Alternate sources of Autochthonian Soulsteel

[Flagg]

I like the fact that Soulsteel is creepy shit, made from tortured souls -- it fits with Deathlords and Abyssals.


I also like Soulsteel Caste Alchemicals quite a bit, but I think the official explanation of Autocthonian Soulsteel is somewhat lame. I don't like the idea that Soulsteel Alchemicals are made from the tortured souls of a bunch of X-Files rejects.


So, in order to have my cake and eat it too, I've been thinking of some other explanations for Auto's cache of that MM.


I have a few ideas so far, but I'd love to hear more that don't suck.


My first idea is that Autocthonian Soulsteel is somehow "pure". Auto, in his infiinite tinkering, found a way to manufacture a material with all the properties of Soulsteel, but without Labyrinthine stone or human souls. I'm not sure how much I like this idea, as it takes all the distinctiveness out of the material, and just makes it black metal.


The second idea is that Soulsteel is made from the souls of the Autocthonian condemned. You know, the ones that have their soulgems removed and are cast into the Reaches? Perhaps they are harvested by special Guardians or Autocthonian elementals and forged in some automated steelworks deep inside the Pole of Metal.


The third idea resembles the second, but instead of condemned souls, it's made from the souls of willing devotees of Autocthon. Perhaps the truly pious surrender themselves to the Maker to be crafted into Soulsteel? In this case, I wouldn't expect a MM full of wailing, tortured souls, but one still haunted by spirits, perhaps rapturously particpating in a holy duty.


Thoughts?


-S

 

[Persell]

This may be a tad far out, but couldn't soulsteel be seen as the antithesis of orichalcum? I know the process of manufacturing the two MMs are very different, as one is a kind of alloy and the other is (as I recall) a refinement of gold, but when solars and abyssals are antithetical I gather their corresponding MMs can be seen as being that too. So could Auto build soulsteel by somehow tainting/alloying orichalcum with the essence of the void? I mean, he is a builder, so he doesn't have to make things the "natural" way. He synthesizes

 

[ashenphoenix]

<b>Avoid if you're planning on playing the Autochthonian scenarios</b>


We all know what the Eye of Autochthon does. And we also know what the Realm's Defensive Grid is.


So. The Primordials die. Autochthon runs like the chicken-shit he is, and sets up reality so that he can still eat.


But what does he do with the other end? Any comp tech knows that a system has to have an input, a process and an output.


So where's the output on this system?


...Autochthon's in the Void, and ejects waste there occasionally.


Now isn't there are <i>really</i> nasty place in the underworld? Where the stuff for Soulsteel is mined? Like the Labyrinth? Or the Mouth of the Void?


Maybe that's Autochthon's output. 'Cause we all know why he took that huge section of Creation with him when he left.

 

[ashenphoenix]

Hehehehehee.


My 128th comment was on the system processes of Autochthon.


That's so geeky it hurts.

 

[Andrew02]

I like 3, Still.


Something that occured to me is that Soulsteel might be made out of captured and processed gremlins, corrupted guardians and elementals, and so forth. Like, after the militate goes off and kills a bunch of them in a regular purge, the loyal guardians clean it up, and send it to be processed.


It probably doesn't work for a bunch of reasons, but it might help with why Soulsteels are more susceptible to Gremlin Syndrome.

 

[ashenphoenix]

I would have thought that Gremlins were used for the creation of Starmetal, given that they're spirits.


...unless we're talking Alchemicals with Gremlin Syndrome - then there's a whole other kettle of fish.


There's also the possibility that Autochthon uses the Ewer of Souls in the creation of soulsteel in some way - which would explain the number of still births (as they're now making more of the Soulsteel caste Alchemicals).

 

[psychoph]

I haven't read E:Au yet but 3 sounds leika  very viable option from the stand point of a holy crusade against creation and fixing it, which i I'm unculturedulely remember form the book, the part I sort of read.


