Sandy

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/princessaugustine-avatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/blair-avatar.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [FONT="Georgia"]As soon as she was free from attending the coronation ceremony, Princess Augustine Beauteous made her way down to the abandoned part of the dungeons below Mirror Palace. She had sent a message to the Starks as soon as she had heard her father's choice. It was time to put an end to this all. Now that everyone were gathered to one place, it was a perfect opportunity for a meeting. But Augustine was so worked up by her plotting that she didn't notice that she was being followed. Augustine arrived to the crumbled cell with a hole on the backwall that the Starks used in their meetings. She turned on the magitechnological torch on the wall, and much to her dismay saw that the person inside the cell was not who she was expecting. [B]"Oh. You"[/B], Augustine said with clear distain to Blair Stark. [B]"I've grown accustomed to dealing with your husband."[/B] [B]"My Donner is caught up with something else now, so you will have to deal with me"[/B], Blair replied, with equal loathing in her voice. Augustine's eyes narrowed. She could always work her feminine charms to bend Donner to her will, but they were useless against Blair. [B]"Very well. I called you to say that I'm [I]utterly[/I] disappointed in how things have turned out, so I will break off our agreement this instant!"[/B] Augustine bit her tongue, as her words hadn't come out quite like she had intended. That tramp had gotten on her nerves! [B]"Our agreement was broken a long time ago"[/B], Blair said with a satisfied grin. [B]"If you thought you were our only source of funding, then you were sadly mistaken. We have no use for a Dynast Whore in our plans anymore. We will burn down your precious tyranny, and out of the ashes will be born a glorious democracy where everyone will live free from oppression!"[/B] Augustine was taken aback by Blair's burning eyes. She was fortunate that there was a row of metal bars in between them. She cursed her stupidity - of course these rats wouldn't have let her ascend to the throne! They didn't want to be ruled by anyone, the savages... But what was this other funder Blair was talking about. [B]"For someones who are so desperate to be their own lords, you are certainly willing to take money from some higher power"[/B], Augustine mocked. [B]"Our benefactor will be more than pleased to see High Czenoble up in flames, trust me," [/B] Blair said. [B]"You can rot in this palace of illusions till that time comes, for all I care. We are finished, [I]princess[/I]."[/B] Augustine was about to retort, but then she saw someone approaching them. It was shady, but she could see that the figure was limping. It could only be one person... [B]"Brother, what are you doing here?"[/B] Augustine inquired from her twin. Augustus' scarred face was distorted with rage, and his mouth was dripping with saliva. [B]"I could ask you the same thing, sister!"[/B] the disabled prince shouted. [B]"You're a traitor! A shame to our father's memory! He's barely dead, and here you are plotting against his will!"[/B] [B]"She has been doing that for much longer than you think"[/B], Blair notioned, withdrawing into the shadows of the tunnel behind her. Augustus roared. He wasn't strong or tall, but the years of living under shame and neglect had given him inner strength that was about to be unleashed. His fist slammed into his twin sister's face, sending her on her back on the hard stone floor. [B]"Augustus, please!"[/B] the princess begged. [B]"It's not what you think!"[/B] [B]"Lies, all lies!"[/B] Augustus bellowed. He grabbed ahold of the torch on the wall and ripped it off from it's hinges. Blinded by the anger caused by the betrayal, he struck again and again, until his sister's screams and cries ceased. Blair Stark, afraid to show her face, had watched this from the tunnel. Although she hadn't anticipated it, she was glad that the world had gotten rid of yet another wicked soul. Blair wasn't delusional, she knew that she was no better than Augustine had been, and that she would eventually follow the princess to wherever she had gone, but that time wasn't yet. First, she had to ensure a better future for her son and other innocent souls.[/FONT]

[quote name='Malkav']She could kill herself after the underdogs fall. After all wasn't she involved in the uprisings?[/QUOTE] I think she loves herself too much to do that. Besides, nobody knows she was involved with the Underdogs yet. So I guess she'll be trying to do her everything to fake innocence at this point. But perhaps Augustus, the disabled prince, knows the truth... Hmm...

I didn't answer it because I'm open to all kind of suggestions considering the princess's fate. ;D

Rach, I already have plans for the big happy Stark family, so don't you worry about that... ;D

[quote name='Shy'][size=1] I suppose te idea of a high-ranking official spilling the secrets to The Starks ultimately makes more sense than 'People keep accidentally stumbling upon it.'[/size][/QUOTE] I agree with that. Though it would've been funny if people [I]did[/I] just keep accidentally stumbling upon this secret doomsday weapon. XD Your post was great, Gavin, I didn't mean to imply that there was anything wrong with it. I just had a different story for the cannon in my head than what it turned out to be, but that's what roleplaying is all about. ;D On to another issue, now that the coronation ceremony is done with, I'd like to get [B]Augustine[/B] out of the equation in some meaningful way. So throw some suggestions my way, if you will! I'm thinking that her twin brother Augustus could have something to do with it...

Actually, the cannon wasn't supposed to be in the military's possession at all. The fact that Leonhart and Daedalus had found and hidden it was an after-thought too. That's why my post with Leonhart was a bit contradictory. And since the Almagest brothers hid it, they couldn't know that it even went missing. The point of the cannon was that no-one knew about it's existence or how it's operated. That's why we kept it a secret for so long in this game. The Underdogs discovered it by chance, and think that it's their key to end High Czenoble's tyranny once and for all. With the text carved to it, they assume that an Almagest is needed for the job - and for once, they got it right. Anyway, this traitor thing is getting a bit old, isn't it? I mean, in the end, who [I]is[/I] on the Dynasty's side anymore? XD Though there are certainly more than two sides in this story. But we can of course discuss about this. I just always imagined that we would bring out the cannon as sort of a "deus ex machina" to give the game it's final push.

Yeah, the thread Allamorph linked to was my suggestion for an OB MMORPG. In the end, I got interested in other stuff. I doubt it would have worked anyway, I don't think enough people were interested in participating it to go through the trouble. I did get quite far with the planning, though... There's very much to take into consideration in this sort of a project, but if you guys want to go through with it, I wish you the best of luck!

[quote name='Malkav']Hey Sandy, I was just looking at the family tree and noticed that Jack's birth year was 681. In truth its supposed to be 678 because he's 31 years old. I'm sorry I didn't notice this before and its a relatively minor issue. You don't even have to update it if you don't want.[/QUOTE] That's strange... I went with what was written in the character profiles, but I see that it indeed says he's 31 there. Are you sure you didn't change it somewhere during the process? Anyway, it only makes sense that he's the same age as Charles and Meredyne. I'll fix it if there's a need to update the tree again. ;D

I did a minor (and probably the last) edit to the Family Tree, marking Vincent dead and adding Audrey. (I made her thirty years old, because I didnt' know her official age. I don't think it matters, anyway.) You can view the tree [url=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/almagest-familytree.png][u]here[/u][/url]. I have a sense that this game is drawing to an end. Gadget and Eva are probably going to tag with Fauntleroy to follow Victoria when she runs away, if I got the plotline right.

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gadgetgerrault2avatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/marieevangeline-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/victoriaann-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [FONT="Georgia"]Instead of driving to the front yard, Eva steered the steamcar to the small road leading to the servants' entrance at the side of the mansion. [B]"There shouldn't be anyone home"[/B], Eva explained. [B]"Macey went to the coronation. I heard that Primas Generous is our new Dynast King. Least of three evils, I'd say."[/B] Just a few months ago Gadget would've been in awe about the new ruler. As hated as the aristocracy was down in New Czenoble, the workers there considered the Dynasty to be nearly gods - distant, etheric, omnipotent. But after seeing the ruling family at the Chimera Cup and hearing all the dirty details about them from Vincent, most of the glory related to them was gone in his eyes. His time spent in High Czenoble had opened his eyes to see that the upper class were all humans with their own faults as well. But Eva had been wrong. As they stepped through the kitchen door, they heard someone rummaging the pantry. They tiptoed across the kitchen, and Gadget saw that the little girl, Victoria, was packing food to her bagback. She was so focused on it that Gadget and Eva managed to sneak out of the kitchen without her noticing them. [B]"What is the little rugrat up to now?"[/B] Eva asked when they had walked to a safe distance. [B]"It looked like she was planning to go out to a picnic."[/B] [B]"Or run away"[/B], Gadget suggested. Eva shrugged her shoulders, and lead her up to her room. On the way there, Gadget noticed that Bavaria had been thorough in packing up the treasures of the house: the corridors were void of all the paintings, vases and statues that had filled them before. [B]"Do you really think the Underdogs might try to attack here again?"[/B] Gadget asked when they had made it safely to Eva's living quarters. [B]"You tell me"[/B], Eva answered, giving him a meaningful look. Then she smiled. [B]"Sorry, I don't mean to question your trustworthiness. It's just that I barely know anything about you."[/B] She motioned towards an armchair, and went to her desk to fetch a device that looked like a sort of a pump with a gauge meter. [B]"Sit down, please. I'll measure your blood pressure for starters. Meanwhile, you can correct my lack of knowledge about you, if you will."[/B] Gadget felt comfortable with Eva Almagest. Although she shared some physical features with her twin sister, the two of them were quite different. It was obvious that both of them cared for Gadget for some strange reason, but somehow Eva was much more approachable than Macey. That's why Gadget told her everything, starting from his first memories in Mrs. Charcoal's orphanage, when the young couple only recently revealed to be his parents had come to watch him play in the yard through the fence.[/FONT]

We just returned from seeing this movie, and I want to throw in my few cents. First of all, in comparison to the dozens of disaster movies I've seen, Cloverfield was very likable. It had all the special effects that a movie of that genre needs, but the characters and the point-of-view of the story were much more believable (as opposed to the worn-out concept of an ex-fireman/police/weather forecaster saving the day). Well, I wouldn't have made the choice to stay behind that the main characters made, but it wouldn't have made much of a movie then, would it? ;P I don't get queasy easily, so the constant swaying didn't bother me after the beginning. Some of the scenes and effects were pretty awe-inspiring, though, like [spoiler]the skycraper leaning to the other.[/spoiler] The movie kept me in it's hook (despite the lack of plot) until the end, which to me was unnecessarily prolonged. It should've ended when [spoiler]the chopper crashed, cutting straight into the Coney Island final scene. I mean, who could [I]really[/I] survive that sort of a crash and still be able to run?[/spoiler] I of course missed all the cool ending stuff mentioned in this thread, although I did have a tingling that there could be something like that included. I loved the fact that they didn't give much exposition at all, it wouldn't have been nearly as believable as it was now. Imagine it: [spoiler]a soldier stops the main characters in the middle of the chaos to say "Hold up, strangers! I need to tell you that this monster was a creation of the government in a secret experiment!" etc.[/spoiler] XD As for the possibility of a sequel, this movie was a rarity in that it actually didn't allude that. Of course, we didn't see the Eiffel Tower, the Big Ben and the Golden Gate Bridge fall, like in other disaster movies... XP But no, I don't see much point in making one - the concept movie is a one-time deal. To sum it up, I think the movie is a gem, despite the fact that most people either love it or hate it. I think the same thing can be said about the genre as a whole. PS. Finland was very prominent in the movie with all the Nokia commercials and cellphones littering the scenes. One of the women in the party in the beginning actually had the same cellphone as I do (although mine is black instead of pink). ;D

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]In terms of the nature of Camp Doberman... confirmation one way or the other would be good (not that it's relevant to me right now, but it will be when the Guard attack).[/font][/QUOTE] If an official confirmation is really important in this matter, then unless it's necessary for the camp to be above ground (in which case the Underdogs could've moved it there after taking over New Czenoble), I'd say we stick with what is already established in my post.

[quote name='Shy'][size=1]Okay, Camp DOBERMAN is the above ground camp that will be raided by the Guard following coronation. Camp ROTTWEILER is the underground camp within Mount Grail, where Catherine, Leonhart and others are being held against their will.[/size][/QUOTE] Actually, in my post where I first mentioned the camps, Doberman was also underground, in a forsaken sewage tunnel directly underneath New Czenoble, whereas Rottweiler is much deeper underground, under Mt. Grail. Yes, I took the concept of [I]Underdogs[/I] a bit too far... XP

