- Location
- Berkeley
Is So Meta, Even This Acronym?
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The Long Night Part One: Embers in the Dusk: A Planetary Governor Quest (43k) Complete Sequel Up
- Thread starter Durin
- Start date
- Location
- madison
it's so meta I had a character say this,
right before I completely lost control of the flow of the narrative. so, yes, at least, Is So Meta, Even This Acronym.
Ridcully and Rotbart
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
Ridcully and Rotbart
"Seems like it was only yesterday that you suggested scrying on the Ork Gods as they awaken."
"Profoundly reckless in the retrospective."
"Sometimes I wonder, you aren't trying to get yourself killed, are you?"
"I would say the same to you, willingly living on this planet."
Scarboyz littered the ground around them, the latest victim of Ridcully's hunting excursions (something familiar to ground himself, the seer had decided). Rising boughs of the kaleidoscopic Illusion Pine towered above them, along with the occasional Phase-Tiger skulking in distance, well out of range of a rampaging carniflower.
It was a beautiful sight, especially with the illusions considered. Their foray into the relatively safe woods was only spoilt by the decidedly unsafe divination looming up ahead in the seer's schedule but a scant few years, into Nurgle's garden - and hopefully back out. Or perhaps not, and an end.
"Still. What convinced you?"
A sigh.
"In the end? Lin."
"The very person who'd advise against it."
Who needed telepathy or divination or even words when you knew each other so well? Isha was perhaps the sole living goddess in the galaxy who might be able to save Lin. Yet it was terribly risky for him to merely attempt to assist in a future rescue attempt, which might find it's opportunity long after his friend's soul had collapsed on itself from a weight far too heavy to carry. Yet he felt compelled nonetheless. His was a soul filled with compassion he'd imagined lost from an uncaring universe.
If justice existed at all, he, more than anyone, deserved life.
"The plague god is less dangerous than Gork and Mork were."
"That's like saying plasma is colder than the sun."
"Far preferable to the abominable stacks of paper I find whenever I visit your office. Do you always mean to ward against your own friend so?"
"Ts' only fair, after your theft of a clerk so promising from my papered halls."
"It's a precaution, for it is a psychic bureaucrat that is my true bane."
"Not even with a subverted agent will you be able to penetrate through the arcane mysteries of the adminstratum, old friend."
"Truly, it is the one place where my sight dare not tread."
They moved onwards, to more pleasant topics of conversations and hardier hunting targets.
"Seems like it was only yesterday that you suggested scrying on the Ork Gods as they awaken."
"Profoundly reckless in the retrospective."
"Sometimes I wonder, you aren't trying to get yourself killed, are you?"
"I would say the same to you, willingly living on this planet."
Scarboyz littered the ground around them, the latest victim of Ridcully's hunting excursions (something familiar to ground himself, the seer had decided). Rising boughs of the kaleidoscopic Illusion Pine towered above them, along with the occasional Phase-Tiger skulking in distance, well out of range of a rampaging carniflower.
It was a beautiful sight, especially with the illusions considered. Their foray into the relatively safe woods was only spoilt by the decidedly unsafe divination looming up ahead in the seer's schedule but a scant few years, into Nurgle's garden - and hopefully back out. Or perhaps not, and an end.
"Still. What convinced you?"
A sigh.
"In the end? Lin."
"The very person who'd advise against it."
Who needed telepathy or divination or even words when you knew each other so well? Isha was perhaps the sole living goddess in the galaxy who might be able to save Lin. Yet it was terribly risky for him to merely attempt to assist in a future rescue attempt, which might find it's opportunity long after his friend's soul had collapsed on itself from a weight far too heavy to carry. Yet he felt compelled nonetheless. His was a soul filled with compassion he'd imagined lost from an uncaring universe.
If justice existed at all, he, more than anyone, deserved life.
"The plague god is less dangerous than Gork and Mork were."
"That's like saying plasma is colder than the sun."
"Far preferable to the abominable stacks of paper I find whenever I visit your office. Do you always mean to ward against your own friend so?"
"Ts' only fair, after your theft of a clerk so promising from my papered halls."
"It's a precaution, for it is a psychic bureaucrat that is my true bane."
"Not even with a subverted agent will you be able to penetrate through the arcane mysteries of the adminstratum, old friend."
"Truly, it is the one place where my sight dare not tread."
They moved onwards, to more pleasant topics of conversations and hardier hunting targets.
