jtr7 on 30/4/2009 at 00:03
Glyphs acting on their own--or reacting to unbalanced, stressed, and emotional Keeper thoughts, with the scribes that are not ready for what's occurring, not just because they are young in knowledge and experience, but also because even the Elders cannot prepare them. Odd language for Glyph Masters to speak of them so, and not only this one time:
Quote:
KCoddglyphs: "Glyphwarden Ruehan- Have you heard of any further
untoward behavior on the part of the glyphs in the Scribarium? Be sure to make note of exactly which scribes and
which glyphs have proved difficult. Notify me immediately should any further changes occur."
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This has always nagged at me for understanding:
Quote:
AULalbrechwritings:"The Writings of Albrech, Volume Three
Who shall watch the watchers? Who shall keep the Keepers? Alas, there is no one. No one to watch us. No one to keep us. This conclusion fills us with dread. For even a Keeper should not be left unchecked. So it became our work to plan for the worst possible contingencies. If at some distant time in the future, should the Keepers become unbalanced, then only our work now would stand in the way of disaster. This is why we labored so long and hard to create the Last of All Glyphs. Yet our best thinkers were not satisfied.
What if, for some reason unknown, it came into play too soon? Before these future Keepers had a chance to complete an important task? So we devised the Sentients, each a separate key, each with a will of its own. The Heart, the Crown, the Paw, the Chalice, and the Eye. They would not consent to the journey, which would culminate in their annihilation, until the time was ripe and the One was present. To ensure success, five Keepers were recruited to make the crucial sacrifices. And so, the Last of All Glyphs, our safeguard, stands ready against Keeper corruption. I hope we have done service to the future. May the Unwritten Times never come."
Is that what Garrett or a destined successor could do? Accomplish something important the Keepers became too unbalanced to do themselves, stopped short by losing their way, needing to lose it all, and leaving the task unfinished? Is that task still important, and does it still need accomplishing? Or was that line of thinking just a possibility they thought of that didn't itself come to pass?
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The Pagans revel in Chaos, but not when it's against them, and they would have to adapt or die. Without prophetic instructions from the Pagan leaders before it happened, the Pagans might slay their leaders as fears foment, the war with the Hammerites might spike, escalated to a last person standing fight.
After the civil war had already begun, only for them to calm down for awhile with the return of their Artifacts, this may come to full fruition:
Quote:
OQtowerletter: "Brother Anvil- At thy services this morning, thou should address the issue of our fallen clocktower. Your flock will no doubt have heard of its toppling, and wilt be wondering if the Builder hast abandoned us. 'Tis not the case, for I feel His presence most heartily! Indeed, I believe the clocktower wast his way of calling us to war 'gainst the Pagans! For if we do not, then the whole city may fall as the clocktower did. Yes, the Builder hast sacrificed a beloved building to awake his sleeping flock! To arms 'gainst the heathens! Let thy hammers swing! Brother Agnus"
And/or...Garrett would be the biggest target, and utterly screwed, requiring all his Keeper training--ALL of it, hieroGlyphs included--if he's able to find the lock he is the key to, a well-spring of magic attuned only to him, until he can grasp the principles enough to rebuild something. Who he was will have to die, though he could retain his Mastery of thieving, but never enjoy doing it against everyone for only the sake of stealing again. A new character arc, learning what it means to be a Keeper, and running for his life, and each obstacle he overcomes teaches him more and more about being the true First Keeper that all other First Keepers were labeled "surrogates" for.
The Keepers could now become a different kind of underground society, living in their network of tunnels, knowing them better than anybody could discover in decades, giving them time to plan. Thanks to Solabusca for finding this inspiration: (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118275)
They could become the greatest knowledge-merchants in The City, could work at the Grand Library, become informants and spies, devise new systems of cataloguing information, create self-serving technology from what they learned from the Precursors, Hammerites, and Mechanists. And preserve the remnants of their Order, until a day may come when they could be reestablished, but now they are bereft and vulnerable, and many will die, go to prison, flee The City, or adapt successfully.
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As for the other idea, either the ancient Keepers were too focused on their own demise (highly unlikely), or they didn't expect or believe any magic other than the Glyphs would cease. No reason to believe the Glyphs spilled magic over onto the other factions as a fringe benefit for them, ascribing the source to their deities.
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Tidbits on how the Factions view each others' magics...:
Quote:
PAGhamstatue: "Woodbine- Bes you not touch the ruby Hammer Statuette you founded in them ruined factory wall. Bes it fullsy of Hammerhead magics and poison. It bes curses them earth all arounds it. Only them hand of them Trickster himself can takers it away. I bes feared what would happen if a Pagan touchered it. Them Hammerheads must have lefted it there on purpose to danger us, and tempting us with them golden shines. Dyan"
That one reminds me of a story I was told by a Navajo-Apache native about the fear of curses from the Hopis. Her immediate family's dwelling was below a mesa, and one day they spotted some items resting near the precipice. They went up to look at what it was that had been placed there, and it was various odd items, and I can't remember if there were figurines and bowls with some kind of contents among the items. Fearing a curse from the Hopis, they destroyed the items.
Quote:
OQburiedseedletter: "Brother Severence- 'Tis gone from bad to worse! We managed to bury the body - finally! But the graveyard hast become quite o'ergrown with plants of all types. No manner of ax nor blade can halt their unnatural growth. We fear 'tis Pagan magics. But we know not how they accomplished it! Do please advise us, if thou hast any idea how to proceed. Most vexedly, Brother Archibald"
I still want to know who shipped the Pagan Sapling, if that matters really, but who it was ordered from and where from?
Quote:
OQburntreenote: "Brother Vault It hast come to our attention that the Pagans art after a small tree that recently arrived by boat to thy district, Docks. 'Tis imperative they don't obtain it! If 'tis anything like the Pagan magics thus far, 'twill be bad for us indeed. The cursed thing is being held by the City Watch. Methinks they must side with the Pagans, or perhaps greed hast o'ercome their sense of righteousness. If though thinkest an offer of more money would set things aright, then 'twould be a goodly plan. Brother Ondilot thinkest we should burn the tree in a furnace. That the furnace, most blessed vessel of the will of the Master Builder, will destroy the tree and consume its terrible magics. 'Tis a furnace in the Tavern there in Docks--and perhaps, by the Builder's grace, 'twill do the job. Though, 'tis a poor substitute for a Hammerite furnace. Brother Constance"
Quote:
DOCblessedground: "Hyssop You wills get them saplinger tree! Bes a rare centuried plant that will helping us. Whens you having the sapling, bringer it to them abandoned Inn - heres in our territory in Docks. There bes a patch of ground there I blessed. Plant them sapling there, and it bes will bringer us them powers rooted in them deeping earth. Dyan"
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Quote:
OQshamanjournal:"Moonsday
I made them enchantings with my magicer wand to raising them undead again. Them hammerheads bes battling them all day and nights! Bes a good thinger I do. It bes keeper them from burying friendsy Alfred in thems Hammerfool graveyard. Bes I no want him buried in a hammer spot. Bes I want him to resting in goodsy earth - where hims flesh can feeders them trees and vines. If I coulds just getting to them cornerstone - and bes starting the greensy. Then the hammery graveyard bes will turn greens and goodsie. Then will let friend Alfred bes buried there. But bes too risky - them hammers bes too manied. I bes must stay hidings in them sewers in Old Quarter for nows. It bes safe for me there - and I bes close enough to raising more undead with my magicer wand.
Cloudsday
I bes not able to get to them cornerstone agains. Bes a hammerhead near theres. What bes I will do? At least I still havers my magicer wand - I bes will keep raisings them undead to stoppers them hammerheads. Them Woodsie Lord will guider me."
Quote:
OQzombieletter: "Brother Severence- Twould be much appreciated if thou wouldst advise us on a matter that hast arisen here. A devout woman hast come to us and asked if her brother might be buried in our sacred burial ground. To this we readily agreed, as the woman dost come to services every day. But, no sooner didst we attempt the burial, when a plague of undead didst set upon us! Twas so many that we didst retreat to the safety of the chapel. After gathering forces anew, we smote the zombies - and right well! Yet each time we fell these putrid foes, a new wave of them dost arise from the ground. 'Tis a curse of some kind, to be sure. If thou hast some advice, then, I pray thee, bring it forth soon! Brother Archibald"
Quote:
OQzombieletter2: "Brother Archibald Thou didst right in contacting me. As for the woman and her departed sibling, 'tis unlikely they art as pious as presented. For, to be sure, thou art sorely besieged with Trickster magics.
There is no remedy, save checking the area for any Pagan Shamans. Beware, these cursed purveyors of the Trickster's enchantments art dangerous indeed. Only a Shaman wouldst have the power to have set upon thee the plague of undead thou hast suffered.
I will pray thee finds the offending Shaman soon, and bringest unto him most forcefully, the teachings of the Builder. Brother Severence"
A Shaman includes the Ocean in his/her desire for power to curse manfools. Curses are big among Pagans in all the games, and somewhat among Hammers:
Quote:
PAGcurses: "Cursings on the Manfools Oh Woodsie Lord, oh Trickster, oh Greens and Leafy King, bes you giver my curses them power of them woods and the speed of them winds.
Giver you my curses them potent of the seas. For the cityman who beated his horse. Be cursing him with them blackening sickness. I bes burn them cornsilks on that fullsy moon - and whisper them words that bringers on them bruising. He bes dead by next moon. For the cityman who choppered them trees. Be cursing him with them itchings. I bes offered them mice to the itch ivy patch - and they spirits be finders the cityman. First he bes itch and itch. Then soon the madness bes follow. Bes I thanker you, Trickster,
greensy father of us all."
There's more, but this has been plenty, so lastly (for this post, heh heh):
Quote:
PagNothingGrowsHere_001000: m03c0101: Seesie? Bes nothing can growing here. Not even them blood vine or butter weed.
PagNothingGrowsHere_002000: m03c0102: I seesie. Do you thinks--?
PagNothingGrowsHere_003000: m03c0103: Thinkers me them Hammerheads put curses on it!
PagNothingGrowsHere_004000: m03c0104: Shaman bes the only one with magics to fight the Hammerheads....
PagNothingGrowsHere_005000: m03c0105: Or them priestess, Dyan....
PagNothingGrowsHere_006000: m03c0106: Yes, but she bes busy with more important works.
Quote:
PagDyanLarkspur_001000: m03c0201: How bes it done?
PagDyanLarkspur_002000: m03c0202: First, Dyan, Priestess of Wood, givers enchantment, and beset them minds....
PagDyanLarkspur_003000: m03c0203: Yes?
PagDyanLarkspur_004000: m03c0204: Then the manfools, thinker they bes acting of them own free will, does whatever we wants...
PagDyanLarkspur_005000: m03c0205: Ha, stupid weaksy manfools. And then?
PagDyanLarkspur_006000: m03c0206: Then, after the magics wear off, the damage bes done, and if there bes a problem....
PagDyanLarkspur_007000: m03c0207: Larkspur seals them deal with more other...persuasions....
PagDyanLarkspur_008000: m03c0208: Yeah, or he bes just kills them.
Whew!:sweat: :cheeky:
