More comments, replies, and rulings
Ok, I will continue to reply to the posts in a storyline fashion.
I have received your e-mails. I'll look into them and answer them as well as I can.
Uvenelei
TO EDENA
Check your email ASAP. There's something that you need to see.
(my second email is the important one)
ANSWER: I got them both, plus one from Bugbear. Thank you both.
It'll take some time for me to carefully scrutinize the first one, Uvenelei.
- - -
William Ronald
If possible, Hazen will try to retreat if it looks that there is no hope of winning. He is trying to direct positive energy into the Red Army and tries to convert this into healing the wounded souls.
If he cannot retreat, he will try to free all the souls with love, compassion and tolerance and the Crook of Rao. No compulsion is laid upon them. If they are freed, they will be free to chose their own destinies.
"Angels of the Seventh Heaven," Hazen says. "I ask your forgiveness if I have offended you. I humbly, respectfully, and urgently ask that you help me with the fight against the Red Army. These souls are imprisoned in hate and pain. Let us try to free them, or if need be, defeat them. They are victims, whose suffering has caused them to fight us. Let us have healing."
"The Red Army, if it reaches Oerth, will try to stir the Blood Waste and Red Steel to sentience. I ask you to aid my world."
RULING:
This means Hazen stayed at the battlefield. Thus, Vaeregoth's Unseelie see him when they arrive to collect the trophies. And Uvenelei's army sees him as they arrive.
Hazen, the Crook of Rao is not good for this purpose. It releases a few of the souls, but not enough. It is better at blocking their attacks ... and so far Hazen is still alive.
What you really need are the Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar, which are held by the Baklunish Confederation (Darkness runs them.)
THOSE TWO artifacts, could easily free this small army of trapped souls, if they were here - and if the person wielding them did not have to spend all his efforts to avoid being hit by a red weapon.
However, the two artifacts in question are under the control of Darkness, and until he states he releases them, he doesn't.
The Angels do not come. They almost certainly will come if the Red Army goes to Oerth, but they do not come here.
- - -
William Ronald
Spoof, Serpenteye:
I have an idea. Negative Material Plane energy stirred the red goo to sentience. Try to use your 10th level magic to fill the Red Army with Positive Material Plane energy. We can try to free them, but they must be stopped. They must not be allowed to reach Oerth.
Hazen repeats his calls to the Angels and calls for assistance.
ANSWER: I repeat, negative energy did not do this. It was the breaking of Vaeregoth's Red Steel Armor by the battle with Melkor and Anabstercorian.
The armor shattered into it's component parts - the souls - and the power of the battle kept them imprisoned, and thus they are here now.
You may attempt to use 10th level magic to flood the area with Positive Energy. WARNING: You might not want to be around when you do this!
- - -
Black Omega
Hey guys!
I could not access the board from about 5:30 to 8:30 this morning so finally gave up and went to bed. I'd been tryuing to post the following:
ANSWER: Hey there! Welcome back, Black Omega!
Deep in Vesve Forest, Siobhan Silirevnur passes her hand over a glassy pool of water, growling to herself "Is he crazy going after all those heavy hitters?? Morre! What goes with a blood bath?"
From the side, Morre efficiently replies "I'd say red, it's flashy and it helps hide when you get hurt."
Siobhan baps Morre behind the head lightly "I don't plan to even break a fingernail, let along get hurt! I mean their blood! Hmm..Wraiths..vampires...Basic black?"
Morre grumbles and ndos "Basic black is always good."
Siobhan nods "Basic black then, get to it. I'd hate to miss the battle while primping. Alert the Circle of Eight and bodyguards, we're going to crash this party also!"
Siobhan and the Circle of Eight will be joining this battle to try and back up Hezen and our other allies. Usual rules, if getting butts kicked or close to dying, leave. Bodyguards to get bodies out if someone dies. Etc etc.
I tried passing this along to Edena, but from the looks of it, it would have made no difference since the Red Goo got to be the ultimate party crasher
ANSWER:
The following people have now stated they have sent something to the battlefield (and it is still there):
Black Omega
Forsaken One
Uvenelei
William
The remnant of the Shade Army is pleading for aid - they'll take ANYONE'S help (except Melkor's) to get them the heck out of there.
The Red Army has grown tremendously strong (nearly 400 PL) by killing and converting most of the Shade Army (which was 500 PL) into new recruits.
- - -
William Ronald
A message to Vaeregoth, Tokiwong, and the Oerth Alliance members
Hazen sends a message to the Oerth Alliance Members, Malachai, and Vaeregoth.
