we can do, and even when they think they have a handle on it, we regularly surprise them with a new power, so it shouldn't be more than mildly surprising that we can get to Mexico City on short notice.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
Just tried to think of ways someone might try to go about blocking it. First thing that comes to mind is poisoning the water which backfires.
[X] Use Rendered Villain Dispersal, fast and safe, but the more you use it the more likely someone is to guess something like this exists
COMMENTARY
-Molly needs a full action next turn just spending time with family and friends.
-Pity we forgot to make a couple health potions. On the other hand, they might be off the shelf in the Brass Courts.
-Molly needs to spend a couple hours in Mexico beforehand.
IIRC, Arianna is supposed to be flying from Mexico City to Leon, Guanjanuato.
Then spend some time recovering spent Essence.
Call it 30 minutes to regen in bleach, and 30 minutes time running around.