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EVE-Online RP Discussion and Resources => CCP Public Library => Topic started by: Julianus Soter on 24 Jul 2012, 09:14
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http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/514_%28Chronicle%29
Quite good imo. Lots of fun implications for Arek'Jaalan/Synenose Accord roleplay, and sets up the scenario for 514 quite neatly.
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Very good chronicle indeed.
Oh, and on the "What is 514"-questions:
"Which test reveals more of the soul, the test that a man will take to prove his faith, or the test that finds the man who believed his faith already proven? If you know this answer, then you also know which of these challenges bear the greatest penalty for failure. The gates of paradise will open for you one time only; woe to the soul who dares to knock twice." - The Scriptures, Book of Missions 5:14
Though, this chronicle seems to hint that 514 might coincide with something completely else.
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Faceless helmet... looks like a Dust Mercenary. Small clicking sounds? Maybe he's gone crazy or taken over by the Sleepers. Maybe this is a taste of the PvE experience that will launch with DUST 514?
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The Blood Raiders do also have end of times prophecies of blood red skies. This was mentioned when the wormholes first opened if I'm right, the first system entered had a red nebula. When the news reached back, lots of Sani Sabik came to streets telling that the world was about to end*, simplifying things a lot for the MIO.
*) And we did not listen!
Edit: I thought it was told that solo missions would be against Rogue Drones? No idea about the attackers, could be soldiers taken over by Sleepers, Sansha or capsuleers. Also Jamyl getting cloned again? As Jamyl mentioned, three of the present were capsuleers. That said, there seems to be a bit of a problem, unless they had pods with them, there would be no flash scans, and with backup scans, none of them could remember what was spoken.
Also a corporal with a sergeant as a second. Oh well.
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I'm loving it. Interesting tidbits, more questions, can't wait for more.
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[spoiler]
“It is not a privilege, Executor,” replied Sarum. “It is the curse that has doomed the Empyreans from the beginning. It is true that there are some of them who are devoted still to causes greater than themselves, but the vast majority are so disconnected from reality that they exist in a realm all of their own, where none of the people they perceive to be lesser are worth any consideration at all.”
[/spoiler]
Favourite line right there.
I like Tibus Heth's naive take on capsuleers, since he's the only one there who isn't one.
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[spoiler]
"We are about to be pulled out of here in the next thirty seconds," said Jamyl Sarum, looking at the only three colleagues she had in the world. "Three of us will be instantly safe. I do not know about you, Dear Executor."
[/spoiler]
Hmm.
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Why is everyone using unshielded electronic weapons if EMP is such a common first strike tactic? Nobody had backup weapons? Seriously.
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This is really interesting...really interesting.
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I enjoyed it. It screams serial chronicle to me, but I'm alright with that if they all keep up the same quality. Seeing the empires' leaders as competent politicians with their own personalities for once was refreshing -- although I do hope that 514 reaches an elaboration that's somewhere in the middle ground of "easy psychological horror that goes unexplained" and "Templar One-style reveal everything".
If it is a serial, I'm curious to see if they'll bring in the Arkombine at all. The concept is a neat one, especially taken alongside what's been said here.
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we've been making these happen for decades, and the secret's never been spilled
Ok, except everyone now knows.
other than that, well, no sleeper brain lobes in dust troopers is good, I think.
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Possibly related (http://www.dust514.com/universe/corporations/)
ARKOMBINE
The Arkombine are a splinter group of disillusioned clone soldiers. Betrayed by the nations they swore to serve, they now seek independence and a way out of this life. Their ranks are comprised of clone soldiers from all four of the major factions.
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as an aside, there were 2 (or more!) chronicles on the DUST site that are no longer on the DUST site.
the 2 that I knew the titles of were "morning prayer" and "the collection".
:\
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'Morning Prayer' is still available on the Evelopedia.
