Book 2 – Page 35

[Lord Kasavin]

If I may suggest a simpler explanation...

The portal kills non-casters. Casters are casters are casters, don't over think this.

However, we have seen some evidence that Erfworld is to a degree a "managed" or "DM-ed" gameworld. Natives believe everything is the will of the Titans, giant Elvises who forged Erfworld many turns ago. Parson sees Erfworld itself as the sentient entity working against him to a degree. Wanda believes in Fate, with a capital F. I myself am holding out for squirrels with a levitation ring (your nerd cred is impeccable if you get this refernce).

Regardless of the who or what, this entity simply waived the caster requirement for Parson when he jumped into the portal. Why? Who knows. Maybe it wants to play more with Parson, maybe because its tired of war and wants Parson to bring Peace to Erf. Maybe its one of 24 unique viewers of Hamstard comics and wants to keep the comic going, De gustibus non disputandum est.

The casters who challenged Parson were not guards, but rather those who happened to be in Portal Park at that moment, which is the interstate of MK and gets a lot of traffic. Parson clearly was not a caster due to his body armor, sword, lack of a wand, troll like size and appearance, etc. So, they pointed their wands at him in panic trying to figure out if the irrevocable death of this strange thing was clearly the best course of action. The Grand Abby taking charge made him her problem, which probably served as a relief for the rest of MK and the mages present.

[BLANDCorporatio]

I myself am holding out for squirrels with a levitation ring (your nerd cred is impeccable if you get this refernce).

It torments me that I don't get this reference. Truly painful. What is it? Must it remain nameless? Please tell.

[Alexei P]

I myself am holding out for squirrels with a levitation ring (your nerd cred is impeccable if you get this refernce).

It torments me that I don't get this reference. Truly painful. What is it? Must it remain nameless? Please tell.

Planescape: Torment, am I right?

The Lady is a mystery. She's widely regarded to be the de facto ruler of Sigil, its protector and its victim. She is said to guard the doors of the Cage against the myriad schemes of the gods, to be the ultimate expression of balance in the multiverse, to be the prisoner of the City of Doors. There are thousands of stories about her - one even tells that she's actually six giant squirrels with a headdress, robe, and ring of levitation and illusions - but none of them can be answered. She is a true enigma, a puzzle with no solution.

Wow. That actually took two Google searches.

[Lord Kasavin]

It doesn't count if you have to use a search engine.

And while I learned the line from Torment, I believe the source material, Plancescape, made the theory on its own.

Also, because it does not get said enough, Chris Avellone is a genius.

[Alexei P]

It torments me that I don't get this reference. Truly painful. What is it? Must it remain nameless? Please tell.

Oh. I see it now. Brain slow.

[DevilDan]

However, we have seen some evidence that Erfworld is to a degree a "managed" or "DM-ed" gameworld.

Almost as if there's a plot?

[Ansan Gotti]

I still think Parson's "special" is that he cannot be disbanded, only croaked.

[davesnothere]

I still think Parson's "special" is that he cannot be disbanded, only croaked.

With respect to Erfworld, Parson is a creature\\\unit that exists there because of a powerful magic summoning spell.
Not something that was popped by normal mechanisms or created by someone with construction skills.

(I will avoid getting pulled into the topic discussed over the summer between Maggie and Sizemore
about whether something a Dollamancer or the like creates comes from magic or matter)

This may be sufficent to fool whatever essence the MK portals are looking for.

[Dr Pepper]

With respect to Erfworld, Parson is a creature\\\unit that exists there because of a powerful magic summoning spell.

Parson is a Yu Gi Oh card dropped into a Catan game.

[Ditto]

Considering situations like this one, I'd say that's the perfect analogy.

[gazes_also]

Sandwich jokes, what makes an caster a caster, levitating squirrels ...

...We SERIOUSLY need a new update.

[Whispri]

y6yy

What does Charlie gain from having GK take Faq exactly?

The removal of a competing side of Mercenaries. While a barbarian warband did survive Faq's fall, it rapidly diminshed in potency judging by this.

So was the thinkagram anonymous, I wonder?

If it's Charlie identifying himself as Charlie, he'd sell the information to Stanley. And if he couldn't sell it GK, why not sell it to, say, Transylvito?

Well it could be considered wise of any Overlord plotting the downfall of a Royal side to keep their involvement quiet.

As for Translyvyto, convincing the Don King to strike at an unknown side of unknown strength is easier said then done. And then there's Don's preference for extortion to consider. If he just demanded money from Banhammer, then as sure as night follows day Faq would have been forced to take on more mercenary contracts in order to pay him.

[DevilDan]

y6yy

So was the thinkagram anonymous, I wonder?

If it's Charlie identifying himself as Charlie, he'd sell the information to Stanley. And if he couldn't sell it GK, why not sell it to, say, Transylvito?

