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Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
This shouldn't end up like the previous chapter did. I hope.
To quote Azira, "Ruh-roh."

The bottom line here is this: we're locked in a dark room, we are likely to be eaten by a grue. We hear a voice of unknown origins.
Dio is a cunning and ruthless sociopath, anything but effette, so I am confident that when it comes time to strike, he will do so without hesitation. Whether or not it makes a difference is another matter entirely.
We have a shot of telekinesis charged and ready to go. Whether or not it will help us is another matter entirely.
This voice may or may not bail us. We are hoping that it will.

This makes me hopeful:
However, maybe Fenrir isn't the enemy here. Maybe he's the one talking to us right now and he's looking for just the right moment/distraction courtesy of Dio to finally take Fatass out of the picture for good. Your interpretation of events seems to imply that he's a good telepath, so maybe he's sending us a message right now. Perhaps he couldn't kill Fatass earlier because the opportunity hadn't presented itself before, and now it has with our presence.
The possibility that it is a new Voice or Ean's fragment makes me hopeful. Treave's quote does not.
Honestly, we're about to charge someone who apparently outlevels us by a shitton.

If curiosity killed the cat, I'm the one who opened the window. Holding to B.
Edit: the wolf is a Master! :eek:
 

treave

Arcane
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Codex 2012
One of these days the gambles will backfire, but it is not this day. This day you hit the jackpot (if you count losing an eye and suffering multiple painful burns worth whatever it is you get in return).

***

Chapter 7.14: The Wolf's Question

The axe was in a chest, lying among other assorted tools of a decidedly sharp and terrible nature. You could guess what they were for. You grasp the wooden handle and lift the instrument of chopping up. It was hefty in your hands. As you take a swing or two for practice, you head back towards Jannik and the servile young prince. Keeping your emotions tightly under control, you nonchalantly whip the axe at Jannik's neck - at least, where his head met his body. To your slight surprise, it hits home, biting deep into the great rolls of fat with little resistance. Blood spatters over you and red froth gurgles from Jannik's lips. His eyes roll back upwards into his head. Thinking it was over, you relax your grip on the axe slightly. You are immediately proved wrong as a stream of fire sprays from Jannik's outstretched hands and sets you alight. You scream and fall backwards, dropping to the floor to smother the flames.

With a deep, low groan akin to that of an angry bull, Jannik rises to his feet swiftly, surprisingly nimble for his bulk. His eyes were blood red in the light of the fire. He charges at you, fists raised, his footsteps thundering on the wooden floor. Panicking, you focus your telekinesis on his feet and trip him with a well aimed attack. Jannik stumbles, takes another step, and trips - falling right onto you. Unable to move away in time, you are crushed beneath his massive body. The flab flows over your face, smothering your nose and mouth. He struggles to get up, rolling to and fro over you. As you scrabble to get away from under him, your hand finds a grip on the axe still stuck in him. Using it as leverage, you pull and push with all your might. With a wet, tearing noise, it jerks free of the soft flesh it had been mired in, spraying more blood and fat all over you. At the same time, you kick away with your feet. Jannik's body tumbles to the side, his throat grinning widely. A watery bubbling noise arose from the cavity under his multiple chins.

You gasp for breath, trying to grasp what had just happened. It had happened so quickly in just a few seconds. At any time now you expect Skarfeld to burst in, but he never does so. As the minutes tick by, the realization set in that you had single-handedly killed the man terrorizing the entire kingdom of Skane. This would do wonders for your reputation; you could not resist the smile that begins to spread across your lips.

"Ah, and I was so looking forward to having my hand cut off too." complains Prince Dagrun. "The pain would have been exquisite..."

The smile dies on your face.

"I guess you win the bet. That wasn't very fun, Fenrir."

The wolf nods, as if understanding Dagrun.

You might want to repair Jannik before the damage is permanent, young prince.

This time it was unmistakeable - the wolf is the one talking to you in your mind.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm getting to it. Since you've won, you can do with this brother of mine as you wish. Pity, I was looking forward to having fun with him. You really don't play fair, you lying wolf. I really wanted to lose my hand just like you said the First Emperor did."

Oh, I did not expect this outcome too. It was a long shot, even by my reckoning.

