The Chat Thread

[HippoPhileus]

2 hours ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

welcome to the alley verse Hippo! nice pfp btw! I would be the one to offer a cookie but I see Voidus already took care of it. Once you get fully into it the alley verse is pretty fun.

Thank you Thaidakar! 

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

Just now, HippoPhileus said:

Thank you Thaidakar! 

*offers cookie anyways* I know you are the president of the CIA but whatever.

[Ashbringer]

Does the Alleyverse or DA have any tools that can alter people's memories? Not like Alley-Forgery scale, but that-person-saw-something-they-shouldn't scale.

And if it does exist, would it be Breath-based or a Forgery or something else entirely?

Byron and friends seem to have... hit a bit of a wall, so I'm trying to figure out what my PR Department Head would have to work with to affect public perception besides Soothers, Rioters, and Lightweavers (and some Forgers).

[+ZincAboutIt]

22 minutes ago, Ashbringer said:

Does the Alleyverse or DA have any tools that can alter people's memories? Not like Alley-Forgery scale, but that-person-saw-something-they-shouldn't scale.

And if it does exist, would it be Breath-based or a Forgery or something else entirely?

Byron and friends seem to have... hit a bit of a wall, so I'm trying to figure out what my PR Department Head would have to work with to affect public perception besides Soothers, Rioters, and Lightweavers (and some Forgers).

Spike-out memories if I recall

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

would implanting spies into the DA be possible?

[+ZincAboutIt]

4 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

would implanting spies into the DA be possible?

This era no, since no one in the wider city actually knows they exist in the first place. In other eras it would be incredibly difficult since each acolyte is given a loyalty spike meaning they are basically programmed to remain loyal to the DA.

So realistically, no. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by ZincAboutIt

[mathiau]

42 minutes ago, Ashbringer said:

Does the Alleyverse or DA have any tools that can alter people's memories? Not like Alley-Forgery scale, but that-person-saw-something-they-shouldn't scale.

And if it does exist, would it be Breath-based or a Forgery or something else entirely?

Byron and friends seem to have... hit a bit of a wall, so I'm trying to figure out what my PR Department Head would have to work with to affect public perception besides Soothers, Rioters, and Lightweavers (and some Forgers).

Connection manipulation might be able to nudge how people feel about the DA

[Voidus]

2 hours ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Spike-out memories if I recall

Yeah canonically we've used memory spikes before, and of course Aylitha's shadow monsters for Forgery-related memories. Forgery is inherently temporary and also takes time to be able to utilise so probably doesn't see much use for that purpose.

Possibly some unkeyed Copperminds if the Denizen in question is feeling particularly lenient.

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

On 3/28/2022 at 0:59 PM, ZincAboutIt said:

This era no, since no one in the wider city actually knows they exist in the first place. In other eras it would be incredibly difficult since each acolyte is given a loyalty spike meaning they are basically programmed to remain loyal to the DA.

So realistically, no. 

that sucks, *sigh*

[+ZincAboutIt]

6 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

that sucks, *sigh*

What exactly do you want to accomplish by doing this? I’m curious because if there’s some kind of plot or storyline you want to run maybe there’s another way to do it that makes sense in world but also works for you :]

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

Just now, ZincAboutIt said:

What exactly do you want to accomplish by doing this? I’m curious because if there’s some kind of plot or storyline you want to run maybe there’s another way to do it that makes sense in world but also works for you :]

I was thinking, what if one of the reasons the DA is doing some kind of Cold War thingy would be because STE pops up and gives them a reason to worry a little about control of the city and stuff. maybe. just maybe. I can see a billion holes in this though.

[+ZincAboutIt]

3 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

I was thinking, what if one of the reasons the DA is doing some kind of Cold War thingy would be because STE pops up and gives them a reason to worry a little about control of the city and stuff. maybe. just maybe. I can see a billion holes in this though.

So here is the thing: the DA doesn’t actually really care about the city. What they care about is the Alleys. If we are potentially going with the “limited Investiture plus Alleys collapsing” plan then it is possible that a separate group could in theory make some kind of deal with an entity in one of the remaining Alleys which would siphon off a rather large chunk of investiture and then get the DA’s attention (not in a good way though). 
It would also be a pretty nasty end for whoever is bargaining here. And we would likely want the entity in question to be RP’d by someone who isn’t in the other guild in question to keep things fun and interesting.

