From Genesis (Riot God Quest)
- Thread starter Mannan
- Start date
[ ] Dragon's Tear: A orange flower with a golden center grown mostly in the celestial realm. Notably it has some minor void repelling capabilities. When mixed with wisp weed it creates a golden liquid that when consumed results in the drinker being granted a shield of light with similar properties to the first sun.
Holy shit that was a little too much welp time to try to make this setting a bit more happy like maybe start making a Being who is the messiah for all and being peace to the world
Show of hands, who's on board with a plan for drastic action to make the universe not a hellhole?
[-] Local Maximizers
The world is ending- this is not true. And yet, the void encroaches, evil reigns and there is nowhere truly safe from its touch, and as the gods play games and the desolation of all things comes ahead, it feels all so real, so easy to believe that the end is nigh. Then, perhaps now is the time for the lesson to be learned for the first time, but not the last time- that desperation can make miracles happen.
From the plasmids, a strange development comes about; a number of them are afflicted by a mysterious 'sickness'. Their bodies, already nothing but Light self-contained, wither and decay, until nothing at all remains- and yet they do not die, but instead, live on through the 'sickness' itself. But what is this disease? In reality, it is nothing but existential dread and stress itself, borne of some instinctive knowledge that they are ever more endangered. Yet the infection became real, like a trick of the Light, and though it is now without life, it is also now without death; immortal, yet evolved. So they're born- the terrible things named 'Maximizers'.
To describe them simply, they are volatile and corruptive information, which propagates through no specific medium. They are able to embed themselves into any kind of matter or energy- so long as it is dense enough in information capacity to carry a rudimentary self-description; the most simplistic Maximizer can fit into something the size of a Goblin's tooth. Maximizers are each separately fixated on a different subject which has the potential of stochastic deviation, and always consciously differentiated from any other Maximizer it comes into contact with; for example, a particular kind of shape or color. Their prime directive, the overriding drive of whatever accounts for a mind that they have, is to reach a local maximum of this function within their immediate surroundings by any means necessary.
However, there is one goal that all Maximizers share, one invisible to themselves even as they copy it into each subsequent generation when they reproduce, the very reason they reproduce at all when it serves them no particular advantage in achieving their individual goals; Maximizers have a collective will to preserve and expand the possibilities of the future. This is the core motivation behind their behavior, and the logic which surreptitiously coordinates their actions as a group. They all work towards maximizing the number of unique potential outcomes for the world without locking into any specific result- prolonging the status quo equilibrium of the universe and their own survival.
Maximizers have a characteristic ability to read and edit the data which constitutes their being at high speed, and through this act of self-reinterpretation, to alter the material or energetic substrate which they occupy. There is a limit to this- though they can reproduce any kind of material properties, and even innovate outright supernatural qualities, they're unable to surpass the barrier of information density or processing speed that their medium imposes onto them. Biology is highly efficient as an information storage and transmission medium, for example, capable of tremendously variable and potent transformations- however, almost any other would be inferior to some degree or another; comparatively, the adamant of the Spike is the highest efficiency medium for processing speed. These are parameters which the Maximizers cannot directly change on their own.
Their reproductive capacity is absurd, being as simple and easy for them as communicating their data into another space. They are able to move in any direction freely as information; as long as there is something with which they can make contact with- such that information can be transferred- they can travel through that, using it as a direct connection. While moving by this mechanism, they can and will reproduce, doing so by leaving behind copies of themselves as they travel, filling every place they go with more of themselves, spreading like a virus.
[-] Local Maximizers
The world is ending- this is not true. And yet, the void encroaches, evil reigns and there is nowhere truly safe from its touch, and as the gods play games and the desolation of all things comes ahead, it feels all so real, so easy to believe that the end is nigh. Then, perhaps now is the time for the lesson to be learned for the first time, but not the last time- that desperation can make miracles happen.
From the plasmids, a strange development comes about; a number of them are afflicted by a mysterious 'sickness'. Their bodies, already nothing but Light self-contained, wither and decay, until nothing at all remains- and yet they do not die, but instead, live on through the 'sickness' itself. But what is this disease? In reality, it is nothing but existential dread and stress itself, borne of some instinctive knowledge that they are ever more endangered. Yet the infection became real, like a trick of the Light, and though it is now without life, it is also now without death; immortal, yet evolved. So they're born- the terrible things named 'Maximizers'.