The wolf seemed amused, while the prince was slightly upset at having lost whatever bet they had. You sat there, in pain with burns all over and your empty eye socket a stabbing pain in your skull, and grit your teeth. For the first time, you appreciated the irony of your recent life. You, who thought of others as nothing more than tools for your ascent, have been used and misused thoroughly by various powers beyond your comprehension. One day they would rue toying with your fate, but until then, you would just have to manage the best you can. You stagger to your feet, the axe grasped firmly in your hands. Hurt, tired and confused, your prided control over your emotions was cracking. Glancing at the prince, who was humming while holding together Jannik's gaping throat wound, you raised the axe above your head. Before your eyes Jannik's wound mended, the flesh knitting itself back together underneath the prince's slender fingers.

I think it would be better not to, Diogenes Camna.

Before you knew it, the giant wolf had padded silently to your side, his nose sniffing at your burns.

Come, walk with me.

It was coached as an order, not a request. Turning, he walked to the door and waited. It takes a while for you, in your wounded state, to realize that he was waiting for the door to be opened. You do it for him and limp out after the wolf. Skarfeld stood besides the door, not seeming to notice you or the wolf. As the two of you make your way down the stairs, you find that the other cultists were the same, paying you no attention.

You must have many questions. To be honest, I didn't think I would have to answer them so soon, but here you are. About Prince Dagrun -

"The prince is like me, isn't he?" you mutter.

Ah, you are as smart as the previous one I met. That is a relief. Jannik too is a similar existence to you, and all of you are an existence related to me. Of course, I am immeasurably stronger.

There was just a hint of arrogance and pride in the wolf's tone. It was a statement of fact, and you knew it was true - the sense of power enveloping you had accompanied you out of the room, and it was now clear that the wolf was responsible.

"If you had just wanted to speak to me, you need only make an appointment. Such theatre was not required."

If you think I have planned all this, you are sorely mistaken. I merely play the role of Dagrun and Jannik's confidante. Dagrun is the one with a love for vicious, childish plots. I'm afraid I outgrew those many, many years ago. Convoluted schemes have their time and place, but it is something Dagrun has not yet learned.

"I find it hard to believe that a mere boy, even if he is a prince, is responsible for the same cult that ravages his homeland."

He's not just any boy. You said it yourself; he's just like you. Of course, he has some rather self-defeating quirks of personality, despite his intelligence.

"You're going to say that I have it too, right?"

Why, you read my mind.

You did not think it was possible for a wolf, of all creatures, to actually grin, but you saw it with your own eyes as the lupine snout peeled back to bare fangs in a ghastly imitation of a human smile.

At any rate, I have won my bet and will bestow upon you a reward for escaping the smothering blanket of those great rolls of fat. Knowledge seems appropriate."

"Trust a dog to talk about knowledge when power is all they know. You would not be here if you did not have the power to back it up."

You also did not think it was possible for a wolf to sneer, but he did so, somehow.

You may be right, but you will find that I am decidedly undoglike in behaviour, should you have the time to know me better. Regardless, you have walked brazenly into my sights and that means I can no longer leave you be. Trust me when I tell you that knowledge will help you more than power.

There was a subtle tightening around your throat, and you knew that your life or death was firmly in the wolf's paws. You put on your most appealing tone of voice.

"You have my ears, Master Wolf... or should I call you Fenrir?"

The wolf barked and shrugged.

Fenrir is fine. You have no need of false pretense before me, by the way. It's horrendously pointless - you're like an open book.

"It's good to know I don't need to give a damn about your feelings then."

The wolf ignored your not-giving-a-damn.

A single question. Perhaps rationing my knowledge will help you appreciate it better. I will allow you to phrase a single question in ten words, and I will answer it as best as I can. I think I need not warn you about the dangers of knowing too much, though; it is something you have already realized for yourself. Of course, you might want to chance that risk. I care not.

Ask your question.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
One of these days the gambles will backfire, but it is not this day. This day you hit the jackpot (if you count losing an eye and suffering multiple painful burns worth whatever it is you get in return).

Oh, like it hasn't already many, many times before.
Too bad I didn't make a request for Dio to scream "MAXIMUM FUCK!" in time...the future that could have been...
 

