Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

I doubt we can rely on RL weather data at this point. After all, it's not even been two weeks since Mab's power blanketed the greater Chicago area in snow. The cascade of effects from those butterfly wings flapping could possibly even derail upcoming hurricanes, or create new ones that would have never otherwise existed.

[X] uju32

The weather in Dresdenverse is not analogous to RL since that little snow-scapade was not an isolated incident, people mess with the weather all the time, not just the fey, even wizards and sorcerers can. In fact I think it would be common enough that the science of meteorology would not be as well regarded as in the real world.
 
That is kinda funny, kinda uncomfortable.

Imagine being a meteorologist, having a clear weather pattern, and then Mab gets mad and it snows, or Summer lasts longer than it should because the Winter Knight has been on ice for a few years by now and so the Court is weakened, or Nick tries his latest attempt at ending the world and burning hail is just a minor side-effect, ect...
 
That is kinda funny, kinda uncomfortable.

Imagine being a meteorologist, having a clear weather pattern, and then Mab gets mad and it snows, or Summer lasts longer than it should because the Winter Knight has been on ice for a few years by now and so the Court is weakened, or Nick tries his latest attempt at ending the world and burning hail is just a minor side-effect, ect...

Yeah it is one of the reasons why the masquerade can never quite be airtight on a government level, there are literally centuries of data that do not fit with what should be there and it only gets more and more clear as the instruments get better. One of the most important jobs of the Library of Congress is keeping a lid on that... and as a consequence they have hired quite a few meteorologists with a grudge over the years. :V
 
Yeah it is one of the reasons why the masquerade can never quite be airtight on a government level, there are literally centuries of data that do not fit with what should be there and it only gets more and more clear as the instruments get better. One of the most important jobs of the Library of Congress is keeping a lid on that... and as a consequence they have hired quite a few meteorologists with a grudge over the years. :V
How do people know "what should be"?

If the data is and always was faulty, the conclusions should be too.
The meterological model of the world should be different from that of our world, with a far greater base assumption of chaotic elements in it.

A meteorologist from our world, that has learned our patterns, would assume that something is wrong, but one from Dresden Files can't reach that conclusion.
It's like if gravity worked as it does roughly 90% of the time and the other ten things stayed afloat for a bit, we would have a totally different model of physics, gravitational forces and so on.
 
How do people know "what should be"?

If the data is and always was faulty, the conclusions should be too.
The meterological model of the world should be different from that of our world, with a far greater base assumption of chaotic elements in it.

A meteorologist from our world, that has learned our patterns, would assume that something is wrong, but one from Dresden Files can't reach that conclusion.
It's like if gravity worked as it does roughly 90% of the time and the other ten things stayed afloat for a bit, we would have a totally different model of physics, gravitational forces and so on.

That is s a fair point... still keeping the pissed off meteorologist Librarian character, just without the creeping dread all of his adult life that something is wrong, the revelation will have been much more abrupt.
 
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This is just wrong. Anti-vaccine movement dates back to the first vaccine ever, and has never really disappeared. And, again, vaccines are something that is being put into your body. They are scary to people on a visceral level in a way that various steels aren'
No, you are wrong.
We wiped out smallpox by the late 1970s. Globally. Around the world. At a time when the workings of vaccines were much less understood. We almost wiped out polio.

The idea that its scarier than dying painfully of infectous disease doesnt hold water.

I'd like citations for that, and you could still get stuff like advanced metallurgy from them in this kind of situation.
MoEP Alchemicals p25
While the nature of the Exaltation ritual is such that it is more cost-efficient to bring forth several new Champions at once, it still represents an enormous investment on the part of the Exalt's nation. Not only is the amount of raw magical materials and exotic reagents required to construct
a single Exalt staggering, but because Autochthonia has almost no natural stone deposits, the mixture of rare clays that comprise their flesh are extremely difficult to come by.

MoEP Alchemicals pg 64
THE AUTOCHTHONIAN
ELEMENTALS
The elemental structure of Autochthonia is quite different from that of Creation. Although the processes by which Creation was forged are little understood, even by the gods themselves, it appears that Gaia used the metaphysical
characteristics of her offspring, the Five Elemental Dragons, as building blocks for nearly everything that exists within Creation's borders. Having observed how Creation's elements
interacted, Autochthon resolved to improve upon this process by forging his new world-body from a set of elements more appropriate to his interests and milieu. Eschewing the five elements of Creation (possibly out of fear that including them
would allow Gaia some insight into his future whereabouts and activities), Autochthon crafted six new elementals to serve as the foundation for his world-body: crystal, lightning, metal, oil, smoke and steam. Although a limited population of Terrestrial elementals can be found within Autochthonia
(mainly air and water elementals), they have no elemental poles of their own and are essentially slave labor used to keep Autochthonia inhabitable for its mortal populace.


