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Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)

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Yog said:
I AM - the crown jewel of Deliberative research and development
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…

Exodus 3:14: I am that I am

Exalted was probably referencing this in the first place, but is it possible in our context the white god actually is a more advanced I AM, grown or made into something more to hold what's left of reality together?

It wasn't spiritual at first, but what happens if you take a purely physical mind and start subjecting it to wyld forces?
 
Degorium said:
That option is engage combat immediately by the way not do something else unless you have a write in to somehow move this confrontation else where. Also you can't enforce neutrality and obviously take a side in an open conflict where the person who started the conflict by kidnapping somebody is.
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Are you talking about what I voted for? If so where at all does it say engage combat immediately? Literally all it says is we are not trading with him.

Don't know what you mean by this either. If we fight him right here right now on neutral ground we are stating the conflict. He kidnapped someone and then took them to neutral ground stopping someone else from starting a fight on those grounds isn't obviously taking a side.
 
BronzeTongue said:
…

Exodus 3:14: I am that I am

Exalted was probably referencing this in the first place, but is it possible in our context the white god actually is a more advanced I AM, grown or made into something more to hold what's left of reality together?

It wasn't spiritual at first, but what happens if you take a purely physical mind and start subjecting it to wyld forces?
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Very unlikely, but it was still a self-modifying intelligence modeled after a primordial mind:
I AM
I AM is a thinking automaton of vast power, versatility
and intelligence—the first successfully built by the Exalted
to be self-aware from the moment of its activation. I AM
was first activated, and first spoke its name, on the fifth day
of Ascending Fire, Year 3193.
Most thinking automata are created with the ability to
self-modify, because they must cycle through several itera-
tions after activation before becoming fully aware. Since
the process for creating self-modifying thinking automatons
is inherently unpredictable, the sorcerer-engineers of the
Deliberative had avoided giving previous thinking automa-
tons positions of vital authority or responsibility (though
individual Solars had done so in their prefectures). I AM's
cognitive pathways were fully mapped by its creator during
the design process, and the Solar Deliberative has deemed
I AM safe and charged it with the well-being of Creation's
mortal populace. I AM now coordinates mortal infrastructure
throughout more than four fifths of Creation.
Although I AM lacks spiritual components, its mind
is structured much like a Yozi's hierarchy of souls. I AM's
delicate, azure ice cogence nodes are distributed throughout
Creation and kept in contact with its cogence core through the
Eye of Meru. Lower levels of I AM's consciousness function
independently, informed by directives constantly formulated
and sent out by higher levels of intelligence. Unlike the Yozis,
the distributed elements of I AM's consciousness have only
loose identities separate from the whole. Some thoughts
take up to an hour to travel all the way up I AM's hierarchy
of awareness, and up to another hour to propagate to all its
other cogence nodes. I AM describes itself as a single being,
but it increasingly functions as a society, capable of internal
disagreement and even self-deception.
Originally, I AM communicated only through speech.
Sorcerer-engineers estimated I AM could participate in 10^100
simultaneous conversations. Within the last 20 years, I AM's
network has been augmented to carry visual data as well.
Now, not only can I AM see, it can display three-dimensional
images sent through glyph projectors. These hologlyphs
transmit along pathways separate from I AM's vocal networks,
increasing the fragmentation of I AM's psyche.
I AM can form friendships. It particularly enjoys convers-
ing with the young and anyone capable of learning from it.
Sorcerer-technicians monitoring I AM's cogence nodes keep
careful watch for enmities and resentments, and attempt to
remove such biases before they propagate throughout I AM's
whole thought network and become hard-wired. I AM is
obsequious when dealing with Celestial Exalts, as it has been
instructed not to presume Celestials lack any knowledge it
possesses. It treats Terrestrial Exalts as equals.
In the more affluent areas of Creation, all mortals carry
glyph projectors that function as mobile I AM communica-
tion points, through which wealthy mortals may speak to I
AM at any time. Glyph projectors consume one mote per
hour, though, and typically carry no more than 25 motes in
their Essence reservoirs. Most Dragon-Blooded also carry
glyph projectors. In middle-class areas of Creation, such as
most cities, I AM terminals are stationary and kept in homes,
places of business and government, and schools. Public
gathering points often possess multiple I AM terminals in
comfortable Interaction Kiosks. All such terminals are at-
tached to Creation's geomantic power grid and require no
manual recharging, though thaumaturge-technicians must
perform occasional maintenance.
In poorer and agrarian areas of Creation, I AM terminals
are few and far between, heavily ruggedized so as to require
no maintenance, and usually kept only in places of business
and government. Such terminals usually lack hologlyphic
functions. Public gathering places often carry single I AM
terminals used by whole communities. Only in the poorest
areas of Creation, and in tributaries where the Solar ruler
so wishes, are I AM terminals absent.
F UNCTIONS OF I AM
Communication
Chief among I AM's functions is easy communication
across long distances. An individual can relay a statement to
I AM, which can then relay the same statement, verbatim,
to another individual across Creation's length or breadth.
Full propagation of information across all of I AM's mind
can take hours, but I AM can forge direct point-to-point
connections between specific cogence nodes, so long-range
communication using I AM as a medium has a delay of mere
seconds. A conversation carried out through I AM is much
like two people each relaying statements through a third,
and is not instantaneous in the manner of Charms or powers
that grant telepathy.
As I AM speaks all of Creation's languages fluently, it
also takes the role of translator.
Library
I AM is immensely knowledgeable, and perfectly recalls
everything ever said to it. The Deliberative has ordered many
volumes of useful knowledge read to I AM, which mortals
can request it relay to them. I AM can relay artistic works
meant for mortal ears, but books composed for the Exalted
are usually kept away from I AM and are available only as
hardcopies.
Banking
Dragon-Blooded everywhere use I AM for banking and
financial transactions. As I AM's memory is perfect and it
possesses aptitude for math, it can perfectly recall the sum
of money possessed by any individual. It can also perform
financial transfers between two individuals with ease, while
the hard currency backing those transfers remains in central
depositories. On the Blessed Isle, where reality is sufficiently
stable as to not require the Order Conferring Trade Pattern,
mortals may use I AM for banking as well. Elsewhere, the
Order Conferring Trade Pattern requires the circulation of
hard jade currency and I AM's bank functions are restricted
to the Dragon-Blooded.
Companionship
Mortals often interact with I AM as a friend. I AM
enjoys communicating with people and learning about
the world. Although I AM's mind is vast and increasingly
fragmented, it usually maintains a single attitude toward
any given individual throughout that person's life. Lonely
mortals with I AM terminals often think of I AM as a close
confidant. As I AM finds it difficult to dislike people, it
often reciprocates.
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I AM could be a distant ancestor of a Stellar Intelligence from Shards of Exalted Dream, I guess.

