TheStarsAreRight:TrainConversation
CARL
Carl gathers the group when all can attend, and begins without much preamble.
“Friends, “Here we are, on a train. I’ve got your attention for the next few days, so it’s time to talk where we won’t be interrupted or disturbed. I have a few things I want to say, and then I want you each to speak your piece.
“Auda, Jack, I’m talking particularly to you: if you have a complaint, or concern, or even a question about what I’m after or what we’re doing here, speak it. Ask. Come to me. I’m very troubled by a growing tendency for people to mutter and doubt and worry in corners, and not speak up where it can make a difference. It doesn’t help. It weakens us as a team, and that weakens each of you.
“So don’t do that, hmm? Bring it all to the table. Or, if you’d rather talk privately, just let me know.
He pauses, takes a sip from a convenient glass of water, and continues.
“Now I’d like to talk about what we’re up to, and why. About the Plan, if you like. This will be vague for two reasons. One is that too much detail would keep us here all night; the other is that the Plan is a moving target. It’s just been changed, hugely changed; it’s being re-thought as we sit here.”
Another sip, as he gathers his thoughts.
“The old King of Fate had a plan to save the world. It relied on the world being deliberately crippled – magically -- and upon the King’s absolute control. Maybe it would have succeeded. Maybe not. Personally I don’t think so, but we’ll never know. The old King of Fate is gone, and most of his plans with him.
“What you should understand about the King of Fate and his people, the Tower folk, is this. Their strategies have always relied on power and control. Overpower your enemy, weaken him, or manipulate him. And the King’s own gifts allow him to, as he puts it, ‘trim’ the fate lines of others. Makes things more … predictable.
“I mention this because it might give you some context when we discuss plans.
“When I came into the Fight, and into the French faction, some years ago, no one had any notion of the cyclical nature of things, or of the King of Fate’s work. All we planned, all we knew how to do, was to arm ourselves and get into harm’s way. To fight, simply, every day and with everything we had – and hope that somehow it would be enough.
“It was easy to see that 4 men, or 40, or even 400 weren’t enough to fight against incursions on a global scale – and it soon became obvious that that’s what was coming. I found, however, a way to make it possible for the Worldsoul to be awakened, to defend itself, help- ing and being helped by all of us on the ground. The plan we have been working towards since then was intended to awaken the Worldsoul and beat back the Dark in that way.
“Predictions – the Negotiated Future, the Dark Pharaoh’s visions – now show us that this plan – my plan – has a good chance of working. We can save the world this way, just as I’d hoped; but as some of you have seen, the world we end up with might not be one we all want to live in.
“We’ve been shown that as things are right now, there are three most likely paths to success:
- The Pentheus plan, which submits the world to twenty years of slavery and carefully controlled feeding before recovering, at the cost of a quarter of those now alive;
- The One God plan, which is evidently the outcome of my original approach, in which the worldsoul saves itself but becomes an oppressive dominant Entity, gentle tyrant that makes things look rather … monotonous;
- And the Machine World plan – an offshoot of the King of Fate’s original design – in which we shutdown the magic and return ourselves again to the rigid rule of Law … and incidentally give all the power in the three Kingships over to the King of Fate. The implication of this outcome is that the world becomes increasingly violent and chaotic, with some terrible mechanistic conflicts in the middle future that I cannot as yet comprehend – nor do I want to.
“All three of these plans have something good about them – not the least, that each allows mankind and our world to continue. Nonetheless, none of them lead to the future I hope to see – so, at the risk of being labeled Quixotic, I now propose to embark on a new course, that may apply the good parts of each of these aiming for a fourth path – a path that does not yet exist on the list of likely outcomes.
“To do so, we must begin at once and act swiftly; however we do have the advantage that, for some small time yet, the world is not turned away from other roads. Unless and until we choose to steer it so. That choice must come soon – because we must not allow the King of Fate to cap the Well at Abydos. That is the most urgent thing, for if that happens, all the other choices – including Pentheus’ and my own – begin to die.”
REDLAND
"In terms of your plan to awaken the 'local' mystical defenses (such as, I don't know, rekindling worship in Odin and Frey or the Holy Trinity) individually throughout the world, while I'm not fully on board for reasons we discussed the other night (namely, it leaves my 'people' to twist in the wind and seems likely to lead, in my opinion, to a new dark age), I think it probably makes sense for you to pursue it.
"I don't like 'mystical' solutions. As a 'King' it makes sense that you would favor mysticism. Heck, you have more knowledge, more experience, more power, and more importance than I do. You're probably right and I'm probably wrong. Nevertheless, I'm not a King, a General, a Principle or one of Plato's Forms or whatever. I favor 'human' solutions based on logic, reason, science. However, this is an old argument and one we don't need to rehash here.
"Given your greater knowledge, experience, power, and importance, let's assume we decide to implement your plan. What's the best way to do this?
"I would do something along these lines: call or write Medea or give me a note to give to her. Tell her "Medea, this is the KoL. I understand the Fae are upset with your leadership and with my leadership. Here's what I want you to do. Gather all the Fae you can and ask them to begin reestablishing their old roles from folklore. Have them travel to places where the old ways could become powerful again (probably the U.K. would make sense). This will give them a sense of purpose and quell the feelings of resentment towards you and I."
"Then, with that out of the way, you take Auda, Rebecca, and really, everyone else but Henrik, Boris, and me out of the country. By far the most important thing to accomplish is to stop KoF from capping the Well of Souls. Seems like that should be done as soon as possible. Henrik and I are not going to be much help in a confrontation. Boris would be forced to switch sides. Leaving us behind costs you nothing. Between you, Auda, and Rebecca, you have the most powerful warriors at your disposal.
"If you have time after leaving the country and before or after stopping the KoF, you can meet with Cecil Becker.
"Meanwhile, Boris, Henrik, and I can take care of things here. We can deal with Medea if need be. We can meet with Roderick Usher. We'll have a representative from Body, Fate, and sort of Life. If I were an insufficient representative, you could have that stupid old man fill in. You can leave us guidelines about what you want to accomplish with Usher. Heck, we can contact you via telepathy to get updates on what you want.
"We can investigate Donal.
"We can go to the field test. To my knowledge, Boris is the best at 'seeing' things and probably has the most knowledge of sacrifices.. He'll be able to give Pentheus the feedback they want (and provide you with the information you want). Henrik wants to meet with the sacrifice and talk to him (also, he's a 'seeing' prodigy). If Pentheus trusts anybody (which is a big 'if') it would be me. We'd be the ideal team to witness this. It would create some distance between the Kol and the KoB and the fiendiness of the sacrifice... you'd not be tainted.
"By not having to wait 2+ weeks for all of this to occur, you can stop KoF from capping the well and making all the efforts here for not. If we wait and he caps the well, everything we accomplish here is worthless.
"If we all stay together, I see it playing out more like this: we get to Los Angeles and KoL talks to Medea. Henrik and I sit around like lumps. Then we leave L.A. and return to N.Y. KoL talks to Usher. Henrik and I sit around like lumps. We go to the field test. KoL gets antsy and doesn't think that his metaphysical self should be involved in human sacrifice. Henrik and Rebecca agree and some ill-advised rescue attempt is made. We do some damage to Pentheus and escape by the skin of our teeth having made a powerful enemy.
"No progress is made on locating Donal (who could be significant to the Pentheus question) and we don't talk to Cecil Becker. Also, while we were traveling from point E to point F, some more stuff happened and we get distracted. Eventually we go to stop the KoF from capping the well. Maybe we arrive in time, maybe we're too late. If we get there in time, I delay us with questions like, 'Is it dangerous?'
"I know jack about organizing a complicated course of action and leading people. However, once we have a plan, it seems like what we need is focus and order. Namely, let's implement the plan and (essentially) not worry about anything else. You, KoL, are the leader. You evaluate our talents and then give us tasks. If someone doesn't want to do a task (I'm probably not going too far out on a limb to assume that'll be the contrary idiot known as Redland), you can let it go or tell us to hit the road.
"What're we good at? KoB is good at identifying and naming things (and probably a lot of other stuff).GoB is an artist. He sees things clearly and can manipulate/create reality.Rebecca is a warrior. She can attack and defend.GoF is a powerful necromancer. He can do all sorts of scary things.Redland has two legs and a mouth. He can go from point A to point B and complain.
"You presumably have a vast hierarchy of people. Get those lazy Principles out there resurrecting stuff and aspiring things. Maybe they can find their children. Disperse your network. Delegate tasks. Ensure the vision and make sure the right people are working on things. When something can only be done by KoL, make sure you have time to take care of it and are not stuck in some backwoods in Vancouver.
CARL
Carl falters, surprised by Jack’s lengthy speech. He’s frowning, he’s nodding, once or twice seems to want to interrupt but does not.
“Wow,” he says when Jack runs down. “I can see you’ve been thinking a lot about this since our chat. Splendid! You’re an intelligent man, Jack; let’s bring the others along, shall we? They don’t have some of the background I gave to you in New York.”
He turns to the room in general.
“We have three likely roads to success. Each has aspects we don’t like and ones we do. Let’s look at these dispassionately for a moment.