As a result of Autochthon's choices, the environment of Autochthonia differs dramatically from Creation, especially with regard to its habitability by humans and other life forms.
There is no naturally occurring plant life in Autochthonia, and no arable soil within which imported plant life can grow. Air and water exist, but the air is stale and the water stagnant, and neither would be present in sufficient quanti-
ties to support the Autochthonian people without special filtration systems.
CoCD Autochtonia p8
The living body of Autochthon is a nightmare world of brass, steam, and darkness. There is no sun, nor any central source of artificial light to replace it. Where the Machine God's body is not lightless, it is lit by vast coruscating arcs of electricity, or the roaring flames of the God Furnaces, or the weird glow of luminous minerals. The flesh of the Machine God is brass and steel and raw iron, hard-edged and unforgiving. His anatomy comprises countless miles of tunnels and corridors and crawlspaces, dotted with recessed chambers and foundries and maintenance docks. Sometimes catwalks and open floors make travel easy, but more often braided cables sprawl across the ground, conduits are stapled to walls and
ceilings in thick bundles, brass plugs protrude from the floor to knee-height and valves from the ceiling at eye level, all at irregular intervals. Where it is not dangerously cramped, Autochthonia may open up to reveal cyclopean vistas—iron canyons which stretch for hundreds of miles, vanishing into darkness even under exposure to the most
powerful lamps or anima flares. Open wells may run for leagues, traversable only by narrow stairs built into the walls, or by ladders, or by no obvious means at all, forcing explorers to climb or seek another route.

CoCD Autochtonia p 13
THE ILLUSTRIOUS CONDUCTORS OF
THE CONSECRATED VEINS
Conductors gather nutrients and other raw materials from the conduits that run throughout Autochthonia. They alone know how to properly examine and identify the many strange tubes and veins of the Machine God, and guard these
methods savagely. They are also responsible for maintaining the pneumatic tram networks that connect Autochthonian towns and cities.
Conductors punish infractions against their Sodality with the loss of the ability to manipulate the world, ranging from thin cuts along the fingertips to a period with the hands
encased in locking mittens, ranging up to the amputation of fingers or even entire hands for severe crimes. Their signature color is blue, and their magical material is starmetal.

THE PIOUS HARVESTERS OF
THE HALLOWED FLESH
Harvesters collect and recycle that which has failed—from broken machinery, to trash, to the bodies of the dead.
They are also responsible for removing the soulgems of the dead and returning their souls to the Ewer. In addition to acting as recyclers, Harvesters prepare the nutrient slurry the
Conductors gather, alchemically treating it to add flavor and texture;
as such, they tend to be the Sodality most favored by the Populat, at least as long as the food is good

CoCD Autochtonia p27
FEEDING A NATION
Claslat boasts the largest non-military workforce in Autochthonia, with over 90% of its population directly employed in a production-based sector. A nation as large as Claslat must produce enormous amounts of food in order to meet the demands of its hungry workers. But when it comes to food, production is something of a misnomer.

Like most Autochthonians, the Claslati food stores are stocked by the Harvesters, who carefully tap the nutrient veins throughout Claslat in order to feed her people. In many cases, this food amounts to a mush or paste, generally called slurry, which the workers of Autochthonia eat in great commerce-cathedrals called refectories.Refectories are generally longer than wide, with high, flowing ceilings, and ample lighting. They are considered holy places, and as such are semi-formal environments; workers must wait in line to enter the dining hall.

Outside the hall, they must remain stone silent, in contemplation of Autochthon. As they cross the threshold into the refectory, a customary prayer of thanks to the Maker is spoken. Once inside, the refectory is much like a great cafeteria, with service lines and rows of tables. Here workers may sit where they please and are allowed to converse openly with one another, so long as they maintain a decorum befitting a place that is both holy—a place of communion—but also a place of relaxation.