Last edited:
Business Meetings
- Location
- madison
Business Meetings
The warp rolled and churned, oscillating billions of times a second between trillions of impossible configurations. Yet, it did so with far more order than it should. This deep in the warp, so far from thinking minds there should not have been even the hint of form. Where any to gaze upon it the anomaly would appear quite strange, but not even the architect of fates sight could penetrate the penumbra of the abyssal warp, or at least not casually. Chaos beyond chaos roiled and bubbled until suddenly it didn't.
The room was lavish, in an understated sort of way. Well made wooden furniture with subtle designs of gold tastefully added. Rich smoke smelling of expensive herbs wafted from unseen sources, casting the room in a smoky haze. The room had a palatable feeling of money and influence, this was not merely the kind of room in which worlds were bought and sold, it was the very idea of such rooms distilled. Yet for all the impressiveness the table in its center was empty until suddenly it was not.
First was a great ornate throne of precious gold, adorned so thickly with gems and precious stones that the metal could scarcely be seen, upon this chair sat a lord so garbed in gold once could scarcely tell where his robes ended and his throne began.
Second was a regal command throne, an edifice of steel and velvet, master crafted hololiths playing arcane facts of travel time, and commodity prices. Upon this throne sat a man dressed in rich silk, a saber and bolt pistol at his side, and the near-iconic tricorn hat of a rogue trader upon his brow.
Third and final was a great mass of twisting shadow. Formless and primordial it writhed with unseen serpentine shapes, the back flanked by two rearing serpents. This figure alone was visibly inhuman, a woman with clawed and scaled arms, and a pair of hissing serpentine heads peeking out from beneath her robe of shadow.
"rejoice demon, Vectron has agreed to bless you with his presence, and has bestowed upon one as unworthy as you the chance to offer him tribute."
"And may the galaxy echo long with tales of his benevolence." the woman replied with a demure smile, as the rogue trader rolled his eyes.
"I am sure he will be repaid in a manner most fitting, Know that I have been granted leave to speak for Ugruer, my words and ears are his for the duration of this meeting. May this meeting produce profit for all who attend."
"Do not sully his name with such words creature! He is beyond such base needs."
"Oh save it for your cultist you windbag, everything here knows damn well what you game is."
The gold coved man reared up, the fabric parting to reveal skin as gold as his dress, "You DARE!"
"I apologize for the madness of the creature I brought into your presence holy one and beg your divine forgiveness. Creatures such as it cannot comprehend the lofty motivations of such an august personage. I implore you to allow me the boon of presenting my offering." the woman bowed deeply in her throne, and the golden man nodded imperiously, missing both the look her serpentine head shot the trader and his reluctant nod.
"Feh, well let's hear it then. What is this offer you have for us Zahak?"
"I have it on good authority, that at certain time Nurgles attention will be sorely tested. Not quite to the point of a true opening, but enough to greatly slow a reaction to an attack on his holdings."
"We find your offering meager."
"As loathe as I am to agree with him," the trader said, injecting the last word with such distaste it crawled from his lips " I fail to see how that is relevant to the likes of us. That it would take him a few moments longer than typical to crush us seems somewhat irrelevant."
"Of course, and I would not be wasting your time if that was all. Even with just us, an assault on his holdings would' her eyes flicked briefly to the golden mad "be unworthy of us. But it is not just us. While I cannot say who else is involved, a number of my compatriots have expressed interest in exploiting this opportunity."
"An opportunity to do what? Be crushed slowly? What good is territory one cannot hold?"
The woman's smile turned hungry, "come now Ugruer, surely you are familiar with ways to rapidly liquidate assets?"
"Our Lord would be interested to know exactly what holdings would be vulnerable."
"Of course holy one, while details are not known, the distraction should sharply affect his ability to reinforce holdings near frozen rot cluster."
The golden man's eyes widened in naked greed, and the traders narrowed in suspicion.
"The bloated beast guards every scrap of stagnation fiercely, how sure are you that this distraction will create an opening?"
"She's pretty fucking sure." spoke a new voice, as a disheveled man dressed in black and white slammed his hand onto the table.
"Hell, I'd say I'm pretty fucking sure the fat sack of cancerous turds will be too busy to give even the most anemic of rotten shits about anything your little breakfast club could get up to."
"Oh, I've brought Malal on board, he's quite eager for this venture to succeed."
"Because he has such a sterling reputation for teamwork." the trader replied, voice dripping disdain and sarcasm in equal measure.
