Gaming W/Jemal: Planar Quest IC (Prologue)

[Scott DeWar]

"And would it be "not good" to re-vivify the stars?"

 

[kinem]

"Also, if the old man failed to hide the book well enough, does that mean the gods can start meddling again?"

 

[Binder Fred]

"As far as Options.. The dwarf is most definitely right about several things. By the time you have opened the vault, it will be too late to make your decision, at that point it will be made for you."

"It was Braham's idea," corrects Ur with a respectful nod to that worthy. He's not even sure Wade heard him though, as the construct goes on.

"Do you mean the last time the book was stowed away? I wouldn't call it a 'surrendering', really.. more of an armistice."

"Where one side lays down all its weapons."

Questions are already flying by this point, and so the bald dwarf just nods agreement and listens for the replies, attentive.

 

[Jemal]

"Whoa whoa dudes, one question at a time! The old man didn't hide the book, and didn't know where it was. Like I said, He and the Gods were watching each other to make sure nobody peeked. If finding the book releases the Gods from their oath, it releases him too.. I don't think that would go over well."
Wade turns to Mei Ying "I Guess that answers part of your question - he's very much alive, at least I assume, him being Immortal and all. One of the benefits of becoming all-powerful." The titanforged shrugs.
"And no, he didn't just use it in a limited way. He's the first since the Stars themselves to FULLY wield the Power. He's basically the strongest being in existence. He agreed to the Armistice because he knew he couldn't take the whole pantheon by himself, and contrary to the popular Adage, 'Power' doesn't always corrupt. He started with a goal - Kick the Gods off his planet - And when he saw that they were willing to concede that in exchange for him stopping, he took the deal. Smart, wise man. Bit cold, giving up his disciples like that, but.. eh, it was the smart move."

"Where one side lays down all its weapons."

Wade laughs and turns to Ur "When did I say THAT? He agreed not to use the power except in defense. He only gave up the book! Imagine a Wizard giving up his spell book but keeping a few WISHes up his sleeves, just in case. Besides, he's literally the one who Wrote the Book, I'm sure he hasn't forgotten it all.. And who's to say he couldn't do it again given time and reason?"

"As far as Reviving the Stars.. well that would be something! I've no clue if they'd be angry, I'd be more worried about the damage the rebirthing process itself would do to nearby planes. I saw what the Old Man could do with the Power, I've no intention of being anywhere near the source of that Power while it's being reborn."

"It was Braham's idea," corrects Ur with a respectful nod to that worthy. He's not even sure Wade heard him though, as the construct goes on.

OOC: I did mention Wade's got a couple screws loose, yes? Which brings up a point: in PBP it's customary to overlook or just poke fun at minor errors in someones post, but don't be too quick to do so with anything Wade says. I'm actually being much more thorough in double checking what he says than usual to account for errors, so if you notice something wrong, it's probably meant as either an example of his insanity or a clue that something's off. *Sits back while everybody goes to re-read every word Wade has said throughout the thread* Don't worry about analyzing it too much, but if you do notice something, don't just assume it was a mistake. Now that all that has been said... Yeah, the Ur/Braham thing WAS a mistake on my part, but I'm going to chalk it up to Wade's Weirdness..

 

[Shayuri]

"So one question then, with great relevance, is what this 'old man' wants," Mei-Ying remarks. "Or what he's prepared to accept. If he has the power you attribute to him, that would make him the best steward for this power. What could challenge him to wrest its secrets away from him?"

"Which begs the question...why did he hide it in a vulnerable place as he did? It would seem to be a choice he made, rather than a limit on his ability."

She regards Wade for a moment. "How do we meet him?"

 

[Voda Vosa]

"What kind of being is this Old man? Is he a Titan? And how he came to the Power in the first places. You said the Gods were attacking his world. You also said that in the negotiations the gods were forbidden from interfering with this world, am I to suppose the Old man lived on our world?" The ogre chimes in, he had been rather silent, but the old man's subject seems to have peaked his curiosity.

