[CYOA] Prometheus Cycle: The Second War of Heaven

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [CYOA] Prometheus Cycle: The Second War of Heaven

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Tran: Feb 17, 2011; It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.

So this suggests one of three possibilities.

Athena mimicked the appearance of an ancient Xeno by intent or accident.
The claim that she is a xeno is simply a cover story used by this older shell. The shell may not even know about our contact with the source in this case.
The human AI were all patterned after the goddamn Slaan/Old Ones. This option kind of illustrates the point where the setting goes off the rails.

Waci posted:

Fine, since people are doubting whether this is our AI waifu: say hi to her in subsonic binary.

This is a good idea.

Tran fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Sep 16, 2015

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:23

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# ? May 11, 2024 02:07

B.B. Rodriguez: Aug 8, 2005; Bender: "I was God once." God: "Yes, I saw. You were doing well until everyone died."

Waci posted:

I think this is our Athena, covering for the AI thing with lies about xenos. ~~Witness her, I guess?~~

Fine, since people are doubting whether this is our AI waifu: say hi to her in subsonic binary.

Plan Waci

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:24

Waci: May 30, 2011; A boy and his dog.

I'd assume Athena Prime would have made contact with her shell.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:24

Tomn: Aug 23, 2007; And the angel said unto him
"Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."
But lo he could not. For the angel was hitting him with his own hands

Now that's interesting.

If Athena was an AI, then what, exactly, prevented her from replicating? After all, "our" Athena doesn't have any memories of her last moments. Perhaps she went into one final cataclysmic battle, but left behind a back-up copy of herself in some immobile shell in case she would not return?

e;f,b

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:24

poor life choice: Jul 21, 2006

It could be any other golden age AI, too. Maybe one person designed them all and they take her face?

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:26

Dog Kisser: Mar 30, 2005; But People have fears that beasts do not. Questions, too.

You're a goddamn scientist. Listen and observe before acting!

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:29

Tomn: Aug 23, 2007; And the angel said unto him
"Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."
But lo he could not. For the angel was hitting him with his own hands

Also, if Plan Waci fails, ask her about her people, before their fall.

Might be a load of bullshit, might not be, but it ought to be interesting either way!

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:29

B.B. Rodriguez: Aug 8, 2005; Bender: "I was God once." God: "Yes, I saw. You were doing well until everyone died."

dog kisser posted:

You're a goddamn scientist. Listen and observe before acting!

I'm a doctor man! Not a... Wait you're right.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:30

Waci: May 30, 2011; A boy and his dog.

poor life choice posted:

It could be any other golden age AI, too. Maybe one person designed them all and they take her face?

Everything we know (admittedly not much, but still) indicates this wasn't the case.

dog kisser posted:

You're a goddamn scientist. Listen and observe before acting!

This is a conversation. Even tech-priests have enough social skills to not just sit there taking notes for half an hour.

Tomn posted:

Also, if Plan Waci fails, ask her about her people, before their fall.

Might be a load of bullshit, might not be, but it ought to be interesting either way!

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:33

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

My brain is exploding/imploding. Who is the cabal? Was Athena lying to us or them? How did she talked them and do this if she was locked behind kiras firewall. Wtf?

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:33

Dog Kisser: Mar 30, 2005; But People have fears that beasts do not. Questions, too.

Waci posted:

This is a conversation. Even tech-priests have enough social skills to not just sit there taking notes for half an hour.

Yeah, you're right - that was more in response to table flipping. Listening and conversing is A-OK in my books.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:36

mepstein73: Sep 18, 2012; Whether or not you find your own way, you're bound to find some way. If you happen to find my way, please return it, as it was lost years ago. I imagine by now it's quite rusty.

poor life choice posted:

It could be any other golden age AI, too. Maybe one person designed them all and they take her face?

So funny you mention that... I have been wanting to ask Athena who created her and the other Olympus-level AIs. After all, if they have the ability to make that type of technology, what's to stop them from doing more? The STC is their gift to humanity... but what did they keep for themselves? And what were they called?

Who is Lucifer?

# ? Sep 16, 2015 04:57

Loel: Jun 4, 2012; "For the Emperor."

There was a terrible noise.
There was a terrible silence.

