[IW] Epic Threats - Page 5

Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2 · 05-06-2006, 10:44 AM

An epic disaster?

Well, take one Gojira-like kaijuu (size of a skyscraper, radioactive breath, the whole works), make him radioactive and spreading contamination, and give him the ability to rip permanent kaijuu-sized holes between worlds whenever he is hit with enough hard radiation (like a nuclear blast).

Scenario: On his home timeline, Giant Radioactive Monsterface (GRM) is hit with a nuke, activates his World-Jumping power by instinct, and ends up on another timeline, leaving a huge permanent hole between the worlds. The folks who hit him with a nuke want GRM dead, and give chase.

All the folks on the second timeline know is that there was a flash, and this giant monster appears spreading decay and death, followed by alien battle machines. They react appropriately.

So you have the GRM wandering from world to world, leaving permanent connections between them large enough to fly a 747 through, spreading death and radiation wherever it goes. Throw in all these newly-interconnected worlds who are certain this is all part of a war and are shooting at each other.

Now have it show up someplace important - like Homeline or Shikaku-Mon.

I think this is a lovely disaster.

The Cardinal · 05-09-2006, 12:50 PM

Phase I: Cracking Up

Over the course of several months, maybe even more than a year, agents of Homeline and Centrum across all Qs begin to learn of a strange phenomenon, something often called "The Dead Road", "The Black Wastes", "The Hellway", "The Phantom Palace", "The Devil's House", or the "Red Swamp" by the locals. In most cases the phenomenon in question tends to take the shape of a long stretch of road or highway through some thinly populated area. Travelers on these roads tend to disappear – or return *changed* into psychotic killers, walking dead, ghosts, or something truly alien. The roads also seem to be the origin of weird and deadly plagues, mutated animals or plants, freakish weather, or outright monsters. Other common forms of this "apparition" are suddenly appearing large areas of dead or dying plant life, especially forests and swamps, as well as "haunted" structures, like abandoned houses or even whole "ghost towns".
There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason to the distribution of this effect across the Quantum levels, but the most remarkable part is the fact, that it appears even on worlds where no form of "supernatural force" – psionics, magic, supers, spirits, etc. – seemed to exist or work, that is *before* the strange locations appeared…
Homeline begins to collect all relevant reports of this phenomenon which is given the codename SIDESHOW.

Phase II: Distant Thunder

Almost two years since the first reports of Sideshows reached Homeline, the Crusade event takes place…
On Outremer 9, a Q6 timeline in the middle of the 13th century where the only major difference to Homeline's history up to this point had been a very successful templar state in Palestine, literally all hell breaks lose: Suddenly so-called demons and devils are appearing everywhere, magic starts to work, wonders and visions become commonplace, and vast hordes of humanoid monsters are descending upon the "civilized" world from central Asia, sub-saharan Africa, the frozen north of Greenland, and certain jungles and deserts on the mysterious subcontinent of India. Within months the world begins a strange "drift" across Q6, Q5, and Q4, before stabilizing in Q5 – as a hellish place of powerful magic, terrible monsters, weird "gates" to even weirder timelines, blood cults, demon princes, and a few besieged "human" realms, desperately trying to fight off the dark forces which now control most of the planet.

Phase III: The Storm

The Crusade event was just the beginning. Within a few more months almost a dozen timelines – all with previous Sideshow reports – experience a similar "invasive transformation", usually including a dramatic change of the local natural and supernatural laws. Apparently Centrum-controlled timelines make up almost half of the affected worlds, so any ideas of "them" being behind it all are quickly extinguished. Several teams are now sent out to further investigate the Sideshow phenomenon – and destroy it when possible. During these, often fatal, excursions more and more Homeline teams begin to cooperate with Centrum agents who often also seek to put an end to this epidemic chaos. Rumor has it that during one mission even Reich-5 agents allied with a Homeline team to fight of an assault of walking dead in an area where all modern technology, including firearms, had stopped working…