"Oh pull your balls out of whatever cowardly orifice you stashed them in. You not worth the water to piss on."
"What he means to say is we are not his concern so that we need not fear treachery so long as we act against Nurgle."
The disheveled man nodded, "The humaboo's got the right of it. It is literally impossible for me to give less of a shit about any of you 3rd rate douche mongers, but the idea of a bunch if pissant wannabes making off with the king shits crap is hilarious."
"Truly? Would you not rage should his rival benefit from his shaming?"
"There is no science known to man or god capable of measure how little I care about whatever meager bits of his domain you'll be whoring off. But the spectacle of him getting mobbed by you anemic midgets?" he did not smile, so much as show teeth. "That's something that I'll be touching myself to for a while."
"Charming."
"Keep talking fancy to me and I might point it at you when I finish."
"Your holiness, I am sure you don't wish to spend any more time in the company of an unclean creature such as myself as you have to, does you lord find the offering pleasing?"
The golden man hesitated, torn between desire and caution.
"Oh come now, clearly you can see this is a bad idea."
"I, of course, understand if you are unsure." Zahak continued sweetly. "Even with this opening many loyal servants would suffer greatly should your lord partake."
"Vile worm! Vectron would never be so cruel as to deny his beloved subjects a chance at holy martyrdom."
Zahak nearly threw herself from her shadow throne in prostration. " Though I am unworthy of it, I beg your forgiveness great one"
"Rejoice, your offering has been accepted, and your transgression forgiven by Vectron infinite mercy. In his wisdom he shall use this bounty well against," and with that his gaze turned upon the trader and gained a predatory glint, "false idols" and then he was gone.
"Shit, you should sell tickets to the degradation show. You've got quite the knack for it."
Zahak let out a sigh as she rose back onto her throne. "There is a ritual that a cult has spent centuries preparing, generations have gone willingly to the altar to fuel it. In a days time, it will come to fruition, one of the artifacts they are about to use bears your mark. If you hurry you should be in time to ruin it."
Malal laughed "shit like that is why I vaguely tolerate you. You're always willing to show me a good time." He turned to the now scowling trader "well as much as I'd like to watch her fish out your balls and put them through the wringer, I've got more important danglies to bust. Be thinking of you!" and then it was just the trader and Zahak
"I can't help but feel somewhat ill-used here."
"The offer is a genuine one, and I'll swear whatever oath you put me to."
The trader snorted "oh I know you Zahak, you don't do treachery like that. No," his voice grew angry as he spoke, "you just arrange things so the least bad outcome is whatever you want me to do."
"You think Vectrons going to use his cut to strike at you?"
"Bah, you saw him, he's practically an angyl now. He's going to offer the tyrant as a few bits of stagnation for a seat at the table, and now maybe my head on a platter since he'll be thinking of me when he does it! He's always hated how or portfolios overlap on self-interest."
"Which he wont' be able to afford if you've just gotten a major windfall."
"Oh a windfall! Let's talk about that neat little box you got me in!"
Zahak smiled, "if you think talking through it will help."
"Oh I doubt it will, but you've fucked me skillfully enough it deserves discussion. Say I stay out of it, Either this blows up and you thin out the herd of lesser gods, denying me cover while reminding the Big boys we exist and may be worth eating, or it doesn't and everyone else gets a big ole boost of power. Including a number of fuckers who would jump at a chance to eat me!"
Zahak raised an eyebrow "are you taking business personally now?"
"Don't give me that, you're the one who always said that mere alliances and obligations were insufficient. You don't get to give me shit for taking it personally after all that. Not after your forcing me to bleed my assets just to tread water."
"I'm not looping you in for your armies Ugruer, I have no intention of asking you to send your people into the grinder."
His eyes narrowed "then why the theatrics? Why get Vectron all wound up and thinking about me when he's about to sell out?"
"I needed a broker."
"What?"
"This is big Ugruer, bigger than I let on. We won't have time to cut a dozen separate deals. I need someone who can move whatever we take as fast as we can. Vectron didn't get that part of the deal, but everyone else agreed to use a merchant of my choice and agreed to pay a cut of any profit. "
The trader stared in shock. "Dozen, who… Zahak… what are you doing?"
"Hurting the 5."
"No. no, others may buy that but I know you. You don't do shit like this without a reason."
"No one has ever accused me of being overly cautious."
"Because they are fools. You may live dangerously, but you've lived for a damn long time. Whatever weird game you're playing you play it well and with all due caution. You want me, and you fucking got me, but only if you tell me why. Why after millennia of your weird personal version of keeping your head down you're doing something flashing enough to get fucking Malal interested."
The woman let out a long hissing breath, seeming to shrink in on herself. "I don't want to die."
"What?"
"I've seen more than you know, and I can say with certainty that the center cannot hold. The warps got a lot smaller when the Tyrant showed up, then again when Gork and Mork woke up, and when ynnead showed up, and if the galaxy holds together long enough it's going to get even smaller when the Emperor comes back."
"You don't actually believe that do you?"
"I've seen it Ugruer. He got away when the Tyrant swallowed Tera, I don't know what he'll come back like, but I rather doubt he'll have the same kind of blind spots as the 5."
"So you think the galaxy's circling the drain, that we're all doomed, so what is this some elaborate suicide?"
"No, sometimes playing it safe just means losing slowly. If you're already fucked then you go for the hail mary. That's what this is, a last desperate gambit for survival."
"How the hell is stealing scraps from Nurgle going to do that?"
"It's not the scraps, it's the stealing."
The avatar of trade paused, "You. Crazy. Bitch"
Zahak smiled ruefully, "If it's crazy and it works.."
"Then it's still fucking crazy. Your building a network, seeing who's rational enough to work with. You plotting one of the most ambitious plays I've ever seen and it's a goddamn dress rehearsal."
"As I said, it's a hail mary."
"You really think it's the best way to survive?"
Zahak nodded. "The galaxy is getting more dangerous, it's only a matter of time before minor gods like us will need to band together or die. I'd rather I have at least the core of a group set up when that happens."
"Fuck, you really work for that reputation of your don't you?"
Zahak smiled, "I admit to taking more pride than I should in being seen as the crazy one. So, you in?"
The avatar let out a sigh, "I don't really have a choice do I? Though I hope you understand if you get me killed I will be trying to take you with me."
Zahak laughed, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Then she was alone, for a handful of moments.
HAhaHAhaHaHAHAH
"A marvelous performance little one, was any of that true?"
Zahak turned, to face the colorfully dressed laughing god.
"Every word, from the right point of view, I just may have implied I was only reaching out to minor gods for alliances."
"hahAHahaHAha! Oh I knew you would be a worthwhile ally. Already you have Ugruer and the others ensnared in your web."
"You wound me, I didn't lie to any of them. I laid out the choice and the likely consequences, whatever happens next is on them."
"Indeed! Indeed! But for now, I believe a drink is in order!" with that he dropped a pair of bottles onto the table.
With a smile Zahak picked up her bottle, the power in it humming through her arm.
"A toast! A toast to our scheme!"
with a predator smile Zahak held her bottle high, "May the galaxy be ever full of arrogant fools."
Without missing a beat Cegorach knocked his against hers, "And ever awash in sin!"
Alone in the deep warp, two of the strangest gods drank and laughed.
@Durin I posted the thing. I may have been having to much fun with formatting the text.
The warp rolled and churned, oscillating billions of times a second between trillions of impossible configurations. Yet, it did so with far more order than it should. This deep in the warp, so far from thinking minds there should not have been even the hint of form. Where any to gaze upon it the anomaly would appear quite strange, but not even the architect of fates sight could penetrate the penumbra of the abyssal warp, or at least not casually. Chaos beyond chaos roiled and bubbled until suddenly it didn't.
The room was lavish, in an understated sort of way. Well made wooden furniture with subtle designs of gold tastefully added. Rich smoke smelling of expensive herbs wafted from unseen sources, casting the room in a smoky haze. The room had a palatable feeling of money and influence, this was not merely the kind of room in which worlds were bought and sold, it was the very idea of such rooms distilled. Yet for all the impressiveness the table in its center was empty until suddenly it was not.
First was a great ornate throne of precious gold, adorned so thickly with gems and precious stones that the metal could scarcely be seen, upon this chair sat a lord so garbed in gold once could scarcely tell where his robes ended and his throne began.
Second was a regal command throne, an edifice of steel and velvet, master crafted hololiths playing arcane facts of travel time, and commodity prices. Upon this throne sat a man dressed in rich silk, a saber and bolt pistol at his side, and the near-iconic tricorn hat of a rogue trader upon his brow.