Well it could be considered wise of any Overlord plotting the downfall of a Royal side to keep their involvement quiet.

As for Translyvyto, convincing the Don King to strike at an unknown side of unknown strength is easier said then done. And then there's Don's preference for extortion to consider. If he just demanded money from Banhammer, then as sure as night follows day Faq would have been forced to take on more mercenary contracts in order to pay him.

I bet you it wouldn't be a hard sell to get Transylvito to bite, actually; Faq survived not by strength but by stealth. Faq was a ripe plum: better to take it before it's taken by Jitterati or Gobwin Knob. GK, on the other hand, had just defeated a coalition of nations that had it badly outnumbered. And Carpool is an opponent they can't just wipe out easily, as they could have with Faq... particularly once Charlie told Don King when Jill was out on a mission, which he could easily ascertain through the use of veiled archons.

Border skirmishes are probably a constant on Erf. Being able to get three cities free and clear that play well to Transylvito's air superiority and can be easily defended: my guess Don King would have thought long and hard, but he would have moved.

[Whispri]

I bet you it wouldn't be a hard sell to get Transylvito to bite, actually; Faq survived not by strength but by stealth. Faq was a ripe plum: better to take it before it's taken by Jitterati or Gobwin Knob. GK, on the other hand, had just defeated a coalition of nations that had it badly outnumbered. And Carpool is an opponent they can't just wipe out easily, as they could have with Faq... particularly once Charlie told Don King when Jill was out on a mission, which he could easily ascertain through the use of veiled archons.

Border skirmishes are probably a constant on Erf. Being able to get three cities free and clear that play well to Transylvito's air superiority and can be easily defended: my guess Don King would have thought long and hard, but he would have moved.

I dunno, Faq almost certainly had considerable spell defences and unlike Stanley the Don King can't replace his losses by spending a few turns hunting. So it all comes down to guessing what the price would be. Would really be worth the effort to take and hold those Cities when the safer option of demanding tribute is available?

[DevilDan]

"Almost certainly?" That's more of a guess. I bet it wouldn't be beyond Charlie's capabilities to find all that out, on the other hand.

Potential losses are part of the "game." What we do know is that Faq only managed to survive thanks to Jill's mercenary work. I don't think they'd be able to pay much to Transylvito. That's a low opportunity cost vs. the potential gains, if only from razing the cities.

[Whispri]

Well there's no reason to think they neglected any aspect of defensive sorcery. Now the idea that Charlie could perform a close inspection on a side with a Predictamancer and a Foolmancer (who, like Archons, can see through veils) without being rumbled? That requires Charlie to be perfect and Faq to be hopelessly inept.

The mercenary work was a last resort not their primary source of income. Yes, it might take a while for a protection racket to bring in more money than just sacking the place, but it would happen in time. And the Cities would still be there to plunder at a later date.

[DevilDan]

Well there's no reason to think they neglected any aspect of defensive sorcery. Now the idea that Charlie could perform a close inspection on a side with a Predictamancer and a Foolmancer (who, like Archons, can see through veils) without being rumbled? That requires Charlie to be perfect and Faq to be hopelessly inept.

A couple of reasons: the aforementioned limits on resources, and their reliance on stealth and remaining undetected. And Charlie is nothing if not resourceful. Just ask GK's gobwins.

The mercenary work was a last resort not their primary source of income. Yes, it might take a while for a protection racket to bring in more money than just sacking the place, but it would happen in time. And the Cities would still be there to plunder at a later date.

My point was precisely that: Faq was forced to resort to something that threatens the secrecy they value so highly and that was antithetical to Banhammer's pacifist approach. That's how desperate they were for money.

Yes, in time a few shmuckers would have made their way into Transylvito's treasury, but it's only the new Don King that particularly cares about royalty or kings and queens. The old King could possibly have thought exactly as Caesar has: take the sites, make their own cities.

[Whispri]

A couple of reasons: the aforementioned limits on resources, and their reliance on stealth and remaining undetected. And Charlie is nothing if not resourceful. Just ask GK's gobwins.

My point was precisely that: Faq was forced to resort to something that threatens the secrecy they value so highly and that was antithetical to Banhammer's pacifist approach. That's how desperate they were for money.

Yes, in time a few shmuckers would have made their way into Transylvito's treasury, but it's only the new Don King that particularly cares about royalty or kings and queens. The old King could possibly have thought exactly as Caesar has: take the sites, make their own cities.

Moot point on the spell defences. As for Charlie, even if he can see all and know all, knowing the defences are there won't help to defeat them.

Yes, they sent Jillian out because they needed money, that's not the same thing as being bankrupt. Particularly seeing as she was already out there bringing the loot in.

Pre-insanity Don King was of the "Fools rush in where Translyvyto fears to tread" mindset. Much safer just to ask for tribute. And what if he offered them alliance? A secret ally could be a very useful card to hold.