The Lost Files (C:TL/Dresden Files) (CK2-ish)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
rhu.
In the Moonlight
- Location
- a place where aliens like to live
@The Laurent can I ask you something?
What about the Ocean? It lies at the end of The River, right? What else there is to it?
What about the Ocean? It lies at the end of The River, right? What else there is to it?
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Well, basically, it's partially metaphorical. All Rivers flow into the Ocean. Except in this case, the Metaphor is real. The Ocean is a VAST slice of Arcadia, tons of different Arcadian realms ranging from 'Pirates Bay' to 'Tortuga' to 'Giant Sea Monsters' to 'Bermuda Triangle' to...just, it's a great big mass of every single oceanic Realm of Arcadia (and there are thousands, because again, Arcadia's pretty much infinite for human understanding and standards), filled with Goblins, Changeling slaves (or pre-Changelings as it were) and of course plenty of the Gentry in forms ranging from 'vast sea of snakes' to 'Evil Pirate Captain' to 'Fair Damsel' etc, etc...endless.
The only thing keeping it from invading up the River more often are a few things.
1) The River's like, holy shit long, so it wouldn't be a collective threat.
2) The symbolism of fresh versus salt water. Basically, big invasions/incursions can't happen because it's against the way things go.
3) There's so much else to do. The Hedge is booorring, and the real world even more so.
4) All of that said, plenty of said Gentry do, as the fact that pre-Changelings reside there indicate, steal humans away and take them down the River, and as well...uh. Goblins and others and sometimes even Changelings (mostly Loyalists/Privateers, but there have been infamous cases of Freeholds right by the 'Ocean' part of it selling out humans in secret in exchange for 'pls no invade pls' and other such classics) also sell them.
5) Also, because of the whole 'salt/fresh' barrier, and because it's fucking Arcadia, most people go in or go out. Entering it and then coming back is sorta...well, for one, probably for a while people avoided her if chosen in case she was secretly, they dunno, a True Fae wearing her skin or had been driven mad or became a Loyalist or...something.
6) Incidentally, there's a reason that 'Nightmares and Daydreams' is key-worded into that Experience. Because it's not...it's not a happy-fun-time for even those that manage to pierce the Ocean and then return.
Does that make sense?
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rhu.
In the Moonlight
- Location
- a place where aliens like to live
Yeah, it does. Thank you
It sounds like a really crazy place. The bad kind of crazy, mind you (Arcadia in general give this feeling¹). I wonder what kind of setup the mages have with the Kindly Folk that allows them to reach the Watchtower unmolested. Will it even be there on this quest?
1 - Even if I also think it could be a great place to throw some Exalts/High Level D&D Murderhobos at and see what happens next.
----
Anyway, voting time:
[X] Plan McClenahan
Major Allies
-[X] Monarchical Ally
--[X] King Stoneguts
---[X] Define the relationship: Political Ally, Occasional Sparring Partner
I like the idea of King Stoneguts being her closest ally. The court of fear and the court of sorrow make a formidable pairing.
Minor Allies
-[X] The Lord Sages
-[X] Professorial
As mentioned by Snow- if she runs into something she doesn't know enough about, she's got allies and contacts who almost certainly do.
Experiences
-[X] A War In Dreams
-[X] To the Ocean Itself
Because both of these are made of badass.
Mortal Attainments
-[X] Just what is her job anyways?
-[X] Nice House
-[X] Mother of the Year?
Just What Is Her Job and Nice House ensures stability and that she can dedicate more time to monarchical duties. Mother of the Year kinda counterbalances it... somewhat, since she's devoting some time to keeping up appearances on the mortal side, but once again... stability.
Attributes
-[X] Quick on her feet (Wits to 4)
-[X] A Corpse's Nerves (Composure to 6)
Shoring up the daytime weakness somewhat, and given being in charge is a high-stress job anyway and that's only going to be doubled by being cast into an entirely new setting, superhuman-level Composure is a must.