I liked this chron a ton. I loved the subtle interactions between the 4 racial leaders - as Seriphyn put it, Jamyl is always looking at the bigger picture, Roden is the cautious diplomat, Shakor the wizened but cynical one, and Heth the militaristic dictator. They all have their unique flavor in how they act, and I approved.
Also, I was thinking - by merit of Jamyl's little invention (assuming she wasn't lieing about what it is), doesn't this also make the "larger universal storyline" described in Templar One - the Other, the Sleepers, Jovian history, etc - largely irrelevant to the basic DUST player?
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Yeah, Morning Prayer was one of my favorites. I guess CCP didn't like the idea of the Amarr being the victim for a change - much too humanizing!
Also, very nice to see the leader characters in the hands of other writers that take their personalities and factions seriously.
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Intriguing. I'm enjoying thinking it through.
The initial set-up tries to deal with the wonderful implausibility of it all, so while I'm considering the bigger picture I'll just poke at a few smaller things:
- Why is the bunker designed for four, rather than five? I read Shakor's "CONCORD does not always call these summits" and Roden's response to the Empress' statement that she arranged the meeting as suggesting that they are usually called by CONCORD and this is an unusual one. In that case, am I reading too much into "here" and "Just the way it's always been done", in assuming that leaders have met at the same location before? With no Jovian reps, even back at the beginning?
- "At these words, Empress Sarum and Sanmatar Shakor broke each other's gaze for the first time in several minutes." Did the "white-eyed" Sanmatar finally have treatment for his Defiant-respecting blindness? Is he now using implants to see? Back in Silent Furies (http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Silent_Furies_(Chronicle)) he was written as functionally blind, but here he's engaging in gaze-play and head-turning with the rest of them.
- Jamyl as "Empress Sarum". Isn't the Amarr custom that the ruler leaves their House and takes their inner circle to join the Emperor Family (http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Emperor_Family), taking over the imperial estates and appointing a new heir from their old House? Do we see other emperors addressed by their (previous?) House name? I'm only now learning about Amarrian matters, and this has puzzled me.
- Do I get to call Shakor a Midularite now? ;)
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- Jamyl as "Empress Sarum". Isn't the Amarr custom that the ruler leaves their House and takes their inner circle to join the Emperor Family (http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Emperor_Family), taking over the imperial estates and appointing a new heir from their old House?
Yep.
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- Jamyl as "Empress Sarum". Isn't the Amarr custom that the ruler leaves their House and takes their inner circle to join the Emperor Family (http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Emperor_Family), taking over the imperial estates and appointing a new heir from their old House?
Yep.
Jamyl breaks all the rules...
Its been virtually admitted and confirmed and generally accepted that she is a clone, breaking the godflesh rule.
She has a sleeper in her head.
Is it such a stretch that she shat all over that rule as well
Despite that serious eye-twitch moment I actually enjoyed that chron as others have said it was nice to see the leaders actually have unique and interesting personalities and interactions that are not just them being stereotypical dickwads.
Criticism though is some of the writing is just too vague and hard to follow, leaving me entirely unsure of what was actually happening to the point of loosing the flow of the chron and having to re-read sections several times.
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Jamyl I is her regnal name. It's what she is referred to officially. She's still considered to be from the Sarum family, even if she is now part of the Emperor's Family.
As for the chron, I liked it very much. It does a good job of making something good out of the Templar One mess.
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Can you imagine calling Heideran VII "Emperor Kador", though?
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Can you imagine calling Heideran VII "Emperor Kador", though?
Ehm, Actually yes. I think this is a very minor thing. As in the PF is already a Arrach Sarum (http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/24th_Imperial_Crusade_%28NPC_corporation%29#Divine_Commodore); and in some Ingame missions or sites is Zaragram II are mention as Zaragram Ardishapur II (I know he is the Mad-Emperor, but still it isnt new). So overall was very, very nice chron and really nice to see the leaders in anther shape and form as in T1.
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Probably. I don't think he's ever been portrayed as interacting with someone outside the Empire.
Though I guess it would equivalent to referring to Elizabeth II as "Queen Windsor", which sounds ridiculous.
I think it's probably just a minor gaffe than anything that means something.
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Well yes, it sounds ridiculous. Empress Sarum or Queen Windsor, I mean.
If we refer to feodalism, there is a clear line drawn between the dynastic family and the ruling family. The Queen is still from the Windsor dynasty and so, owns all the crown properties in addition to the ones of her family, but she is refered as Queen Elizabeth II or Queen of the United Kingdoms. It was the same with any other ruler, if you refer to Louis of France you refer to the king, if you refer to Louis de Bourbon, you refer to the son of a specific dynasty. But you never have the family name and the throne name mixed together.
Of course, it could be different for the Amarr ruler, since it is not RL. This is mostly why it sounds weird to us. Also, there is a minor difference between RL and eve since the Amarr ruler loses any pretention on the family properties iirc. The imperial title is not stackable with other titles.
Criticism though is some of the writing is just too vague and hard to follow, leaving me entirely unsure of what was actually happening to the point of loosing the flow of the chron and having to re-read sections several times.
Weird, for once I did not have that feeling. Clear and concrete chronicles are what I prefer. I have incredible times with cryptic chronicles types, which are legion. Cryptic for the sake of being cryptic, often. There is a difference between chronicles like Serum of Truth and A Painting, though.
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+1 on the "Empress Sarum" thing.
Also, Shakor uses drones to see, so perhaps he just pointed his camera drones elsewhere.
On the linked list of NPC corporations in DUST: Am I the only one slightly dismayed that you need to be Sarum to be Amarr loyalist? Not that I'd ever play DUST, but still. That's not complete anyway (as a major point, misses the Gallente except for Serps and Mordu's).
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On the linked list of NPC corporations in DUST: Am I the only one slightly dismayed that you need to be Sarum to be Amarr loyalist? Not that I'd ever play DUST, but still. That's not complete anyway (as a major point, misses the Gallente except for Serps and Mordu's).
I don't see a Minmatar option which would support the Republic. Now, I may have to the wrong idea and they're all aimed at making sense in nullsec rather than faction war, or there might be extra options for when things go live.
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The character saying "Empress Sarum" may be a foreigner.
Dunno if it was also in the narration.
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It says those NPC corporation are for the people participating in the DUST Beta.
It might not say anything about the NPC corporations you can join when the game goes live. There are some interesting options in that list though, like the Arkombine and Templis Dragonaurs.
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- "At these words, Empress Sarum and Sanmatar Shakor broke each other's gaze for the first time in several minutes." Did the "white-eyed" Sanmatar finally have treatment for his Defiant-respecting blindness? Is he now using implants to see? Back in Silent Furies (http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Silent_Furies_(Chronicle)) he was written as functionally blind, but here he's engaging in gaze-play and head-turning with the rest of them.
If he's a capsuleer he may have implants, but there's also that losing one sense often causes the remaining ones to compensate for the loss. We're pretty good at picking out the direction a sound is coming from with just ears alone, so it wouldn't surprise me too much if he were capable of acting as if he could see by using the position of someone's voice to get an idea of where to look.
- Do I get to call Shakor a Midularite now? ;)
Sure. But can you prove he is? >.>
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“My problem, most esteemed Executor, is that we have a growing power bloc in this universe of ours that does not and will not ever share a seat at this table, or any like it.”
"Capsuleers," said Heth. "Our common problem. Need to find a way to stop them. I think I've heard this somewhere before.."
:D :D :D
Yay, more PF that retroactively justifies some of my RP. Ahem.
But also (and more) yay for a Chronicle that succeeded in giving Heth, Roden, Shakor and Jamyl distinct personalities.
And yes, it'd be nice to see this as a serialized Chronicle, because I now want to know what happens next!
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Well, one interesting thing to note: This is the Empire factions meeting to discuss certain technology, and a meeting called by someone compromised by that same technology.
There's a word for this...
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Well, one interesting thing to note: This is the Empire factions meeting to discuss certain technology, and a meeting called by someone compromised by that same technology.
There's a word for this...
Several, actually :9.
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Well, one interesting thing to note: This is the Empire factions meeting to discuss certain technology, and a meeting called by someone compromised by that same technology.
There's a word for this...
Several, actually :9.
"It may not make sense at first" are the ones that come to mind for me.
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[spoiler]"We are about to be pulled out of here in the next thirty seconds," said Jamyl Sarum, looking at the only three colleagues she had in the world. "Three of us will be instantly safe. I do not know about you, Dear Executor."
[/spoiler]
Hmm.
The response was telling.
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Hmm.
What if they didn't get him out in time? :F
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Hmm.
What if they didn't get him out in time? :F
He's the only one there that isn't a capsuleer, and there's more than one way to evacuate a room quickly. Some are very messy.
Some involve cloning.
;)
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Heth can't clone and transfer, remember? Augmene poisoning.
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Heth can't clone and transfer, remember? Augmene poisoning.
Exactly.
EDIT: Then again, look at the corp page again. Templis Dragonaurs. That's most likely what she's alluding to. The ambiguity of chronicles still irks me.
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Hmm.
What if they didn't get him out in time? :F
The chron clearly states the room is empty for at least 1 minute before it blows up.
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The room is the Broker.
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The room is the Broker.
So Istvaan is a sentient room?
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The room is the Broker.
So Istvaan is a sentient room?
So Istvaan is a blue female alien ?
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The room is the Broker.
So Istvaan is a sentient room?
So Istvaan is a blue female alien ?
So Istvaan is a Dominion shapeshifter?
Also:
A man can still dream that Heth didn't make it out before the room exploded can't they?
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The room is the Broker.
The Broker is dead. This is clearly stated in Templar One (and thank freakin' God for that) though I am very hesitant to actually say he's dead for good. Lord knows MacGuffins like him and Isogen-5 just don't disappear.
:D
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Maybe the broker = the other ?? The THING IN JAMYL'S HEAD !
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Maybe the broker = the other ?? The THING IN JAMYL'S HEAD !
It's a possibility. It would explain why it wanted Insorum (*cough*MacGuffin*cough*) so badly. Another explanation is that he just wanted to make a tidy profit, another that he wanted to limit the Other's power by freeing Jamyl from her Vitoc addiction. The most likely scenario is that it is Grious using Jove tech to manipulate the situation, and vastly underestimating his opponents. Another possibility, considering the links to Gallente militarization, is Roden.
Regardless, it's all pointless to debate. The Broker is definitely a MacGuffin. He is who he is, and it's easy enough to cast any number of characters into his role as the situation justifies. His motives have very little to do with conventional logical reasoning, and he represents something that stands in opposition to the old Ishukone CEO's benevolent philosophy. The fear and hate directed at him is poorly explained, there's no real explanation given as to his past with Ishukone, etc. The "old enemy", this green-eyed monster, the one who orchestrated Gariushi's death? He represents Greed in a literary sense. Same with Roden, the same with Sarum. There's another green-eyed character in Empyrean Age too. :bear:
The Broker is completely separate from 514 though. The fact is, the lorespinners at CCP are finally putting a carrot at the end of the stick; I want to know more, and there's just enough clues to get me thinking but not enough to ruin the payoff (and it's not completely MacGuffin of the Week scenarios). They are using characters that, in this new context, make sense. These four individuals are the only ones who can change the course of events, and showing their perspective is necessary. Unlike Empyrean Age, using them to move the plot is justified. We now know the major players, their particular stances, and have a general idea of where they will go next in their journey.
Anyways, 514 will be revealed in time, I'm sure. It couldn't possibly be as simple as an organic chemistry reference.
I'm almost 60% sure of it.
:twisted: