*redacted*

[Baltika9]

AAAB

 

[Nevill]

Wrong. Those responsible for the extermination of Atlantis are completely unrelated to IA and they were also wiped out(at least from the physical dimension where mankind resides) by a mysterious and very threatening force.

Sorry. Yeah, I got this wrong, it's only her and Jacob IA destroyed.

Where does Sarah know IA from, then? I was under an impression that they have crossed paths before, for her to be so afraid of intelligent machines.

Did you really expect a mere law to stop AI research?

No, I expected it to be pushed underground, for us to either use its findings if they are innocuous, or to stall and destroy the research - alongside with its creators, if necessary - if it proves something more sinister. I doubt even a blanket total ban could stop the progress - the parties interested in conducting the research can always flee to the Old World anyway - but we could profit from a part of it.

Without time (or whatever is left of it until ITZ), money and the government's backing the threat of creating something Skynet- or IA- like is not that great. And we can probably deal with lesser problems.

"What if I told you that those who warned you about such impending attack are the same who are going to attack?"

This changes nothing, really. It's not like we are hurrying because we are convinced of the Technocracy's benevolence. We are doing it because we think the world is doomed, and we can't stop it. 90% of the world is against us, and I doubt we are joining forces with the abominations to fight off the ones who want to exterminate them even at a cost of our planet.

That the Technocracy warned us at all means that they want to ensure our survival for whatever reason. That is enough.

If they didn't need us, they could have simply never warned us. The otherkin is bullshitting us. "They are using you to destroy Earth without resistance!" Why give us a chance to resist in the first place by warning us beforehand? It's not like we would have rushed a space fleet if they didn't.

1C - no more diversions. The Earth is finished, get over it.
2A - sorry, I don't trust someone who turned me inside out on a whim.
3B>A - I trust Scandinavia more.
4A - why not? Let's see what the mad scientists cooked up.

 

[Kz3r0]

1)B)
2)A)
3)D)
4)A)

 

[Cassidy]

No, I expected it to be pushed underground, for us to either use its findings if they are innocuous, or to stall and destroy the research - alongside with its creators, if necessary - if it proves something more sinister. I doubt even a blanket total ban could stop the progress - the parties interested in conducting the research can always flee to the Old World anyway - but we could profit from a part of it.

The only way to create a true AI is to alter the machinery and its software in a metaphysical level so an immaterial soul can "incarnate" or "reincarnate" in it, and then summon a disembodied spirit to incorporate the machine or alternatively, transfer a soul from a human body to the machine, although the latter is something far beyond what those doing the illegal research can achieve any time soon.

Therefore the real danger is a bunch of computer scientists dabbling irresponsibly in occultism and accidentally summoning an Eldritch entity inside a supercomputer, including all the beings still at large Angartýr and Freyjanna previously encountered such as the enigmatic Blood of the Ages which is connected with vampires, the serpent god of "Them", the sleeping Devourer(if someone manages to steal the sword where it resides from Freyjanna's residence, and someone coincidentally broke in undetected, maybe the otherkin also stole that sword and Freyjanna hasn't noticed yet, in that case the next update will reveal it), The "Ahriman" which also pretended to be the biblical devil and then tempted and got Alexis to betray her for the first time and attempt to sacrifice her in exchange of the end of his curse, one of the Great Old Ones the Mýrr worshiped, etc.

Except these entities may be less dangerous contained isolated inside a supercomputer disconnected from any network than freely spreading their influence in a metaphysical level...

 

[Nevill]

Therefore the real danger is a bunch of computer scientists dabbling irresponsibly in occultism and accidentally summoning an Eldritch entity inside a supercomputer

Vinland's society and economy are not big enough to support an underground that can afford an unaccounted for supercomputer... I think. Well, at least that was what I was counting on.*

Now, if this is a 'side project' for official scientists, then we might have a problem on our hands. But that's what our Secret Service (SS for short) are for.

* Hmmm... the story about scientists building a supercomputer from PS3's microprocessors comes to mind. Now, trapping an eldritch horror in such a machine, then disassembling it into a thousand of consoles and shipping them to the customers so that no one would ever try to reassemble it (while running a campaign to label the popamole experience as 'degenerate' because you can't reveal the horrible truth to the public, yet still need to warn them) could be an interesting twist. Would give the 'PC master race' a new meaning.

 

[Azira]

I second Nevill's voting.

