Book 2 – Page 42

[DevilDan]

I'm still buzzed by the fact that finally something is actually HAPPENING.

[Carne]

I'm not sure you should get your hopes up too high about that. Strips that are likely to be drawn:

• Parson in the Armory;
• Parson talking to Sizemore and Maggie in the Portal Room (perhaps in combination with the above strip);
• Tramennis and Charlie finishing their conversation (1-3 strips);
• Tramennis parlaying with Ossomer;
• <POSSIBLE>Tramennis confronting his father;
• <POSSIBLE>At least one Jillian strip (ugh);
• <POSSIBLE>Another Thinkagram to Wanda;
• Stanley's reaction (perhaps part of one of the above);
• 3-5 text updates.

Not that I'm complaining mind you. But the battle is not likely to happen until late November/early January. I do hope I'm wrong though

[Lamech]

He is highly unlikely to use MK's portal

1. Its guarded to prevent him from using it.

The casters can't really shoot him. That will go over so badly for them when other sides find out. "The MK shot one of GK's casters, I guess those guys aren't all that neutral"

2. Since it isn't his turn he won't be able to move once he arrives which would prevent him from joining the battle.

He won't be able to move between city zones. Luckily the king is already inside the garrison where the portal should exit. As will likely be some courtiers and other soft targets. (And who will Jetstone blame when they find the bodies?) A dirtamancy bomb could easily wreck a formation of archers, or a caster. (Although its not like jetstone would stick a big stack of archers in a room with two casters or anything stuipid like that. )

3. He is having Sizemore meet them in GK rather then in MK.

He obviously wants Sizemore to cast something. Sizemore could do that in the tower or dungeon of GK where he gets a bonus, or in the MK where he doesn't. Hmm...

[timh]

Yay, update. I like this one because it means Parson's plan entails more then just "people switching zones from air to land and killing people in the proces"
Kinda wonder though, I mean. I'm pretty sure casters cant use portals from other sides. Otherwise casters "could" (does not mean would) be able to do things like this all the time.. As a matter of fact, casters would be doing that all the time because their overlords would be ordering them to do this.

While It would not be a stretch for Parson to be able to use another side's portal, it would be kind of difficult for a lvl 2 warlord to kill a king + any guards he may have.

Also, not sure if charlie knows about this part of the plan. If he does, then I would not be surprised of Parson was captured the second he walked through that portal.

[SteveMB]

He is highly unlikely to use MK's portal

1. Its guarded to prevent him from using it.

The casters can't really shoot him. That will go over so badly for them when other sides find out. "The MK shot one of GK's casters, I guess those guys aren't all that neutral"

That's a problem for the theory that portal limitations are enforced by the denizens of the Magic Kingdom and everybody else just thinks that portals inherently disband non-casters who try to use them. The secret would get out eventually, and a boopstorm of epic proportions would ensue when everybody realizes that any casualties over the turns (e.g. Queen Bea) had been the deliberate acts of MK casters.

[MonteCristo]

He is highly unlikely to use MK's portal

1. Its guarded to prevent him from using it.

The casters can't really shoot him. That will go over so badly for them when other sides find out. "The MK shot one of GK's casters, I guess those guys aren't all that neutral"

And how would any otherside find out? what happens in MK, stays in MK
if anyone asks they can simply say that the GK "caster" attacked them, and they rightly croaked him... Hell if their are any witnesses, MK can instead explain that he was warlord and a threat to MK; hell even those witnesses will be able to admit that they can't see Parson's stats. This works even better if the MK casters give Parson a very clear warning

[Alexei P]

That's a problem for the theory that portal limitations are enforced by the denizens of the Magic Kingdom and everybody else just thinks that portals inherently disband non-casters who try to use them. The secret would get out eventually, and a boopstorm of epic proportions would ensue when everybody realizes that any casualties over the turns (e.g. Queen Bea) had been the deliberate acts of MK casters.