Rulership
-[X] Panopticon
Ms. Archy is watching you. All of the rulership options have their downsides, but I'm naturally averse to outright following the Tarkin Doctrine, holding court doesn't seem to fit her style, and focusing her power on her actual physical presence is dangerously limited. So... surveillance state it is!
Title
-[X] Queen
-[X] Monarchical Ally
--[X] King Stoneguts
---[X] Define the relationship: Political Ally, Occasional Sparring Partner
I like the idea of King Stoneguts being her closest ally. The court of fear and the court of sorrow make a formidable pairing.
Minor Allies
-[X] The Lord Sages
-[X] Professorial
As mentioned by Snow- if she runs into something she doesn't know enough about, she's got allies and contacts who almost certainly do.
Experiences
-[X] A War In Dreams
-[X] To the Ocean Itself
Because both of these are made of badass.
Mortal Attainments
-[X] Just what is her job anyways?
-[X] Nice House
-[X] Mother of the Year?
Just What Is Her Job and Nice House ensures stability and that she can dedicate more time to monarchical duties. Mother of the Year kinda counterbalances it... somewhat, since she's devoting some time to keeping up appearances on the mortal side, but once again... stability.
Attributes
-[X] Quick on her feet (Wits to 4)
-[X] A Corpse's Nerves (Composure to 6)
Shoring up the daytime weakness somewhat, and given being in charge is a high-stress job anyway and that's only going to be doubled by being cast into an entirely new setting, superhuman-level Composure is a must.
Rulership
-[X] Panopticon
Ms. Archy is watching you. All of the rulership options have their downsides, but I'm naturally averse to outright following the Tarkin Doctrine, holding court doesn't seem to fit her style, and focusing her power on her actual physical presence is dangerously limited. So... surveillance state it is!
Title
-[X] Queen
[X] Cora Graves
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- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
[X] Snow's plan
[X] Cora Graves
[X] Cora Graves
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Different Arcadia's. Also, aww! I'll tell McClenahan (who is actually a close friend of mine) he'll be tickled pink
rhu.
In the Moonlight
- Location
- a place where aliens like to live
Really? They have two similar planes, with the same name not be the same place?Different Arcadia's. Also, aww! I'll tell McClenahan (who is actually a close friend of mine) he'll be tickled pink
I will never get why White Wolf is so against splat crossover.
- Location
- Daybreak
Huh. Whenever the idea of infinite things come up now, I want to bring up smaller and larger infinities, like Countable set - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and Uncountable set - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ...
So, is Arcadia truly infinite, in any sense, or just so large that it's statistically impossible for any one human to travel it all and not be killed by something?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I mean, they aren't *that* against Splat Crossover, since they *do* have, say, the Lord Sages--and those will be fun to design.
But the problem is, it brings up more problems than it solves, making that Arcadia and the Mage one one in the same.
I mean, besides making everything the bitch of Mage Metaphysics.
As far as Exalted go...well, Exalted are powerful, so I guess it'd depend on how it goes. Like, actually trying to Go To War with Arcadia, besides effectively being like, well, going to war with the ocean, and besides being impossible, actually ends like this.
Inside View: Furiously, the great champion punches at the drops of water, slaughtering five, six, a dozen, against great might and odds, struggling valiantly to the end.
Outside View: Wow, that dumbass doesn't know how to swim, do they? They're just flailing around.
I mean, being honest, 'that Dumbass' could literally be...anyone. Mab, if she actually, like, didn't know to retreat could be swallowed up. I mean, she'd chew through a chunk (relative to her, a huge chunk, relative to Arcadia, a slight sliver of a fraction) of Arcadia first, but there's an entire Arcadian Realm involving tree-top cities below an entire grasslands made of giant chunks of pointy steel (which by Dresden Fae but not True Fae standards means 'iron') that people are thrown down onto when they 'fail.' Arcadia, Arcadia is all but designed to chew up and spit out anyone who comes at it directly.
There's an Arcadian realm for everything, and also probably 5-6 similar ones to boot.
The best way to put it is probably the latter, yes. Except, sub in 'any one human' for 'any group of any beings no matter how large, including the True Fae themselves.' But in a theoretical sense, yes, there's a limit/end. I literally have no idea how one would actually reach it, and Arcadia also *is* growing to some extent. I mean, new Titles are formed, Titles are eaten, etc, etc.