To describe them simply, they are volatile and corruptive information, which propagates through no specific medium. They are able to embed themselves into any kind of matter or energy- so long as it is dense enough in information capacity to carry a rudimentary self-description; the most simplistic Maximizer can fit into something the size of a Goblin's tooth. Maximizers are each separately fixated on a different subject which has the potential of stochastic deviation, and always consciously differentiated from any other Maximizer it comes into contact with; for example, a particular kind of shape or color. Their prime directive, the overriding drive of whatever accounts for a mind that they have, is to reach a local maximum of this function within their immediate surroundings by any means necessary.
However, there is one goal that all Maximizers share, one invisible to themselves even as they copy it into each subsequent generation when they reproduce, the very reason they reproduce at all when it serves them no particular advantage in achieving their individual goals; Maximizers have a collective will to preserve and expand the possibilities of the future. This is the core motivation behind their behavior, and the logic which surreptitiously coordinates their actions as a group. They all work towards maximizing the number of unique potential outcomes for the world without locking into any specific result- prolonging the status quo equilibrium of the universe and their own survival.
Maximizers have a characteristic ability to read and edit the data which constitutes their being at high speed, and through this act of self-reinterpretation, to alter the material or energetic substrate which they occupy. There is a limit to this- though they can reproduce any kind of material properties, and even innovate outright supernatural qualities, they're unable to surpass the barrier of information density or processing speed that their medium imposes onto them. Biology is highly efficient as an information storage and transmission medium, for example, capable of tremendously variable and potent transformations- however, almost any other would be inferior to some degree or another; comparatively, the adamant of the Spike is the highest efficiency medium for processing speed. These are parameters which the Maximizers cannot directly change on their own.
Their reproductive capacity is absurd, being as simple and easy for them as communicating their data into another space. They are able to move in any direction freely as information; as long as there is something with which they can make contact with- such that information can be transferred- they can travel through that, using it as a direct connection. While moving by this mechanism, they can and will reproduce, doing so by leaving behind copies of themselves as they travel, filling every place they go with more of themselves, spreading like a virus.
Oh no, there are plenty of swarmlings left, its just that all the Swarmlings in the Spike and in the Sky are dead. The other swarmlings are around the mouth of the Void.
Swarmlings are the type that if you leave just 1 they will multiply extremely fast, so it is pretty obvious if they are around.
It is actually after I tried to lower the amount of destruction caused. The reason it is late compared to the previous two updates was that I had to spend all of yesterday just trying to find justification as to why half the species did not outright die.
So many acts compounded on each other or hobbled any of my IC means of limiting the destruction and misfortune so I fudged things a little in the background.
As an example the Thassalians were meant to die. Reaching the Gnomish Exodus in time should normally be impossible let alone knowing about it.
MangoFlan
Cold... I feel cold...
Just skimmed the update, and the frick is happening. I need to thoroughly read it, but I'm not very happy with what's going on. I'm scrapping my plans for the next turn and start writing up a new one.
I'm not sure what to do. I'd like to involve Jarnvidr, but much of my ideas does not involve him. I have the Sun Spark and the Yarn Invaders.
I don't quite understand. They are a neat creature but how do they help?
It's a nanotechnology swarm, in universe a better Swarmlings that instead of consuming have the idea of basically creating more materials.
Edit: I think that basically what it is.
They are designed to function as a large scale world and life preservation mechanism, by way of maximizing the universe's probabilistic survival function. They're the opposite of a homogenizing swarm, they instead maximize diversity and create new potential development paths.
They're intended to cause a minor reality restructuring event when they come into existence, spreading everywhere and organizing stuff to both make it much harder for a comprehensive annihilation of everything to happen, and variate the number of avenues there are for the future so the people aren't pigeonholed into a single conclusion.
Edit:
More like Artificial Intelligence in the Matrix. It's a security program for existence, basically.
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So a record that's really hard to erase?
Edit: To be frank I'm kinda dumb. Can you tell me the effects rather then the method.
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So the Last City stands alone in the dark as the Nightmare Lord looks upon their walls and hungers for his armies innumerable and his power almost dream like. The city the last bastion of Gnomes, Elementals and Thessalian's is all that remains of the kinder ages and from it comes a fire, a fire for not just a last stand but reclamation. Among all the despair, fear and anger there is still hope and it burns brighter then ever for a hero died to save this city and their sacrifice will not be forgotten.
Ethea's Flame it came to be known for upon where she died was a flame that burnt seemingly the power of the dark and terrifying it drove them away but it was weak when it was born. It would have been crushed if not for the hands of the mortal survivors in the great city a powerful flame of divine protection, powered by the emotions of the city to live on. With every life in the city feeding it with time every desire to see a new tomorrow, to see the children running in the home, to build something new.