Autochthonian cuisine may seem bland to the Creation-born, but the Autochthonians have a great interest in their food, especially in Claslat, which is the largest producer and exporter of foods in Autochthonia. Claslat's refectory-technicians—chiefly members of the Harvesters—picked up thaumaturgical food-preparation techniques from Jarishite gourmets hundreds of years ago. These techniques allow Claslati kitcheners to turn the different types of slurry into a variety of foods. One particular procedure converts the nutrients into a grainy flour-like substance which can be used to make several kinds of bread. Another involves hardening a certain kind of slurry over a live flame from one of Autochthon's capillaries until it becomes a greasy jelly that makes a stock for many kinds of soups. Yet another refines multiple different kinds of slurry into a powder and syrup mix that, when baked, becomes a jerky-like substance called kampui, an energizing meat-snack that is immensely popular across
the whole of Autochthonia.

Claslat boasts the largest number of workers devoted strictly to the development and production of slurry into more distinct food substances. There are hundreds of thaumaturgically-produced grains, soups, and even meats, and the Claslati Harvesters have perfected the preparation of these products into practical meals—nutritious, easily prepared, and easy to ship as well as store. Ironically, Claslat exports more processed foods than it actually consumes, with the bulk of its refectories serving mostly basic, lightly-processed mush on six out of seven days of the week, and more elaborate meals on the seventh day and on Autochthonian holidays.

CoCD Autochtonia p108
Foraging (139): This task involves tapping the Great Maker's veins for clean water and nutrient slurry. Failure is automatic without tools (i.e. sharp probes or weapons) and a minimum competency of Survival 2+. Providing for oneself is never automatic; a threshold success must be
allocated to the task. The difficulty depends on proximity to civilization: 1 in a city, 2 in a town, 3 in the Reaches, 4 in the Far Reaches and 5 in the partially-functioning areas of Blight Zones (see p. 120). Characters lacking either Survival 5+ or a specialty in Conduit Tapping (a secret
jealously guarded by the Conductors) suffer a -2 external penalty. In the other Elemental Poles and Blight Zones lacking functional machinery, no functioning conduits may be found and foraging is impossible. Some exceptions exist, such as the limited storage tanks inside whale-refineries
within the Pole of Oil, nourishing settlers who tap them until they run dry. Failure means the character finds nothing useful, but unleashes nothing dangerous

CoCD Autochtonia p111
MINING
As in Creation, resources in the Realm of Brass and Shadow are effectively finite and ever in demand. Cities mine the areas in which they root themselves with their Municipal Charms, securing access to all surrounding deposits of chemicals, magical materials and raw ores from which to
fabricate the miracles that sustain society. Through their hub connections to wide-bore conduits, the patropoli and metropoli can gather resources from caches and reservoirs hundreds or even thousands of miles distant, but the flow of these supplies remains subject to disruption by biotectonic
events, interference by Reaches denizens or any number of other factors too numerous to list.
It always serves the interests of the state to ensure redun-dant supply chains. Accordingly, teams of state-sponsored prospectors routinely venture into the Reaches in search of valuable goods. Sometimes this means personally ferrying
treasure back home. Other times, they must connect to their city's intake currents via delicate conduit splicing, typically guarded and supervised by young Alchemicals.

Gimme a moment to copy and paste.
EDIT
And done.
===
Advanced metallurgy? Even basic material science can be a pain.

The safer, cheaper Kroll Process only completely replaced the more expensive Hunter process for refining titanium in the 1990s, and it(Kroll Process) was invented back in the 1940s. Something being known or possible doesnt mean its commercially viable at that point in time until the rest of the... everything else catches up, from technology to conservative attitudes.

This runs counter to the real world. If it was as you say, no one ever would spend money on developing new technologies.
No it does not.
Very few people or organizations develop technology to uplift society. They do so to solve a problem, or much more often to make money or achieve power and social acclaim. Uplifting society is most often an incidental effect.

We have to take the think into the nevernever to do that.
Not that I'm prepared to say an exact can't take a building for a day trip, but someone might notice.
😁



My favorite genre for the adventures of Molly and Us is this one too. Lots of worries and possible struggles and discussions about real life politics and economics in Yog's path. And I'm not very interested in elevation projects.
^^^
I dont mind uplift quests.
Ive participated in and enjoyed a bunch of them, from Driven By Apathy's late and lamented Gestalt Quest set in Warhammer 40k, to Cerillian's Eclipse Phase/Posleen Quest for the real OG's around here.

Almost all scifi.
And they generally try to avoid real world political analogues for good reason.
Maybe or just noticed that Molly likes Harry even when Thomas is right next. But if it's the first I'll laugh.
Doubt it.
Both because he hasnt known Molly that long, and he's not quite so comfortable with her as to tweak her nose.