It's just that nobody knows it including the True Fae, and nobody really *could* know it.
Edit: Let me clarify slightly. I'm not sure what the Outsiders of the Dresden Files could do. If any one group could actually do something about the True Fae, it would be them, most likely by first destroying earth in order to deprive the True Fae of inspiration, and then...I dunno what from there, because the Outsiders and their motivations are sorta...sorta.
But the Changelings aren't going to find an easy solution for Arcadia in the Dresden Files, and that's even if you don't count the fact that most powers aren't even allowed to throw their weight around. I mean, as I said, individual True Fae can be fucked up by all sorts of means when they're weak (that is to say on earth), and no doubt any one 'X' power could put the hurt-down or try to weaken their ability to take humans by making it too costly, or something.
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rhu.
In the Moonlight
- Location
- a place where aliens like to live
The Exalt idea is less going to war with Arcadia and more dealing with particular Faes (like, you need a favour of one powerful Gentry for some reason, or save someone who was taken by one or more Fae, etc). With some teaks I think they could even take the place of Exalted's own fair folk (after 2e implementation of the Rakshasa I am not sure if I want to touch Exalted's brand of fae again even with a ten foot pole) or even carve their own niche on the setting.
Mage is... kind of complicated, isn't it?
Mage is... kind of complicated, isn't it?
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So, um, question. We obviously wouldn't get them to intervene, but if we assume the description of Uriel being able to destroy entire galaxies isn't hyperbole, if he went into Arcadia and did as much as he could, would it at least have a noticable effect on the way the True Fae interacted with the rest of reality as a whole?
KnightDisciple
Love God. Do Right. Fear No Man.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
My plan now has a name! Plan Ghost Ninja Super Mom is...probably not going to win, but it has a Plan Name!
(PS @The Laurent, this is a pretty cool quest.)
chocolote12
A Penguin Flailing Against The Keyboard Of Life.
Different Arcadia's. Also, aww! I'll tell McClenahan (who is actually a close friend of mine) he'll be tickled pink
Actually, it's that there are multiple "Arcadia"s like there are multiple parallel dimensions, and the one Arcadia with the watchtower in it is the only empty one, for reasons. Or at least, that's my headcanon.
Wouldn't Archangels be untouchable by anything the True Fae might do to them whether they are in Arcadia or not? Or someone like, I don't know, Ferrovax who is stated to be able to destroy the World if he really wanted to whether all the powers in it argued about it with him or not?
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Hmm, not too attached to the name. I'll switch over since Cora seems more favored
Exalted probably could invade successfully by copious use of Chaos Repelling Pattern(which is designed essentially, to force everyone to play by their rules), and beat down individual True Fae...except the True Fae are going to be the 'realistic' version of their narrative, and still going to be insanely powerful.
Taking out the whole of Arcadia is another matter. No one Exalted could do it, but the full Primordial War army might.
Not necessarily, even within Dresden Files logic.
In their domain, acting in line with their nature, yes.
But Archangels HAVE proven to be vulnerable to certain things(see the scene where Harry gives Uriel a nickname, and was nearly destroyed for it). Power level isn't hugely relevant at the Archangel/Ancient Dragon/Faerie Queen level of power. They all have enough power to wipe each other off the map. The circumstances of a conflict matters far more.
Vozen
Magic Adventure Cat
- Location
- Seattle
Yea, it does...also, I suddenly want to quote Tomas Zane from the Alan Wake game for some reason.
For he did not know, that beyond the lake he called home,
There lied a deeper, and darker ocean green.
Where waves are both wilder and more serene.
To its ports I've been, to its ports I've been.
...also, in terms of appearance, would out Autumn Queen look anything like this?:
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Yea, it does...also, I suddenly want to quote Tomas Zane from the Alan Wake game for some reason.
For he did not know, that beyond the lake he called home,
There lied a deeper, and darker ocean green.
Where waves are both wilder and more serene.