That being said… I’d be happy to facilitate such a bargain for you. We offer very favorable terms such as [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] and of course you’ll understand that it would require the surrender of your [REDACTED] [REDACTED]. But I can assure you that our patronage is well worth the price. :3

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

Just now, ZincAboutIt said:

So here is the thing: the DA doesn’t actually really care about the city. What they care about is the Alleys. If we are potentially going with the “limited Investiture plus Alleys collapsing” plan then it is possible that a separate group could in theory make some kind of deal with an entity in one of the remaining Alleys which would siphon off a rather large chunk of investiture and then get the DA’s attention (not in a good way though). 
It would also be a pretty nasty end for whoever is bargaining here. And we would likely want the entity in question to be RP’d by someone who isn’t in the other guild in question to keep things fun and interesting.

That being said… I’d be happy to facilitate such a bargain for you. We offer very favorable terms such as [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] and of course you’ll understand that it would require the surrender of your [REDACTED] [REDACTED]. But I can assure you that our patronage is well worth the price. :3

my cheese? MY PANCAKES??? I AM NOT SELLING MY DELECTABLE CHEESE PANCAKES!

[Voidus]

29 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

I was thinking, what if one of the reasons the DA is doing some kind of Cold War thingy would be because STE pops up and gives them a reason to worry a little about control of the city and stuff. maybe. just maybe. I can see a billion holes in this though.

Yeah this is a little too similar to the plot of nearly every other era, some new guild arises and immediately tries to threaten the DA, which has not once ended well for the guild in question. I'd really prefer that we worked on new plot ideas like the Forgery was.

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

33 minutes ago, Voidus said:

Yeah this is a little too similar to the plot of nearly every other era, some new guild arises and immediately tries to threaten the DA, which has not once ended well for the guild in question. I'd really prefer that we worked on new plot ideas like the Forgery was.

hmmm, in that case what if we did a cool spin on it. what if a lot of guilds allied to get a lot of the new magic system and to keep the DA from it. 

[Voidus]

2 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

hmmm, in that case what if we did a cool spin on it. what if a lot of guilds allied to get a lot of the new magic system and to keep the DA from it. 

Guild alliance to take down the DA was the plot of the first era. I'd just really prefer people didn't try to fixate on threatening the DA or trying to usurp them, realistically in world it is just not going to happen. When you're trying to deal with a guild that has access to world-ending weapons and entities powerful enough to literally create the world, there's not really a whole lot to be done about it.

It is a story that has been attempted many times, never ending well. And also doesn't particularly make sense in-universe. Every time someone has attempted it it ended up killing a large number of innocents, many people from the guilds and did not significantly impact the DA in any way. Meanwhile when left alone the DA are basically a non-threat to anyone in the city, the only time they ever attempt to exercise power is when people directly challenge them or try to deliberately limit them. If you don't poke the bear then you're pretty fine, and if you do you run the risk that it explodes and levels half the city again.

It's also kind of difficult on a personal level because every time someone tries to do it I end up forgoing any of my intended character development or arcs and instead have to spend an era trying to justify why the DA don't just annihilate all of these people who are annoying them. I don't really enjoy using Voidus as a power fantasy or setting him up as a despot but honestly I would find it very difficult if yet another group rose up trying to usurp him or oppose the DA to not just have him disintegrate them out of annoyance.

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

Just now, Voidus said:

Guild alliance to take down the DA was the plot of the first era. I'd just really prefer people didn't try to fixate on threatening the DA or trying to usurp them, realistically in world it is just not going to happen. When you're trying to deal with a guild that has access to world-ending weapons and entities powerful enough to literally create the world, there's not really a whole lot to be done about it.

It is a story that has been attempted many times, never ending well. And also doesn't particularly make sense in-universe. Every time someone has attempted it it ended up killing a large number of innocents, many people from the guilds and did not significantly impact the DA in any way. Meanwhile when left alone the DA are basically a non-threat to anyone in the city, the only time they ever attempt to exercise power is when people directly challenge them or try to deliberately limit them. If you don't poke the bear then you're pretty fine, and if you do you run the risk that it explodes and levels half the city again.

It's also kind of difficult on a personal level because every time someone tries to do it I end up forgoing any of my intended character development or arcs and instead have to spend an era trying to justify why the DA don't just annihilate all of these people who are annoying them. I don't really enjoy using Voidus as a power fantasy or setting him up as a despot but honestly I would find it very difficult if yet another group rose up trying to usurp him or oppose the DA to not just have him disintegrate them out of annoyance.

yeah, I see your point. hmmmmmm. what if the DA had some kind of civil war? 

[Voidus]

Yeah that was the previous suggestion, which I do like better than just more guild wars but at the same time it's going to be pretty easy for a DA civil war to render pretty much all characters effectively meaningless. So I think someone suggested the DA having a cold war style civil war, using others for proxy combat and control of resources, etc.

There's some potential to work with there.

[Ashbringer]

7 minutes ago, Thaidakar the Ghostblood said:

yeah, I see your point. hmmmmmm. what if the DA had some kind of civil war? 