Phase IV: The Source

A few weeks ago now, Homeline and Centrum shared information on the possible source of this problem – and the result was enlightening and depressing at once. Both sides are now pretty sure that in a strange "package" of timelines in Q7 or Q3, in fact a large "pocket universe" with its own different "dimensions" the following took place: The good guys won – for good. That means that in this world, which seems to posess a strong supernatural aspect, there were actual gods, both good and evil, with angels, demons, heavens and hells – a plethora of them locked in an eternal struggle for the fate of the so-called "prime material", the world where most mortals lived. But sadly for the rest of existence the "good" forces of this world seem to have found a way to destroy hell itself – and all its allies – forever. What they *really* managed to do, however, was to somehow blast these myriad of hell dimensions, including all beings with a strong connection (or quantum resonance) to them, across a whole spectrum of Quantum lines, probably somewhere from Q2 to Q8 with the main aspects landing between Q4 and Q6. So now hundreds of evil gods, demon princes, liches, and orcish warlords with their hordes are "seeping" into otherwise "normal" timelines, slowly transforming them into their image of hell.
There can be only one solution: First, all known "infestations" must be found and destroyed ASAP. Second, Centrum and Homeline *together* must find a way to (a) locate the now "purefied" world where this all started, and (b) to stabilze, i.e. *restore* this pocket universe to its former status…

Fnordianslip · 05-09-2006, 02:20 PM

Ahhh, sounds a little bit like Amber to me! Which means, of course, that I like it! Whoohooo black road and chaosites!

Captain-Captain · 05-09-2006, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrownedSun

More important, even -- the scenario I outlined outright accepts that "working from Homeline" is the correct condition. Look at it this way. When Homeline moves to Q6 in this scenario, projectors still work and Infinity can still function normally, with the exception of suddenly losing easy access to Q5 (but gaining it to Q6), losing access to Q3, and gaining access to Q8.

This development might (and in fact will) creep the hell out of parachronic scientists who are trying to understand what happened and how the science works given this development. However, within this scenario, that is what happens. The problems with this scenario lie entirely with Centrum, not with parachronic troubles and losing acess to crossworld travel.

Problem with that assumption: Centrum is actively working to bring Homeline towards that shift. If Homeline Parachronics works on Q6, Homeline becomes a bigger threat to Centrum than it presently is.

They would HAVE to have invade and/or exterminate the planet on their agenda and all indicators I've seen is that Centrum is NOT genocidal or even invasion minded.

Captain-Captain · 05-09-2006, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelly_pedersen

You seem to be assuming, though, that the conditions for "projector works" is "working from Homeline, which is on Q5". I think we have insufficient evidence that that's the case. It may simply be "Working from Homeline", in which case the projectors would still work no matter where Homeline ended up. Evidence for this latter hypothesis: Centrum also has working projectors, and isn't on Q5. Also, Homeline parachronic scientists are worried that Shikaku-Mon, on Q3, could use projectors, since it's at the same relative time as both Homeline and Centrum. Finally, there are other "wierd" worldlines that do funny things to projectors/conveyors (Coventry, Mobius, etc.), and they're not all on Q5 by any means. If I was in a game where Homeline shifted quanta, and the projectors still worked, I certainly wouldn't raise any eyebrows.

I'm working from the established fact that Projectors do not appear to work on most Earths. From that I infer that whatever conditions that produce workable projectors are rare and likely relatively delicate.

I'm also working from the established facts that Centrum knows more about parachronics thatn Homeline and that Centrum's strategy is to neutralize Homeline as a parachronic traveling rival by making it shift Quanta.

That shifting Quanta will negate Homeline's projector technology is an inference almost bordering on it being the sole possible reason for Centrum to take this strategy.

Kelly Pedersen · 05-09-2006, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

I'm also working from the established facts that Centrum knows more about parachronics thatn Homeline and that Centrum's strategy is to neutralize Homeline as a parachronic traveling rival by making it shift Quanta.

That shifting Quanta will negate Homeline's projector technology is an inference almost bordering on it being the sole possible reason for Centrum to take this strategy.

Actually, the book specifically implies that Centrum's goals with fiddling with the echos is to shift Homeline to a lower quanta, thus distancing them from the quanta that Centrum considers "theirs". Centrum scientists simply seem to assume that it will get Homeline "out of the way" - there's no indication at all that they think it will remove Homeline's ability to use projectors at all.
Also, note the box "Alternate Infinite Wars", on p.55. It mentions the possiblity of Centrum's calculations being off, resulting in either Homeline shifting closer to Centrum, allowing direct transport between the worldlines, or Centrum's being shifted further up the quanta. In both cases, the text implies that Centrum and Homeline would retain the ability to use projectors.

Captain-Captain · 05-09-2006, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelly_pedersen

Actually, the book specifically implies that Centrum's goals with fiddling with the echos is to shift Homeline to a lower quanta, thus distancing them from the quanta that Centrum considers "theirs". Centrum scientists simply seem to assume that it will get Homeline "out of the way" - there's no indication at all that they think it will remove Homeline's ability to use projectors at all.
Also, note the box "Alternate Infinite Wars", on p.55. It mentions the possiblity of Centrum's calculations being off, resulting in either Homeline shifting closer to Centrum, allowing direct transport between the worldlines, or Centrum's being shifted further up the quanta. In both cases, the text implies that Centrum and Homeline would retain the ability to use projectors.