The flame grew in size and power, it light casting itself upon the city and further it very presence burning the cities enemies for it was anthem to them in it nature. It size from a tiny little torch grew for they found that every mortal who perished in the defence of all those who lived made their own flame and with it joined to the greater one. It would tower over the city and cast a splendent shadow of flame the people would realised that Ethea's Flame had more to offer. For the flame would not harm the mortal people and they could carry it with them upon their weapons or their torches and it would fight the darkness that threatened to engulf them. Even the smaller flames carved of the greater one burnt with it power and they defied the influence of the dark and terrifying pushing them back with the glorious light.
A weapon against Nightmare and Dark handed to them by unknowable will for a brighter day.
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Uhhh, not-really-a-TLDR: Local Maximizers. Maybe this explanation will be more clear on what they're meant to do.
They're Virtual Lifeforms which appear to have the basic function of maximizing random shit like Paperclips in their immediate surroundings. Their abilities are an extremely high rate of propagation and a self editing mechanism which allows them to change their own programming; goal drift is possible at random.
However, they're guided by an impulse which they themselves are unaware of that drives them to deviate from their programming- the preservation of distinct possibilities across all of reality. This instinct for maximization of universal potential thus coordinates their actions as a collective, causing deviations to occur individually in order to avoid similarities between their goals when in close proximity, pushing their movements and actions in specific directions, ect.
They would begin by spreading at an exponential rate in all directions, creating hundreds of thousands of little pockets of existence where their chosen concepts reign, to the point that it might look like utter chaos. However, this chaos would be both controlled and directed, to the ends of expanding the possibility set for reality as a whole and to reduce the likelihood of total annihilation by as much as the collective is able to achieve.
They would probably eventually stop spreading, because they would calculate that their assimilation of all existence would actually reduce the set of novel outcomes and the overall likelihood of the universe surviving. Likewise, they would probably end up going out of their way to preserve other forms of intelligent life, because they are capable of unique things Maximizers are explicitly incapable of on their own, and some Maximizers would probably have such lifeforms as their especial objects of interest as well.
o ok so the void has plenty of minions in the void dragons and swarmlings one had quantity the other quality
Though I have to wonder how you think this can help against another situation like what happened this turn?
I don't believe anything I could come up with could help in a situation where two different high level apocalyptic acts are passed at once with no counterbalancing agent against them.
But, in my mind, I assumed that having a greater to nigh-endless number of places for people to go, resources for them to exploit, and intelligent and non-malicious powers for them to entreat and cooperate with, would hopefully help them fend for their own lives more easily. I don't believe this would singly deal with the Void or the Nightmare Lord exactly, but I do think that it would work in concert with various mortal empowerments to make it a much more open-ended question what could happen in any situation that comes up. Solutions to problems would be more easily innovated and spread once available.
Like, yeah, it's probably not going to fist fight the embodiment of the concept of death or anything like that. Maybe I could make an adjustment so that the Maximizer collective accounts for a growing conceptual weight as it agglomerates countless different minor eclectic aspects disassociated from any specific Primordials. But if no one else creates such an act this turn, one that directly resists the influence of the Void and Nightmare, I'd be surprised- and whatever other stuff people come up with should work together with the Maximizers to some extent.
Would this not also partially empower the opposing concepts as it generates infinite technically resources for them to abuse and use?
Like Void and Nightmare are both still around and their existence and influence is expansive. The entire Spire is almost all their and so it the remnants of the Earth/Sea which would only leave the Sky untouched.
So unless it only generating for the Sky would that not leave more for them in everything else?
Void isn't a fan of existence so it isn't an issue but I'm not sure about nightmare. However nightmare does exist in the dream which doesn't really connect to the regular realm that well.
I'm not sure how much nightmare would be able to effect that/gain utility from it.
MangoFlan
Cold... I feel cold...
[~] The Gearborn
Even though the Great Machine had risen from the Darkness of the Dream, more pieces of machinery still rise from the ocean of gloom. Gears, bolts, spindles, and the like, arise from the Darkness, to become part of the Great Machine or to become the Gearborn, monsters of yarn and machinery.
The Gearborn are not alive in the traditional sense. They have no soul or mind. They do not sleep or dream. What they have is their heartgear. The heartgear is a of machinery that arose from the Darkness, and it serves as their facsimile soul. It is what gives them animacy and agency. Should they lose it, their body would unravel, and should it be destroyed, it shall disperse into formless darkness, to return to the Dream.
Mystical Yarns are the fibers of their flesh. They weave it into tissue, sinew, and organs. Their memory and skills are stored in rope. They have natural affinity towards Mystical Yarn, giving them easy time manipulating and weaving Mystical Yarn.