"Negative energy seems to stir Red Steel and the red goo to sentience. I urge you to destroy all the red steel you may have in your possession with healing spells. o' Skotenos, I urge you to do so, less the Pomarj is overrun."
"We are trying to stop the Red Army. It must not be allowed to reach Oerth and awaken all Red Steel. Aid us. Either destroy all red steel or red goo in you land or try to aid those fighting the battle."
ANSWER:
This gets an answer from Mina, which goes as follows:
So, Infidel Hazen, you would blacken the name of the One God, then beg for assistance?!
You shall not have the love and care of the One God, as the others have.
You shall be cast out into the darkness, and the Red Army will take you!
Thus, you shall be properly punished for your insolence and arrogance, your defiance and your denoucement of the One God.
(As you can see, Mina is still angry. That speech of Hazen's, really got to her! Which is saying something, because it's hard to get to Mina.)
I repeat again - negative energy isn't the problem.
It was the battle energy that caused the souls to remain under the curse, after they should have been freed by the shattering and destruction of the Red Steel that held them.
The Angels are still not coming.
It isn't because they are being deliberately callous ... there is an IC reason why they are not coming.
- - -
Anabstercorian
I'm with William, Vaeregoth
But it shouldn't be necessary to destroy your Red Steel yet. Can you lend me several dozen high yield nuclear bombs and some suntan lotion? I think I can take care of our little "red goo" problem.
We best hurry, though. My troops back in the sky are getting antsy. The Illithid are getting sick of the Drow having sex with demons and the Drow are getting sick of the Illithid eating the demons brains.
ANSWER: Mina is keeping the Army of Darkness quiet. They are terrified of her. She summoned the Dead to deal with some of the rebellious ones among the Army of Darkness, and even these hardened drow and illithid blanched and would have hid their eyes from the result, but Mina forced them to watch the proceedings to the end.
As for nuclear weapons - yes, they would destroy the Red Army.
At least, they would destroy THIS Red Army, while it is STILL IN the Border Ethereal.
WHAT nuclear weapons will do to the Red Army, once it reaches Oerth, is a good question.
- - -
dagger
I humbly ask the angels help as well. Open the gates of heaven and let forth the wrath of righteousness!
Or as Olinstaad would put it.
"Open up the gates ye angels, and come down with yer goodness!"
ANSWER: A comment here. The Angels have never become more than mildly angry, and then only under the most extraordinary of circumstances.
If Yours Truly could have behaved like that ... (sigh) ... the IR would still have all it's players.
The Angels aren't coming yet.
And since so many people have pleaded for their help, they send one of their own to state the reason why:
The Angel in question looks like Angels do, and is quite sad - sadness radiates from the Angel in waves.
The Angel speaks:
We are called by the heart.
However, many of the hearts of Oerth are filled with hatred, anger, and darkness.
We are repulsed and in fact actually driven back by this.
Our entry into Oerth is made much more difficult by this fact.
The hearts of Oerth - including what you call the Army of Darkness and the Union of the Worlds - must turn away from the hatred and the darkness.
We feel that in the threat from the Red Army you may find common bonding, and the darkness and hatred will be expunged.
But if we interfere, and we do it all for you, and protect you from this menace, we free you to continue your hatred and darkness.
In the end, that hatred and darkness will doom you to a fate as equally as bad as the one the Red Army has decreed for you.
Therefore, we withhold our aid.
We will evacuate your civilian population now, if you request this.
We would have done so long ago, had we been able - we are now able, and willing, to do so.
Yet we withhold our aid.
- - -
Tokiwong
Malachai replies to Hazen, "We are aware of the situation brewing, but with our current situation we cannot simply abandon Red Steel... we shall weather this storm as any other... I bid you good luck in your endeavours..."
ANSWER: Well, except for this one incident, the Red Steel has not suddenly turned into Red Armies, anywhere on Oerth ...
- - -
William Ronald
"Emperor Malachai," Hazen says as he is trying to channel positive energy from the Crook of Rao to free a Pomarj soldier who is now in the Red Army "I respect your sovereignity. If the Red Army breaks through, be prepared to use heaing on the Red Steel. I fear they may be able to awaken the embittered souls in Red Steel. This would likely result in the death of any soldier wearing or using Red Steel."
Anabstercorian: I think a rift to the Positive Material plane may be more effective. The souls only manifested after being exposed to negative energy. Positive material energy may free them. Indeed, they may even help us. So, were you surprised when Hazen showed up?
ANSWER: Nobody knows if the Red Army can awaken the Red Steel that lies in finished form (or unfinished form) all over Oerth. The Seers, upon throwing their spells, cannot find out the answer to this.