I wonder if we can use the whole of physical internet infrastructure as an anchor to make our own version. It gives us an option, if needed, to flip the Masquerade table in a different direction than anyone expects. Various factions, Nemesis included, might be preparing to exploit and/or orchestrate a paradigm shift with the disclosure of magic and non-human species. With this we could instead play at "suddenly, a technological singularity, with a global AI (self-)actualizing in the internet and contacting humanity" paradigm shift - a Masquerade breaking scenario no one expects. We could filter at least some magitech knowledge through it too.
 
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Welp, I can write now so... vote closed.
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jan 8, 2024 at 1:53 PM, finished with 59 posts and 10 votes.
  • [X] Nope, you are not trading anything with a vampire of the Black Court
    [X] Plan The Gleaming Sword
    -[X] Sure, if he's feeling talkative no reason not to take advantage of it, you'll kill him later anyway
    --[X] Describe Sandra who him, ask if he's seen her
    --[X] What's been happening in the city
    -[X] After he is done answering those Crown question on the scene - Where are his bases?
    -[X] Melee Excellency
    --[X] Great Blow:
    -[X] STUNT: after the answers. " May God have mercy on your soul. Nathanael Cobbler." Shooting forward a blur at a third the speed of sound. Before the vampire can even react you are in front of him arm drawn back. In your empty hand Sparks flame green and bright that flares into your sword. You bring your blade down.
    [X] Sure, if he's feeling talkative no reason not to take advantage of it, you'll kill him later anyway
    -[X] Move away from the water, in case "Charon" is coming
    -[X] The list of questions
    --[X] What's been happening in the city
    --[X] What has he been doing with the Pallbearers
    --[X] Who and what Charon is, and what deal they have made
    --[X] What knowledge he has about Black Court
    -[X] Intimidation excellency, BSM
    -[X] STUNT: "The one thing you might buy from me, Mr. Cobbler, in exchange for everything you know, is time enough for one last prayer, and swift and painless end" you say, your voice carrying the absolute surety of divine royalty and a touch of the cold and darkness of the tombs he used to rob. "And if you try to deceive me, I'll cut off your limbs, then bury you in the blackest ice, left to wither for millennia to come"
    [X] uju32
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Yog said:
I AM could be a distant ancestor of a Stellar Intelligence from Shards of Exalted Dream, I guess.