Third and final was a great mass of twisting shadow. Formless and primordial it writhed with unseen serpentine shapes, the back flanked by two rearing serpents. This figure alone was visibly inhuman, a woman with clawed and scaled arms, and a pair of hissing serpentine heads peeking out from beneath her robe of shadow.
"rejoice demon, Vectron has agreed to bless you with his presence, and has bestowed upon one as unworthy as you the chance to offer him tribute."
"And may the galaxy echo long with tales of his benevolence." the woman replied with a demure smile, as the rogue trader rolled his eyes.
"I am sure he will be repaid in a manner most fitting, Know that I have been granted leave to speak for Ugruer, my words and ears are his for the duration of this meeting. May this meeting produce profit for all who attend."
"Do not sully his name with such words creature! He is beyond such base needs."
"Oh save it for your cultist you windbag, everything here knows damn well what you game is."
The gold coved man reared up, the fabric parting to reveal skin as gold as his dress, "You DARE!"
"I apologize for the madness of the creature I brought into your presence holy one and beg your divine forgiveness. Creatures such as it cannot comprehend the lofty motivations of such an august personage. I implore you to allow me the boon of presenting my offering." the woman bowed deeply in her throne, and the golden man nodded imperiously, missing both the look her serpentine head shot the trader and his reluctant nod.
"Feh, well let's hear it then. What is this offer you have for us Zahak?"
"I have it on good authority, that at certain time Nurgles attention will be sorely tested. Not quite to the point of a true opening, but enough to greatly slow a reaction to an attack on his holdings."
"We find your offering meager."
"As loathe as I am to agree with him," the trader said, injecting the last word with such distaste it crawled from his lips " I fail to see how that is relevant to the likes of us. That it would take him a few moments longer than typical to crush us seems somewhat irrelevant."
"Of course, and I would not be wasting your time if that was all. Even with just us, an assault on his holdings would' her eyes flicked briefly to the golden mad "be unworthy of us. But it is not just us. While I cannot say who else is involved, a number of my compatriots have expressed interest in exploiting this opportunity."
"An opportunity to do what? Be crushed slowly? What good is territory one cannot hold?"
The woman's smile turned hungry, "come now Ugruer, surely you are familiar with ways to rapidly liquidate assets?"
"Our Lord would be interested to know exactly what holdings would be vulnerable."
"Of course holy one, while details are not known, the distraction should sharply affect his ability to reinforce holdings near frozen rot cluster."
The golden man's eyes widened in naked greed, and the traders narrowed in suspicion.
"The bloated beast guards every scrap of stagnation fiercely, how sure are you that this distraction will create an opening?"
"She's pretty fucking sure." spoke a new voice, as a disheveled man dressed in black and white slammed his hand onto the table.
"Hell, I'd say I'm pretty fucking sure the fat sack of cancerous turds will be too busy to give even the most anemic of rotten shits about anything your little breakfast club could get up to."
"Oh, I've brought Malal on board, he's quite eager for this venture to succeed."
"Because he has such a sterling reputation for teamwork." the trader replied, voice dripping disdain and sarcasm in equal measure.
"Oh pull your balls out of whatever cowardly orifice you stashed them in. You not worth the water to piss on."
"What he means to say is we are not his concern so that we need not fear treachery so long as we act against Nurgle."
The disheveled man nodded, "The humaboo's got the right of it. It is literally impossible for me to give less of a shit about any of you 3rd rate douche mongers, but the idea of a bunch if pissant wannabes making off with the king shits crap is hilarious."
"Truly? Would you not rage should his rival benefit from his shaming?"
"There is no science known to man or god capable of measure how little I care about whatever meager bits of his domain you'll be whoring off. But the spectacle of him getting mobbed by you anemic midgets?" he did not smile, so much as show teeth. "That's something that I'll be touching myself to for a while."
"Charming."
"Keep talking fancy to me and I might point it at you when I finish."
"Your holiness, I am sure you don't wish to spend any more time in the company of an unclean creature such as myself as you have to, does you lord find the offering pleasing?"
The golden man hesitated, torn between desire and caution.
"Oh come now, clearly you can see this is a bad idea."
"I, of course, understand if you are unsure." Zahak continued sweetly. "Even with this opening many loyal servants would suffer greatly should your lord partake."
"Vile worm! Vectron would never be so cruel as to deny his beloved subjects a chance at holy martyrdom."
