The unacknowledged Infinite Worlds timeskip

[awesomenessofme1]

For those of you who aren't aware, Infinite Worlds: Worlds of Horror introduces a massive time jump compared to the core book. It refers to an event that happened in 2032 as being three years ago, and it includes a worldline with a local date of 2035 as well. In the original book, Homeline is in the year 2027. I'm really not a big fan of this, since it seems to just assume that nothing important happened in that time, and if I were to actually use it in a book, I would just roll back the dates. But let's say we did want to roll with it. What do you think happened in those eight years, between Homeline, Centrum, Reich-5, the Cabal, and whatever other parachronic players? It seems to mostly have been a status quo, but other than that, it's wide open.

[ehrbar]

The biggest issue with an eight-year "canon" timeline advance is that the Condor Group on Merlin-1 was canonically in contact with Reich-5 eight years ago, and Reich-5 is a low mana world, not a no mana world.

Accordingly, Reich-5's entire worldwide leadership should have fallen under the control of the Condor Group fairly rapidly, since it had no defenses against subversion by the level of magical resources that the Condor Group could apply.

Assuming that the Condor Group is mildly competent, the Ahnenerbe-gathered wreckage of the conveyor that the Homeline Russians lost on Reich-5 was hit with a Rebuild spell, and a complete working conveyor has been available to be reverse engineered. That's in addition to everything Reich-5 already learned by interrogating its three Homeline prisoners and from psychic world-jumping, everything that Merlin-1 had from its open scientific literature on many-worlds physics, and everything that wizards can magically extract from the spirits of the dead Spetsnaz Homeliners who died on Reich-5 and with history spells from the objects they brought with them. A body of knowledge they can then unleash the entire scientific resources of Reich-5 upon.

Which means, barring either 1) an incredibly lucky and effective ISWAT operation to take out the Condor early in its takeover efforts or 2) a Homeline saturation-nuking of Reich-5, there should be a metastasizing Nazi cancer across Quantum 3, traveling in conveyors mass-manufactured on Reich-5.

[Micah Davis]

Originally Posted by ehrbar

The biggest issue with an eight-year "canon" timeline advance is that the Condor Group on Merlin-1 was canonically in contact with Reich-5 eight years ago, and Reich-5 is a low mana world, not a no mana world.

I guess the easy neat solution to this is that the Condor Group has gotten got on Merlin-1 substantially before a full merger has taken place. Which feels overdue honestly, how have authentic Nazis run a cabal in Merlin-USA’s backyard for decades without the Cold War to justify it? That might leave Reich-5 with substantially more magic but without the outright win that the full backing of the Condor Group could provide.

Also it feels like if Reich-5 were on a roll that Merlin might out itself as a cross time capable civilization. It’s already kept a lid on it for too long.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by ehrbar

The biggest issue with an eight-year "canon" timeline advance is that the Condor Group on Merlin-1 was canonically in contact with Reich-5 eight years ago, and Reich-5 is a low mana world, not a no mana world.

Accordingly, Reich-5's entire worldwide leadership should have fallen under the control of the Condor Group fairly rapidly, since it had no defenses against subversion by the level of magical resources that the Condor Group could apply.

I wouldn't go that far. Reich 5 has psionics after all.

[ehrbar]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

I wouldn't go that far. Reich 5 has psionics after all.

The Armanen Order commands some psionicists and mystics, sure. It's also weak enough that it has to actually hide from the German government, and the power-users aren't (apparently) running the Order. There might be some members who resist joining with the Condor, but I doubt it's really all that effective.

After the Condor Group merges with/takes over the Armanen Order, the only obvious place for there to be a speedbump is if the Reich-5 Japanese have their own occult mystics who are good enough that Japan can't be subverted by the Condor.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

To be honest, I want The Secret to blow up and shift the setting over to "alternate timeline Star Trek".

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by SilvercatMoonpaw

To be honest, I want The Secret to blow up and shift the setting over to "alternate timeline Star Trek".

You do know that post TNG Star Trek has the same Secret, and just more people with same travel technology they have, right?

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by ehrbar

The Armanen Order commands some psionicists and mystics, sure. It's also weak enough that it has to actually hide from the German government, and the power-users aren't (apparently) running the Order. There might be some members who resist joining with the Condor, but I doubt it's really all that effective.

After the Condor Group merges with/takes over the Armanen Order, the only obvious place for there to be a speedbump is if the Reich-5 Japanese have their own occult mystics who are good enough that Japan can't be subverted by the Condor.

I'd imagine the issue with using mind control when there are psions about isn't so much that the psions are more resistant as it is that the psions will notice the others being under mind control, and a "mind control most of the leadership" plan normally relies on nobody recognizing that said leadership is mind controlled. I don't know enough about the setting(s) to know if the psions could actually do anything to prevent Condor from taking over, but it could well be that, with the knowledge there are hidden psions to account for, Condor is being sufficiently cautious in probing Reich-5 that they are nowhere near taking over.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Varyon

I don't know enough about the setting(s) to know if the psions could actually do anything to prevent Condor from taking over, r.

I don't know if Condor has enough casters with Mind Control College ability to take over a whole timeline. What they seem to be associated with on Merlin-1 is Necromancy (sometimes at a ridiculous scale).

If the typical Condor Mage is one of those booby prize winners with Magery(Necromancy only) then there won't be the necessary Enslave Spell casting.

Note also that if you have any longer term aspirations than weaseling out of your bar tab you need Enslave which takes 30 energy to cast. Merlin-1 would be a fine place to get the 20 pt Powerstones required to do it the easy way but in a Low Mana world those would only recharge at a pt a week. Ceremonial Magic would get around that but kiss doing this with subtlety and flexibility good-by.