Actually, the argument being posed here by Crowned Sun is that Homeline will drift towards Centrum and retain the ability to jump quanta.

I'll grant the open war scenario if Homeline drops to Q6 does imply projectors will work, but nothing concrete is established.

Not another shrubbery · 05-09-2006, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain-Captain

I'll grant the open war scenario if Homeline drops to Q6 does imply projectors will work, but nothing concrete is established.

Yeah. I rather doubt that there is a consensus opinion of the matter on Centrum (though there are likely proponents of both ideas). Since either result benefits them, the bottom-line types will not really care overmuch (although there may be some opportunists who would relish the idea of having the former opponent in Q6 with no functioning conveyors).

The Strange Dude · 05-11-2006, 09:45 AM

Ok and please bear in mind that my knowledge on the subject is minimal and my ability to write down what I'm trying to convey is often unsatisfying to myself.

What if all the conveyer travel is weakening the bonds between worlds? I see this leading to several possible outcomes:

1) Homeline could be literally pulled apart by it's own doing and in doing so throw little bits of itself throughout the Quanta (which could allow other world to develop/utilise parachronics

2) Otherworlds could be sucked into contact with Homeline creating some impressive disasters on both worlds.

3)Gateways to the otherworlds could start sponteneously appearing all over homeline.

Atreyu_Hibiki · 05-11-2006, 10:16 AM

Okay, I don't normally do this, but I do believe that GurpsFan has come up with an ability that, if wielded by anyone in any timeline, would definitely apply as an Epic Threat, dangerous to Infinity, Centrum, and anyone else... I'll let him explain it: Munchkin's Universe-shaking Nondirectional Cosmic Hyperluminal Kinetoelectromagnetic Interference Neurodisrupter (M.U.N.C.H.K.I.N.)

05-06-2006, 10:44 AM	#41
Mysterious Dark Lord v3.2 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: The deep dark haunted woods	Re: [IW] Epic Threats An epic disaster? Well, take one Gojira-like kaijuu (size of a skyscraper, radioactive breath, the whole works), make him radioactive and spreading contamination, and give him the ability to rip permanent kaijuu-sized holes between worlds whenever he is hit with enough hard radiation (like a nuclear blast). Scenario: On his home timeline, Giant Radioactive Monsterface (GRM) is hit with a nuke, activates his World-Jumping power by instinct, and ends up on another timeline, leaving a huge permanent hole between the worlds. The folks who hit him with a nuke want GRM dead, and give chase. All the folks on the second timeline know is that there was a flash, and this giant monster appears spreading decay and death, followed by alien battle machines. They react appropriately. So you have the GRM wandering from world to world, leaving permanent connections between them large enough to fly a 747 through, spreading death and radiation wherever it goes. Throw in all these newly-interconnected worlds who are certain this is all part of a war and are shooting at each other. Now have it show up someplace important - like Homeline or Shikaku-Mon. I think this is a lovely disaster.