Zahak nearly threw herself from her shadow throne in prostration. " Though I am unworthy of it, I beg your forgiveness great one"
"Rejoice, your offering has been accepted, and your transgression forgiven by Vectron infinite mercy. In his wisdom he shall use this bounty well against," and with that his gaze turned upon the trader and gained a predatory glint, "false idols" and then he was gone.
"Shit, you should sell tickets to the degradation show. You've got quite the knack for it."
Zahak let out a sigh as she rose back onto her throne. "There is a ritual that a cult has spent centuries preparing, generations have gone willingly to the altar to fuel it. In a days time, it will come to fruition, one of the artifacts they are about to use bears your mark. If you hurry you should be in time to ruin it."
Malal laughed "shit like that is why I vaguely tolerate you. You're always willing to show me a good time." He turned to the now scowling trader "well as much as I'd like to watch her fish out your balls and put them through the wringer, I've got more important danglies to bust. Be thinking of you!" and then it was just the trader and Zahak
"I can't help but feel somewhat ill-used here."
"The offer is a genuine one, and I'll swear whatever oath you put me to."
The trader snorted "oh I know you Zahak, you don't do treachery like that. No," his voice grew angry as he spoke, "you just arrange things so the least bad outcome is whatever you want me to do."
"You think Vectrons going to use his cut to strike at you?"
"Bah, you saw him, he's practically an angyl now. He's going to offer the tyrant as a few bits of stagnation for a seat at the table, and now maybe my head on a platter since he'll be thinking of me when he does it! He's always hated how or portfolios overlap on self-interest."
"Which he wont' be able to afford if you've just gotten a major windfall."
"Oh a windfall! Let's talk about that neat little box you got me in!"
Zahak smiled, "if you think talking through it will help."
"Oh I doubt it will, but you've fucked me skillfully enough it deserves discussion. Say I stay out of it, Either this blows up and you thin out the herd of lesser gods, denying me cover while reminding the Big boys we exist and may be worth eating, or it doesn't and everyone else gets a big ole boost of power. Including a number of fuckers who would jump at a chance to eat me!"
Zahak raised an eyebrow "are you taking business personally now?"
"Don't give me that, you're the one who always said that mere alliances and obligations were insufficient. You don't get to give me shit for taking it personally after all that. Not after your forcing me to bleed my assets just to tread water."
"I'm not looping you in for your armies Ugruer, I have no intention of asking you to send your people into the grinder."
His eyes narrowed "then why the theatrics? Why get Vectron all wound up and thinking about me when he's about to sell out?"
"I needed a broker."
"What?"
"This is big Ugruer, bigger than I let on. We won't have time to cut a dozen separate deals. I need someone who can move whatever we take as fast as we can. Vectron didn't get that part of the deal, but everyone else agreed to use a merchant of my choice and agreed to pay a cut of any profit. "
The trader stared in shock. "Dozen, who… Zahak… what are you doing?"
"Hurting the 5."
"No. no, others may buy that but I know you. You don't do shit like this without a reason."
"No one has ever accused me of being overly cautious."
"Because they are fools. You may live dangerously, but you've lived for a damn long time. Whatever weird game you're playing you play it well and with all due caution. You want me, and you fucking got me, but only if you tell me why. Why after millennia of your weird personal version of keeping your head down you're doing something flashing enough to get fucking Malal interested."
The woman let out a long hissing breath, seeming to shrink in on herself. "I don't want to die."
"What?"
"I've seen more than you know, and I can say with certainty that the center cannot hold. The warps got a lot smaller when the Tyrant showed up, then again when Gork and Mork woke up, and when ynnead showed up, and if the galaxy holds together long enough it's going to get even smaller when the Emperor comes back."
"You don't actually believe that do you?"
"I've seen it Ugruer. He got away when the Tyrant swallowed Tera, I don't know what he'll come back like, but I rather doubt he'll have the same kind of blind spots as the 5."
"So you think the galaxy's circling the drain, that we're all doomed, so what is this some elaborate suicide?"
"No, sometimes playing it safe just means losing slowly. If you're already fucked then you go for the hail mary. That's what this is, a last desperate gambit for survival."
"How the hell is stealing scraps from Nurgle going to do that?"
"It's not the scraps, it's the stealing."
The avatar of trade paused, "You. Crazy. Bitch"
Zahak smiled ruefully, "If it's crazy and it works.."
"Then it's still fucking crazy. Your building a network, seeing who's rational enough to work with. You plotting one of the most ambitious plays I've ever seen and it's a goddamn dress rehearsal."
"As I said, it's a hail mary."