 

[Jemal]

"As I've said a few times, he didn't hide it, or even know where it was.
OK, from the top..
He was a mortal from your world.. Not really mortal anymore though.. Anyways, He got sick of all the meddling of the Gods, didn't like them using your people as Pawns in their games, and decided someone should do something about it.
The old man spent centuries learning about the Power, studying it slowly and carefully. He didn't go mad, managed not to destroy himself or the plane he was sequestered on. He tapped every archive in existence and created a few new ones. He was a genius in both magic and science.
After he gained the Power, he started using it to boot the gods around, one at a time. Eventually they grouped up, but they didn't wanna straight up fight, so they made a Deal.
The Old Man agreed to stop using the Power for anything but self defense, and let the book be hidden so nobody else could use it.
The Gods agreed to stay off the material plane, only affecting it through third parties - Summoned angels or devils, granting divine spells, that sort of thing. Also, that they would never look for or send agents to look for the book.
None of them even knew where it was - the old man and all the gods basically stood in a corner having drinks and watching each other while the heroes finished their quest.. "

"As far as where he is, whether he wants anything more now, whether you could challenge him, or who he really is..."

Wade shrugs "Beats me."

 

[kinem]

"This new information only reinforces my view" Braham declares. "If we spread the secrets of the Power, then those who want to revive the Stars would get it too. And while there is some justice to their cause, the process would likely result in mass destruction. Therefore, we must hide it."

 

[Shayuri]

"Wade, you mentioned that the 'old man' took some precautions when studying the Power," Mei-Ying muses. "He did so very slowly and carefully, and locked himself in a secret plane all to himself. You also have made very sure to mention that studying it did not drive him mad. These things suggest to me that study and mastery of the Power carry dangers."

"Can you tell us more about those dangers? It would influence, I think, those of us who wish to distribute knowledge of the power indiscriminately to all."

"Hm. There's also the issue of how the gods would react to the resurfacing of the Power. No one would be served by another war between near-omnipotent beings."

 

[Binder Fred]

Wade laughs and turns to Ur "When did I say THAT? He agreed not to use the power except in defense. He only gave up the book! Imagine a Wizard giving up his spell book but keeping a few WISHes up his sleeves, just in case. Besides, he's literally the one who Wrote the Book, I'm sure he hasn't forgotten it all.. And who's to say he couldn't do it again given time and reason?"

Ur shrugs, not really seeing the difference between dropping one's weapons and agreeing never to use them... "Doesn't the agreement stop him from teaching what he knows to others?" There would seem little point otherwise...

"This new information only reinforces my view" Braham declares. "If we spread the secrets of the Power, then those who want to revive the Stars would get it too. And while there is some justice to their cause, the process would likely result in mass destruction. Therefore, we must hide it."

"Hearsay," calmly counters Ur, somewhat in awe of the desert man's talent for seeing shadows behind every light. "There will be a thousand to stop them if not... Or help them do it the right way, if it's the right thing to do." Trying to recapture the past is rarely a worthwhile pursuit, in his experience, but there's also very little that can't be solved by hard work and dedication, also in his experience. Besides, "If those who want to revive the Stars find your hiding place, what will we do except die?"

"Why did he feel the Power needed to be preserved?" he asks Wade, echoing Ying's earlier question.

The Gods wanted the Power locked up, that much is obvious. Likely they asked for the Book to be destroyed, and either it couldn't be done, OR the Old Man negotiated hard and got the Hiding out of them. Ying is right though: why go to the trouble if it's all still in his head? Either he and/or the Gods knew there was going to be a need for the Power in the future (and he wasn't sure he'd live past the Surrendering), OR both sides were angling for just the situation they're in right now: a way to bypass the Surrendering, another chance to get back on top... (He's actually a bit disappointed the Old Man didn't turn out to be a Star -- or entirely sane for that matter).