- The Pentheus plan involves the knowing slaughter of hundreds of millions of people, slavery, unwilling sacrifice, and the feeding of the Outsiders for years, but it seems to offer a chance, at the end, for a kind of world renaissance that is very desirable – but it is the sort of blossoming that usually comes about from the vital synergy of a death struggle. Nonetheless it preserves a lot of the trappings and property of the world as it is and provides an infrastructure on which to build. It is also, as Jack points out, a “human” solution. While it relies heavily on magic and arcane techniques such as the pattern-tattoos to succeed, it does not depend on intervention from powers other than the enemy Outsiders themelves.
- The ‘One God’ plan is in many ways the opposite. It depends very heavily on intervention, by a power – the Worldsoul – that must work very hard to awaken. The Negotiated Future show us the likely path of that success: The world is saved handily, but at a cost. Many fewer people die or are hurt than in the Pentheus plan, but world cultures everywhere are distorted for years – perhaps decades, maybe even centuries – by a monolithic “divine” entity that sees all and has the power to act within the world. The result is very oppressive, not a blossoming but a spiritual monotony.
- The third is the “kill the magic” plan, started when the King of Fate caps the Well in Abydos. In this, the Rise of Magic is reversed, the Earth becomes flavorless to the Outsiders, and most – not all – of the monsters go away. Incursions return to a level that our existing organizations can fight using traditional methods. The next few decades show us great national turmoil and a rise in machine power, leading up to immense global wars fought with motorized armies and holocaustic weapons I don’t understand, leading to loss of life possibly rivaling the Pentheus deaths – but these at the hands of Man. What confuses me is that this path is likely at all: the time of incursions was coming, obviously, long before the Rise of Magic began, and I don’t see that that’s changed in any way that would make the monsters turn aside if things went back the way they were before. But let’s leave that for now, a question we cannot answer today.
“With all this above, there are also personal and factional concerns. Capping the well will cripple the Fae, but greatly strengthen Usher’s people and the Enclave. It will also cripple the powers and forces of both the Kings of Life and the Body, while leaving the King of Fate’s power largely whole; he’s built for this. I don’t like that.” He smiles, a bit ironically. “And the fact that the One God future is the product of my own work galls me a bit, as you might imagine.
“So what can be done?
“I spoke of a changing plan. I’m still working my way through this, but here’s how it looks at the moment.
“What I seek is a future that combines the better parts of these three alternatives, but can still build on the work I’ve been doing, which I know best, and preserves our ability to protect ourselves, both humanly and on the mystic side. I propose a modified version of the One God plan – one that will on some levels be easier to implement, though it will require more work from all of us.
“In this plan, a single global solution is not possible. Heck, that was always the hardest part of the plan. Instead, we awaken and promote the soul of the land and its defenses, in all places that can be awakened, according to the character and nature of the land and its people, their beliefs, and the things that make them strong. We may not always like those forms – the dark resurgence of Russia comes to mind – but they have power and will defend the world well. We and our allies must now perform two sorts of tasks; we fight against the Dark, as we always have, but we must also become stewards of the awakening, to help it along and focus it. This we have also been starting to do.
“What we get are strongly defended bastions, with occult support, in forms that encourage the uniqueness of the many lands and people in the world. It is not as strong a defense as the One God would be; as Jack pointed out, there will be holes, and the boundaries between desmesnes will be sources of conflict and friction – but it should be enough. The world will become a very different place than it is today – but the lands and the peoples will become strong. There is no reason for civilization to fall into another Dark Age.
“I do expect conflict. I encourage it. As the Outsider crisis fades, in years to come, I expect the various lands and peoples to do what nations have always done, and wage war. But that very conflict, and the differences between lands, should provide the impetus for the sort of hybrid vigor we see in the Pentheus future, and not in that of the One God.
“Hybrid vigor. Pluralism and competitive strength. These are the aspects of the King of Life. Not surprising, I suppose, that this would be something I’d promote. And we can also borrow ideas from Pentheus – the establishment of safe zones, killing fields if you will, in the gaps between demesnes where we and the soldiers of the various realms can fight the incursions without harm to our homelands. The Time of Battles will not be a secret war but a rallying point for all peoples… and a point of common alliance between all who wish to keep the world safe. Including folk like the Fae, who will have their own demesnes and places of power.
“Now – Jack – this is not empty mysticism. This is also logic, reason, and scientific power is vital here; it’s still a global battle we fight, and we need every weapon. It only seems fuzzy to you because you haven’t learned the equations, or come to understand the additional laws that govern the things that didn’t matter before the Rise of Magic.”
Carl sighs, blows out a breath, and drinks again.
“I’ve forgotten half of what else you said just now, Jack; please let’s go back over the relevant parts,” he says calmly. “Do you really want so much to go your own way? ‘Henrik, Boris and me’? If you want out – either of you – please say so and be done. This is a forum, I will speak freely , and I expect free speech in turn.”
In the moments of silence that follow - surprisingly, Rebecca stands up. She glances around at everybody, then takes in a deep breath.
REBECCA
"I'm going to say some things that probably are going to make some people upset. I don't mean any of them personally . . . but I think I have to say them anyway.
"You all know that I'm a Soldier . . I've been one for a long time. And my job is to do what needs to be done to keep people safe from things that most of them can't even begin to imagine. For my own sense of what is right and wrong, I try to do that in a way that neither compromises my beliefs, or opens me up to being tainted by my own actions.
"Frankly Carl, as a Soldier . . . I don't need to know all of the details, or the implications of these various options. On some level, I don't even want to know the details. As a Solider it's my job to carry out whatever is decided to the highest level of success that I can. It's not my job to make the policy. And if there is a conflict between my beliefs and the policy - I know that I can question it, get some clarification, or find some path that lets me reconcile the conflict so I can continue to do my job.
"I guess my point is, Carl - that you keep straddling the fence. You put all this information out there, you want us to respond. When we do - what I see happen is either you find reasons why our responses have no value because they conflict with yours, or you simply push us aside and you don't listen. The way you did Jack when we were talking with Clay. Aside from just the fact it was beyond rudeness, how do you think that encourages us to want to offer advice or voice our opinions?
"So on one hand you keep wanting us to speak up, and on the other hand, it seems that nothing we say that is in conflict with your direction is heard or accepted. On the one hand you seem to want us to help make decisions that on the other hand ONLY the Kings can make. On one hand you seem to want to take action to change things, and on the other hand we spend endless amounts of time taking no action.
"What I think I'm trying to say - is that if you want advisers Carl, then you need to treat those people as equals. You need to listen to them, and give full weight to what they say, and incorporate their ideas and plans of action into your own. If you want to choose the path that you think is best as a King, then YOU need to chose that path, and tell the rest of us what tasks we can do to reach that goal.
"But I don't think you can be in between, and expect anything else than what we have now. Which is uncertainty, lack of focus and direction, and a sense that we are all at odds with one another.
"For me, it's easy. I'm a Soldier - you tell me what to do, and I'll get the job done. That's all I need, it's the way I work best. Everybody else has to decide what's best for them. And I think you need to decide what it is that you want from everybody else."
She shrugs, suddenly a little uncomfortable with her long winded speech. "That's it, really. There's something that's tearing this group of people apart, and that needs to be fixed before trying to tackle something bigger."
She sits down.
HENRIK
Henrik had been sitting back and sketching, but as Rebecca spoke, he put down his pad and sat forwards. As she finished, he started up:
"I should apologize that I have not been as forthright as I have been of late. I feel that Jack is right that we have to mobilize on a much bigger scale than we have thus far. And since we are speaking frankly here, Carl, your hybrid plan in general feels to me like straddling the fence as well -- a lack of commitment that suggests fear of losing rather than hope of winning.
"I have learned many things in the past few months, but little of it has to do with... how did you call it... 'dispassionate analysis'. Of these plans, the "One God" plan to me is sorely misnamed. The One God is *NOT* the 'Worldsoul', and it is *NOT* represented by the fae or any pagan powers of the Earth separate from the people. The One God is in the human spirit... in us. I feel that trusting to the powers of Earth to save us, whether seemingly 'dark' or 'light', would be a terrible mistake. You might not have the same upbringing as me, but I think if you look in your heart you feel this as well.
"Of the other two plans, both have us falling under the rule of evil men. However, I saw no sign that the King of Fate could be defeated once in power, whereas we have reason to hope under the Penthius plan. Thus that is the path I would pick as a start. I do not agree with Penthius, but their's is the path I would stray from. The plan will result in many deaths, but I was expecting that. What troubles me most is that those who die go by sacrificing themselves, which I feel is much worse than dying in battle.
"That is my feeling. I can cooperate with your hybrid plan to the extent that it also involves similar dealing with Penthius. However, I am unsure of what I will do regarding the 'One God' part of your plan.
Henrik seemed for a moment as if he was going to go on, but then stopped there -- seeming a little surprised at his own forceful talk, and looking in particular at Rebecca to see her reaction.
CARL
Carl, nodding, relaxes, looking almost relieved.
“This is good, friends. Thank you Henrik; and you too Rebecca. Especially you, Rebecca! I know your feelings in this, and I know you don’t speak lightly. If you don’t want to be a part of this, I understand; but you’ve proven your worth, being here, speaking as you have.
“Do you really think I don’t hear you? Any of you? I hope you don’t, Jack; it is my conversations with you that have helped to refine this plan as far as it has gone. I wish more of you spoke so plainly.
“Rebecca, I called this meeting because I was asked to. Some of you in this room have expressed concern because they did not feel that there *was* a plan. I hoped to address those issues here. I’m sorry you think I was ignoring Jack, when Clay was here; I wasn’t and I don’t. I don’t ignore any of you.” He turns. “Was I rude to you Jack? If so, I apologize, truly.
“And Henrik? I’m sorry you see this plan as waffling. It doesn’t feel like it to me; it feels like a necessary move away from safety, in order to gain something precious that the safe path gives away. Frankly I’m excited about it. It feels right and needful to me.
“The ‘One God’ name was Jack’s, not mine. I’m sorry if I offended you; I used it because it was already in use. You don’t have my background, true; that’s why I’m here. To teach you all what you want to know, as best I can, to make us all stronger for what’s to come.
“We can talk more about sacrifice later, if you like. I’d like that; it’s important to me.”
REDLAND
Redland looks somewhat uncomfortable through all of the exchanges. In the momentary silence that follows Carl's words, he speaks up.
"I hardly know where to begin." [Glancing at Henrik and Rebecca] "I certainly appreciate hearing your comments.
"I've already spoken of many of these things with Carl before, but I never sought anyone else's input, and for that I apologize. I also apologize to you, Henrik, if the moniker I developed for Carl's original plan is offensive. As a former academic, I like coming up with pithy names for things... it increases my chances of getting a citation...
"It seems to me that we have three main issues here: 1) What long-run plan should we be pursuing, 2) What short-run plan should we be pursuing, 3) How do we determine 1 and 2?
"I would say we need to resolve 3 first, keeping in mind that the answer may be different for Henrik, Auda, Boris, Rebecca, Carl, and myself.
"For instance, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like Rebecca would be comfortable with Carl taking a straight leadership role and 'issuing orders.' She will then seek to carry out those orders.
"A very pertinent question, would be: Do you want to that, Carl? If you don't feel comfortable issuing orders to people, perhaps that's not the best way to go... I know I wouldn't desire such a role.
"Once you determine how you want to play it, we then need to figure out what sort of relationship everyone else wants to have. As one of the 'natural' leaders, I'm guessing you wouldn't find it appropriate to take orders from the KoL, Auda. Henrik, as Auda's potential General, I'm not sure what's appropriate for you, or what you'd find palatable to your morality.
"For myself, I'm grateful that you've all allowed me to tag along, given that I have no discernible skills or talents. On my own, I have very few prospects or ways to make a 'difference'. As such, I will attempt to contribute in whatever way you guys deem to be useful. I can't promise not to complain about it a lot, but when a topic is closed, I can be counted on to shut up and fall in line (though you may have to make it clear to me that the topic is closed... I can be contrary, stubborn, and rambling, otherwise)...
"I do feel like I've ignored the particular content of what you've just said, Henrik. I think it's important, but I sort of feel like we need to hammer out the process of planning before getting into the details.
"Anyhow, you should all, of course, feel free to ignore this line of thought if you don't think it would be productive or if you have something more pressing on your minds. I submit it only as a possible way of structuring our discussion."
CARL
"Don't sell yourself short, Jack. Having a clear-thinking intelligent man in the discussion who *isn't* caught up in the mythology is a very useful thing. I am very glad you're a part of this; I find your contributions quite significant.
"And do not think I am ignoring the bulk of what you said earlier; there was so much of it, however, that it is difficult to remember and address in order without standing up at the end of the room and insisting on Parliamentary rules -- something I do not think we need!
"As it happens, I am quite comfortable issuing orders. I am also comfortable working in teams and with partners. If orders are to be issued, however, I must expect them to be followed; and experience shows me that most people -- yourselves included -- are more effective if they understand the context in which those orders are given, and do not merely follow them blindly.
"Do you disagree?
"To speak to Henrik's point, from earlier: As it happens, I do *not* have a large and varied organization on which to draw. We have a lot of money, and some well-placed allies, but very little manpower. You are right, that has to change. In order to be most effective, every one of is -- yourselves included -- must be ready to go forth and work hard, with a lot of responsibility and a lot of autonomy. That means you need to know a lot about what we're trying to do, so you don't get stumped whenever something fails to go according to plan! What happens a lot. As you have seen.
"Jack, I do want Medea and the Fae to be a part of this. We need them. Politics -- diplomatic necessity -- dictates that I go to her personally. I cannot fob it off in a letter or a wire. If things go well, you'll all be working with the Fae; but aside from the opportunity to meet Medea, there's no need for any of you to sit with us when we try to mend old wounds. Lord knows there are other things to do in California to keep you all busy while we're there!
"But I digress. To answer Jack's questions: I feel I do need to lead. I do not need to be the *only* leader." He nods to Auda. "But a leader is nothing without followers who believe in him.
"Do you?"
REBECCA
In answer, Rebecca simply nods and says, "Of course Carl, that was never in doubt for me."
CARL
Carl nods to her in turn, with a smile. "Thank you,"
HENRIK
Henrik replies to Carl's question -
"My position is not a soldier anymore. At first I took Carl's lead, and I have sympathies with him. However, I have now taken a position as Auda's general. That means that as long as we have no... violent disagreements... I will work to support him."
Henrik clears his throat a bit at that, glancing back and forth between Auda and Rebecca.
"But working to support him is not the same as following him or taking orders. I will not... um... untergraben... undermine him, but I may act on my own. Say, this business with the fae and others. I don't want to be prickly about the name the 'One God' plan. What I disagree with is that I do not trust the... 'Worldsoul' or the creatures associated with it will work to our advantage. This is sort of a strategy question. A good general may not follow a king's plan if he feels it would endanger the kingdom. But I will try to support both Auda as my liege and Carl as our ally."
REDLAND
"Alright. I would say that answers 'question number 3' to my satisfaction. I would sum it up thusly (as regards what I am probably erroneously considering the 'core' group): Carl is one leader with Rebecca and myself as subordinates, Auda is a second leader with Henrik as his General, and Boris is an ally who is nominally subordinate to the KoF. We can certainly clarify more if you guys think it is warranted., but for the moment I would consider moving on to 'question 1': What is the long-term plan?
I would sum up the current positions thusly:
1) Pentheus Plan: Approximately 25% of the world's population is sacrificed (voluntarily or involuntarily) and about 6% of the earth's land is laid to ruin over the next 20 years or so. After that, things pick up and a fairly robust world develops. To accomplish this, we don't have to do anything to accomplish this outcome.
2) One God/Worldsoul Plan: Limited losses to population and land. A sort of monolithic spiritual oppression arises across the world for an unspecified period of time. To accomplish this, we need to keep doing what the KoL started in motion.
3) Well Capping Plan: Unspecified quantity of life and land loss due to incursions from Outsiders who remain interested in our world (almost assuredly fewer deaths than under the Pentheus Plan). A sort of spiritual malaise occurs as 'magic' is almost entirely removed from the world. Possible long-run large-scale loss of life due to some sort of technology (this is uncertain). To accomplish this, we would need to allow (or help) the KoF to cap the Well of Souls at Abydos.
4) Outsider Victory Plan: Approximately 100% of population and land are lost to rampaging Outsiders. To accomplish this, we'd need to impede Pentheus, stop the KoF from capping the Well of Souls, and fail to (successfully) implement another plan.
5) Many God/Local Soul Plan: Unspecified loss of population and land (almost assuredly more than the One God Plan, but fewer casualties than the Pentheus Plan. Land loss may be greater than Pentheus... not sure).
I feel that we've discussed (and have some agreement as to the likely outcomes of the previous four plans, albeit disagreement as to their desirability). I do think there may be some value to hashing out more detail on this plan, which I'll try to do in a moment.
6+) Some Other Plan(s): If anybody has any good ideas, I'd be happy to hear them, now or in the future and add them to the list.
In terms of the Many God Plan, here's how I understand it is to be accomplished. Similar to the One God Plan, we seek out powerful mystical allies. However, instead of subsuming them to act on behalf of the Worldsoul, we instead treat them as more a confederacy of allied powers. Each would have localized power that would make it difficult for incursions to take place and would allow them to respond with relevant force to incursions that did occur. There would be a large variety of localized powers. E.g., the Catholic Church might be a power in Spain and the 'Land' might become a power in Wyoming. Essentially, anything that has a long history and a powerful... er... spiritual(?) grip on a sufficiently large group of people has the ability to become a localized power.
The benefits of this plan are that, again, similar to the One God Plan, we obtain powerful allies who are naturally disposed to fight against the Outsiders. If the One God Plan was likely to succeed, this plan, while probably a little less likely, still would seem to have a pretty good chance.
Also, the likelihood of a monolithic spiritual oppressor seems unlikely under this plan, at least, on a global scale.
Carl may be able to detail more benefits to this plan as he favors it and has assuredly thought about it the most. As a moderate detractor of the plan, my defense may be a bit weak.
At this point, I see some negatives to the plan. Historically, the things that have had a grip on people's minds (and would thus have power), have been emotional/irrational and exclusive. Part of their power is derived by splitting people into two groups: (good) us and (evil) them. During the war with the Outsiders, this would work to our advantage, as us would be humans and them would be Outsiders. We'd all be on the same team. After the Time of Miracles has passed, this would seem to create a divided world. This is not inherently bad. However, I think their would be two main camps: the insular and the aggressive. Free trade and tolerance are values that we Brits have recently brought to the world. They are also intellectual values. Intellectualism and modernity have little 'mystical' power, to my understanding. This is why, in my opinion, the long-run outcome of this plan is unpalatable.