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']I'd agree with this since as I said before, I already knew it was a type of ciphers/word puzzles/codes. That hint of yours Sandy was rather useless. I already knew what you told Beth. But since Raiha has solved it, the point is moot. Which is good really. Because though I think such things are interesting, I hate solving them since I find them boring, so I wasn't planning on really trying. XP[/QUOTE] I'm sorry, Rach, but this isn't making much sense to me. You say my hint was useless, but it got the riddle solved, didn't it? And you say the riddle was interesting, but it was also boring. Huh? XD And Raiha, you solved the riddle correctly, so well done! The scripture alludes that the cannon can only be used by a born Almagest, and that it can be used for both good and evil. No, it doesn't say outright [I]how[/I] to use it, but if someone were to translate the text to Leonhart, he might figure it out... As for my latest post, although I said Bavaria and Beatriste moved out of Rosengard to the countryside for security reasons, that doesn't mean they cannot visit High Czenoble. The countryside villa of the Almagests is of course situated on the opposite side of Mount Grail to New Czenoble. And yes, Gadget is returning to Rosengard, but his presence there won't be initially known to others than Eva and, if Raiha wants, Macey. I'm open to other suggestions, though.

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/gadgetgerrault2avatar.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/marieevangeline-chronicle.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [FONT="Georgia"]Gadget stood in front of the appartment building where Vincent had lived. He had returned there last evening and sneaked inside shielded by his invisibility. He still had had some clothes of his size there, bought to him by Audrey just a few days ago. But Gadget knew he couldn't stay there longer than for the night. He thought it was only a matter of time before the Almagests would tell the RPG about him and Vincent, and then the appartment would be the first place they'd come to search for him. So he stood there in a simple sand-brown suit, trying to decide where to go from there. He could try and find a job from the city as a repairman or something, start a new life that way. But there would always be the risk that one day the RPG would find him. He could also try to return to New Czenoble, but he didn't think his parents would be pleased to see him anymore. The city was rumored to be on the verge of chaos, so it was very unlikely that Gadget would even find the Starks there. Of course, he could do as his parents had originally told him and go to Brigit Town. But he didn't have any money, and even if he did, the railways were closed. He could try to sneak into an airship, but there was a chance it would get shot down. All this pondering made Gadget frustrated. He was about to just cross the street and start walking aimlessly, when a steamcar stopped in front of him. Behind the wheel was Eva Almagest. [B]"Get in"[/B], Eva told him. [B]"Don't worry, I'm not letting anyone take you. I have to get you to safety. It's dangerous to stand here idly as if you're waiting to get caught."[/B] Gadget was baffled. How had Eva known where he was? And could he really trust the woman, after the way he had been driven out of Rosengard? On the other hand, Eva had defended Gadget to her brother... Taking another leap of fate, Gadget entered the mobile. [B]"I'm glad to see you well, Gadget. I was worried they had already caught you, and this was the only place I knew where to look for you."[/B] [B]"Where will you take me?"[/B] Gadget asked cautiously. [B]"Back to Rosengard, but we have to be discreet about it. Don't worry, it's almost deserted now. Bavaria and Beatriste and the little children already left this morning with most of the servants to our family's countryside villa. You'll be safe in there as long as you don't show your face publicly."[/B] Gadget was hesitant to return to the Almagest manor, but Eva was right. The RPG had already looked there, so they wouldn't think Gadget would go back there. Gadget hoped that his parents would soon give the RPG something better to do than chase him around. [B]"Macey has missed you, Gadget. You are her most priced scientific achievement, after all..."[/B] Eva said and smiled at Gadget. But when she saw Gadget's face darken, she corrected her words. [B]"Ah, I apologize for talking like that.We scientists sometimes see the world only as something to experiment on. Of course you are a human being like us. I just hope my father would have seen that before he approved Project Alchimaera..."[/B] But Gadget wasn't sure if he really was anything else than an utility item anymore. He didn't seem to have any other function in the world except to be used by other people. He could've been happy with Vincent, but he would've lived Vincent's life then, not his own. Gadget felt like his life was given a purpose without asking his opinion about it. But then he looked at Eva, and thought about her sister Macey. Maybe the Almagest twins could change his destiny. Maybe they could undo what had been done to him, and he could start living a life of his own. Just maybe.[/FONT]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Like Rach, those kind of puzzles really aren't my thing either. So unless you've got some hint or clue... I won't be any help on it either. The latest landmark that is. Hope it's not super important since I'm pretty sure I won't be much help for solving it.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] Heh, I've done similar puzzles in my Survivor-games. ;D And if you need a hint, then [spoiler]perhaps Rikku could lead you to the right path.[/spoiler]

