Cabal's fiendish plan...

[YankeeGamer]

The Cabal prefers low mana timelines, where their techniques give them a major advantage. The timelines are limited in some way, and most of them also have local mages. The idea base for one or more cabal lodges would be a low or even normal mana worldline where no one believes magic works.

Time to steal a page from Centrum's book. One lodge, or just one would-be grand master, is working on shifting a HIGH mana worldline to Quantum 6, in hopes that the mana will "bleed off" into no mana worldlines, rendering them low mana.

Dangerous? Yes. Insane? Probably? An ultra long term plan that a crazed master might attempt? Perhaps.

[Apollonian]

(Suggestion: Change the thread title to match the subject, instead of being tantalizingly unhelpful)

I like this idea. Let's run with it.

The world is Chimera-3. To Infinity and Centrum, it's a largely irrelevant worldline, off-limits to all but a few researchers and the occasional adventurer. The reason for this is simple: It's a high-mana and "theologically active" universe.

Local date appears to be sometime in the 200s BC, and human civilizations are similar to our own at that time - the Hellenistic kingdoms and the Parthians dominate the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, Rome and Carthage are facing off in the western Med, Ashoka rules the Maurya Empire in India, the Qin are conquering the Warring States in China, etc.

However. Gods and demigods walk the earth, and meddle in the affairs of mortals. Their offspring and effects result in monsters, the Chimeras for which the timeline is known. This results in a world that's of definite risk and dubious profitability. The gods sort of echo those of Homeline mythology, but no Homeliner (let alone Centrum agent) has risked close study of them. Still, Ares has taken the field against Mars, Ishtar was for a time the consort of one of the Seleukid kings (or, perhaps, the other way around), and the ancient gods of Egypt speak through the Pharaoh Ptolemy. The Great Sphinx sleeps (nose intact), but has been wakened to defend Egypt against Seleukid elephants. Sea serpents stalk all the oceans, dragons and rocs soar above the Caucasus mountains, and so on.

So this is a sword and sandal world with extra monsters. Why's the Cabal interested in it?

Instability, according to the lodge that's trying to carry out this mad plan.

Question time!

What is the Lodge, and what's their schtick?

Why don't they use advanced tech in bulk here as an edge, but instead blend in with more or less local tech and their own special magic?

Who's the Grandmaster, and what are they like?

Who in the Cabal opposes them, why, and how?

Have the local Infinity/Centrum agents cottoned on to this plan yet?

Who locally opposes them or is meddling with their plans?

Is there a Chronobahn onramp here?

[Michele]

Nice idea and nice development.

I'd say the Lodge has to be comfortable with a TL2 Earth. Maybe they are used to hide the comforts of technology; or maybe they are nearly immortal and used to low tech; or maybe they actually are from a TL2 parallel.
I'd add that the Lodge is not afraid of meddling with a world full of gods. Possibly they are demigods themselves, or are in some way confident they can handle the gods and demigods and monsters.
In other words, it must be a very powerful, and probably very ancient Lodge.

Nitpick: aren't Ares and Mars the same god under different names?

[AlexanderHowl]

Yeah, the problem is the theological activity. Even the most powerful members of the Cabal are only equivalent to low powered gods, and the rest would be curb stomped by even a moderately powerful demigod. I think that one or two pantheons would notice someone messing with reality and send someone to investigate. If they do not report back, their pantheon would send the heavy hitters to bring down divine wrath on anyone responsible.

I also question whether or not a theologically active world would have any resemblance to our world. If nothing else, active participation in wars by Gods would have changed the course of history. I mean, what chance would an enemy army have had in a battle where Ishtar appeared and overwhelmed them with lust for each other on the battlefield? The force that she favored would have just collected the equipment of their enemy while the enemy soldiers fornication with each other.

For example, the Qin followed the Legalist philosophy and rejected the power of the traditional Chinese deities. In a theologically active world, the gods of China would have taken exception to that and would have sent massive misfortune onto the Qin, assuring their defeat. Either the Qin would have abandoned the Legalistic philosophy, changing Chinese history completely, or they would have been annihilated by their enemies who had the favor of the Chinese gods.

[WingedKagouti]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

I also question whether or not a theologically active world would have any resemblance to our world. If nothing else, active participation in wars by Gods would have changed the course of history. I mean, what chance would an enemy army have had in a battle where Ishtar appeared and overwhelmed them with lust for each other on the battlefield? The force that she favored would have just collected the equipment of their enemy while the enemy soldiers fornication with each other.

Large scale battles would likely see either the gods abstaining from direct intervention or primarily focusing on each other. For instance, if Ishtar attempts to overwhelm the enemies of her favoured with waves of lust, the enemies' patron deity (or deities) is likely to do something that would counteract this like instilling battle rage. Remember that both sides would likely seek the favour of at least one deity before any engagement.

The only ones in trouble are those without any faith or backing from a deity.

For example, the Qin followed the Legalist philosophy and rejected the power of the traditional Chinese deities. In a theologically active world, the gods of China would have taken exception to that and would have sent massive misfortune onto the Qin, assuring their defeat. Either the Qin would have abandoned the Legalistic philosophy, changing Chinese history completely, or they would have been annihilated by their enemies who had the favor of the Chinese gods.

A rival pantheon could be covertly assisting the Qin in an attempt to overthrow the traditional Chinese pantheon and assert their own power over the region.

Or that could be the Cabal trying to manipulate history. Depending on the power and general competence of the lodge this could work or be doomed to fail.

A very long term plan would be to try and influence the various pantheons to shape things, probably by setting people the deities take interest in on paths that will lead them into whatever conflicts that would serve the lodge's goals.

[AlexanderHowl]

What prevents the gods from curb stomping the Cabal though? It is one thing to move a timeline without active deities, it is another thing to move one with active deities. A powerful deity can easily remove the immortality of a Grandmaster and annihilate them from existence, so I imagine that Grandmasters approach active deities very carefully.

[lwcamp]

Unless, of course, they have cooperation from the gods. Just think - not just one world from which to collect belief and worship, but thousands ...

Luke

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

. . . I imagine that Grandmasters approach active deities very carefully.

The Infinite Cabal PCs have been spending quite a bit of time in Orichalcum (Infinite Worlds, pp. 139-40), which has "alarmingly active" gods. They have been very polite, getting things done by pleasing the relevant gods.

For example, they dismantled the British Crown Jewels of Enigma (IW, p. 140) to get adequately fantastic gems to build a brooch for Aphrodite, so as to improve Hephaestus' mood. That's the kind of approach that avoids getting stomped, although it is slow work.

[AlexanderHowl]

I can definitely see that as the best way to deal with active gods. Flatter and bribe them to keep them happy and distracted so you can accomplish your objectives. As long as you treat them with respect and humility, most gods will probably not interfere unless your objectives would make their lives harder.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Flatter and bribe them to keep them happy and distracted so you can accomplish your objectives.

It's a little tougher than that. They actually want some orichalcum metal for their lodge grand master. Oh, and Infinity and Centrum would also love some.

Hephaestus is not keen on this idea at all, while Hermes wants to know what might be had in exchange. Poseidon decided that the decision should be made by the king of Atlantis, in preference to open conflict between the gods.