I think that's part of the plan, in combination with the Investiture Limit idea. At least some form of cold war where the different Departments are trying to negotiate how their respective budgets are cut (because even in the DA, Voidus or the Stranger or Cam could probably obliterate the power structures of some of the smaller Departments).

I do wonder if we should at least figure out how we're ending this era before we make a lot of plans for the new one. I'm guessing the actual ending of the Forgery's much more on Voidus + Fatebreaker + ZincAboutIt than the rest of us, but still, we're a little stuck.

[Thaidakar the Ghostblood]

7 minutes ago, Voidus said:

Yeah that was the previous suggestion, which I do like better than just more guild wars but at the same time it's going to be pretty easy for a DA civil war to render pretty much all characters effectively meaningless. So I think someone suggested the DA having a cold war style civil war, using others for proxy combat and control of resources, etc.

There's some potential to work with there.

yeah.

2 minutes ago, Ashbringer said:

I think that's part of the plan, in combination with the Investiture Limit idea. At least some form of cold war where the different Departments are trying to negotiate how their respective budgets are cut (because even in the DA, Voidus or the Stranger or Cam could probably obliterate the power structures of some of the smaller Departments).

I do wonder if we should at least figure out how we're ending this era before we make a lot of plans for the new one. I'm guessing the actual ending of the Forgery's much more on Voidus + Fatebreaker + ZincAboutIt than the rest of us, but still, we're a little stuck.

hmmmm, what if it we did a kind of explosion kind of thing where identity and stuff got all mixed up. where the forgery died and that was the consequence.

[+ZincAboutIt]

Could there potentially be some kind of permanent affect on Voidus’s ability to control the Void post-Forgery? If that were the case, we could do some very interesting things with the void-sky in the Alleys beginning to “leak” out into the world.

Also @Rushu42 you and the scholars guild could possibly follow the lead of Mac’s crooked accountant since Aln would have likely heard him talk about his tailor just like Laurelai did. Then they and Lita/Laurelai could be chasing the same lead and it could cause some fun times and interactions if you’re looking for somewhere to go after the hospital thread 

Edited March 30, 2022 by ZincAboutIt

[Voidus]

@Stormblessed0421 I've just hidden the topic you posted since it seems like you found the info you needed but if you have any questions let us know here.

[Stormblessed0421]

Thank you! Yeah, sometimes late at night I just don't see things

[18th Shard]

Spoiler

8 hours ago, Harbringer of Auroras said:

Hiya! I have been interested in Alleyverse for a while, so I thought I'd submit a character since I joined the shard. Any feedback?

Name: Ora Rellar

Alias: Mynt

Physical Characteristics: Shortish (5’ 3”-ish), straight dark purple bottom of ribcage length hair, skinny, olive military-esque jacket with too many pockets, long dark grey pleated skirt, Black shirt, light grey slippers.

Investiture: 

• Malatium misting(35), can read object’s histories(??)

• Forgery(60)

Skills:

• Scholarship - Skilled(30)

• Intelligence - Intelligent(30)

Equipment: Clothes above, small journal with attached pen, written in secret script, Malatium vial(25), trading card binder for soulstone and stamps, with a key that is worn around their neck(no pricing listed for soulstone), small tent

Weakness: fairly subservient towards authority, very scrawny, dislikes any injustice and will try to rectify it

Family: Raised by the Ire as an experiment to see the potentials of mixing powers. Has left them, but still has ties with a few members.

Home Planet: Sel’s Rose Empire

Backstory: Ora was raised on Sel by the Ire. From a young age, she was encouraged to investigate the world around her. Her life was an experiment, with perfect the process of reading objects to then alter them. After she became an adult, she was released and given the choice to either join the Ire or go free. She went free, but still stays in contact with the Ire, trying to do favours for them every now and then to get more snippets of information about their past.

Guild: Unaffiliated(for now)

Personality: Quiet, excitable, nerdy.

Theme Song (optional): Broken Bells by Gretta Van Fleet

Fighting Style: Doesn’t

 

 

I really like your character design here, @Harbringer of Auroras. It's a great way to synergize two powers. If it's information that your character is interested in, especially with a background in experimenting, the Dark Alley would be happy to help to your character. Unlike the Ire, the Dark Alley encourages the pursuit of all knowledge, Investiture, insanity, and unknowable secrets, and are well-funded to help in those pursuits!* Unfortunately, my Dark Alley character is otherwise engaged, but there are plenty of Alleys and Denizens who can help you reach your potential.

(*DA disclaimer applies)

Spoiler

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[+ZincAboutIt]

Sliding in here to echo 18th Shard. As it happens, The DA Departments of Counter Intelligence and Acquisitions are looking for talented new acolytes. If that’s not your speed, I can introduce you to our Head of R&D and you can chase that god complex all the way to the horizon