Discuss The Almagest Legacy: A Steampunk RPG

[Malkav]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE=1]Hopefully I've wrapped up everything I need to for Daedalus before the air-battle in the coming hours. Before anyone asks, yes, Air-General Litheway will turn out to be a traitor who helped the Underdogs get their hands on the cannon, as really, I saw no alternative to explain how their got passed the military guard and captured it. Unfortunately Daedalus does not know this and it seems it will come back to haunt him.[/SIZE][/quote]

Gosh Gavin, leave some things for people to figure out on their own. I'm just kidding. Waiting on James' follow-up post to mine.

[Sandy]

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.

[Shy]

[size=1]I suppose it really doesn't matter, since the military weren't doing anything but sitting on the cannon anyway. Mideus was obviously a smart ruler in one regard, and he kept the cannon a secret from anyone but only the highest-ranking military officials. The sad truth is that if the Underdogs didn't get their hands on the weapon first, Primas would probably have tried to rebuild 'The Giant' himself.

No doubt the few military leaders who have been aware of the cannon were salivating at the prospect of using it someday. And also, I suppose the idea of a high-ranking official spilling the secrets to The Starks ultimately makes more sense than 'People keep accidentally stumbling upon it.'

-Shy[/size]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Sandy']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.[/QUOTE]My question is how could something like that stay hidden with the population only getting larger? Makes no sense that only Leonhart and Daedalus would find it, no matter where it was hidden. There is bound to be more citizens like Victoria, Harrison and Josh who spend their spare time exploring the tunnels.

Plus Daedalus would know just how dangerous that Cannon is so I imagine he would do something to make it more secure than simply making the[I] hiding place [/I]more secure. Doing only that would seem to be reckless on his character's part and doesn't fit the sense of responsibility that Gavin has portrayed Daedalus as having in this rpg.

And the traitor thing getting old? You've lost me really. :p Traitors are what's fueling this entire operation. Since revolutionaries alone doesn't cut it in my view. So really, what's one more? It makes it a hell of a lot more sense to me that things would be like that.

More importantly though.. that post between Crystia and Gavin with "The Game?" Hehehe. That was hilarious! ^_~[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Sandy]

[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...

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Malkav;806656]Gosh Gavin, leave some things for people to figure out on their own. I'm just kidding. Waiting on James' follow-up post to mine.[/QUOTE]Oh that was the first thought I had upon reading the post, it was clear that the Air-General was a traitor. [quote name='Sandy']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...[/quote]As in dead or as in put in a position where she can't do anything? Dead is fine by me, she is a "horrible little yip dog" after all it seems. :animesmil

But putting that aside, good grief! I sign in and there is a lots of posts to catch up with. XP All of you have been rather busy with those posts... Also, Donner needs to DIE. Just making that clear.

[Sandy]

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

[Rachmaninoff]

[quote name='Sandy']Rach, I already have plans for the big happy Stark family, so don't you worry about that... ;D[/QUOTE] Like I said, Donner needs to DIE. :p Beyond that I'm good. Also, you didn't answer the question as to what you'd like to see done with the Princess, knowing if you just want her out of the way or dead makes a big difference as to the type of suggestions we would give you.

[Sandy]

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

[Raiha]

[COLOR="DarkOrchid"][FONT="Times New Roman"]I always liked the phrase, 'undone by her own engines of destruction.' So in short, she accidentally poisons herself, or falls down a trap door. Or a rival for the affections of someone stabs her in a fit of pique.

....Or she gets deported. Or trampled by a runaway Chimaera.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[SunfallE]

[COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"][quote name='Rachmaninoff;806685] Dead is fine by me, she is a "horrible little yip dog" after all it seems. :animesmil[/QUOTE]I'm for her ending up dead. The backstabbing little dear needs to be done in. I rather like Raiha's suggestion of being trampled by chimeras. [quote name='Rachmaninoff'']Also, Donner needs to DIE. Just making that clear.[/quote]I second this sentiment. [I]DEAD![/I] And it had better be pretty damn painful or else! :p[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Malkav]

She could kill herself after the underdogs fall. After all wasn't she involved in the uprisings?

[Sandy]

[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...

[Malkav]

[quote name='Sandy']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...[/quote]

Maybe I should have had Jack expose her while he was still in the good graces of the underdogs. Oh well, that's what happens when you cannonball through everything.

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"][quote name='Sandy']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...[/QUOTE]It sounds to me like you're just looking for a convenient excuse to get rid of her or at the very least shove her out of the spotlight. The Princess has been an instrumental part of the rebellion so I find it highly unlikely she'd suddenly move to the side as a main plot character. She was even part of arranging the kidnapping of Catherine and Audrey, so to keep in character, she should be doing [I]something[/I].

Someone like that would be looking for a way to stop the new ruler from becoming secure in their power. Seriously Sandy, without more direction as to what manner you want her out of the way, I just don't see her out of the picture here. We haven't been given any indication that anyone was aware of what she was up to. So the idea that her twin brother Augustus suddenly enters the picture to interfere with her? It seems really far fetched to me.

The only thing I see as being realistic is having the haughty Princess attempting to boss the Starks around for failing her only to have them kill the little twit. Or dragged away and locked into one of those little cells where they have Leonhart and Catherine. I would imagine humiliating her would be something the Underdogs would enjoy.

I'm sure I don't have to explain how something like that could get rather ugly for the Princess. After all, unlike Leonhart and Catherine, she's useless now that she's not the new ruler. She's in the dangerous position of no longer having any real power.[/COLOR]

[Sandy]

Well, I went ahead to get rid of Augustine. Thanks for everyone who gave their thoughts upon the matter, even though I went with what I saw best in the end. Since this wasn't an extremely important turn of events, I didn't see a need to prolong it.

Crystia, I didn't want to get rid of Augustine just because she had no use in the story anymore, but as you can see from my post, there was one detail I wanted to point out - that the Underdogs were funded by someone else as well, and by a much greater extent that Augustine. She came to realize that she had betrayed her family for nothing, and although her crimes didn't come out in the public, I think it was a sufficient punishment for her. Aside the battering to death, of course. ;P

As for the rest of my post, I tried not to make Augustus just a raging disabled person, but to give him depth as a person who cannot control his impulses. Despite the way he had been secluded from the rest of the world (or perhaps because of it), he was strongly attached to his father. All he ever got from Augustine was loathing, so when he found out about her betrayal, the results were drastical.

I also tried to emphasize the fact that Blair Stark believes strongly that ends justify the means - she knows they're doing wrong, but she also thinks they don't have a choice.

I hope you liked it, anyway.

[Shy]

[size=1]Sandy, I have written Augustine almost exclusively up to this point, so I don't understand how her presence in the story had become a burden. And if it had, I was the only one writing Augustine.

The way she died is fine, I just found it a little jarring to see her killed off so suddenly. If that was the intended effect, that's fine. It actually gives me some ideas for using some of the other characters, and exploring Morphia's story more.

I'm going to kind of miss that witch. Please don't kill off anyone else I'm writing.

-Shy[/size]

[Gavin]

[SIZE="1"]Wow, I really didn't think two posts from me would generate so much debate on the cannon, heh, my bad there. ^_^; Yeah, obviously my skills in subtle writing need improvement, but then Daedalus has known about the weapon a lot longer than anyone else.

In regard to the traitor within the Air-Fleet, really I thought it made a lot of sense, as how else would something so guarded as the cannon go missing. I mean seriously, I doubt neither Mideus nor Daedalus were stupid enough to just believe the doomsday device could just sit there unmolested in tunnels everyone and their mothers seem to use.

Litheway I really just introduced as Daedalus' predecessor, then realised I needed a traitor and he seemed to fit the bill. I imagine by nature he's an territorially-aggressive man who believes the cannon is Czenovia's birthright to use to expand their kingdom. How he's ended up working with the Underdogs ? Honestly, I've no idea. Perhaps he's a non-noble who had to work his way up in the military by skill alone, and believes every Czenovian should have that right.

More importantly, Litheway is the leader of a rather small faction in the military, in fact, tiny might be a better word. Obviously the military is highly loyal, almost fanatically loyal to the Dynasts, so Litheway's troops, those whom he positioned to guard the cannon, number no more than maybe a hundred altogether. This compared to the tens of thousands in the military is a mere drop in the ocean, but enough to cause immense problems.

I have to say, Princess Augustine's death seemed to come right out of left-field, to borrow an American colloquialism. I had assumed that Prince Augustus had been dispatched in a similar method to his elder siblings, imagine my surprise he was still alive. The ignoble death of the Princess was not undeserved, but a little sudden.

Also, make it three in support of killing Donner. In fact, I volunteer to have Daedalus do it Die Hard style. ^_~[/SIZE]

[Aaryanna_Mom]

[quote name='Sandy;806809]I hope you liked it, anyway.[/QUOTE]No, I did not. Not her death but rather the impression I'm getting from the posts here. I'm referring to this:[quote name='Shy'][size=1'] Please don't kill off anyone else I'm writing.[/size][/quote]Did you even talk to Shy dear? Because it sounds like you didn't. She may have been an NPC and therefore you felt like she was fair game to kill off to advance the plot. But if you didn't talk to Shy... I know that if I was one of the people developing her personality, I would be very offended if someone killed her off without asking me first.

I'm not trying to cause drama here, I'm honestly confused why you did it Sandy, especially if my impression that you didn't talk to Shy first is correct. It really does confuse me to no end.

[Malkav]

Just a warning. I'm going Michael Bay in my next post.

[Rachmaninoff]

Just a quick note for everyone. As you know, Muse and I are writing up the deal at the RPG headquarters. Part of that deal is that Hugo Black is personally leading the group. So it's important that no one posts about him being elsewhere since that would mess things up. Thanks!

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think Malkav is writing about the RPG retaliation on Camp Doberman... so hopefully the timing works out.

Theoretically they could even be happening at nearly the same time (i.e. if the RPG had located the camp and decided to go for it - which would further explain why there are few officers at the HQ).

Notably, Gaul Rosier should be leading the attack on Camp Doberman. And in that attack, he should be killed. Just another thing for Malkav to consider. :catgirl:[/font]

[Malkav]

If anyone's interested in the weapons and a larger picture of the gun in my latest post., look [URL="http://www.stephenjameson.com/images/mod_images/Arrowgun.jpg"]here[/URL] for the arrow gun, [URL="http://www.stephenjameson.com/images/mod_images/AutoRev.jpg"]here[/URL] for the revolver, and [URL="http://www.stephenjameson.com/images/mod_images/Quad_Cycle.jpg"]here[/URL] for an enlarged bike.

[Sandy]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']No, I did not. Not her death but rather the impression I'm getting from the posts here. I'm referring to this:Did you even talk to Shy dear? Because it sounds like you didn't. She may have been an NPC and therefore you felt like she was fair game to kill off to advance the plot. But if you didn't talk to Shy... I know that if I was one of the people developing her personality, I would be very offended if someone killed her off without asking me first. [/QUOTE]

First of all, she was [I]not[/I] Shy's character just because he has written from her point-of-view, since I have done that too (although to a lesser extent). If we start hogging up NPCs as our own, this game will turn up to be impossible to play. It's a different matter if people have plans where they need a specific NPC, but I knew Augustine was pretty much useless from now on, and with so many characters around, she really was expendable to advance the story.

Secondly, I posted my intentions here a full day before I actually did the post - if that's not collaboration, then I don't know what is. I honestly thought that since nobody was against it, I could go on.

So though I appreciate your (frequent) lectures, Kathy, this time I knew what I was doing. I'm trying to step up here, collaborate and take responsibility of the plot, so you should be happy.

[B]Gavin[/B]: Actually, Augustus made an appearance earlier in the game, after the Deacons had dinner with the Dynasty. So he didn't come out of nowhere. ;D

[James]

[font=franklin gothic medium]That was [i]quite[/i] a post, Malkav. The attack on Camp Doberman has begun, Jack and Audrey have escaped...Audrey has lost an eye [i]and[/i] killed Gaul Rosier.

I actually think you handled Audrey very well, so thank you for that. You struck the balance between her being timid and frightened...and also being somewhat more worldly than the average woman. Good job.

[spoiler]And I loved the moment when Jack prepared for the kiss that never came - that actually made me laugh out loud. Injecting a little moment of humor into such a desperate situation was a great idea.[/spoiler]

I would say that now we're getting into late afternoon - at least, once Rach has posted about the RPG/Underdogs confrontation, we should be somewhere around there I guess.

And then comes the final stand-off between the Underdogs and the 1st Air Fleet later in the evening. That'll be interesting, I'm sure.

I guess that will leave a few hours between these current events and the air battle, which should be good for some of our characters (I need to work out what to do with Gustave at this point, so I'll see what happens with Victoria Ann and Fonty before deciding anything).

I'll put up a new avatar for Audrey shortly, to reflect her new-found look. She'll be sporting an eye-patch and no jewellery.[/font]