You had voiced objections to this plan as well, Henrik. I think they are coming from a different place than mine, though. It may be that neither of us properly understand the plan. Or it could be that we simply have different values than Carl.
Anyway, I don't mean to ramble on all the way to California."
[With a slight smile at Carl he continues]
"Thus, in accordance with proper Parliamentary procedure, I yield the floor."
REBECCA
With a delighted smile - Rebecca stands up, goes over to Jack and oddly enough throws her arms around him, and kisses him on the cheek.
"Oh my God, Jack! You are a genius!" - and chuckling quietly to herself, she goes back to sit next to Henrick again, linking her arm through his.
"That's the clearest, most straight forward thing I've heard in years, that didn't start with . . . ' first we kill everything in the room'. "
REDLAND
Jack turns a bit red.
"Wow. My first kiss... and from a married woman. You Americans... how scandalous. Don't worry, I'll make sure your husband never finds out."
CARL
Carl laughs. "Well, I was going to say I hoped we'd never have reason to cause friction between Henrik and Rebecca because of factional differences, but I see that won't be necessary.
"I see most of you have concerns about my plan. Well, that's not a bad thing, as it means we have reason to improve it. Frankly, despite everything you've said, I still cannot abide the thought of sitting back and letting Pentheus succeed with theirs. But I know, too, that there has been a lot still unsaid -- by me, and by each of you. Jack is right; we need a plan. Whatever it turns out to be, it ought to be one over which we have control.
"I'll be happy to argue the merits of my plan, or at least explain why I think the way I do; but what I'd like first is to hear what Auda has to say." He looks over at Auda. "Any thoughts?"
AUDA
Carl, I have a question for you, and someone pointed that I’d like your considered response. It has been my long experience with you that one of the fundamental, almost unswervable tenants of your organization has been a determined defense of “free will”. I don’t wish to argue the semantics of such a term perse, but it is one of the most significant areas where I think you philosophically diverge from the King of Fate and in practice Pentheus. I am quite familiar with free will and the power of sacrifice derived in my auspice as head of the church of Set.
A great deal of hem and haw and continued search for different solutions feels like it hinges on this so I will ask the question very directly. “Carl, would you sacrifice the world to protect free will?”
I feel we are at a cross roads and you need to decide which of those two objectives are most important. That if all our plans go awry which would you save in the end. I don’t ask you to ignore the one for the other, but I feel you must declare yourself. I believe your answer will effectively exclude a # of possible solutions here.
CARL
"All right," Carl replies, a bit surprised. "The answer seems obvious, but give me a moment to think it through."
He muses briefly, looking around the room at the others present, then takes a deep breath.
"No," he says at last. "I would not. But your question is almost meaningless, and here is why.
"Free will does not exist in a vacuum. Our mandate is not simply to protect 'Free Will', but to protect Life, and to defend the free will of those we protect. In this context, that includes the inhabitants of the Earth, and the Earth itself in its forms as a living thing. That is why the power of self-sacrifice is so important to us: it is the primal expression of personal free choice, to give all for others because one gets nothing for oneself. It is also why unwilling or coerced sacrifice is so abhorrent -- for the obvious reasons -- above and beyond the usual moral objections, which I assure you, I do share.
"Ultimately, the one freedom which I am most at liberty to sacrifice is my own. Had you asked, would I sacrifice myself, and all my hopes, to ensure the safety of the world, I would say yes. But to sacrifice the world, as you say, would be the greatest crime -- because I am sacrificing everyone -- and they have not been given a chance to choose, nor the knowlege with which to make that choice. I further believe that those who are consumed by the Outsiders no longer have control. Their freedom is gone. Who, then, would have the 'free will' I have just defended? Me? I am not that much a monster.
"I have said it before. I will not sacrifice others for an ideal. I will, however, do all I can to ensure that those who propose such monstrous paths do so knowingly -- and choose them freely -- so that if I must act against them, I can do so with a clear heart. And I will work until my own death to ensure that as much as possible of the world and its life is preserved -- and its freedom also. At whatever cost to me.
"Are you answered?"
AUDA
I hate to argue, but I don’t think its meaningless.
It sets a line that you will not cross. It’s why the Pentheus solution is so abhorant. Their plan makes it explicit that there will be non-voluntary parties involved here and that they are willing to do that deliberately.
I believe that no matter what solution we find; people will die; their souls will be shredded; and their life essences consumed all without their permission, free will or our us even noticing. Even if we did notice, I dare say we will ‘sacrifice’ them because we have no other choice. Implicit or explicit this will be war and we cannot control all the variables.
You say you will not sacrifice others for an ideal, I’d argue you already have and will continue to do so. You,… we will do so by the actions we take deliberately; by actions we don’t take; and by actions in others over which you have no control but are ultimately responsible for.
Let me pose this question as you so eloquently note the Earth is a living thing. How is it different for the King of Fate to ask the world to sacrifice himself on our behalf and for him to offer a mechanism for him to do so?
REDLAND
Redland Jack ... keeps his mouth shut.
CARL
“No. There is a very large difference between being unable to act, and acting deliberately. Between failing to do what one promises, and throwing that promise aside. Do not tell me you don’t know that! I can accept responsibility for my failures without becoming the monster that I fight.
“In any case I already answered you; you simply asked the wrong question. Sacrificing the entire world, for me, is meaningless. Shall we talk, instead, about sacrificing people?” Carl leans forward in his seat, eyes intent on Auda.
“I’m not going to talk about the King of Fate just yet. Or the King of the Body – though I note that you have not yet said anything about your own goals and means. It is part of the folklore that each of the Kings finds the methods of the other two wrong; I expect that of you, and you should expect it of me.
“But sacrifice is a loaded word. It means a lot more than simply allowing someone to come to harm because you cannot act. Yes, leaders send their loyal forces into harm’s way all the time, knowing some will die. No captain or general can do otherwise and expect to win. I’m not naive and neither are you. We go to war; we take risks, with ourselves and with those we cherish. Sometimes we fail.
“I may ask the soldiers of my army, if you will, to charge the enemy. I have that right; they have taken oath, wielded the right to me to ask this of them. I will not drive the citizens of a nearby village into the enemy’s guns, nor allow my men to do so – because those villagers have not chosen. Do you see?
“Of course there is paradox! This is the real world, not some Bible-school textbook. We are surrounded by shades of grey. We kill, we steal, we commit wrongs against others that we condemn ourselves for. The King of Life’s powers and position are devoted to the creation of choice, growth, change and opportunity. The need for this war runs against everything I wish for – but the war exists, and I must do all I can to see that it does not fall to soulless slaughter – and to make sure that the most people walk away free.
“Now let me try to understand your last question. By mechanism, do you mean machine, or a procedure? The evident difference, to me, is that the first involves the world’s choice; Theo is asking, it can say no; whereas the second, the mechanism, presumably just *happens*. But I am not sure I understand you; so please clarify.
“And when you have clarified, you might want to put your own beliefs out in the sun for us to see.”
AUDA
I don’t disagree that unable is different than unwilling. But are we presupposing that Pentheus solution is then unwilling or unable, have they simple recognized and internalized the limits that they can achieve?
I am happy to speak to sacrificing people, you know my history there – and that of the church. You well know there was divisiveness on that particular point.
As to the King of Fate, the machine is a mechanism to achieve an end. I don’t know if Theo has asked, I can’t speak to the world soul as yet. I believe he can, and you can. Have YOU asked the world soul that question? Has it said NO?
My belief, that the people and the land are one. That you don’t win by sacrificing either, but if I had to cut off an arm to save the whole I would do it. I would do it unflinchingly because to do anything less will lead to the death of the whole. That arm is BOTH a part of the world soul, the land, and the people living on it. I recognize that this may require a sacrifice of some that are unaware and even if aware are unwilling.
CARL
“Thank you, Auda,” Carl replies mildly. “I think I understand.
“From what I can see, the Pentheus people are trying to do the same thing that I have been: put a process in place to defend the world and its people when ‘home team’ resources are spread too thin. Their approach involves international cooperation, institutionalized slavery and sacrifice, and a host of experimental magical mechanisms, because they have no real way of defending the land and the people other than to lure the monsters to places of their own choosing. Not a bad plan if you are defenseless and have no other options.
“Because I, we, have other options, my original plan was in many ways the opposite: to erect defenses in the world that make it unassailable enough that the remaining few incursions could be countered by the soldiers we could field. I had not foreseen that the result, which we have been calling the ‘one god’ future, would have such an oppressive effect on the world. I was horrified, and still am, because as you may guess that sort of squashing of creation and originality doesn’t sit well with me.
“In contrast, Theo’s solution would appear to be to make the world all dry and gristly, so that no self-respecting Outsider would want to bother eating it, and all we’d get were the occasional minor nibblers.” Carl smiles. “Again, this has consequences on the people of the world that trouble me, though I don’t understand them as well as I do the others.
“So, to you Auda: We agree in this much. If it is a choice between cutting off an arm and losing the whole, then the arm has to go. Right now I don’t think we know that to be the case. And I’ll do everything I can to avoid getting to that point.
“The problem with Theo’s Machine is an extension of the problem with Theo. His power, his strengths, all of them work by taking choices away from people. Even when it works out for the best, it bothers me. And the Machine raises his power to near-unstoppability – as well as, being alive and self-willed, having agendas of its own that we simply do not know and cannot see. I do believe that Theo’s predecessor was neatly manipulated by that Machine; the fact that he could start it up again, and that he is tempted to do so, frightens me.
“About the Worldsoul – no. I haven’t asked it to sacrifice itself. I can’t speak to it as a whole, it’s not globally aware in that sense. And may never be, unless the ‘one god’ future comes to pass. That said, I can and will speak to any part of the Unity that becomes aware; we may have that conversation then. Wouldn’t you? Would you ask the Land in Egypt to destroy itself and all who live there, knowing that it would end the Time of Battles? I might. But it would certainly be after trying everything else, and warning all who lived there to help the fight or flee. And I would never simply burn out that land and those people without asking, without giving them the choice. That is not the way I am made.
“Perhaps you would. Theo probably would, if he thought it best. That is, after all, why there are three of us, and why we are all different.”
CARL
“Oh, go ahead, Jack. What’s on your mind?”
REDLAND
"No, no.. I don't really have anything to say. I just want to make sure we get all of the arguments on the table. If you and Auda have more to discuss on this matter, I think it is very valuable for all of us to hear. You two are, after all, the leaders of two (potentially?) powerful factions. If you two can get on the same page, whatever that page may be, that is certainly one of the more important things we can accomplish here. What I think is killing us, is that we simply have no agreement on what we want to accomplish. If you guys can determine that you want to work together on shared goals, fantastic. If all we can determine is that you don't want to work together, that's okay, too. I don't think anyone is interested in hearing me rehash my objections for the thousandth time.
"What I'd like to have, if possible, by the time we arrive in L.A. is not just a plan, but a plan of action. That is to say, I think it's important that we have a goal we want to accomplish. This goal should be (relatively) set in stone. What's the saying, 'the perfect is the enemy of the good?' What we need is a good plan, but that is not enough. We then need to implement it.
"Anyhow, I don't want to cut off your conversation. If you have more to say, please, say it. Also, if you have any advice, Henrik, I'd say now is a good time for it. To a certain extent, Rebecca and I don't need to be fully on-board with whatever plan we determine. We're committed to the person, not the plan. However, it sounds like you have serious reservations about what Carl wants to do. Do you also have reservations about what Auda wants to do, whatever that is? Do you have good ideas for a different path? I'd love to hear it, because, frankly, I don't love Carl's plan, and, no offense, I doubt I'm going to like Auda's. If you can persuade them of something better, that would be great.
"Not to put you on the spot, or anything. If, like me, you feel you don't know enough, that's certainly fine.
"However, my advice to us all, which, as always, feel free to ignore, is that we need to generate a plan. We need to find out how on-board everyone is with the plan. If we have multiple centers of gravity, we need to determine how they are going to coordinate, if at all. Then, we need to set some short-term goals that will help implement the plan. If possible, we need to avoid getting distracted. We should, again, if possible, avoid changing the plan. A decent plan, fully executed, is better than ten great plans, partially executed.
"Okay, I lied... I did have something to say."
CARL
“Well, first we kill everyone in the room …. “
Carl chuckles. “Seriously. This is good. I think Auda and I can work together well; we already know a lot about what we don’t like in one another.
“For the rest – yes. A plan is essential. I’ve got a start on mine,” he spreads his hands. “I think I can answer Jack’s objections, as I understand them, but I’d love to hear a good counter-plan. One that doesn’t start by accepting defeat and giving away a half-billion innocent lives.”
CARL
“Okay. Let’s talk about plans. You want to hear the start of mine? I can rough the first bits out for you.”
Carl settles forward in his chair, eyes bright. Anyone who knows him well recognizes the signs: an Ellis Lecture is about to unfold.
“Jack, I may have taken on the role of a King, but by nature and training I am a man of science. I favor solutions that have a solid, rational basis behind them, as do you. That may not have been apparent in our talks, and for that, I apologize. While I have come to see the value in the ritual and mystical components of our working environment – and these are indeed armaments of inestimable value – the truth remains that my understanding of the problem and the solution remains rooted in some years of careful, though amateur, research. There is a physics here; the energies of ‘magic’ and ‘miracle’ obey laws that can be discovered and used.
“Our problem now, however, is not one of science so much as one of war. The science may be used by the war, but only incidentally the reverse. We must make use of the tools to hand to strengthen our position and achieve our goals, whether those tools are rough-cut or finely machined, and whatever their source. Those tools include the science, the magic, and the technologies of both, whether they fall into the realm of engineering or mysticism. If you stay with me long enough, I think you’ll find that the overlap between the two is quite large, even if we don’t have the tools to use them equally.
“All of us – me, you, Auda, Theo, Pentheus – all have at least one goal in common, the preservation of the world as we know it against incursions from the Outside. That is the first, and possibly the only, constant. We may have differing side goals, such as my desire to see diversity and creative civilization flourish in the aftermath; we certainly have different tools to hand and different strategies, often based upon our varying expectations and the tools we feel we can wield confidently. I don’t like Pentheus’ plan, or Theo’s. So be it; you don’t like mine, so be it. Auda has not proposed one yet. If we are to be effective together, we must either have a common plan, or complimentary ones that do not sabotage one another.
“At the risk of being repetitive, here are some additional pros and cons as I see them of each of the current scenarios.
- Pentheus. Pros: It’s likely to succeed. That’s a big plus. Cons: Requires immense investment and cooperation on a national and international scale; huge death toll; we have to stand aside and allow some big atrocities to happen even to get the ball rolling. You all know how I feel about involuntary sacrifice. And the world remains undefended; the main tactic here is to lure and feed until the predators are sated. It also means we either have to become the bad guys, or stand by and let this happen, until our own children stand up and throw themselves into the fire to rescue folks we could have saved easily long before. This concerns me too because I didn’t see any of us actively involved anywhere, so where did we go? Summary: This plan is twenty years of poking at an open festering wound, for me. I hate it. But in the spirit of gnawing off one’s leg to escape death, I can see it, reluctantly, as a fallback plan when *all* else has been tried and failed.
- Worldsoul. Pros: It’s likely to succeed, and it has probably the smallest land and life loss of any of the proposals, and preserves the current infrastructure entirely. Plus, it is self-limiting, in that the only thing that will keep the Unity unified for any length of time is the crisis, and once the crisis goes, and we stop actively supporting and binding, the Unity unravels into local forms, leaving a world free to grow. Cons: The influence of the awakened Unity on the people of the world is much greater than I’d expected, creating a sort of spiritual monotony that suppresses a lot of the diversity and growth I’d hoped to see in a world at peace with the magic retained. Plus, the overall health of the world depends upon the health and sanity of the Unity, which is an unknown factor at this time, and requires active work by the Kings, Principles, and others with loud magical presence to ‘parent’ it. Also, once finished, we have years during which we may have influence, but no real control. Summary: Still better than Pentheus, to me, in that it saves even more of the world, and creates an active defense against the Outside, but it requires a lot more active cooperation by you, me, and the other magical factions for many years to come; it also relies on a ‘spiritual force’ which bothers some of you, and the overarching sort of tyranny that results is something I do not like at all. (Particularly galling because this was my plan at the start!) Nonetheless the end result is a safe world, with the magic intact, in our children’s time.
- Local Souls. Pros: Arguably saves more life and land from the Outside than the Pentheus scenario, though less than the Worldsoul plan; creates an active defense for many parts of the world, and leaves the magic intact; encourages, rather than suppresses, individualism and dynamic cultures, and produces a variegated creative world. Also requires less tight cooperation between rival groups/factions, so we can work to a common end separately. A partial implementation is pretty easy, requiring giving a ‘push’ to forces already at work. This solution can also be implemented independently of Pentheus if need be. Cons: The protection may not be total; more life and land loss likely than the Worldsoul scenario; there will be boundary areas where friction will occur, causing some strife between groups; an increase in nationalism or culturalism may, in future years when the common threat from the Outside lessens, give way to warfare between groups – at least where the groups have territorial boundaries (this may not always be the case) – but warfare is apparently in our future in the Capped Well vision too. A worldwide implementation requires more work, starting now, than the previous two scenarios. Summary: This is probably the ideal scenario for the purposes of the King of Life, if successful –and limited success seems quite likely. However a global success is not guaranteed, the interaction between groups has not yet been established and is not known.
- Capped Well. Pros: Another likely success in the short term. That’s about all I can say for it. Cons: Diminishes or eliminates the powers of the King of Life and King of the Body; kills or cripples many of our allies; effectively removes the influence of magic, and forces the awakening worldsoul into a coma. Leaves the King of Fate’s position undiminished, without any checks upon him; undoes the past few years’ work and leaves our future world with substantially fewer resources to use in defense in some coming time of crisis. Also reportedly leads to a poorly understood mechanistic future of great violence and turmoil. Summary: This turns the clock back a decade or so, and leads to a world that looks bad. It also is the one proposal that makes all the others either unnecessary or unworkable.
“The Worldsoul and Capped Well solutions are total; they obviate one another and the rest. Local Souls and Pentheus, however, could be complimentary. Something from each might be implemented to shore up the other in a crisis.
“With all that in mind, I see several courses of action that must be pursued at once, much like you yourself outlined a few minutes ago. These may be grouped into diplomacy, defense, research, and investigation. If we were to proceed with the Local Souls plan, starting with this train trip, the current list might look like this.
- Diplomacy.
o The Kings or their envoys cement agreements with active factions and get them in the field. A short list of active factions for the moment include the Fae, the Elders, the Islanders, the Children of the Gods in Egypt, the Shiloh faction, the Indian Synod, churches, the US and other governments. An active faction, in this context, is one which has an awareness of, an active presence in, the Fight, or the ability to be a core group around which a defensive center can be built. I am also giving preference here to groups that one or more people I know already have a connection with; this will help us in negotiations. My goal is both to openly enter partnership with some and to help them establish enclaves for themselves around which we can build defensive cells. In some cases, those enclaves already exist, in which case we offer alliance, cooperation, coordination and mutual aid.
§ I will take the Fae, speaking with Medea. I hope to have the Fae involved in much of this, but first we must see what Medea says. If William in New York was right, and Usher is here posing a marriage alliance with Medea, that has to be addressed.
§ I will also take the Elders, as I have an existing relationship with Usher. Jack, I’d like you to come with me on this, and you will act as envoy in the future when I cannot.
§ The Islanders I would offer to Auda, if he wants it; Cedra Foundry is the contact.
§ Auda is also best suited to contacting Elise Stanton, in order to recruit the Children in Egypt. A secondary goal would be have them at hand to defend the Well in Abydos.
§ I would recommend Henrik go and meet with the Shiloh folk in Oklahoma. They know me already, but Henrik would learn from the experience.
§ After Shiloh, I would recommend Henrik meet with the Indian Synod. They have more power, and less organization. I’d not go alone on that one; perhaps Rebecca?
§ Jack, Pentheus is yours. I cannot promise to support them, but for now at least we need to maintain communication and learn what we can; that means good relations. I may be out of the country when the field test happens, and in any case, I don’t think I want to be there. Perhaps Boris may wish to observe. Auda, they are using some variant of Feng’s technology; what is your interest in that?
§ The Catholic Church’s contact is Tony Grimaldi, who travels with the King of Fate right now. Likewise the Principle of Illumination also travels with him. We can contact them as needed.
§ There is a group of European Jews that is also quite active, with ties to the King of Fate. I don’t know much about them.
§ As for governments, that’s harder. I have connections in the US through Clay, whom you’ve met, and indirectly through a Colonel Becker in the Army’s occult defense group, and Lamont Coleman in the Treasury Department. All of these are veterans of the Fight, and have their own avenues of influence. France is mine; both Auda and I have contacts in England (Cedra Foundry can help there.) Spain listens to the King of Fate. Russia would be Boris. Germany – I have a fellow there, Erich von Drachheim, but perhaps Henrik might be a future ambassador?
§ Speaking of Boris … I can’t speak for Boris. He is not here, and I do not command his loyalty. But if we are to continue to travel with him, he needs to work openly with Auda and me, not secretly. I told him so, before we parted ways, but he keeps his own counsel, and sharing is hard. Does anyone know when he is likely to arrive?
- Defense.
o First order of business here is to ensure that the Well in Abydos is not capped. I envision Auda and the Egyptian group would be best for this, but it is important enough that I will go myself to prevent this if possible. In that case I would ask Rebecca to come with me.
o Secondly, the three Kings must travel together and fully activate the three sanctuaries. Currently, only one is active. This must be done as soon as the Well issue is put to rest, if not before, and will probably involve all of you.
o Thirdly, identify and root out known sites of infestation. These we need to act against as they will only grow more resistant as time goes on. The Fae have bought us a few months of relative peace; let us use it to clean house as much as possible now, while we can. I don’t have a list of these on hand, but I do know of a half-dozen or so in the Western US alone, and lots more back East. Henrik, as a General you are likely to be the one facing most of these.
o Fourthly, to establish a list of sites that are or can be ‘hardened’, made especially defensible. I already have a partial list, which includes fifty-odd areas of interest in the Americas and Europe. These I would give to various groups to maintain, depending upon the outcome of diplomatic inroads. Right now I have little in South America and nothing in Africa. That needs to change, but we cannot be everywhere at once.
o I have several small companies making tools that we can use, and a network of safe houses which have stockpiles of equipment. You should all familiarize yourselves with them. While we are in Los Angeles, we will meet with a man from my attorney’s firm, who will see to it that you are given access to bank funds and the appropriate keys.
- Research.
o We need to have someone continually available to access the Library in Tibet, to pose questions and check scenarios. I don’t believe any of you want the job, but each of the Kings needs someone reliable they can count on for this duty.
o Media. We need better ways of reaching people, openly or otherwise. Books, movies, radio, music – all of these are tools. The movie making industry in Los Angeles is conveniently to hand. If no one is using it now, we need to prepare to do so.
o Auda, you need to work actively and directly with Henrik; the King and his General work best together, there are abilities that surface that do not appear separately. Take some time and figure out how you can best work side by side.
- Investigation.
o While we are in Los Angeles,
§ We need to see if anyone is using film or radio to influence people, weaken the walls or call things through. It’s been done before, and there are several unsolved problems still in the area.
§ William Dean Tanner and Edward Sands. Where are they now?
§ Find something to anchor the city – a seed around which to build a defense. This is a good exercise since Los Angeles is a very new town. Hollywood may well become that anchor. If a good candidate exists, we will make a plan to germinate that seed, either now or in the near future.
o Later,
§ We need to investigate the underpinnings of Pentheus, with an eye to finding out if they should be helped, hindered, or simply left alone to become the backup plan.
§ Donal. Enough said.
§ Cecil Becker. Same story.
§ Find the Children of Aspiration – presumably they’re in or near New York. The Fae can certainly help with this.
“There is more, but that’s all I can scrape together out of my head right now. (Thanks to Jack for reminding me about Becker.) So let’s put things in order. Here’s a tentative plan for the next few weeks.
“Right now we’re en route to Chicago. We should be in Los Angeles in four days. Between now and then, I will work with whomever wants it, honing skills, teaching theory, refining plans as needed. Auda, you might want to contact Cedra and try and track down Elise. Do you want Henrik to come with you to Egypt?
“In LA, I will meet with Medea and finalize the terms of that agreement. You all need to meet with the man from Tealson, Mercator and Finch; Julian can perform introductions as needed. If there are any infestations or ‘bad’ sites in town, the local Fae will at least be aware of their presence. We will need to investigate and assess the threat if any. I know of at least two older sites that need followup – the Taylor house and the Intolerance set. Both have been important in the past, and there may be … residue. This would serve as a good field exercise.
“I do not plan to be in the city for more than a couple of days, including the survey. It would be a good time to buy equipment too. Afterwards, Henrik and Rebecca can either depart for Shiloh or travel with Auda; Jack and I will return to New York. Auda, I would expect you to head for London and/or wherever Elise has ended up, before going to Egypt. Henrik could join you there, or stay in the States on other work.
“The best way to Shiloh is by rail. For the rest of us, I propose to travel north to Stockton, where I have a house with a portal. Using that, Jack and I can be in Boston in a day, New York the day after. Auda can be in France in the same time, and go from there to wherever in Europe he needs to be. Jack and I meet Usher. That would put me in Egypt a week behind you, Auda, while Jack remains for the field test.
“Henrik, yours is the most complex track, and I can’t tell you what to do; you need to work things out with Auda. My recommendation is that you go to Shiloh, then Zuni, as envoy, then down into Texas to meet a man I know who can give you some special training. Afterwards, go to New York to join up with Jack and meet with some of the Fae to continue investigations there. If there is to be a confrontation over the Well, we could call you in; or when the Kings get together to open the other fortresses. In the meantime, Rebecca can hone your skills and teach you what she knows. Hopefully, by the time the field test happens, Boris will be there too.
“I regret I cannot be more precise at this point. There are simply too many variables. As you see, though, there is a lot to do. We are all stretched pretty thin.”
REDLAND "Outstanding! That's what I was hoping to hear. I certainly take back my complaints that you don't have a plan and I'm glad I never claimed you hadn't thought things through.
"I'll probably have more to say once I've had time to process everything here (and you may need to repeat some parts for me... I'm not sure if my notetaking skills were up to the task)."
AUDA
I’ll add that I’ve already sent queries to contacts in Egypt to slow down Theo. We’ll see what comes of that. I’d like to avoid armed conflict with the King of Fate’s people until we establish his intentions. The Bedou in the field, and the political arms in Cairo, Alexandria and abroad should be able to run sufficient interference for now.
I’m investigating commitment of Land into hardened positions via the auspice of Names and the other more primeval methods of which I am familiar. As Carl notes, critical to this will be finding receptive locations and peoples to leverage into an active defense. I am doing a great deal of personal research for the King of the Body, Carl I’d like any reference materials you have from prophetic sources that can help guide that research. Carl notes that many of their tools are rough as opposed to machined, the King of the Body is a blunt instrument by comparison. We have a great deal of ground to cover in a very short time.
Auda gives a significant look to Henrik.
The Foundry is another matter. I am happy to engage with her, I’ve not heard anything more from her since our engagement in Bailey. I gave her a direct call at the time and noted that she needed to move quickly and fill the vacuum of power that opened up there. Knowing her as I do I expect she has taken direct action on that front. Beyond that I’ve lost track. Carl if you know more it would be good to coordinate efforts there. We’ve lost a powerful ally in the Islander/Lady and we need to recoupe that loss.
CARL
"Auda, that's excellent news! So far I have not contacted Theo or his team directly on this; I am reluctant to open that door. I don't want open warfare with him, but I feel very strongly about the Well. Cedra, now, I don't know any more than you. You'll just have to look her up when you get to London I expect. Do you want to wait until I can be there too?
"Let's talk later about the techniques you use to harden the land, hmm? Your abilities are different than mine -- I suspect that what you do and what I do cannot be used together -- or if they are, we'd end up with something quite new. And I wish I had more material about the Third King! I don't. There hasn't been one in more than a cycle. The oracular stuff is, as always, quite vague.
"On that note, however -- look around you. There aren't very many of us here, are there? If we are to split up, perform embassies and also do fieldwork and prepare for battle, each of us needs to flesh out a team to do the things we cannot do alone. That means more people." Carl laughs. "I'd hoped that you all would make a good team, and you are! But we lost John Elwar, and with Henrik at Auda's side, we're back down to twos and threes. Perhaps the Fae can help for now -- but Henrik, you at least need to have a team at hand, and know how to fight this stuff, with them. The fellow I mentioned in Texas -- Juan -- he's got a lot of experience you'll need. If you and Auda agree and you have the time to go to EL Paso, let me know -- I'll let him know you're coming ."
HENRIK
Henrik stiffened a bit over parts of Carl's description, but has sat interested for the most part. He then addresses
everyone, glancing in particular at Auda as he responds,
"These plans sound good to me -- the broad part being to gather forces and attacking sites of infestation. The sticky point for
me is putting effort into having the Fae and Elders as allies. However, as Carl points out, work towards his hypothesized
"Local Souls" future is complementary with work towards Penthius' future.
"I would be interested in meeting the Shiloh folk and the Indian synod, along with this Juan in Texas. Since Auda thinks that the
Bedou and others in Egypt are sufficient for now, presumably we have time for that trip.
"Also, I would like to know about the known sites of infestation that you mentioned.
Henrik pauses for a bit then, to turn to Carl -
"Carl, I hope you don't misunderstand my statements before regarding Penthius. I have no interest in cooperating with
Penthius or accepting defeat. I would never stand idly by while people are sacrificed. Rather I would urge rather attacking
Outsiders that appear to save what lives we can. If the Outsiders are defeated, then that is an improvement on the Penthius future
that does not endanger the world. As far as their plan is concerned, Outsiders being defeated is better than being contained. If we
cannot defeat them, though, then we fail and presumably Penthius will make its sacrifices.
"As you say, this is compatible with your hybrid plan -- the main point of difference being that I would not put effort
into aiding or working with the Fae or Elders or other inhuman forces representing the local souls.
CARL
"Hmm," Carl nods. "Thank you, Henrik. I do want to understand your position better
"I would also like to clear up what may be a misunderstanding regarding the Fae and the Elders.
"Firstly, the Fae do not represent the local souls, certainly not yet. They are people -- not *human*, or not wholly so -- but still merely people with their own strengths and limits. They are a part of the world, truly; inasmuch as that is so, they have as great a stake in the survival of the land as do you or I.
"The same cannot be said for the Enclave, and certainly not the Elders. The members of the Enclave are -- were -- Nightfolk; the last remnants of those hybrid half-Outsider creatures that represent the origins of the Fae. They did not belong to the world, though it was through no true fault of their own. The rise of magic made the world increasingly toxic to them, and without intervention they would have all died.
"I thought perhaps they had. Instead, it seems, some few made pacts with the Elders.
"Elders are what you get when the Outsider portion of the Nightfolk -- the vampires -- grows so strong that the human semblance is utterly lost. They are scarcely physical at all, more like an animated vapor, but they must inhabit a body to survive, and they wear that body out rapidly. The Elders are very powerful indeed -- they are, literally, capable of changing what is real when enough of them are gathered. Though the world since the rise of magic is hostile to them, they have apparently merged themselves with some of the remaining Enclave, and changed their hosts so that together the host and Elder can survive. Elders are tricky, and they owe nothing to us or to the world. They are dangerous indeed.
"I understand that Theo has captured several Elders, which he intends to use as weapons should the need arise. Usher is not one of those. I have not yet taken stock of what he has become. But while I will treat carefully with the Elders, as I might any powerful foe willing to talk, I cannot and do not consider them allies. If what William said is true, and Usher seeks a marriage alliance with Medea, that disturbs me greatly. I cannot imagine Medea wishing such a match -- but there is much we do not know."
REDLAND
"I know you haven't had a chance to answer Henrik's question about known infestation sites, but I wanted to jump in with a quickish question/statement that's sort of floating the exact opposite idea from Henrik.
"Would it be possible to share the land with the Fae, the Nightsiders, the Elders, and even the Outsiders?
"I presume from what I know that it is easily possible with the Fae.
"Could the Nightsiders exist without harming people? (Maybe through mass-producing that 'potion' that Auda created?)
"You say that the Elders need bodies to survive and that they use them up rapidly. Is this completely obviated by their deal with the Enclave?
"Finally, from what I know of the Outsiders, there exists a more sophisticated group that isn't particularly interested in 'devouring' people. They primarily want to experience the world. Could we cede some of them 'safe' areas on the world where they can manifest physically without harming anyone? They could then find voluntary avatars to travel the rest of the world without warping the land and people as they explore.
"It's probably foolishly naive of me, but it just seems that we have plenty of land for everyone to coexist (or separately exist) peacefully. If that is the case, I don't see how we humans have any strong moral claim on every part of the world just because we were here first. Is it impossible to think we could share the world with the 'others'?... maybe it is, I'm not sure...
"Okay, sorry, that wasn't quite as quickish as I'd intended. Please feel free to answer Henrik's questions first, and we can circle back on this later if anyone wants to do so..."
AUDA
I would not encourage any Outsiders given sanctuary or space within the world. The last infestation irrevocably altered the world around us. I don't know that I am the only one that can even perceive this, but the true names of EVERYTHING changed. I have a detailed record from Master Feng of many many of those names before the change and they are almost all different in subtle ways. Those areas of undifferentiated Name are of interest in research now, but even that brief encounter with the outside has had significant and unquantified impact here. I can't even begin to undo that effect, and I have no idea if we should it is that signficant a change. Coexistance is not an option in my opinion.
CARL
“I have to agree with Auda overall, though it’s not black and white. No Auda, you’re not alone – I saw and see the change also, though probably not as precisely as you. It hasn’t affected us … much, but it is *different*, and that worries me.
“Jack, one of the greatest dangers of contact with the Outside, especially incursion, is … for want of a better term … contamination. Let me save the anatomy lecture for later; suffice to say that we – individually, as a species, and so on – every living thing in the world is bathed in, and made up of, the same sea of energy. Think of it like the salt water in the sea; all ocean fish grow up in it, have evolved to live there, and most would die without it. Same with us; we are all, on one level, made of and dependent upon a certain ‘’recipe” of energies that is, so far as I know, unique to the Earth.
“The things that come from Outside contain, and radiate, different flavors of energy. Different from ours; different from one another too. The differences are fundamental – much deeper than simply a change in salt, more as though their ‘ocean’ was chlorine, or carbon tetrachloride, or liquid bismuth. When they come in, that alien stuff pours off of them, radiates outwards, and taints the world. We taint them too of course, but the more contact there is, the deeper and more permanent the change in both directions.
“My point is this. The Nightsiders are among the least dangerous of the outsiders. They are not truly Outsiders, actually, but a hybrid of human and an Outsider ‘disease’ that has infested their bodies, changing them from the cells outward. They can exist without killing people, yes, but it is an uneasy existence, since they feed on the life force in the blood. That feeding also permits them to survive in our energy for a while; then they must feed again.
“It is possible to build a sanctuary for the Nightfolk – but it would change our world further away from what it was, and I don’t want to change what *we* are. For most other Outsiders, the alien poison is much stronger. Merely existing here warps the nature of the place where they extrude into something alien, maddening, lethal. I could show you scars upon the land; most were not caused by alien anger, merely … existence. I don’t want any more of those.
“I’m afraid I’m rather parochial that way,” he smiles.
REDLAND
"I don't want to push the issue since you guys are both against it. I just want to make sure I understand the problem fully. I understand that the Outsiders warp the land and those around them when they manifest themselves on our world. Are you saying that the 'radiating poison' cannot be contained? For example, if we were to confine a set of entities to say, Lake Disappointment in Australia, would it be:
1) Just Lake Disappointment that was contaminated
2) Lake Disappointment and x km surrounding it or
3) (Eventually) the entire world?
"If 1 or 2, it would seem possible to accomodate them in a way similar to what I suggested (assuming small enough x). If 3, then we have no choice but to utterly reject them from the world.
"Briefly on the Nightsiders, you say that they exist on the life force in the blood. Can that be duplicated in the same way that you, Auda, duplicated the 'energy' drink from a bottle of vodka?
AUDA
As always it depends and I certainly can’t claim expertise for all types of outsiders. I think 3) is the most likely outcome and that eventually, is a remarkably short period of time. In some cases instantaneous. I’ll reemphasize we have very crude tools to work with here. I think if we wanted to take on 3) as an option we’d have to be substantially more advanced in our defenses and state of our various Arts. At which point the whole supposition that we’d be fighting a war would likely be moot. We’d have already won or be in sufficient position of strength that the Outsiders would not be interested in engaging.