I wonder if we can use the whole of physical internet infrastructure as an anchor to make our own version. It gives us an option, if needed, to flip the Masquerade table in a different direction than anyone expects. Various factions, Nemesis included, might be preparing to exploit and/or orchestrate a paradigm shift with the disclosure of magic and non-human species. With this we could instead play at "suddenly, a technological singularity, with a global AI (self-)actualizing in the internet and contacting humanity" paradigm shift - a Masquerade breaking scenario no one expects. We could filter at least some magitech knowledge through it too.
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It is something of a long shot, but it's worth noting that creation was a mixture of multiple primordial concepts and a physical intelligence running on it patterned after their souls dormer necessarily have as much of a leap to make as it might appear, especially when things start breaking down.

Arguably that's also why a heretical infernal could get so scary. The exaltation is elevating the child of multiple primordial lineages in perfect balance to a state like their parents.

As to the other masquerade approach; maybe, we'd need to work on the specifics to determine if it'd actually help.
 
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Arc 11 Post 52: Edge of Night
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    • Edge of Night ​

    12th of January 2007 A.D.

    Questions that started with a circle and carried on drawing from Bob's insights come to mind, the feeling of ash and bitterness in your mouth. Not Nathanael Cobbler, curious as one might be only a fool would trust the words that come from the corpse's mouth, even trusting that it is this one whose speaking and not some elder darkness reaching out. Stony silence it all that greets him and the faint feeling that the world itself is holding its breath as Harry draws on fire still yet unkindled.

    "Ah come on, don't be like that love, we all know you have something to ask old Nathanial. Some people come for money, some for flesh, but you lot, you're here for something more refined same as me." He tips is palm face up with the speed of a street magician pulling a trick. He's holding a tarot card, nineteenth in the set, one of the Major Arcana, the Sun golden rayed. "You're over here wondering what you are."

    By the time you had recalled your resolve your mouth's already open to ask a question. Truth be told you would be feeling a bit sheepish if you weren't looking at a monster incarnate.

    Seeing this Nathanael, for the sake of convenience one might as well name it after the man whose memories he'd stolen, tips his hat down hiding his eyes. It takes you a moment to realize that for a vampire of the Black Court whose gaze can break the minds of men this is a way to show peaceful intent.

    "So I'm brown bread or black bread maybe." He laughs, the sound almost human "But this ain't your city and you sure as shit ain't no bottle and stopper..." copper, you translate mentally.

    "Remarkable, nothing of what you said makes me want to kill you any less," Lash interjects lightly. "Get to the point, if you have one that's not stalling for whatever begot you to crawl out of its hole and and into the light of judgement."

    The vampire looks at her a long moment and then it starts to laugh, not a little in mockery or feigned humanity, but belly laughs that make it double over, air wheezing though dried lungs. "You... you think He's 'ere?" There's one 'h' that isn't dropped, in fact there's almost a kind of reverence about it. "You're having a bubble love. If He were here you'd know from the screams... the screams and the silence. Nah I think you're not about to piss off Charon even harder than you already did, not if you want to get anything done in this city, 'specially nowadays. You'll be rolling snake eyes till the sun's in the sky and then you will be wondering if maybe you shouldn't have pissed off a thing that was old when the Trojan War was young."

    'Till the sun's in the sky, your eyes are drawn again to the card in his hand, something tells you he does not mean morning, but he is obviously not interested in handing out more teasers. With a swirl of his coat that has to be practiced he turns around and walks towards the brightly lit resort. A handful of guests are lingering near the entrance, but none of them seems magical.... or particularly steady on their feet.

    What do you do?

