[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Randyman

Can they build non-organic bodies? If so, this would be an awesome alt.Reign of Steel.

I'm just suggesting ideas I've used in the past. You're free to use them however you want.

I don't think I mentally ever gave them a limitation that would prevent that. On the other hand, they're a distinctively fantasy themed faction, and I historically have either given them a low tech or played around in a multiverse where the laws of physics and chemistry vary enough from world to world that a robot won't on all worlds.

That said, a robot body piloted by either an AI or a pilot on a different world is an interesting take on things. But I'd certainly refluff the idea if I wanted to use robots.

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

I had a vaguely similar idea way back. I imagined their long sleeps involved projecting into a spirit world where they interact with each other, learned magic and other esoterica, and simply enjoyed altered forms of existence.

Most stories have individual dragons that somehow know loads of skills without ever being taught in a material fashion.

Perhaps some pieces of treasure are simply mnemonic devices to help reach specific worlds. That gold cup was not some mere bauble of metal. It was the object necessary to reach an entire realm.

I'm not sure where the inspiration for the idea came from. I'll have to remember your spirit world idea. Which is vaugely familiar of fairies in Gunnerkrigg Court.

Storing world specific power in specific objects is an interesting twist. I'm not sure how I feel about specific objects being required to enter specific worlds ... unless its somehow reproducible. Maybe any dragon that can make a key to any world it can visit, but such trades are both valuable and introduce competition into a world. Or maybe the objects have to be from the world in question, and the dragons need them brought back.

now I'm imagining a 50's era television sitting in middle of a dragon's hoard.

Originally Posted by starslayer

DOTU

DOTU (defenders opposing the unnatural), is a multidimensional religion/cult that focuses on establishing an maintaining the 'natural order of things'. There tenants are that humanoids should live lives with no stress, or hunger. They should feed there minds whenever possible with knowledge, learning, mathematics, and art. Emotions and thoughs should be laid bare, as should bodies- even things like armour, let alone clothing, should never be worn. Further they push that it is the nature of man to eat beast.

Generally this would result in problems, but where DOTU is accepted Illithids will show up and establish powerful psionic boosters which allow the naked and unarmed humanoids to easily protect themselves, adjust weather, and regulate temperature allowing them to exist comfortably. Further the psionic technology brought by the Illithids provides entertainment in the form of what are effectively Sensi devices.

There is a dark underside to this of course- to DOTU while it is natural that man eat beast, it is also natural that Illithid eats man. Priests and priestesses of DOTU are brought in on this secret early, but after a generation or two the locals won't challenge it, and even if they wanted to, with no weapons or armour beyond what the Illithids have provided they have no real way to prevent it. The Illithids will move in around that point, the humanoids subjugated cattle and breeding stock- the very architecture taking on the extradimensional qualities attributed to the psycic outsiders.

The humanoids continue to live peaceful pleasure and knowledge filled lives (at a nice 'full' brain both tastes better and provides more nourishment to the Illithids).

Once established in a given location the Illithids will spread to the rest of the planet, while simultaneously using it to branch to other worlds (there psionic world-jumping is not exactly limited by Quanta, but finds it easier to get to 'near' worlds- IE worlds similar to the one they are currently on; this is sometimes a strange transition)

I like it. It gives a nice otherworldly threat rather than the classic "Non-Euclidean Incomprehensible Thought Monsters". Part of me wants to go out and stat their capabilities as a civilization. This appears to be a TL 0+8^ society or something in that range, and those are always interesting from a tech point of view.