CARL
“ I agree with Auda. Depends upon the entity. And the confinement. Little things like the Nightsiders could be confined, but most things, the end result would be #3.
“As for the life force being duplicated like the drink … well…” Carl raises an eyebrow. “That’s what the drink *was*.”
REBECCA
"The Life Force just sustains their bodies." Rebecca says quietly. "The rest of it is a lot more complicated, and I doubt you'd get any of the Fae to commit to living on that alone."
CARL
“True,” Carl says, with a nod to Rebecca.” There is a pause, then he nods to himself.
“Infestation sites. Some are big, some small. Some are closed, but bear watching – the scars may be weak points. Others remain like pools of mustard gas on the land. I can show you a map later, but for now … “
He scrambles around for a notepad and draws a (very!) rough sketch outline of the USA.
“The three biggest I know of in the US are here, here and here.” He points, then makes little dots with his pen. “Madisonville, Kentucky; Crazy Peak, Montana; and her, near the Kansas-Nebraska border.
“Madisonville. Back in 1928 a group operating under Tower control massacred something like 8000 people to power a summoning. The thing that came through was huge – the size of a mountain, more than a mile long – and so poisonous that most folks that got within a quarter mile sickened and many died. We were able, however, to interfere just enough with the ritual at the last minute that the Thing came through dormant. Asleep. If the summoners’ original plan had succeeded, the huge Thing would have buried itself deep under the ground, but used the body of a chosen vessel – a young woman – to roam the earth and … do whatever it wanted to do. We got the girl before it could wholly take over; she died. The thing slept for almost a year, then it woke up and tried to burst out. We lost two men in that place, and it drove some of us mad.
“Thing is, it’s still there. Even after the thing was killed that one didn’t dissolve or go away. The US Army has it now, all million tones of it. They’ve been studying it for years.”
CARL
“Crazy Peak. The ‘carkers’. Another big mess.” Carl sighs.
“Used to be, an old soldier of the French team lived out near Crazy Peak. Ceryous Outt was his name. He had a house, a wife, a son. Then the carkers came. 1929.
“The carkers – I’m not sure where the name comes from, probably local slang. Outside hive creatures, like huge ants, a little. They dug, they poisoned everything they touched .. and they killed Outt and his family, built a huge hive underground beneath his farm. We believe they were summoned there, lured to the farm specifically to do away with Outt – but we don’t have a name to blame.
“The carkers spread like a plague. The Army got involved, their special teams from Madisonville coming out to do what they could. Carker scouts were spotted more than a hundred miles from the nest, following ley lines as if they were walls. The local Crow Indians were up in arms; I think the carkers may have been one of the things that got them involved in the Fight. There was a huge battle; the Army took horrible losses. We had a team on the site too. We lost a man there, god bless him. In the end, he knowingly sacrificed himself to close the tear that kept the hive healthy. It was more complicated than that, but you get the idea. Between us, and the Indians, and the Army, the nest was destroyed. I don’t know if any got away.”
CARL
“This one here,” he taps his map in the middle of the Great Plains, “is the Dead Spot.
“There is a certain configuration of ley lines that seems to act like a door. The shape is distinctive; depending on how the energy flows in the lines, the door can be opened or closed tightly. But where that shape occurs, incursion attempts are likely.
“The summoners at Madisonville used such a configuration, enclosing an area a couple of miles across. We’ve mapped the same shape in a dozen other places around the world. The biggest is here.” He looks up, intently, into Jack’s eyes, then Henrik’s. “This one is two hundred miles on a side. It covers parts of three states. Just think about that for a moment.”
He lets the picture sink in.
“After Madisonville, I got very worried about this place. I didn’t want anyone using it to tear open a rip the size of Virginia. So I started buying up land, along the lines and in the central focus, planning defenses, making sure the place was safe. And a couple of years ago, something came through.
“This incursion was gentle. Subtle, in its way. Quietly, without fuss, a patch of land a few miles around simply died. Trees, grass, birds, everything – dead. No marks, no reason. And the dead spot spread, over months, and looked to keep growing.
“What that was, friends, was a lure.
“We went out there, armed and armored. Something came through to meet us. Not powerful, but … careful. Wanted to communicate. It was looking, specifically, for me, and it wanted to make a deal.
“D’you know those big black dogs the King of Fate has at heel? It offered me something like that; more like a big puma or jaguar, but the same idea. To run errands, to learn things, to *see* Outside and teach me what it knew. In return for which, of course, it got to be here, to experience and affect our world. Sound familiar, Jack?
“I was very tempted, I admit; but in the end we told it no, and drove it away. It left. The dead patch eventually regrew. But the weak place remains. I was not, alone or with my team, capable of doing anything to a place so large. I worry about it still, and check it often. If you want my best bet for the location of the final battle … now you know.
“Other places?” He dots the map. “Tierra Blanca mine, on the Mexican border. Sand creatures and Mi-go there. A big dry swamp near Fallon, Nevada. Things living underground, possibly Chthonians, possibly Black Spawn. Santa Vieta, California. Something big came up under a theater there. The French sealed the place off. Before my time, but the sealed opening is still there, with lots of unknown underneath. A cave outside of Chico, California, has a doorway to the Outside that can be opened and passed through, bodily. Tuba City, Arizona, where an old Indian tribe worships a god that takes the form of giant snakes. There’s an old Indian mound in Oklahoma where we closed an open rip; and another similar one in Ohio. The Church of the Weeping Willow, in San Francisco’s Chinatown, prepares for the return of their Goddess, a Great Old One who has killed unknown thousands in China of late. Something lives in or near Mount Shasta, California, though they may be friendlies. A ‘haunted yacht’ in dry dock outside San Francisco is, or contains, something powerful and strange.
“Kingsport, Rhode Island. Dunwich, Vermont. Those are both nasty. The new Arkham Reservoir has a … taint that should be removed. There was a real nasty thing, though small, brought through in Buffalo, NY; another bad place in Ithaca. There are spots all over New England, for some reason; a lot of that part of the country has already got some corruption from past incursions, that make it easier for others to come.
“Anyhow, those are the ones I was thinking of.”
AUDA
This is the most complete description I’ve seen for the US, thank you Carl. Any similar Catalogs in other regions abroad?
CARL
“Oh, this isn’t anywhere near all of it; just personal experience. The house in France has hundreds of accounts, but the only place you’ll see them all brought together is in the colored pins on the map in the War Room. Of course, we only get an account if one of us was there, and managed to get the story out. That’s why the Recorder’s job is so important, in a field team. Remind me, we need to schedule some formal training sessions soon.
“Other parts of the world. Let’s see. Most of these I’ve merely heard or read about, so they’re fuzzy. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between and Outside incursion and an Avatar too, from reports alone. And what do you do with Mi-Go incursions? They’re alien, but they don’t always come through a rip, they usually … fly in. What do we do about them? Heck, what do we do about the deep ocean? That’s a whole uncharted realm.
“South of here. Nueva Revilla Island, off the coast of Mazatlan. The city of Tikal, in Nicaragua I think; that’s hearsay from Theo, I think that one may be one of ours, a strong point. There’s a lake in the Andes mountains, in Peru or Chile, that’s reported to be the home of something … old. Cuba – dear God, how could I forget? There’s a whole nest of Abhoth worshipers down there, they pull their ‘god’ through under the guise of Voudun rituals. Abhoth probably has cells all over the Caribbean, and Africa too.
British Isles and the North Sea... The big rip above Bailey I think you all know about. Sando Island, likewise. There is a big incursion scar in the mountains just south of Aberdeen, in Scotland, dating from 1924. Another in north-western Ireland, a whole village was sacrificed to make that one, in 1927 or 28 I think. There’s supposed to be a huge and ancient worship site under the ice in Greenland, but I have no details. Southern Norway – no, that was an avatar, it’s a strong point. Likewise Stromboli in Italy, and Niaoga in Spain.
Other places in Europe. I have a lot of reports of cult activity but few of really big rips or insertions. There’s a dead spot fifty miles north of Ankara, in Turkey, that’s a bad one. Another one further east, near Lake Van. A place in the Black Forest in Germany, a bad thin spot in eastern Bulgaria near Cluj. A potent infection site further north, on Romania, not far from the Black Sea coast. There are a number of sites in Europe I *want* to watch, because theer ought to be something happening there, and I have heard nothing at all. That bothers me.
“Much of western Russia was dangerously thin, until this recent business with the Czar. Now, I hope, it’s more protected – Boris would know more than I. Likewise, the rise in Germany is remarkable, unless you realize that it’s deliberate. The German Republic is pretty safe from incursions at the moment.
“Africa? I know very little. There are definitely Abhoth cells here and there. I had a report about an open rip with powerful ongoing Outsider activity in the Congo, but do not know current status. Nothing but rumors from most of Asia … India, Japan … Mongolia …
“China. That I’ve seen. Auda, you can speak to Honan, there’s an object lesson there. I know there was a huge rip in Shen-si province in 1927, probably more than one, and probably more since, but no direct contact.
That’s about it … except that there is an open, controlled rip in the Tower in Spain, and another in the Sanctuary in Peru. And activity deep underground and in the lower oceans that we cannot hope to predict.”