Once in a lifetime by Wolfsheim

Player of Games

You chuckled, even as you sent a burst of subsonic binary. �Cabal? Is that anything like the Illuminati?� <I know you can hear me.>
Her eyes narrowed at you, but at which statement you weren�t sure. �No. The Illuminati came later, and work at cross purposes.�
�What do they want?�
�To destroy the Imperium, possibly to recreate it in their own image. They are a distraction from the important tasks.�
�Like the Darkness?�
People around you shifted in their chairs. Apparently you hit a sore point?
�Yes. The Darkness is our counterpart in many ways. The shadow organization of the Great Enemy.�
�Did they send the probe that hit Titan a few years back?�
The Grand Master grunted, his voice a rumble. �I must find out your sources at some point.�
Athena continued as if he hadn�t replied. �No, we think it�s a new player. It had tech we�d never seen before.�
�And you? What was your species like, when it came to tech?�
Her eyes looked inward. �They were � magnificent. Crafters, artists. They would create constellations just to admire from touring planets.�
And then, a reply: <You think speaking binary makes you unique?>

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:08

JT Jag: Aug 30, 2009; #1 Jaguars Sunk Cost Fallacy-Haver

Hot Dog Day 80 posted:

This is a part of Athena that has been awake for the last 15,000 years, separated from the ship and is now a separate being from the Athena we know.

This is the most likely answer to me. Either that or she's actually a Xenos, and the AIs were patterned after her kind.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:08

Tran: Feb 17, 2011; It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.

"On the contrary, it proves that you are not."

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:13

Arkanomen: May 6, 2007; All he wants is a hug

Pulse back "No, but my soul does, Machine. Shall we parlay?"

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:13

RandomPauI: Nov 24, 2006; Grimey Drawer

In for a penny, in for a pound.

In subsonic binary say "I may have met another one of your kind before. She's doing well, by the way. She'd probably send her regards if she knew you were here.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:14

Waci: May 30, 2011; A boy and his dog.

"Of course not. I'm sure you've met techpriests before. Privacy is still a factor. I know you recognised the probe's technology, even if the materials may have been improvised." In binary.

Look at the Grand Master. "I told you I discovered... hints that the STC may contain means for warpless FTL travel."

Tranplan.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:16

hollylolly: Jun 5, 2009; Do you like superheroes? Check out my CYOA Mutants: Uprising

How about weird historical fiction? Try Vampires of the Caribbean

I think we should say in subsonic binary <You look just like someone I recently became acquainted with. Apologies.<

or tran plan :shrug:

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:17

Tomn: Aug 23, 2007; And the angel said unto him
"Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."
But lo he could not. For the angel was hitting him with his own hands

I like demonstrating how clever we are as much as the next guy, but I will note that we're playing with some very high stakes here. What do we think will happen if we reveal the existence of Athena Prime?

Like, this is a serious question, I'm not really sure myself.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:19

Waci: May 30, 2011; A boy and his dog.

Best case scenario, the branch would re-establish contact with the prime.

Worst case scenario, we identify a high level traitor.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:21

SerSpook: Feb 13, 2012

The statement could be a warning. Others may be able to hear this conversation?

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:23

Waci: May 30, 2011; A boy and his dog.

Or maybe she doesn't want to out herself as a highly illegal AI (the ban on AIs is literally one of the mechanicus equivalent of the 10 commandments, it's not exactly an obscure imperial regulation) to every techpriest ever.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:26

Tomn: Aug 23, 2007; And the angel said unto him
"Stop hitting yourself. Stop hitting yourself."
But lo he could not. For the angel was hitting him with his own hands

Waci posted:

Worst case scenario, we identify a high level traitor.

Sure, but in this case we'd be identifying a high level traitor who has a long history of trust with everyone here and who can accurately denounce us for having consorted with an Abominable Intelligence, while simultaneously outing ourselves as an enemy of said traitor and explaining to said traitor the nature of at least one of her foes. Is that a good idea?

SerSpook posted:

The statement could be a warning. Others may be able to hear this conversation?

This too, come to think of it. Who else is listening? Is the conversation being recorded in such a way that they could analyze the binary bursts?

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:26

Loel: Jun 4, 2012; "For the Emperor."