"You really think it's the best way to survive?"
Zahak nodded. "The galaxy is getting more dangerous, it's only a matter of time before minor gods like us will need to band together or die. I'd rather I have at least the core of a group set up when that happens."
"Fuck, you really work for that reputation of your don't you?"
Zahak smiled, "I admit to taking more pride than I should in being seen as the crazy one. So, you in?"
The avatar let out a sigh, "I don't really have a choice do I? Though I hope you understand if you get me killed I will be trying to take you with me."
Zahak laughed, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Then she was alone, for a handful of moments.
HAhaHAhaHaHAHAH
"A marvelous performance little one, was any of that true?"
Zahak turned, to face the colorfully dressed laughing god.
"Every word, from the right point of view, I just may have implied I was only reaching out to minor gods for alliances."
"hahAHahaHAha! Oh I knew you would be a worthwhile ally. Already you have Ugruer and the others ensnared in your web."
"You wound me, I didn't lie to any of them. I laid out the choice and the likely consequences, whatever happens next is on them."
"Indeed! Indeed! But for now, I believe a drink is in order!" with that he dropped a pair of bottles onto the table.
With a smile Zahak picked up her bottle, the power in it humming through her arm.
"A toast! A toast to our scheme!"
with a predator smile Zahak held her bottle high, "May the galaxy be ever full of arrogant fools."
Without missing a beat Cegorach knocked his against hers, "And ever awash in sin!"
Alone in the deep warp, two of the strangest gods drank and laughed.
@Durin I posted the thing. I may have been having to much fun with formatting the text.
Zahak is from Fate Hollow fake by zerbandagreat. I recommend giving it a look.
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- Location
- Australia
@Durin
1. The above is from a canon omake. It says that, in theory, with enough skill, non-psykers can use psychic powers, and that psykers get past the skill requirements to use psychic powers by being powerful. With that in mind, is it possible to introduce songweaving into our education cirriculum so that when needed our population of 50 billion humans can produce massive psychic effects even though they're not psykers? It'd be doing what psykers do, making up for skill with raw power.
2. Can we do the same with all the humans within the Yggdrasil network?
3. Are Signe's powers now strong enough that she can consciously train them?
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Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
It's said to be a theoretical possibility. In the same vein it is possible to randomly unlock a data-jewel you have no code access to on the first attempt.
Even 50 billion non-psykers can't match a single epilson psyker if they all songweaved together.
- Location
- Australia
I find that claim...contentious. Sacrificing a single Epsilon won't get you a daemonic incursion. Sacrificing 50 billion non-psykers on the other hand, that would. Ergo, 50 billion non-psykers are more psychically powerful than one Epsilon.
This is adorable.
"35+ Control and Power plus Biomancer Mastery is near impossible." We have really gone a long way since then, haven't we.
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Enerael
We Shall Wake to Sanity
Found something on the Mechanicum sheet under Explorator, Incomplete STCs/Archeotech:
Tool Equipped Robot
If it's the robot part that's a problem, though we seem to have Mechanicum unrest at minimum right now, and the Titan coming up, Tranth could probably modify it for servitor control.
Tool Equipped Robot
- On Finding: The fourth interesting design has attracted much attention from the Mechanicus and is a 44% complete design of a large, around Sentinel size, robot that seems to be equipped with several tools. More will be able to be found about this design if Archmagos Tranth makes an attempt to complete it.
- On Completion:
If it's the robot part that's a problem, though we seem to have Mechanicum unrest at minimum right now, and the Titan coming up, Tranth could probably modify it for servitor control.
- Location
- Australia
It's already finished. Everything on that list is finished. It just hasn't been updated yet.
Enerael
We Shall Wake to Sanity
Oh, thanks.
Btw, we don't seem to have a Telepathica Order of Research?
Another old post maybe?
- Location
- Australia
We don't have one because it's not needed. Our sanctionites already act as such. An order of research would be redundant.Oh, thanks.
Btw, we don't seem to have a Telepathica Order of Research?
Another old post maybe?
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
A space marine chapter master is worth more, favor wise, than a generic minor psyker. That doesn't make him psychically stronger than a generic minor psyker.
- Location
- Alice Springs, Australia
1. yes, if you want to train your population as songweavers rather then anything else, as it would take 100,000+ hours of training for a non psyker to be able to do anything at all. By comparison training someone who was deaf and blind their entire life into a master painter and singer would be easy. and even then they would not be able to do much due to diminishing returns with choir size and near zero ability to project power
2. see above
3. no
Enerael
We Shall Wake to Sanity
Its this Word of Durin? Because our people already do a lot of things that got enhanced by forming an order dedicated to them.