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]I do think it's polite to ask when using someone else's character.[/font][/QUOTE] I made a mistake with Catherine, because I thought I knew what was planned for her. I should've asked her first. However, outside that case, I do believe it will hurt the game in the long run if we have to check every post with other players, just in case someone has something planned. It leads to a situation where player characters only communicate with NPCs, afraid to "talk with other person's mouth", so to speak. The bottom line is that a roleplaying game is about interplayer communication, and adapting to the post prior to yours. It is not a novel that you can plan in details very far, because there are other people involved who can suddenly make everything turn around completely. So while we have to collaborate with other players in the important scenes, it's also important to give space to creativity and surprises. This is all just generally speaking, some of the thoughts that have come to me during this game. Btw, if you didn't know it, the Almagest Legacy is officially the biggest RPG in the Backstage, with most posts [I]and[/I] views. We totally kicked Panopticon's butt, although many of us participated in it as well. XD Let the greatness continue!

People will come asking for more soon enough, Gavs.

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']I can't help that you and Shy don't seem to be on the same page dear.[/QUOTE] Me and Shy are on the same page now, after we discussed. We both will continue in hosting this game until it's end, and we both will try to improve the communication between us, as well as with you players. And you players have to remember that me and Shy aren't the same person, so things that you discuss with Shy will not necessary reach me, and vice versa. We're all humans with our errs here. I also want to add that the Starks couple are [I]not[/I] my characters, they are NPCs just like Hugo Black and the rest of them, so they are fair game to use in your personal plot-lines, as long as you don't kill them off. Hope this answers to some questions you might have had. As for my character, Gadget, he will be on the run for a while, but Eva will go search for him next morning. If anyone wants to follow this plot-line with their character, please contact me. Now, I hope your resident Drama Queer has provided enough drama for you to last another week, so you can start pondering about the encrypted text in the landmark. ;D

[quote name='Raiha'][COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]Nobody's saying that pulling off this story is easy, and I'm relatively sure that nobody thinks your job is simple and painless.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] Don't take my words out of context, D'Ann. I'm not trying to play a victim here. I was referring to the problems we're experiencing with the fact that there are two hosts in this game (as pointed out by Kathy). But we'll sort it out with Josh tonight.

I'm sorry, guys, but hosting an RPG together is not an easy task. Anyone who has actually been through that must know what I'm talking about. I will sort this issue out with Shy. After we've talked, we let you know what we've decided.

Well, if this is about me living on a different time zone than the rest of you, then I don't think it can be helped. I don't use AIM much, but I'd appreciate if those PMs were flung at my way too, every once in a while. It doesn't help that you collaborate amongst you players, me and Josh as the game-makers need to know where you want to go as well. But when it all boils down, this [I]is[/I] just a message-board RPG, so it would help if some of us were a tad less perfectionistic about it. I know I'm guilty of it as well from time to time, but I think I've loosened up since we began.

I just don't seem to do anything right, do I? ;P I deleted Catherine from my post, but the Landmark is still in effect. So please, have a go with it!

[quote name='James'][font=franklin gothic medium]So I don't care if, for some reason, Audrey somehow can't or shouldn't end up in the same place as Leonhart.[/font][/QUOTE] What's with the tone? ;D Since the Underdogs have an unnumbered amount of camps around Czenovia, it's your choice where Audrey is taken - it can be either of the two mentioned, or completely another one. Most of the kidnapped scientists are kept in Camp Rottweiler in the underground city, but that's not to say there aren't any captives elsewhere as well. I don't think we have any set plans on what will happen with Leonhart and Catherine, except of course we're all aiming on getting them out of there before the game ends. Right? ;D

To add another twist into the bunch, I think my latest post will clear up on what exactly the Underdogs want with their kidnappings. Catherine's capture gave me a perfect chance to elaborate on that, so thanks for that. ;D And I hope you don't forget to post about the previous riddle to the game, because you now have another puzzle to solve. Yes, the text in the latest Landmark does mean something, so have fun finding out what it says! ;D