Gearborn possess the innate desire to become part of the Great Machine, to expand and improve it. They desire to protect it and hide it from those that may defile it. It is, in effect, their patron deity. They shall create a kingdom for themselves in the Dream and stand in opposition of the Nightmare Lord.
(Yeah. No. The Nightmare Lord is a Universal Act. Scrap that.)
[~] The Sun Spark
It had seen the devastation wrought upon their home, sundering the Earth. It had seen its mother cry, being torn by the jaws of the Void. It bore witness to the sky grow dim as its celestial brethren were snuffed out. Though they were curst to be forever apart from their mother, it was content in the thought that their mother, Pyralis, would always be in the sky and the earth would be always beneath their feet, but after witnessing Armageddon, it felt an all-encompassing rage.
Unfair! It cried. The universe was unfair. The Void takes and takes and takes. Their freedom, their kin, their home, their mother. It sickens it. It seethes. It boils. It rages. No longer will the Void take!
It sought Jarnvidr, a crafter of renown, and commissioned them to craft claws and teeth that could drive back, if not destroy, the Void.
A Spark ignites within the stone dragon. It rises to the sky in a great column of light. It shines so bright, it was like the second coming of the Primordial Sun. Its flesh falls away, laying bare the raging plasma underneath, and its still-glowing scales fall to the earth, forever to remain incandescent with its unending rage.
The Sun Spark immortalizes its rage against the Void. It becomes a Sun, imbuing all those bathed in its light defiance and strength against the Void and those that desire to shackle them.
Even though the Great Machine had risen from the Darkness of the Dream, more pieces of machinery still rise from the ocean of gloom. Gears, bolts, spindles, and the like, arise from the Darkness, to become part of the Great Machine or to become the Gearborn, monsters of yarn and machinery.
The Gearborn are not alive in the traditional sense. They have no soul or mind. They do not sleep or dream. What they have is their heartgear. The heartgear is a of machinery that arose from the Darkness, and it serves as their facsimile soul. It is what gives them animacy and agency. Should they lose it, their body would unravel, and should it be destroyed, it shall disperse into formless darkness, to return to the Dream.
Mystical Yarns are the fibers of their flesh. They weave it into tissue, sinew, and organs. Their memory and skills are stored in rope. They have natural affinity towards Mystical Yarn, giving them easy time manipulating and weaving Mystical Yarn.
Gearborn possess the innate desire to become part of the Great Machine, to expand and improve it. They desire to protect it and hide it from those that may defile it. It is, in effect, their patron deity. They shall create a kingdom for themselves in the Dream and stand in opposition of the Nightmare Lord.
(Yeah. No. The Nightmare Lord is a Universal Act. Scrap that.)
[~] The Sun Spark
It had seen the devastation wrought upon their home, sundering the Earth. It had seen its mother cry, being torn by the jaws of the Void. It bore witness to the sky grow dim as its celestial brethren were snuffed out. Though they were curst to be forever apart from their mother, it was content in the thought that their mother, Pyralis, would always be in the sky and the earth would be always beneath their feet, but after witnessing Armageddon, it felt an all-encompassing rage.
Unfair! It cried. The universe was unfair. The Void takes and takes and takes. Their freedom, their kin, their home, their mother. It sickens it. It seethes. It boils. It rages. No longer will the Void take!
It sought Jarnvidr, a crafter of renown, and commissioned them to craft claws and teeth that could drive back, if not destroy, the Void.
A Spark ignites within the stone dragon. It rises to the sky in a great column of light. It shines so bright, it was like the second coming of the Primordial Sun. Its flesh falls away, laying bare the raging plasma underneath, and its still-glowing scales fall to the earth, forever to remain incandescent with its unending rage.
The Sun Spark immortalizes its rage against the Void. It becomes a Sun, imbuing all those bathed in its light defiance and strength against the Void and those that desire to shackle them.
- Location
- A Pit Of My Own Making
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ngl, I'm a bit peeved everything seems to be going bad. Stuff like the goddess of dreams dying before really even doing anything, or the Void just sucking everything up. It's kinda disheartening.
They do have that snail army which the largest most populos people so they would be able to take advantage of it most effectively.
Hmm we could resurrect the goddess with another face? Her domain as life still exists we could ferry her to Prysalis?
Aye, at least everything managed to hold on until the end of the age. Plus with the spike city and the 4 elemental gods rebuilding is possible. We just need to smack down the problems.
Also would you mind using an act to deal with the fate weavers, we've got good acts against the void and the nightmare.
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- Location
- A Pit Of My Own Making
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ngl I don't know who you mean