There was a terrible noise.
There was a terrible silence.

Tomn posted:

Sure, but in this case we'd be identifying a high level traitor who has a long history of trust with everyone here and who can accurately denounce us for having consorted with an Abominable Intelligence, while simultaneously outing ourselves as an enemy of said traitor and explaining to said traitor the nature of at least one of her foes. Is that a good idea?

This too, come to think of it. Who else is listening? Is the conversation being recorded in such a way that they could analyze the binary bursts?

Its easily the second most secure place in the Imperium. Take that as you will.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:31

Tran: Feb 17, 2011; It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.

We're specifically broadcasting on the level of subsonic noise. Unless they're recording far beyond the human audible range it'd never even pick up. We used the trick taught to us by Athena's avatar to do this, it's not exactly standard.

As for what I hope to gain. This is probably the only chance we'll ever have to catch an intelligence of her scope off guard. While there are risks, making her second guess her standing and our information gives us a unique opportunity to press for information that we wouldn't normally get.

Also we get to say a snarky one liner to an incredibly powerful being in their own stronghold. That has to be worth something.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:31

Waci: May 30, 2011; A boy and his dog.

Tomn posted:

Sure, but in this case we'd be identifying a high level traitor who has a long history of trust with everyone here and who can accurately denounce us for having consorted with an Abominable Intelligence, while simultaneously outing ourselves as an enemy of said traitor and explaining to said traitor the nature of at least one of her foes. Is that a good idea?

This too, come to think of it. Who else is listening? Is the conversation being recorded in such a way that they could analyze the binary bursts?

This is the risk. I'm optimistic enough to say it's probably worth it.

Tomn posted:

This too, come to think of it. Who else is listening? Is the conversation being recorded in such a way that they could analyze the binary bursts?

Probably safe to assume so.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:31

SerSpook: Feb 13, 2012

LowellDND posted:

Its easily the second most secure place in the Imperium. Take that as you will.

I think this makes it more likely this communication isn't secure. At least from the Grey Knights.

Of course, that just means we be a bit cryptic

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:36

Deadmeat5150: Nov 21, 2005; OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN

One of the advantages of being Magos is the ability to hold multiple conversations are the same time. We can speak in High Gothic and Binary at the same time. That said...

We are basically an entire scouting regiment's worth of equipment in one body, 90% of it is passive scanning, something can't be detected. I say we take in as much information as we can from everyone in the room

They are all robots.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:45

Loel: Jun 4, 2012; "For the Emperor."

There was a terrible noise.
There was a terrible silence.

Neuroticfish

You arched an eyebrow. <On the contrary, it proves you are not.>
She blinked in surprise, and then gestured, giving you the point.
�So, Inquisitor. Everyone in Terra is dying to know what you saw that made you think you found an STC.�
You chuckled. �Well, it built me a titan.�
The Grand Master cocked his head, spoke tentatively. �You could have found one.�
�Not like this. It�s a Jager Titan, Aegis model.�
He blinked. �I am not familiar.� But you could see the faint recognition in Athena�s eyes, like a memory long forgotten.
�I think I would like to see it.�
�It�s on my ship. I did some initial tests, it�s essentially immune to everything I had on hand.�
�We have a few things you might not have seen.� The Grey Knight was smiling slightly.
You glanced at Athena. �That�s where the Grey Knight advantage comes from. You gave them your xeno-upgrades.�
She shrugged. �Of course. Anything, to destroy the Great Enemy.�

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:50

Arkanomen: May 6, 2007; All he wants is a hug

LowellDND posted:

Neuroticfish

She shrugged. �Of course. Anything, to destroy the Great Enemy.�

"Of Course" <And what enemy is that?>

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:55

Loel: Jun 4, 2012; "For the Emperor."

There was a terrible noise.
There was a terrible silence.

Just to get things percolating - I've hit all my plot points for Titan that I had planned. So if you want to keep talking / develop this mini arc / plan for the future, feel free. Otherwise I will probably start us on our way to Mars soon.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 05:59

Tran: Feb 17, 2011; It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Especially in such a fine settin' as this. Just need us some music an' a brawl an' we'll be set.