And this is what Uju meant by spending. Not to mention that we have to spend AP to get these resources in the first place and then spend even more AP to plan where to spend them and against any interference od the others.
^^^
Worth remembering also that every specific project we are publicly associated with is an additional attack surface for our foes to come at us through, to damage or to distract us. And uplift projects are big, with lots of moving parts, and are often opposing entrenched interests.

Even without the lottery, we can at least buy one of them (my wish is to buy them all, which we are going to do after the lottery), if paid in installments and we can start already the security rituals and then some renovations (us or hire a company) to next time we can have a fortified base ready.

(Not to mention that this way we can take the human child and mother, along with any other human or other of our CoD, in a place under the sky and safe, leaving only guards on the Station and our important magic things like laboratory, prison, armory etc. )

We can choose between The Guyon Hotel and The Strand Hotel since the middle one is my favorite, as it is the biggest and has many amenities, it will be more expensive and it will be better to buy with the prize.
Its doable.
We'll see when we have the money at hand.
 
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Rolling Int 4 + Melee 5 + Excellency 9 + Stunt 2 gives us 20 dice at DC 6 to use it as a weapon against the sniper.
Except no, that's wrong.
She may also grapple or strike her opponents using
telekinesis, using a dice pool of Intelligence + (lower of
Occult and Brawl). These attacks inflict bashing damage,
and the Infernal's current Willpower points total (not per-
manent rating) acts as her effective Strength value.
We have Brawl 0, it's not a key ability. So, total dicepool of 4, and 1s subtract successes.
No it does not.
Very few people or organizations develop technology to uplift society. They do so to solve a problem, or much more often to make money or achieve power and social acclaim. Uplifting society is most often an incidental effect.
And? It's still uplifting society.

EDIT:
No, you are wrong.
We wiped out smallpox by the late 1970s. Globally. Around the world. At a time when the workings of vaccines were much less understood. We almost wiped out polio.

The idea that its scarier than dying painfully of infectous disease doesnt hold water.
Except, again, no. It's just history and facts. Anti-vaccine movement always existed. The question is how much effort was put into vaccination effort, and how many laws and pressures were applied.
 
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The version on the Frontpage just says INT+Occult, so I thought we are getting the homebrewed version?

Not a fan of it personally, but if it's on there, it looks like DP has decided.
No? Different applications. Read below the table:
With 3+ successes, the Infernal can "fly" by moving herself around telekinetically. She may also grapple or strike her opponents using telekinesis, using a dice pool of Intelligence + (lower of Occult and Brawl or Melee). These attacks inflict bashing damage, and the Infernal's Temporary Willpower acts as her effective Strength value.
 
Specifically I let you guys substitute Melee for Brawl (telekinetic chains and the like) so Molly would use Occult.
Ok then

[X] Plan Vader
-[X] All things Betray with Willpower, Occult excellency, Intimidation Excellency, Mind-Hand Manipulation
-[X] Break the rifle, then strangle the sniper, and hold them in place
-[X] Send Harry and Thomas to detain the sniper while you hold them
-[X] Stunt: As the world around you sharpens into near-painful clarity, you step from under the roof of the building and into a wet November snow. Your head rises sharply, and you peer directly down the scope of the rifle you can now clearly discern. This is a message, and one that the you convey clearly with your eyes, face, movement, daring the unfortunate soul to pull the trigger, and knowing that they can't. Not just for fear of you, but because in that instance, you have already seized their weapon, and them besides, an unseen chains forged from your will strangle them, as you slowly, deliberatly lift your hand in their direction, and speak: "Harry, Thomas, there's a pest right there. Would you be so kind to go get them, so we can learn where they came from?".

Difference from uju: no beating them into unconsciousness, intimidation excellency, and trying to stunt in bad weather for BSM. This is all to set up interrogation.
 
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If you guys are going to stunt weather that will not give you the extra dice, just to be clear. It is reasonable that the weather would still be wet and thus get you BSM but making it so uses up your reserves of Rule-of-Cool for the scene, -1 or extra dice not both.
 
And? It's still uplifting society.
Because societal uplift is not the goal, but a side effect. Any improvements done are incidental to the actual purposes.

Except, again, no. It's just history and facts. Anti-vaccine movement always existed. The question is how much effort was put into vaccination effort, and how many laws and pressures were applied.
Again, smallpox.
If the vaccination campaign was not broadly popular, no amount of effort would have achieved anything.

Especially in the developing world.

If you guys are going to stunt weather that will not give you the extra dice, just to be clear. It is reasonable that the weather would still be wet and thus get you BSM but making it so uses up your reserves of Rule-of-Cool for the scene, -1 or extra dice not both.
I'm fine with that.
I'll rather take a -1DC reduction over +2 dice.
 
Again, smallpox.
If the vaccination campaign was not broadly popular, no amount of effort would have achieved anything.

Especially in the developing world.
Here, 2 seconds of google.
Because societal uplift is not the goal, but a side effect. Any improvements done are incidental to the actual purposes.
And? I honestly don't see your argument at all.

Edit: if the ergument is "trying to improve living condition / advance humanity cannot be profitable", I wholeheartedly reject it
 
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And? I honestly don't see your argument at all.

Edit: if the ergument is "trying to improve living condition / advance humanity cannot be profitable", I wholeheartedly reject it
I don't think it is. The point is that there's a minimum buy in to do so in particular ways.

If we want to control and profit from the process that's got costs that need paid, and if you do it right then you get all the wild rewards back.

Just advancing tech without regard to if we are a principle beneficiary doesn't involve those concerns, but it does mean we get less of a slice of the pie and have fewer means to object if people do unpleasant stuff with what we produce.
 
Yeah it is one of the reasons why the masquerade can never quite be airtight on a government level, there are literally centuries of data that do not fit with what should be there and it only gets more and more clear as the instruments get better. One of the most important jobs of the Library of Congress is keeping a lid on that... and as a consequence they have hired quite a few meteorologists with a grudge over the years. :V
I bet there are more than a few disillusioned meteorologists who have just gone completely off the deep end because of weather manipulation shenanigans. The better predictive methods and models become at forecasting regular weather patterns and events, the worse the deviations would seem when someone exerts power to fuck with the system.

I wonder what's more common among them? I can see there being several factions that try to explain the unnatural weather; radical climate change, alien intervention, government weather control experiments, and even glitches in the Matrix. Funnily enough, the "capricious Fey with power to alter the weather at will" theory is probably the least likely to have any adherents.
 
I bet there are more than a few disillusioned meteorologists who have just gone completely off the deep end because of weather manipulation shenanigans. The better predictive methods and models become at forecasting regular weather patterns and events, the worse the deviations would seem when someone exerts power to fuck with the system.

I wonder what's more common among them? I can see there being several factions that try to explain the unnatural weather; radical climate change, alien intervention, government weather control experiments, and even glitches in the Matrix. Funnily enough, the "capricious Fey with power to alter the weather at will" theory is probably the least likely to have any adherents.

Capricious fey, wizards with power over matter and forces, weather working talents like Maria, Black and Jade Court Elder... and of of course dragons as well, can't forget it when the storm is in fact a sentient force of nature and wants to thunder over there instead of over here. :V
 
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Capricious fey, wizards with power over matter and forces, weather working talents like Maria, Black and Jade Court Elder... and of of course dragons as well, can't forget it when the storm is in fact a sentient force of nature and wants to thunder over there instead of over here. :V
So does that mean the Library has a conspiracy theory board somewhere trying to do massive data set analysis on what the supernatural is up to without being obvious about it?

Big Data Divination doesn't care about your wards.
 
Capricious fey, wizards with power over matter and forces, weather working talents like Maria, Black and Jade Court Elder... and of of course dragons as well, can't forget it when the storm is in fact a sentient force of nature and wants to thunder over there instead of over here. :V
Probably some spirits too though no idea how limited to act they are. Gods too obviously but its probably only in specific circumstances since you know highly restricted.
 
Again, smallpox.
If the vaccination campaign was not broadly popular, no amount of effort would have achieved anything.

Or, you know, people could have been forced to get vaccinated, like what happened, in fact.

But anyway, Yog is discussing an uplift plan and I really have no idea why it is even a problem, staying at the level we're at because it's the level we were at is a sentiment that I would love to see eradicated, and if we need to pull them up kicking and screaming all the way I say let them, but we're not stopping for them.
 
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This sniper is very likely mortal, guessing from his 5 dice for hiding and the fact that we are expecting mortals to be the problem.
We already know that a lesser skinwalker is better than that and most Whampires with decent DEX and a little bit Celerity should be too.

We don't need to go all out or show of a new power here, just fly over fast.
 
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