Yes, and you'd also need to explain how the MK casters are able to conceal that information from their past and current employers, which goes against their natural Duty. "Can't withhold information from the ruler", remember?

[leshabirukov]

Once Maggie and Sizemoore reach Spacerock airspace, they could join Jack and create a strong cloud castle, Wiwmbewg. I am still not sure, how they can get there.

[Magothys]

That's a problem for the theory that portal limitations are enforced by the denizens of the Magic Kingdom and everybody else just thinks that portals inherently disband non-casters who try to use them. The secret would get out eventually, and a boopstorm of epic proportions would ensue when everybody realizes that any casualties over the turns (e.g. Queen Bea) had been the deliberate acts of MK casters.

Yes, and you'd also need to explain how the MK casters are able to conceal that information from their past and current employers, which goes against their natural Duty. "Can't withhold information from the ruler", remember?

Terms of employment might include nondisclosure of MK-related information.

[zilfallon]

2. Since it isn't his turn he won't be able to move once he arrives which would prevent him from joining the battle.He won't be able to move between city zones. Luckily the king is already inside the garrison where the portal should exit. As will likely be some courtiers and other soft targets. (And who will Jetstone blame when they find the bodies?) A dirtamancy bomb could easily wreck a formation of archers, or a caster. (Although its not like jetstone would stick a big stack of archers in a room with two casters or anything stuipid like that. )

Well, Ace and Cubbins ARE in a room, WITH a few stacks of archers...Strange, right?

[Chit Rule Railroad]

Apparently, Charlie can not only hack thinkagrams, but actually scry on the enemy chief warlord.

Or perhaps he hired a lookamancer, like anyone else with the schmuckers or Rands could do.

Keeping secrets might be hard in Erfworld. This might even have something to do with why Charlie only has one city. Maybe he doesn't want anyone to be able to scry how he sets up a city defense, and he doesn't want to pay to shield more than one city from scrying.

[Pointyleaf]

That's a problem for the theory that portal limitations are enforced by the denizens of the Magic Kingdom and everybody else just thinks that portals inherently disband non-casters who try to use them. The secret would get out eventually, and a boopstorm of epic proportions would ensue when everybody realizes that any casualties over the turns (e.g. Queen Bea) had been the deliberate acts of MK casters.

Yes, and you'd also need to explain how the MK casters are able to conceal that information from their past and current employers, which goes against their natural Duty. "Can't withhold information from the ruler", remember?

I'm not sure Duty applies to hired mercenaries like MK casters.

[MarbitChow]

I'm not sure Duty applies to hired mercenaries like MK casters.

Hired mercs? Probably not, but since sides can pop their own, loyal casters, who can also presumably travel there freely, there must be something more to it.
Then again, maybe Queen Bea's death was the Erfworld equivalent of 'Suicide by Cop'.

[Pointyleaf]

Apparently, Charlie can not only hack thinkagrams, but actually scry on the enemy chief warlord.

Or perhaps he hired a lookamancer, like anyone else with the schmuckers or Rands could do.

I don't think there's any reason to assume that this is an actual real-time image of Parson, versus some stock photo Charlie had taken at an earlier time.

I'm not sure Duty applies to hired mercenaries like MK casters.

Hired mercs? Probably not, but since sides can pop their own, loyal casters, who can also presumably travel there freely, there must be something more to it.

Yeah, good point. Probably we're overcomplicating it, and the portal does just disband non-casters. I mean, it is the *Magic* Kingdom: for magic-users only.

[Dr Pepper]

Spoiler: show

he will garrisson a tower from the city full of golems and infantry and whatever else, and use a link of Maggie+Sizemore to shape the terrain under the tower, moving the building with the land. Sizemore maybe could only affect a couple hexes at once, but being linked could give him enought juice or reduce the costs enought for him to pull it until Jetstone.