Going wiht a differnt flavor of game though you could say that the Autochthians (sp), have been coming to creation for a while, over centuries and they capture people to study.  Once they figured out they coudl bind souls they started taking more humans.  ome of the towns that were thought to have been taken over by the Wyld were actually destroyed by Autochthians (sp) and the souls harvested for soulsteel.


The thing I would make mention of though if you go the holy route, then it woudl be most likely that the SoulSteel Autochthians (sp) are the most revered and enlightened of the lot of them, which you could flip the MM around and sayt he Orchalum is actually the least peious and such, which woudl be a direct mind screw for creation as they would see them as een more monstrous ikf they saw Soulsteel as the most peious thing to exist.


It would then be interesitng if you have hte Autochthians taking over and converting people in creation that the most peious woudl sartifce themselves to become part of their god.

 

[Jakk Bey]

I'm liking the idea of volunteers to join with the Machine God as a cog in the Great Machine.


Of course, the souls may regret that, later on, as the fate to be crafted, to be used, and to not be able to control or influence events might get them after a while. Not so bad, if you're used in a way that befits your ideas, but if the soul is misused, or used in a way that contradicts their faith, then you could get some torture. Some regret.  Even attempts to rebel.


It might be an interesting mechanic that in extreme cases, the souls bound to the metal rebel, and try to subvert their servitude, and bring the user back to the light of Autocthons will, as they see it...


That, or there's just wailing and gnashing of ghostly teeth...

 

[Andrew02]

I would have thought that Gremlins were used for the creation of Starmetal, given that they're spirits.

Probably, but then Starmetal probably might not be a great big rare material. I figure, if Autochton can make Soulsteel with aliens' souls, he could do it with spirits.

 

[ashenphoenix]

I would have thought that Gremlins were used for the creation of Starmetal, given that they're spirits.

Probably, but then Starmetal probably might not be a great big rare material. I figure, if Autochton can make Soulsteel with aliens' souls, he could do it with spirits.

Hrrm. True.


Maybe, given S&S's explaination of Starmetal as a Death Sentence by forging, Starmetal requires the Spirit to be alive at the time of forging. Getting a Gremlin to sit still while you hammer on it's leg is really not going be an easy feat, and it going to increase it's rarity.


Then again, Gremlin's <i>are</i> tainted by the Void. They're not human souls - however.


How's this sound:


Many of the tunnel people become tainted by the mutation.


Now, some of these may be Void-based mutations. A few of the tunnel people are likely to have soulgems still implanted. This means that their souls are trapped upon death in a gem roughtly the size of an obloi (from Wraith). Given that alloying a soul with void-stuff creates soulsteel, wouldn't a Void-mutated soul function as naturally occuring alloy - just waiting to be forged? And look - we have a great little receptacle just waiting for us to extract it - rather than having to trap a pesky little immatereal ghost.


The Core may even authorize the reuse of such gems, implanting them in unsuspecting hosts, waiting for the Void to seduce them into escaping and mutating them, and then send a strike-force to "clean up" and reclaim the soulsteel-alloying soulgems.


Of course, releasing such taint into the population causes the taint of dissatisfaction to spread, which needs law enforcement to quell, which means more Soulsteel enforcers need to be produced, which needs more soulsteel, which reduces the birthrate, which means less populace to tend to Autochthon's working, which...

 

[Morquea]

I like the fact that Soulsteel is creepy shit, made from tortured souls -- it fits with Deathlords and Abyssals.
I also like Soulsteel Caste Alchemicals quite a bit, but I think the official explanation of Autocthonian Soulsteel is somewhat lame. I don't like the idea that Soulsteel Alchemicals are made from the tortured souls of a bunch of X-Files rejects.

After reading your suggestions, I still prefer the official explanation. But the third one as some potential for drama.

 

[Persell]

...  to the metal rebel' date=' and try...[/quote']
He he. I wanna be a metal rebel too!