05-09-2006, 12:50 PM	#42
The Cardinal Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Germany	Re: [IW] Epic Threats Phase I: Cracking Up Over the course of several months, maybe even more than a year, agents of Homeline and Centrum across all Qs begin to learn of a strange phenomenon, something often called "The Dead Road", "The Black Wastes", "The Hellway", "The Phantom Palace", "The Devil's House", or the "Red Swamp" by the locals. In most cases the phenomenon in question tends to take the shape of a long stretch of road or highway through some thinly populated area. Travelers on these roads tend to disappear – or return changed into psychotic killers, walking dead, ghosts, or something truly alien. The roads also seem to be the origin of weird and deadly plagues, mutated animals or plants, freakish weather, or outright monsters. Other common forms of this "apparition" are suddenly appearing large areas of dead or dying plant life, especially forests and swamps, as well as "haunted" structures, like abandoned houses or even whole "ghost towns". There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason to the distribution of this effect across the Quantum levels, but the most remarkable part is the fact, that it appears even on worlds where no form of "supernatural force" – psionics, magic, supers, spirits, etc. – seemed to exist or work, that is before the strange locations appeared… Homeline begins to collect all relevant reports of this phenomenon which is given the codename SIDESHOW. Phase II: Distant Thunder Almost two years since the first reports of Sideshows reached Homeline, the Crusade event takes place… On Outremer 9, a Q6 timeline in the middle of the 13th century where the only major difference to Homeline's history up to this point had been a very successful templar state in Palestine, literally all hell breaks lose: Suddenly so-called demons and devils are appearing everywhere, magic starts to work, wonders and visions become commonplace, and vast hordes of humanoid monsters are descending upon the "civilized" world from central Asia, sub-saharan Africa, the frozen north of Greenland, and certain jungles and deserts on the mysterious subcontinent of India. Within months the world begins a strange "drift" across Q6, Q5, and Q4, before stabilizing in Q5 – as a hellish place of powerful magic, terrible monsters, weird "gates" to even weirder timelines, blood cults, demon princes, and a few besieged "human" realms, desperately trying to fight off the dark forces which now control most of the planet. Phase III: The Storm The Crusade event was just the beginning. Within a few more months almost a dozen timelines – all with previous Sideshow reports – experience a similar "invasive transformation", usually including a dramatic change of the local natural and supernatural laws. Apparently Centrum-controlled timelines make up almost half of the affected worlds, so any ideas of "them" being behind it all are quickly extinguished. Several teams are now sent out to further investigate the Sideshow phenomenon – and destroy it when possible. During these, often fatal, excursions more and more Homeline teams begin to cooperate with Centrum agents who often also seek to put an end to this epidemic chaos. Rumor has it that during one mission even Reich-5 agents allied with a Homeline team to fight of an assault of walking dead in an area where all modern technology, including firearms, had stopped working… Phase IV: The Source A few weeks ago now, Homeline and Centrum shared information on the possible source of this problem – and the result was enlightening and depressing at once. Both sides are now pretty sure that in a strange "package" of timelines in Q7 or Q3, in fact a large "pocket universe" with its own different "dimensions" the following took place: The good guys won – for good. That means that in this world, which seems to posess a strong supernatural aspect, there were actual gods, both good and evil, with angels, demons, heavens and hells – a plethora of them locked in an eternal struggle for the fate of the so-called "prime material", the world where most mortals lived. But sadly for the rest of existence the "good" forces of this world seem to have found a way to destroy hell itself – and all its allies – forever. What they really managed to do, however, was to somehow blast these myriad of hell dimensions, including all beings with a strong connection (or quantum resonance) to them, across a whole spectrum of Quantum lines, probably somewhere from Q2 to Q8 with the main aspects landing between Q4 and Q6. So now hundreds of evil gods, demon princes, liches, and orcish warlords with their hordes are "seeping" into otherwise "normal" timelines, slowly transforming them into their image of hell. There can be only one solution: First, all known "infestations" must be found and destroyed ASAP. Second, Centrum and Homeline together must find a way to (a) locate the now "purefied" world where this all started, and (b) to stabilze, i.e. restore this pocket universe to its former status…

05-09-2006, 02:20 PM	#43
Fnordianslip Join Date: Dec 2005	Re: [IW] Epic Threats Ahhh, sounds a little bit like Amber to me! Which means, of course, that I like it! Whoohooo black road and chaosites!

05-11-2006, 09:45 AM	#49
The Strange Dude Join Date: May 2005 Location: United Kingdom	Re: [IW] Epic Threats Ok and please bear in mind that my knowledge on the subject is minimal and my ability to write down what I'm trying to convey is often unsatisfying to myself. What if all the conveyer travel is weakening the bonds between worlds? I see this leading to several possible outcomes: 1) Homeline could be literally pulled apart by it's own doing and in doing so throw little bits of itself throughout the Quanta (which could allow other world to develop/utilise parachronics 2) Otherworlds could be sucked into contact with Homeline creating some impressive disasters on both worlds. 3)Gateways to the otherworlds could start sponteneously appearing all over homeline. __________________ Y'all got on this boat for different reasons, but y'all comin' to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you, than I have before. Sure as I know anything, I know this. I aim to misbehave.

05-11-2006, 10:16 AM	#50
Atreyu_Hibiki Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Washington state.	Re: [IW] Epic Threats Okay, I don't normally do this, but I do believe that GurpsFan has come up with an ability that, if wielded by anyone in any timeline, would definitely apply as an Epic Threat, dangerous to Infinity, Centrum, and anyone else... I'll let him explain it: Munchkin's Universe-shaking Nondirectional Cosmic Hyperluminal Kinetoelectromagnetic Interference Neurodisrupter (M.U.N.C.H.K.I.N.)