It would fit nicelly with Parson's simulations of "land ships", would be an inventive use of dirtamancy traps, and if that hex with the tower would end up being considered GK's area, maybe even block arrows, or at least provide physical cover to units. And since its Sizemore, having an entire tower sneaking underground only to rise suddenly in the middle of the enemy Capital is on the table.

Yes, but. Once again. It. is. not. GK's. turn!

[Lamech]

Spoiler: show

he will garrisson a tower from the city full of golems and infantry and whatever else, and use a link of Maggie+Sizemore to shape the terrain under the tower, moving the building with the land. Sizemore maybe could only affect a couple hexes at once, but being linked could give him enought juice or reduce the costs enought for him to pull it until Jetstone.

It would fit nicelly with Parson's simulations of "land ships", would be an inventive use of dirtamancy traps, and if that hex with the tower would end up being considered GK's area, maybe even block arrows, or at least provide physical cover to units. And since its Sizemore, having an entire tower sneaking underground only to rise suddenly in the middle of the enemy Capital is on the table.

Yes, but. Once again. It. is. not. GK's. turn!

Not GK's fault the terrain just happens to be sliding along. Things can do that. Like lava. But seriously Parson says to Maggie "you know how". Sure maybe parson could design a super-duper land ship spell, but maggie wouldn't know. (And before you say can't cast off turn, being attacked is an exception. I guess they'll have to hope something strange and wonderful happens like a caster from the MK "attacks".)

[cdrcjsn]

I'm not sure Duty applies to hired mercenaries like MK casters.

In the discussion about duty it just referred to units under a leader's command, and didn't specify type, but mercenaries and turned units have been noted to have notoriously low loyalty, so might turn instead of being forced to sacrifice themselves in the name of duty.

But time for my tin foil hat theory:

Spoiler: show

How many casters are there in the Magic Kingdom? Hundreds? Thousands?

How much schmuckers does it take to hire them for a day? top tier Archons have an upkeep of a couple of hundred gold, so 500-1k might not be unreasonable depending on skill.

Does GK have enough resources to hire all of the MK for a single day? What about half of them? A third?

If so, what sort of spell/item can they cast/create to affect the fight at spacerock?

GK's gem reserves is eating at me. I keep looking for ways in how it can be used to affect the plot. That much money can't just sit there unused.

[gazes_also]

The "dash through the Magic Kingdom" theory has certain flaws.
It would breach MK neutrality, and failure to eliminate anyone trying to do that would result in every aligned caster in TMK returning home and having their rulers destroy their own portals to prevent any future attacks.
"Parson" and "dash" don't belong in the same sentence, plus he'll be wearing armour too to slow him down.
How do they know which portal is JS's or what the Portal dial code is for JS?
Casters can enter TMK and return to their point of origin without move, but if they try to exit through another Portal, that would be a move. If he gets to the Portal and get access to JS's exit, the Portal will act as a hex boundary and he won't be able to get through, not because of magic but because of the physics of Erfworld, and because it isn't his turn.

[multilis]

"Love is a battlefield"

Completely off the wall, send Maggie through naked and hire some datomancers, hippymancers, etc to distract while you do the dash. Just give them orders, don't tell them the purpose is a distraction.

Bit more serious note: Did Charlie hire a datomancer to take interest in Sizemore so he could plant a bug, suggestion, etc.

[MonteCristo]

The "dash through the Magic Kingdom" theory has certain flaws.
It would breach MK neutrality, and failure to eliminate anyone trying to do that would result in every aligned caster in TMK returning home and having their rulers destroy their own portals to prevent any future attacks.

Unless the ruler is smart...
Really if most other kingdoms are willing to cut themselves off completely from the magic kingdom, then that means that MK may become desperate enough to lower their pirces for those still willing to give them work... so you have exclusive excess to many affordable, valuable, magical resources while your enemies do not; that's a HUGE advantage in your favor. As for fears of similar attacks like Parson... that can be solved by simply putting a few knights in the portal room to guard it; enough to croak a few unauthorized caster's that come through.