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Old 03-10-2016, 09:34 PM   #1
jovos
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default question about the cabal and Merlin 1

What would the cabal think/do if they were to learn of the existence of Merlin 1

Last edited by jovos; 03-10-2016 at 09:45 PM.
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Old 03-10-2016, 09:57 PM   #2
jovos
 
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

Well I was just reading the cabal source book and in it they talked about how in the past some members of the cabal have tried to establish society's where magick was accepted so I was just wondering what cabal members of a similar mindset think would about Merlin 1
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Old 03-11-2016, 12:40 AM   #3
Flyndaran
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

When dealing with Cabal members always ask yourself how they could gain, maintain, and hide their magical power.
I could imagine a member going "legit" in Merlin, but watched carefully to make sure they keep the secret.
Most would likely plunder, copy, and leave continuing assigned tasks.

Tehcnomagic might only work on that timeline anyway.
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Old 03-11-2016, 01:19 AM   #4
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellboy View Post
Technomancer is a mana-rich reality, I thought the Cabal disliked mana-rich worlds since it gave other spell-based mages more of an advantage against them since they're ritual-based mages. Don't they prefer low/normal mana worlds rather than higher?
Um, what? I wouldn't call the Cabel ritual-based mages, rather they can always use Hermetic Astrology, whether or not that means they have to use ceremonial magic isn't stated. And most of Merlin-1 is actually normal Mana, even most the the US is normal.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
Tehcnomagic might only work on that timeline anyway.
Apart from a very few pieces of equipment like Necro-Lasers I believe that ALL Merlin-1 magic is from GURPS Magic 3e and Grimoire, so it will work in IF where GURPS Magic 4e works, and to my knowledge there's only one world where the magic system is stated to be something else, Roma Arcana
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Old 03-11-2016, 01:51 AM   #5
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

It's based on industrial enchantments. That doesn't have to work everywhere "magic" does.
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Old 03-11-2016, 02:59 AM   #6
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

They wouldn't like it and would prefer to ignore it. Secrecy and monopoly are important to the Cabal; magic is too widely known and understood on Merlin-1, they don't have much of a competitive advantage there. If they became aware of the Merlin-1 CIA's worldhopping, some of the more aggressive Lodges might think it important (and easy) to snuff the place with a nuke before it becomes established across the multiverse.
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Old 03-11-2016, 03:01 AM   #7
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

Merlin-1's large-scale organisation of magic would be foreign to most Cabalists, who tend to be quarrelsome individualists. They'd try to steal ideas and methods, but they'd be quite poor at infiltrating.
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Old 03-11-2016, 03:07 AM   #8
scc
 
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
It's based on industrial enchantments. That doesn't have to work everywhere "magic" does.
It's an alternative to Quick and Dirty or Slow and Sure, the magic items so produced WILL work. But for the industrial enchantment itself, it's an iffy question. Steampunk also included it, so presumably it does work on other timelines, but anything beyond THAT involves in-universe physics/meta-physics and is beyond the scope of this thread.
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Old 03-11-2016, 02:16 PM   #9
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

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Originally Posted by johndallman View Post
Merlin-1's large-scale organisation of magic would be foreign to most Cabalists, who tend to be quarrelsome individualists. They'd try to steal ideas and methods, but they'd be quite poor at infiltrating.
Individual higher ups are fractious amongst themselves for personal reasons and conflicting goals. But each is highly skilled, controlled, and focussed.
Each likely tightly rules a entire collection of experts on nearly every subject and technique conceivable.
Their bottom teir spies can easily be locals with no idea of the cabal at large or even the multiverse at all. Best if they are, really.
Machiavelian string pullers.
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Old 03-11-2016, 02:20 PM   #10
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Default Re: question about the cabal and Merlin 1

Erasmus Rooke's faction attempts to infiltrate and rip knowledge wholesale, devoting considerable effort as soon as the discovery is made. The rest stay away as groups, but a few individual tech-focused Lodges and rogue Taurus mages (who get a bonus for the decans Iudal and Ouare, if you're using that optional rule) go in hard, too. Some (probably poorly-coordinated) effort is made to prevent Merlin-1 from discovering the Cabal homeline, but the vast majority of Cabalists ignore it as low-priority unless and until there is an imminent threat from them.

Last edited by Gold & Appel Inc; 03-11-2016 at 02:24 PM.
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