Like healing, crafting wards, etc.
Btw would an Order of teachers be viable? I can see it going both ways.
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
There are quite some famous deaf composers and blind artists. Art is not something that can be bound by mere lack of the sense.
- Location
- Alice Springs, Australia
yes there are. There are even a few that are both. Trying to get billions of them at one place however...
Wait, does this mean that our hero characters (besides Lin) can effectively ignore age forever? We have at least some psykers with 35 control, power, and biomancer mastery.This is adorable.
I suppose (besides Lin) none of our heroes were coming up on old age death given we have hyperjuvenat giving a lifespan limit of like 700, but still interesting.
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
I'd say we could get a daemon prince out of it, but I don't think there's enough power in this hypothetical choir to do it.
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
We don't, Odysseus and Constanzo have control and Master Biomancy but not Power (Maybe they can manage person immortality). Ambroiso might have all 3 needed, as Master of the Order of Restoration, but most of everyone else is missing one of the 3 reqs of Master/Power/Control. Araethea has all the needed reqs but she's not ours, Ridcully lacks Biomancy Mastery.
- Location
- England
Ophelia could probably do it, she's an omnimancer with silly high power.
Getting Master Biomancy is the only one of the requirements that's purely a matter of training though. Raising Power and Control is difficult and RNG dependent. Getting Master Biomancy is just taking someone with requisite power and control and having them train until they get it.
We got that bonus from psyker groups. If diviners can come together to increase their ability why not biomancers?
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
Doesn't have Master Biomancy.. yet.
Raising mastery of psychic discipline is probably as hard, if not harder than raising power and control.
Seems possible.
Enerael
We Shall Wake to Sanity
@Durin
Going to try asking you some questions, apologies if they have been answered or are stupid. This thread is a bit too much to read all the posts between threadmarks.
1. Could we make an Telepathica Order of Research?
1b. A more specific Order of researching wildlife parts for crafting?
2. Order of education? Dedicated to making as many psykers pass their trials as possible. We already do this a lot, but uniting the teachers and efforts into an order could maybe give it a boost.
Going to try asking you some questions, apologies if they have been answered or are stupid. This thread is a bit too much to read all the posts between threadmarks.
1. Could we make an Telepathica Order of Research?
1b. A more specific Order of researching wildlife parts for crafting?
2. Order of education? Dedicated to making as many psykers pass their trials as possible. We already do this a lot, but uniting the teachers and efforts into an order could maybe give it a boost.
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- Location
- Australia
100k hours is 11.4 straight years of learning. That...actually isn't unreasonable in Warhammer 40,000. This is from Priests of Mars:
As you can see, that is a hell of a lot of calculations. It'd take much more than 11 straight years of training for the average human to reach that level of mathematical skill. Despite that, augmentation and inloaded wetware is seemingly sufficient to cross that gap.
Now, we're talking about psychic stuff here, but there's evidence to suggest that that wouldn't be a problem. There are three pieces of evidence to consider.
1. Normal humans can, in theory, learn how to use psychic powers. That means the usage of psychic powers can be rendered down into material thought processes, which makes warp stuff via mundane tech possible. (Though proper warptech kinda already confirms this.
2. Pentagramatic wards are known to be made of "a complex and arcane process of occult rituals, holy symbology, and the application of lost aerythmetical formulae." More proof that mundane knowledge (in this case math) can be used to do psychic stuff.
3.
This is just plain mathematics applied to doing psyker stuff, and it's from a canon Embers in the Dusk omake.
Evidence from both canon 40k and Embers suggests that inloaded wetware should allow non-psykers to do psychic stuff. The real challenge would be making that wetware to begin with, but it's a challenge that can be overcome. All that's required is for a non-psyker to go through the work of actually reaching the point where they can use psychic powers. A tough job to be sure, but it's only 11.4 years of total study and that's a blink in the eye of a tech priest's maximum lifespan with juvenat and such.
Sanctioned Psyker - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
@Durin, in Embers in the Dusk, is the above stuff false or is it only true for psykers that are worse at being psykers than proper sanctionities? That is, would poor psykers working together result in a 'greater-than-sum' effect as opposed to good psykers working together resulting in a 'lesser-than-sum' effect?