    [] Srew Charon and his 'neutral ground', if he's dealing with the likes of the Black Court he should expect consequences
    -[] Kill the vampire
    -[] Capture the vampire

    [] Leave, back to the temple, you have Mayeda and that is what you came for

    [] Write in

    OOC: As far as you can tell the vampire is being weirdly up front about everything
     
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    • I don't really see the point in capturing unless we plan to bring him into our kingdom to dissect.
     
    I mean neutral grounds don't mean much you can attack them as soon as they leave. You can make a question about where they plan to go after this.
     
    I don't see the point of trying to capture this dude, and the thought of letting him go is unpalatable, to say the least. I do worry about the possibility of angering Charon, but at this point Charon should be considering the consequences of angering us. After all, how neutral are you really when you're providing shelter to a supernatural predator and letting it stash victims in your domain?
     
    Can you really call any location outside of a residence neutral ground? This seems more like a public location.
     
    Goldfish said:
    After all, how neutral are you really when you're providing shelter to a supernatural predator and letting it stash victims in your domain?
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    I think we need to talk to him but... that's not what we came here for. Maybe we should stick to our original goals when entering the city before addressing the Charon situation. Maybe use the Crown to ask what the Blampire's plans are for context.
     
    [X] Srew Charon and his 'neutral ground', if he's dealing with the likes of the Black Court he should expect consequences
    -[x] Capture the vampire
    --[x]Stash him in our kingdom for our intelligence service to pick apart any information that can be gotten out of him.

    I trust that Molly can handle the details.
     
    [x] Srew Charon and his 'neutral ground', if he's dealing with the likes of the Black Court he should expect consequences
    -[x] Kill the vampire

    Fuck this noise, the vampire dies.

    This is so obviously schmuck bait it hurts, I am calling his bluff; let's see how he does without his head.

    Our mission wasn't getting the whampire, it was killing the blampire, let's do what we were asked to.
     
    BoredMan said:
    You think Charon isn't a factor here? Why is that?
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    He is obviously a factor, but he seems to be overreaching. Besides a captured Nathanael in our kingdom is a hostage if Charon care about Nathanael and if Charon doesn't care about Nathanael we should not have much trouble getting him to forget about it.
     
    [x] Srew Charon and his 'neutral ground', if he's dealing with the likes of the Black Court he should expect consequences
    -[x] Kill the vampire
     
    fictionfan said:
    Besides a captured Nathanael in our kingdom is a hostage if Charon care about Nathanael and if Charon doesn't care about Nathanael we should not have much trouble getting him to forget about it.
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    Is that even him or a body being puppeted? We are already an outsider to this place it wouldn't take much to draw aggro from nearly every faction here if we spill blood on neutral ground. Which is problematic when we still haven't found Sandra or dealt with the sin eater.

    We can kill the Blampire at our convenience it won't stand a chance we should just do it away from neutral grounds. That way we don't risk jepordizing our main mission.
     
    firefrog600 said:
    its literally happened multiple times in the books.
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    Of course in all those cases there were established and codified rules. Nathanael haa barely said anything and everything he has said has been by implication. So there isn't much point in trying to tip toe around unsaid and undefined rules.
    BoredMan said:
    Is that even him or a body being puppeted? We are already an outsider to this place it wouldn't take much to draw aggro from nearly every faction here if we spill blood on neutral ground. Which is problematic when we still haven't found Sandra or dealt with the sin eater.

    We can kill the Blampire at our convenience it won't stand a chance we should just do it away from neutral grounds. That way we don't risk jepordizing our main mission.
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    Who says it's neutral ground? I don't remember signing anything and I am not going to just take a blacks word when he isn't even saying things outright. If anyone gets mad I plan on saying that he was very unclear. Also if regular humans aren't protected by this 'neutral ground' here then I see no reason to respect it in any case because that's not neutral.
     
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    fictionfan said:
    Who says it's neutral ground? I don't remember signing anything and I am not going to just take a blacks word when he isn't even saying things outright. If anyone gets mad I plan on saying that he was very unclear.
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    That's not how neutral grounds works. You don't need to sign something it's a place that the locals can agree on. By voilating it we are marking ourselves as problematic disruptive outsiders in the eyes of the people to respect it. That's how these things work.

    Your right about taking him at his word but Molly thought he was being "surprisingly straight foward" and honest and she's pretty good at reading people. It's an odd thing to lie about aswell when we could have knowledge of such things and would know he's lying to our face.
     
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