 

[Cassidy]

*redacted*

 

[Kz3r0]

1)A)
2)A)

 

[Grimgravy]

AC

 

[Azira]

1A
2C

 

[Major_Blackhart]

1A
2A

 

[Nevill]

For all of otherkin's words about how he is our second half, I know this - neither Angartyr or Freyjanna as they are known to us would wear Kraka's face. Just not going to happen.

I wonder what his or her goals are and what is its relationship with Technocracy. They seem to be at odds. Why did it send us to the Ericsson's house, the action that ultimately resulted in our transformation and a sort of uneasy alliance with the Techies - was it a blunder on its part, or was it its plan all along?

Find them and stop them, I say.

Oh, and no exporting secret technologies to the unprotected savage lands. We have enough problems with espionage as it is, no need to hand them over everything, including the prototype rocket.

AC

 

[Cassidy]

For all of otherkin's words about how he is our second half, I know this - neither Angartyr or Freyjanna as they are known to us would wear Kraka's face.

Unless they were as batshit insane as the otherkin.

 

[Cassidy]

*redacted*

 

[Nevill]

Because the "Technocracy" tampered directly with the part of the dormant IA that causes her to return to life no matter what, a "glitch" will happen soon and make the transformation truly irreversible.

I believe in function over form. As long as he/she/it assumes the function of Vinland's leader and does not let the goals out of sight, I care not if it is wearing the skin of Angartyr, Freyjanna, or a sentient supercomputer.

Of course, there is always a possibility of going insane from strain, but such is the burden of superhumans. I take solace in that we are still saner than the otherkin.

1B - our goals are too different. The otherkin believes the Techies want to eliminate him, so he isn't going into space with us. Building a supercomputer and trying to protect Earth is his last chance. I doubt he would stop whatever he is doing and help us into space after we showed him the door.

The Mayan vinlanders can do whatever the hell they want, but they will stay the hell away out of our country. Some things they did have crossed a few lines.

2D>B - we are Freyjanna/Angartyr, however we may look like. No need to think twice on that stuff.

3B - eliminate the otherkin. It is a liability much more than it is an asset. Don't involve IA, though.

4D>A - pity her or ignore her, it makes no difference in the end. Nothing that she or we did can be undone. Once she serves through her punishment, she will have her release.

Making peace with her is probably better for our mental health, as it would mean coming to terms with whatever happened to us. We need to dwell on the past less and concentrate on future more.

 

[Nevill]

And/or perhaps she is hoping she will eventually be able to transfer her consciousness into a perfect, immortal machine that won't suffer from the drawbacks of being a vampire.

I think I know what kind of machine we are talking about.

Spoiler

 

[Major_Blackhart]

1A
2A
3A
4E

 

[Azira]

Conditional votes for the first and third question;
Either 1C and 3B
or
1B and 3A
as for the other questions;
2B, 4A

 

[Kz3r0]

1)C)
2)D)
3)C)
4)A)

 

[Grimgravy]

BAAD

 

[Cassidy]

So, given conditional votes and avoiding as many draws as possible, here are the results which still caused two draws

1 - B, infiltrate within this nation to investigate the AI research and put an end to it clandestinely.

Draw between 2 - A, assume the identity of Hildur Angartyrsdóttir given her physical transformations, or 2 - D, insist on being Freyjanna despite not looking the part.

3 - A, Kill the other Freyjanna going nuts through the power of IA.

4 - A, ignore Sarah.

I need one flip or new vote to break this draw, so what will it be? To pretend being someone she many no longer be in both physical appearance and perhaps even attitude, or to embrace a new identity because what is keeping her immortal recombined half of her DNA with Angartýr's and transformed her accordingly?

*Edit: Fixed critical failures in WIS checks.

 

[Nevill]

3 - A, do not attempt to kill the other Freyjanna going nuts.

I think 3A means to IA the otherkin out of existence.

 

[Nevill]

Also, let me get this straight. The same people who were paranoid enough not to connect to the Atlantis Database out of fear that the Technocracy is watching, want to directly access IA now that they have modified our body and tampered with our connection to it. And we want to use it for the second time to remove the creature that exists because of our first act of summoning IA (since something broke our connection to the body that the otherkin inhabits).

Spoiler

Are the mindworms spawning around your bases because of a nuke? The solution is clear - we need to nuke them some more!

 

[Grimgravy]

I'd flip to 2B if it would win it with Azira's B vote and Nevill's conditional B.

 

[Nevill]

I'll switch to 2B unconditionally then.