Keychain #296-300(!)

Those lines from the Boddhisatva were some of the most darkly awesome things I have ever read. At first, I pictured the classic Satan voice, and it felt cliché. Then I remembered who it was who was talking and switched internally to the Prince (who sounds like a mix of David Xanatos and the Phantom of the Opera in my head). Utterly epic.


The desire to live, beyond all other considerations. One of mankind's strongest emotions, and one the Prince (and, by extension, Jukashi) seems to understand fully. This explains so much.


Also, it makes me wonder just how much the author had to suffer to bring us to this point. Poor, poor Secret.
 
Forgive my ignorance' date=' but was this just the common plague or something magical?[/quote']
A plague of this lethality, striking out of nowhere with no new ships to bring it(couldn't have anyway, something this nasty would have killed the whole crew by the time it beached)....odds are poor that it is of mundane origin.
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So the brink of death condition was met with the plague. Ok. I heard every now and then that abyssals are stolen from Solars. Did that happen here? Is it something obvious or just a background on where the abyssal power comes from?


I hope that didn't hurt.
 
Every Abyssal is a person who, if an Exaltation had been availible, could have risen to become a Solar. They have the strength of destiny to be that awesome if they just reach for it. However, before they can achieve what would could have gotten them the power of the Sun, they die.


At that last breath of life, they are offered the choice: choose to live and serve a Deathlord as he works to end Creation or die. Each Abyssal chose the first, although each for his or her own reasons. Some choose because they want the power, others the chance at revenge. Secret belongs to the group that were too afraid of death to choose to die.
 
Well, that's the thing- it's clear she has the requisite awesomeness, despite Clunie's bitching and moaning; It's just... Stealth is not her forte so much as Larceny and Athletics.


And of course, Dodge. Lots and lots of Dodge.


But we knew that already.
 
I say that without the intervention of the Prince, we would never have had the cute badassery of Secret, so for that he gets a reprieve.


However, I tend to curb-stomp Deathlords for the general principle of them wanting to take my prospective empire and toss it into the Well of the Void.


Sorry.


Captain Hesperus
 
Synapse said:
So the brink of death condition was met with the plague. Ok. I heard every now and then that abyssals are stolen from Solars. Did that happen here? Is it something obvious or just a background on where the abyssal power comes from?
I hope that didn't hurt.
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What Kyeudo said, as well as the factor that sometimes they are, literally, stolen Solars turned in a Monstrance.


I don't think this is one of them, but there are cases where someone actually does the thing that would've got them turned Solar, but there's no Exaltation watching at the time (possibly because the Deathlords nicked it), so they don't Exalt, fail, and get stabbed by stabby things. At this point, they hear a voice in their head, offering another chance...
 
</lurk>


Nah - the timeline wouldn't work. Secret mentions that this is after the Scarlet Empress disappeared, but the Great Contagion was before the Empress rose to power. If I interpret the core book correctly, anyway. Seems kinda similar, though.


Really, this kind of plague is a pretty neat strategy by any underworld power. You kill off a lot of people at once (good), it's hard to defend against (better), so much death might unleash a shadowland (better yet), and you might snag a minion or two from the hopeless, maddened, desperate survivors (flawless victory!). All at pretty low risk to you and your forces, though I imagine a good plague's not so easy to create and distribute effectively. Might even make a good story hook - "[Our home city/The kingdom/This place we came through] has a mysterious disease! Let's go [find a cure/get revenge/keep order]!"


As long as I'm posting: so much love for the artwork and style on this recent page. The panels devoted to the Evil Voice from Nowhere are absolutely perfect, and Secret's roiling dark essence is a nifty effect.
 
There's also, you know, the Abyssal Medicine tree, which has more to do with spreading disease than curing it. And Deathlords tend to have 'All Abyssal and Solar Charms they meet requirements for, plus 'Fill in blank' list of custom personal charms, and all Arcanoi they meet requirements for.
 
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