Baltika9

Arcane
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Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
As for the question: "The fuck's going on here? Help a bro out, bro."
These exact words.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
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Messages
9,611
"Are you Shulgi?"
I've got a better one: "Are you my mommy?"
:troll:

Ah, you are as smart as the previous one I met. That is a relief. Jannik too is a similar existence to you, and all of you are an existence related to me. Of course, I am immeasurably stronger.
Despite this, I seriously doubt Fenrir is Ean. For one, he can't shapeshift. And the personality does not fit.
Reminds me of Sekhenun and her Children, actually:
There appear to be a smattering of lesser lords, minor deities, who are called Children of Sekhenun, present in both Heliopolis and Memphis. Every week, six young men and six young women, selected by cultists from the cities of the Nile Delta, are sent into the Great Temple of Heliopolis as tribute to Sekhenun. They are never seen again. From what you can gather, Sekhenun's powers are to 'raise man to be as the lords'. Every fifty years or so, some prominent cultist is selected to become a Child of Sekhenun. Somehow, Sekhenun transforms the cultist to become an existence akin to the Gieloth themselves.
And the personality of Fenrir would fit with that of Sekhenun: behind the scenes, adviser and expert manipulator/scientist.
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
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Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
Okay, serious question here. "What must I do to triumph against all my rivals?" It's best to ask for optimum action rather than take a wild guess on what would be valuable knowledge for us, since he'd be answering based upon the sum of his knowledge which we won't have access to regardless.

And I do think Fenrir could be Shulgi based on a couple of things.

1. His extreme power
2. His confession that he used to be prone to wild scheming and plotting behind the scenes

It's not enough to really identify him, but enough to hint at his origin. It makes sense that thousands of years might have curbed his megalomania.
 

a cut of domestic sheep prime

Guest
What happened to Ean?

Until we know what's really going on here we will be continually manipulated by those with more knowledge than us.

edit: on second thought, Smashing Axe is probably right. We can't afford to guess at what knowledge is valuable or not.
"What must I do to triumph against all my rivals?"
 

Baltika9

Arcane
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Jun 27, 2012
Messages
9,611
Bros, this is how I see the situation: the Empire has ill-wishers on all it's fronts and secessionists from within, and has a definite risk of falling apart. I'm not sure we really stopped this cult, Aodh apparently was here as well and that changed nothing
Ah, you are as smart as the previous one I met.
.

We're also extremely interested in bringing Ean back/reforming him/finding out what happened to him: it's pointless. Ean is not the crux of the matter right now, the Empire is.

What does make sense is to ask for the source of our other supernatural problems, like the worsening weather and the undead, or about the origins of Dio and Fenrir, or about the Concordiat, or "What's going on here, help a bro out."

What makes even more sense, to me at least, is to ask him this: How to restore the Empire's integrity and end the secessionists?(@treave, can he/she/it answer this kind of question, or will we have to find out on our own?) This makes sense given our situation and can work from Dio's perspective as well: he's securing his power bases, which are the Empire and RK-47.

He might not know everything, but every little bit helps.
 

Storyfag

Perfidious Pole
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What makes even more sense, to me at least, is to ask him this: How to restore the Empire's integrity and end the secessionists?(@treave, can he/she/it answer this kind of question, or will we have to find out on our own?) This makes sense given our situation and can work from Dio's perspective as well: he's securing his power bases, which are the Empire and RK-47.

He might not know everything, but every little bit helps.

This is good. And has a rationalisation suitable for Dio. Before flipflopping, however, I want to hear the opinion of the beast with the body of a rabbit and the head of... a rabbit.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
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Messages
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This is good. And has a rationalisation suitable for Dio. Before flipflopping, however, I want to hear the opinion of the beast with the body of a rabbit and the head of... a rabbit.
Come, Esquilax!

On a more serious note, we can also find out what happened to Ean's companions.
 

Esquilax

Arcane
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Messages
4,833
I feel asking about taking out our rivals is kinda petty and it could be a waste - we've just uncovered that the world is much larger and filled with powers beyond our comprehension thus far, so asking for tips on how to beat our comparatively far weaker rivals seems like a serious waste. If we ask a question, it must be related to cosmic conspiracies of the non-human side of the world that Dio is a complete novice in dealing with.

Wasting this opportunity on petty power plays would be unwise, especially since I believe we're in a pretty good position to take out our rivals anyways. Our reputation will have increased from this tenfold, so we can use that as leverage against Aodh. Secondly, we've got Ban in our pocket and he's off in Rus with a huge army and shiny new guns to capture the madman, so we've got that covered as well. Plus we just beat Dagrun at this little game he was playing. We've got the mundane stuff covered, so let's focus on the cosmic, so knowledge in areas we're unfamiliar with is what we need.

As for whether it's Shulgi, it would certainly make sense based on his personality. But whoever Fenrir is, it's certainly the same immortal that was responsible for giving Ean all that tech so many years ago. Aodh was on assignment in the north at the beginning of the story, so he most likely met with Fenrir at the beginning of the story and obtained some knowledge that way.

So if I were to ask a question of the wolf, it would be something about the nature of the universe and how it relates to our problems here. We should also milk that ten word limit for all it's worth. Here are my initial brainstorming ideas:

1) What are my origins, and how do they involve Ean? Asking this would really clear up a lot of the mystery about whether our memories and how real they are, whether the immortals are all shards of Ean, etc.This was the first question we were curious about at the beginning of the story:

“Do you remember your birth parents? Do you remember what happened before you were adopted?”

You didn’t, and you do not reply.

“You are the real Ean, and your actions have proven yourself to be smart and ruthless enough to retake your mantle. You are worthy of our aid.”

2) What is behind Shinar's troubles, and how is Ean involved? This should cover the cosmic end of our problems, from the undead rising in Knossos, to the weather that has been plaguing us. I have a feeling that Fenrir may have been the one causing the bad weather in the first place.

Right now, I'm going for 1). Knowing Dio's true origins could reveal a lot of things to us.
 

treave

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Codex 2012
What makes even more sense, to me at least, is to ask him this: How to restore the Empire's integrity and end the secessionists?(@treave, can he/she/it answer this kind of question, or will we have to find out on our own?) This makes sense given our situation and can work from Dio's perspective as well: he's securing his power bases, which are the Empire and RK-47.


He can answer it, but when asking him a question along the lines of 'what should I do', bear in mind that you are asking for advice and that's what you'll be getting. A walkthrough, in other words, to a certain end.
 

Baltika9

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9,611
Esquilax: in that case, we may as well ask where the hell is Ean and when will he return. Or how to speed said return up.

We can get as much knowledge of ourselves and the cosmic as we want, but it doesn't help us with our current and future troubles of people wanting to fuck us and the empire up.

But your 1 is very attractive.

Edit: treave, can we use this little cheat: What are my origins, how are You and Ean involved?
 

Baltika9

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Wait just a goddamned second here.
If you think I have planned all this, you are sorely mistaken. I merely play the role of Dagrun and Jannik's confidante. Dagrun is the one with a love for vicious, childish plots. I'm afraid I outgrew those many, many years ago. Convoluted schemes have their time and place, but it is something Dagrun has not yet learned.

And the plot chart treave provided before Olympus would have triggered the "War in The North" only if we set the "Shulgi" flag.

Fenrir is Shulgi! So, he decided to play Illuminati.

Edit: where is everyone? newcomer, Bloodshifter, ScubaV, get in here.
 

Baltika9

Arcane
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Messages
9,611
treave: do the legends of the First Emperor mention any of our bros (Edem, Sek, Athena and Artemis?) If yes, does Dio know of those legends?
 

TOME

Cuckmaster General
Joined
May 25, 2012
Messages
1,820
I always toyed with the idea that Shulgi was behind Skane and it's rise, and the fall of Skane meant Naram. But it could be that Shulgi got ûber powerful and decided to fuck that shit.

Wait a second...

I'm afraid I outgrew those many, many years ago. Convoluted schemes have their time and place, but it is something Dagrun has not yet learned.

You don't have to do it, you know? You can kill him right now and solve this dangerous situation you're in at once.

If Fenrir really has outgrown all the plotting and schemes, why did it make a bet with Dagrun and influence the outcome?

As for the vote/question, I side with the unholy alliance of Baltika9 and Esquilax. But do we really need to know Dio's origins? I was thinking more along the lines like "What are you, how are you and Ean involved to me?" but it got 11 words so if anyone can't reword it, I'm good with the original.

What are my origins, how are You and Ean involved?
 

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