To its ports I've been, to its ports I've been.
...also, in terms of appearance, would out Autumn Queen look anything like this?:
Hmm, not sure! Still haven't finished firming up her appearance, I've been working on her Prophet Circle and some other stuff.
Snow
Doka
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hmm, with the description of how Gravewights and Di-cang typically look, I think one possibility for her appearance is something like a mummy (not necessarily the stereotypical heavily-bandaged Egyptian sort though) with lots of bling. Perhaps with a face that looks like an ornate death mask?
...
"I wear no mask"
...well.
...
"I wear no mask"
...well.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Hmm, with the description of how Gravewights and Di-cang typically look, I think one possibility for her appearance is something like a mummy (not necessarily the stereotypical heavily-bandaged Egyptian sort though) with lots of bling. Perhaps with a face that looks like an ornate death mask?
...
"I wear no mask"
...well.
Another thing to add in is her Mantle.
On top of her evolved wyrd and those two Kiths and the Darkling thing, there is this...or rather, something along these lines.
"The Mantle of the Autumn Court is more overtly sorcerous than the others. It has mystical overtones -- sparkles of light, occult characters, queer musical tones or other indicators -- in addition to the normal seasonal nature. At Mantle 1 to 3, a character's seeming displays the occasional dead leaf on the wind (moreso during the height of the season), lit candles or the vines of harvest-time plants. At Mantle 4+, the seeming shows those with more frequency and occasionally appears to kill nearby plants with frost, or at least make them wither. People who can perceive the seeming also feel occasional chills, not usually associated with temperature. Members of the Ashen Court have an affinity for the magic of the fae."
Still thinking about what details I'd want to focus on.
Also, on a more mechanical note, she gets access to the Autumn Crown Power! The crown always manifests (and it doesn't have to be a crown) as an addition to the Changeling's Wyrd that is obvious and very much indicates who and what they are. Royalty.
Yay!
Harvest Of Whispers (Autumn) Once every few days, the Autumn Leader may reflect on new things they have learned and then perform the Harvest of Whispers. For each valuable secret, important truth, revelatory fact or other significant (and new) piece of information she has learned, up to a her Mantle rating (5 in this case) she gains two Glamour points in a special pool tied to her mantle, that can be used to power Contracts, activate Tokens, facilitate dream travel, or cross into the Hedge, and nothing else. They fade away after a few days. There is a downside. As long as she holds (with her natural pool and this 'new' pool combined) more than her maximum total glamour, she is more easily detected by those that can sense or find glamour, a magial beacon of sorcerous might, so it might be useful to use the glamour when possible. This represents and is the cap of a person's connection with the season of Autumn itself, and so they are always meant to be seeking out new secrets, interesting information, and the like, not resting on their laurels, and so they cannot 'reuse' old information, and must always strive to know more. And more.
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Too long and the secrets spoil, and it is an increase, yes. About 50% more Glamour than she could normally hold.
Currently working on Hedge Fruit, just finished Tokens/Hedgespinning, except for the part with the battle armor. Snow's plan might lead to a slightly more 'you're a wizard harry' vibe, while Veekie's armor might be slightly more historical-ish. Might also change the weapon used, I'm considering whether she should have, like, a stave to hit people with. A staff with a knob on the end.
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Tasoli
Life is for Living
- Location
- Behind the Keyboard.
Actually I doubt it Mab is queen of darkness. She could freeze entire thing over because under the ocean is dark which makes it is her domain.
Other parts of Arcadia perhaps not but I am pretty sure Mab unrestained by Titania can cause winter across entire Arcadia.
Because lets face it Nevernever is infinite and half of it is in winter because she is that powerful.
- Location
- Daybreak
Well, a bit less than half, as there's the Wyldfae, and others, instead of just Winter and Summer... Perhaps 1/3?
Any fraction of infinity is still infinity.
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Tasoli
Life is for Living
- Location
- Behind the Keyboard.
Wyldfae doesn't rule land they are either nomads or have agreements with the big 2. Like Goblin King whom is wyldfae yet under the rule of Summer.