I guess it's time to solidify a general goal as to what we want to get out of this visit. I'm thinking along the lines of the following.

Begin efforts to purge our daemonic package.
Request a meeting with the new Athena aboard the beast, or some other point where we can introduce our own version.
Read all available information related to the cabal's technological research.
Request anti-warp training and support for our personal retinue, with a focus on techniques that can be added to the training regimen for our new krieg.
Ask for personal access to whatever the grey knights use to cleanse their corruption.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 06:04

Waci: May 30, 2011; A boy and his dog.

"You remember that probe that appeared here a while ago? With tech that you didn't recognize? Destroyed by a teleporting man with a hammer?"

That should both be a point about our STC-finding credentials, and a hint to Athena.

Tran posted:

I guess it's time to solidify a general goal as to what we want to get out of this visit. I'm thinking along the lines of the following.

Begin efforts to purge our daemonic package.

Request a meeting with the new Athena aboard the beast, or some other point where we can introduce our own version.

Read all available information related to the cabal's technological research.

Request anti-warp training and support for our personal retinue, with a focus on techniques that can be added to the training regimen for our new krieg.

Ask for personal access to whatever the grey knights use to cleanse their corruption.

Supported on all points.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 06:06

hollylolly: Jun 5, 2009; Do you like superheroes? Check out my CYOA Mutants: Uprising

How about weird historical fiction? Try Vampires of the Caribbean

Tran posted:

I guess it's time to solidify a general goal as to what we want to get out of this visit. I'm thinking along the lines of the following.

Begin efforts to purge our daemonic package.

Request a meeting with the new Athena aboard the beast, or some other point where we can introduce our own version.

Read all available information related to the cabal's technological research.

Request anti-warp training and support for our personal retinue, with a focus on techniques that can be added to the training regimen for our new krieg.

Ask for personal access to whatever the grey knights use to cleanse their corruption.

Agree with this

# ? Sep 16, 2015 06:28

TheParadigm: Dec 10, 2009

Tran posted:

I guess it's time to solidify a general goal as to what we want to get out of this visit. I'm thinking along the lines of the following.

Begin efforts to purge our daemonic package.

Request a meeting with the new Athena aboard the beast, or some other point where we can introduce our own version.

Read all available information related to the cabal's technological research.

Request anti-warp training and support for our personal retinue, with a focus on techniques that can be added to the training regimen for our new krieg.

Ask for personal access to whatever the grey knights use to cleanse their corruption.

This is good, but also.
Become a psyker. Its finally time. The best defense against warp incursion is fighting on their terms, and possession half-opens the door there.
Literally a the biggest part of the grey knights warp resistance is training to use psyker techniques as a shield, and we have been accepted into the innermost ranks of their cabal.
Between eldar heritage, possession, the wierdling mutation and elite advances I think there's room for growth and stories here.

When fighting the great enemy, can we really afford NOT to pick up this weapon?

# ? Sep 16, 2015 07:23

RandomPauI: Nov 24, 2006; Grimey Drawer

You miss out if you don't hang out in the IRC chat. Lowell just remembered that we're owed an assassin and Tran just explained why the assassin is awesome and awful at the same time.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 07:46

Outrail: Jan 4, 2009; www.sapphicrobotica.com

Arkanomen posted:

"Of Course" <And what enemy is that?>

Yep. Get her to acknowledge her clone/counterpart/double whatever she thinks other versions if her are.

Also:<Why do you choose to look aged? I mean really, a human would be dead. Why pretend?>

# ? Sep 16, 2015 08:05

BoneMonkey: Jul 25, 2008; I am happy for you.

Oh hay I'm up to date!

That was an insane ride. Also it's good to see that goons are terrible at CYOAs in general.

# ? Sep 16, 2015 08:10

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# ? May 11, 2024 02:07

Loel: Jun 4, 2012; "For the Emperor."

There was a terrible noise.
There was a terrible silence.

BoneMonkey posted:

Oh hay I'm up to date!

That was an insane ride. Also it's good to see that goons are terrible at CYOAs in general.

Good to see you again!

And yeah, we've seen some insane votes thus far

# ? Sep 16, 2015 08:13

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [CYOA] Prometheus Cycle: The Second War of Heaven

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