With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[Darko]

Yes, he'd known that for a month or two. For the rest of his career he'd thought that the Helm aided the wearer.

Sharing information is something the League wasn't very good at.

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Still the fact that he doesn't seem bothered to be using an enslaved being, even though now he knows his previous assumptions about said being were wrong, seems weird.

 

[thebishop8]

Alan generally says 'space aliens' when I'd just say 'aliens', but for the Amazons just calling then xénos wouldn't make sense.

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Should "then" be "them"?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Should "then" be "them"?

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Thank you, corrected.

Still the fact that he doesn't seem bothered to be using an enslaved being, even though now he knows his previous assumptions about said being were wrong, seems weird.

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He doesn't think of him as being a slave. He thinks of him as a valued advisor who's doing good work that he wants to do.

 

[Stsword]

What series is this?

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I hope you appreciate I had to look it up.

The Witching, 2004.

One of the stars of the comic, Elsa Grimston, is in fact a lunar spirit spiritnapped by her father's sex magic ritual and born as his human daughter, and wants nothing more than to just go back home.

The series starts with her flying to the Moon in her father's magic spaceship only to find Lucifer Morningstar waiting for her. "Sorry, love, you've got some unfinished business back on Earth. Tidy it up and I'll leave you to enjoy your lunar home."

 

[Rafin]

Unsurprisingly, Ancient Greek doesn't have a word for 'space aliens'. Even in English, 'alien' literally just means 'not from around here'. Alan generally says 'space aliens' when I'd just say 'aliens', but for the Amazons just calling them xénos wouldn't make sense. They call Greeks from the mainland xénos. In fact, that's what they usually use the word for; other nationalities are referred to by their name. The sudden need for a word to refer to people and things from a little further afield than Crete led to the Amazons mugging a leaf out of English's book and stealing a loan word

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I'm not sure about Ancient Greek, but modern Greek's word for extraterrestrials is wholly Greek and wholly based on root words that also existed in Ancient Greek. It's εξωγήινοι (pronounced exoghi'ini) and comes from "outside" and "earthen". In other words it literally means extraterrestrials without having any Latin loan words.

 

[Darko]

Thank you, corrected.

He doesn't think of him as being a slave. He thinks of him as a valued advisor who's doing good work that he wants to do.

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You'd think the brand and pained voice would make him think differently.

 

[Mr Zoat]

5th July 2012
08:17 GMT

'I'm pretty sure that of the two of us, I'm not the necromancer'.

That would have been a good comeback. It would have been a dickish thing to say given that she's volunteered to help me, but it's interesting to see that even after everything I can still be too late with a snappy response.

The Martian capital Oll'Sal'us has some surface redevelopment, but the only real external difference between it and the other cities I've visited is that the surface entrances are slightly larger, probably to enable the larger Manhunter ships to enter and exit. One of them passes overhead as we approach, prompting a wave from me and a ducked-head-stare from Natasa.

"You must have seen aircraft before, surely?"

"Not like that. Is she.. here?"

I'm not sure who runs the capital city, but the manual agricultural reclamation appears to be being done almost exclusively by Whites with a few Green… I don't want to say 'overseers'. Line managers? I mean, some of the Greens are doing the same work as the Whites but they're clearly in the minority.

Unless they've all shapeshifted. I suppose. It's not like I could tell.

S'yrra hasn't. The other Red with her has given… This isn't working, themself two extra arms, and the runic charms… Grown? On their clothing indicate that they're the Sorcerer I asked for. The uniformed and armed Manhunters are practically background. I haven't learned Martian body language and their desires aren't focused on anything in particular. They're more job-focused at the moment.

I accelerate us, dropping to the ground just in front of the two Reds. S'yrra is focusing most of her attention on Natasa, who is maintaining a stiff and formal bearing.

"This is.. your necromancer."

Natasa gives her a shallow bow. "I am a priestess of Hades, the God of the Dead of the Hellenes."

"What are Hellenes?"

"The subset of humans from her part of the world. Different religions on Earth have different Gods of the Dead."

The Sorcerer makes.. what I think is a minor warding gesture. Their clothing is partially interfering with my empathic vision and Martian magic appears to only very roughly match up to the particular spells I've learned about on Earth.

"Have you.. tried to speak with Karmang the Good?"

"I have tried, but… I do not believe that he is dead."

The Sorcerer Priest remains completely still.

"Explain."

"Without a link to the living world, shades… Fall into torpor. Which… Makes finding the oldest a simple matter; simply look for the most slumberous. Those who were in life active magic users are easier, those whose great deeds reshaped the world easier still. I have cast around the spirit realms of Mars and I have not found sign of Karmang."

"That is hardly proof. Karmang's knowledge of magic was vast; no doubt there are ways to shield against such spells."

"Yes."

A spectral Red Martian shimmers into existence beside Natasa.

"But my master had no knowledge of them. For all his insight he knew little more than he taught us."

The sorcerer's fingers twitch and flick, arms moving rapidly-. Ah! Creating a runic network through complex ritual gestures! Clever. Humans don't really have the morphology for it, but I've seen Ted's ideas for thaumically active drones that could do something similar. Sand dances in response to the gestures, grey light twinkling around the shade.

"Who were you?"

"I awoke with no name. The one who called himself Karmang named me for the expression on the surface of my mind when he found the cave in which I awoke. Nervous but hopeful."

"Hkronmar." / "H'ronmeer."

The shade makes an affirmative gesture.

"Enunciation changes, even for us. But since it is what you want to know, I have never felt the spirit of my former master lose its material tether. I do not know how he has managed it. He never claimed to have taught us everything that he knew, but death-magic was never my focus either."

The sorcerer's eyes light up.

"I am sharing this meeting with the rest of my order. Master…" They kneel. "The knowledge you could share with us-."

"Is very little. We existed at a strange time with unique challenges, but your research has taken you far further than we could have imagined."

"I apologise for intruding in what I'm sure is a theologically significant moment for you, but-" I gesture to the panting Natasa. "-keeping old shades active isn't easy. Could we move this on to the issue at hand?"

An affirmative gesture from S'yrra. "Yes. Great H'ronmeer, do you know what Karmang the Good's opinion on the different colours of Martians was?"

"Yes, it was a subject that interested him greatly. He strove mightily to understand how a species as protean as ours could have a resting form with particular properties, and what if anything separated the colours."

"I meant, regarding their roles in society."

"Civilisation was still struggling to emerge. There were only eleven of us at Z'onn Z'orr, and it was not until I returned to the caverns that I encountered Green Martians for the first time. Karmang himself gave no commands regarding how we should lead or who should be allowed to occupy what positions. Given that he admitted to ignorance on the subject of colour identity, he would have considered it premature to make a judgement."

"But there were no Green Martians at Z'onn Z'orr."

"Not while I studied there."

"Nor White Martians."

"Not as students, no. But it would hardly have been Z'onn Z'orr without Karmang."

"What..?" The sorcerer ripples. "What do you mean by that?"

"Obviously, that Karmang was White."

Oh.

I… Look around, and see that while not all of the agronomists around us are staring at us, they've all stopped working.

"What?"

"Karmang was White. I was slightly surprised that other Whites existed; I had at first thought that it was only him." The shade turns to Natasa. "I thank you for allowing me to see what Mars has become, but you should not strain yourself so much on my account. Return me to sleep, and wake me again after you have recovered if you have need of me."

Natasa nods gratefully, and the shade evaporates.

"So how's that going to affect discussions?"

S'yrra stares at me, while the sorcerer does the vacant eye glow which indicates heavy telepathic traffic.

"You will get what you want. I'm just not sure what else will happen."

 

[Ngamer11]

"But there were no Green Martians at Z'onn Z'orr."

"Not while I studied there."

"Nor White Martians."

"Not as students, no. But it would hardly have been Z'onn Z'orr without Karmang."

"What..?" The sorcerer ripples. "What do you mean by that?"

"Obviously, that Karmang was White."

Oh.

I… Look around, and see that while not all of the agronomists around us are staring at us, they've all stopped working.

"What?"

"Karmang was White. I was slightly surprised that other Whites existed; I had at first thought that it was only him." The shade turns to Natasa. "I thank you for allowing me to see what Mars has become, but you should not strain yourself so much on my account. Return me to sleep, and wake me again after you have recovered if you have need of me."

Natasa nods gratefully, and the shade evaporates.

"So how's that going to affect discussions?"

S'yrra stares at me, while the sorcerer does the vacant eye glow which indicates heavy telepathic traffic.

"You will get what you want. I'm just not sure what else will happen."

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I'm guessing that all the Martians did the telepathic equivalent of a Big What when he said that Karmang was White. Hopefully this will lead to a peaceful transition to a more egalitarian system on Mars.

 

[hance1986]

"Yes, it was a subject that interested him greatly. He strove mightily to understand how a specie as protean as ours could have a resting form with particular properties, and what if anything separated the colours."

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' species '

 

[The Unaligned Player]

Hopefully this will lead to a peaceful transition to a more egalitarian system on Mars.

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*Heavy blaster fire, eldritch screaming, and explosions are heard in the distance*

 

[FreeGod]

I'm guessing that all the Martians did the telepathic equivalent of a Big What when he said that Karmang was White. Hopefully this will lead to a peaceful transition to a more egalitarian system on Mars.

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I can't bring up real world examples because of forum rules, but I don't think ingrained caste systems works that way.

 

[Darko]

The other Red with hers has given

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'with her'

themself

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Zheself is always opened.

and I have not found sign of Karmang."

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maybe 'a sign'

"Is very little. We existed at a strange time with unique challenges, but your research has taken you far further than we could have imagined."

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I'm reminded of this Harry Potter one shot in which he traveled back to the past to learn from the Founders and came back thinking that he'll dazzle everyone with his knowledge, only to fail because while he may have become a master during the time of the Founders, the wizards of the modern day had developed new and more advanced spells, charms, potions etc, and the knowledge he has is outdated.

This isn't the Nasu universe where people from the past knew more about magic than modern mages.

 

[Ngamer11]

I can't bring up real world examples because of forum rules, but I don't think ingrained caste systems works that way.

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I did say "Hopefully this will lead to a peaceful transition". I fully expect the peaceful transition to happen after a massive upheaval. At least this way there is a chance that things won't be quite as violent as what happened in the Renegade timeline.

 

[hance1986]

I'm guessing that all the Martians did the telepathic equivalent of a Big What when he said that Karmang was White. Hopefully this will lead to a peaceful transition to a more egalitarian system on Mars.

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Yeah but the naysayers can always say it's a human trick. Paul is close friends with a White, M'gann, he wants the color division to be resolved because all Martians are heh, the same. He brought a human necromancer.

 

[Ngamer11]

Yeah but the naysayers can always say it's a human trick. Paul is close friends with a White, M'gann, he wants the color division to be resolved because all Martians are heh, the same. He brought a human necromancer.

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The Red Martian used magic when they saw the shade. They presumably know ways to detect if this was a trick. As such, they know that he is who he says he is, and that what he says is the truth.

 

[Darko]

I'm guessing that all the Martians did the telepathic equivalent of a Big What when he said that Karmang was White. Hopefully this will lead to a peaceful transition to a more egalitarian system on Mars.

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I'm leaning more towards more violence, but probably not as much as that of the renegade side.

Yeah but the naysayers can always say it's a human trick. Paul is close friends with a White, M'gann, he wants the color division to be resolved because all Martians are heh, the same. He brought a human necromancer.

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Sadly, you may be right.

 

[Queshire]

I imagine that Martian telepathy would naturally dissuade them from lying. Would it occur to them to question whether or not this alien necromancer was pulling one over on them?

 

[Darko]

The Red Martian used magic when they saw the shade. They presumably know ways to detect if this was a trick. As such, they know that he is who he says he is, and that what he says is the truth.

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He might know that, but others may still not want to believe it and just make excuses for why it isn't true.

They could say that the Priests unfamiliarity with human magic made his conclusion that it's H'ronmeer seem suspicious.

Hell some of them may say that H'ronmeer is going against the orders of his master for some reason.

Bigots aren't exactly all that prone to reason.

 

[Ngamer11]

He might know that, but others may still not want to believe it and just make excuses for why it isn't true.

They could say that the Priests unfamiliarity with human magic made his conclusion that it's H'ronmeer seem suspicious.

Hell some of them may say that H'ronmeer is going against the orders of his master for some reason.

Bigots aren't exactly all that prone to reason.

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True. However, this may be an unprecedented opportunity for Karmang to show himself now that the truth has been made clear. Or be an opportunity for him to do a decapitation attack on the Reds. Either way, this is all coming to a head very soon.

 

[DrThoth]

I look forward to the fallout of this reveal, but sometimes I feel like this storyline's impact would be stronger if the Renegade version wasn't earlier. I don't have a definite opinion on it but I wonder what the story would be like if they were reversed.

I'm reminded of this Harry Potter one shot in which he traveled back to the past to learn from the Founders and came back thinking that he'll dazzle everyone with his knowledge, only to fail because while he may have become a master during the time of the Founders, the wizards of the modern day had developed new and more advanced spells, charms, potions etc, and the knowledge he has is outdated.

This isn't the Nasu universe where people from the past knew more about magic than modern mages.

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I don't know, you have stuff like the Deathly Hallows that don't seem to be matched by any modern magical advancement, plus no one appears able to replicate the Philosopher's Stone. That one-shot's premise seems logical, but I think the rate of magical advancement in canon is open to interpretation, just because of how vague things are.
I do appreciate Zoat's subversion of 'ancient=superior' though.

 

[Mr Zoat]

' species '

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'with her'

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Thank you, corrected,

Zheself is always opened.

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No, I use that for species who don't have two-sex reproduction, and Martians do.

maybe 'a sign'

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No, that's fine.

This isn't the Nasu universe where people from the past knew more about magic than modern mages.

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People from the past who survived to the modern age probably do, but that's because they're the top fraction of a percent.

 

[Belenus]

"Not as students, no. But it would hardly have been Z'onn Z'orr without Karmang."

"What..?" The sorcerer ripples. "What do you mean by that?"

"Obviously, that Karmang was White."

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Well this is just neat.

 

[Pez]

themself two extra arms

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Zheself is always opened.

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Themselves is the correct word. Google says "zheself" isn't a word, and using "they/them" is considered genderless anyway, and appropriate to use when discussing beings in plural where gender is unknown.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

5th July 2012
08:17 GMT

'I'm pretty sure that of the two of us, I'm not the necromancer'.

That would have been a good comeback. It would have been a dickish thing to say given that she's volunteered to help me, but it's interesting to see that even after everything I can still be too late with a snappy response.

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The good old delayed comeback. Too late to be useful without being a non-sequitor...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

The Martian capital Oll'Sal'us has some surface redevelopment, but the only real external difference between it and the other cities I've visited is that the surface entrances are slightly larger, probably to enable the larger Manhunter ships to enter and exit. One of them passes overhead as we approach, prompting a wave from me and a ducked-head-stare from Natasa.

"You must have seen aircraft before, surely?"

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You expect her to bother looking out for the Invisible Jet? Which is kind of, you know.. Invisible? And I find it unlikely any aircraft would have gotten anywhere near flyover distance of Themyscira thanks to the wards... You know, having a whale-sized (and likely whale-shaped) thing flying nearby is bound to trigger the ducking reflex, no matter how far away.

"Not like that. Is she.. here?"

I'm not sure who runs the capital city, but the manual agricultural reclamation appears to be being done almost exclusively by Whites with a few Green… I don't want to say 'overseers'. Line managers? I mean, some of the Greens are doing the same work as the Whites but they're clearly in the minority.

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At least they aren't wandering about with rifles and whips?

Unless they've all shapeshifted. I suppose. It's not like I could tell.

S'yrra hasn't. The other Red with hers has given… This isn't working, themself two extra arms, and the runic charms… Grown? On their clothing indicate that they're the Sorcerer I asked for. The uniformed and armed Manhunters are practically background. I haven't learned Martian body language and their desires aren't focused on anything in particular. They're more job-focused at the moment.

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It says so much about OL that local law enforcement get about as much comment as furniture...

I accelerate us, dropping to the ground just in front of the two Reds. S'yrra is focusing most of her attention on Natasa, who is maintaining a stiff and formal bearing.

"This is.. your necromancer."

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I mean, I doubt Natasa is wearing any kind of fancy robes. Maybe a black mantle over regular clothes? Hardly the stereotypical necromancer look... You know, what would a Martian Necromancer stereotype be like, I wonder?

Natasa gives her a shallow bow. "I am a priestess of Hades, the God of the Dead of the Hellenes."

"What are Hellenes?"

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I wonder, do Martians really grok the differences in human cultures? I mean, some of their communities may have slight differences, but Mars is largely a monoculture...

"The subset of humans from her part of the world. Different religions on Earth have different Gods of the Dead."

The Sorcerer makes.. what I think is a minor warding gesture. Their clothing is partially interfering with my empathic vision and Martian magic appears to only very roughly match up to the particular spells I've learned about on Earth.

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Different culture, different mentality, different magic. And the extra hands do make it a lot easier to weave magical sigils...

"Have you.. tried to speak with Karmang the Good?"

"I have tried, but… I do not believe that he is dead."

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Yeah, that'll get quite the reaction...

The Sorcerer Priest remains completely still.

"Explain."

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...Just not the obvious physical one, of course. I bet he had to hold back a mental **What?**

"Without a link to the living world, shades… Fall into torpor. Which… Makes finding the oldest a simple matter; simply look for the most slumberous. Those who were in life active magic users are easier, those whose great deeds reshaped the world easier still. I have cast around the spirit realms of Mars and I have not found sign of Karmang."

"That is hardly proof. Karmang's knowledge of magic was vast; no doubt there are ways to shield against such spells."

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Indeed. But would ancient sorcerers feel the need to use them? After all, most seeking them would believe they'd use such spells to defend themselves... Who'd think they'd go without? Headology: not just for Witches!

"Yes."

A spectral Red Martian shimmers into existence besides Natasa.

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Oh, my. Someone who did know Karmang, I see? At least her trip wasn't entirely wasted.

"But my master had no knowledge of them. For all his insight he knew little more than he taught us."

The sorcerer's fingers twitch and flick, arms moving rapidly-. Ah! Creating a runic network through complex ritual gestures! Clever. Humans don't really have the morphology for it, but I've seen Ted's ideas for thaumically active drones that could do something similar. Sand dances in response to the gestures, grey light twinkling around the shade.

Click to shrink...

I bet if they had pseudopod tendrils or tentacles attached to the fingers, they could weave entire glyphs using only their flesh... The alternative is that they use finger-stances ala Naruto...

"Who were you?"

"I awoke with no name. The one who called himself Karmang named me for the expression on the surface of my mind when he found the cave in which I awoke. Nervous but hopeful."

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Well, there's a name to live with. Bet he got a few chuckles from his companions over the years... Unless they had equally odd names.

"Hkronmar." / "H'ronmeer."

The shade makes an affirmative gesture.

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Oh, my. That's a bomb. If the locals actually believe it is H'ronmeer, this is going to be a major shake-up!

"Enunciation changes, even for us. But since it is what you want to know, I have never felt the spirit of my former master lose its material tether. I do not know how he has managed it. He never claimed to have taught us everything that he knew, but death-magic was never my focus either."

The sorcerer's eyes light up.

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With excitement? With shock? With telepathic contact? Hmm... Could a living Martian make contact with the mind of a ghost? Or does the lack of a physical brain make for too large an obstacle?

"I am sharing this meeting with the rest of my order. Master…" They kneel. "The knowledge you could share with us-."

"Is very little. We existed at a strange time with unique challenges, but your research has taken you far further than we could have imagined."

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A nice turnaround of the 'Ancient mages knew so much that we have lost' trope. I bet a lot of spells have changed over the eons, just from a safety angle. No 'cast from hit points' rubbish these days!

"I apologise for intruding in what I'm sure is a theologically significant moment for you, but-" I gesture to the panting Natasa. "-keeping old shades active isn't easy. Could we move this on to the issue at hand?"

An affirmative gesture from S'yrra. "Yes. Great H'ronmeer, do you know what Karmang the Good's opinion on the different colours of Martians was?"

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Oh, boy, here we go...

"Yes, it was a subject that interested him greatly. He strove mightily to understand how a specie as protean as ours could have a resting form with particular properties, and what if anything separated the colours."

"I meant, regarding their roles in society."

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That is an interesting question, really. Why do Martians have a 'base' form as such? Does using a form other than their default take a toll on their power? A sort of metamorphic upkeep? I wonder what Mars' Red has to say on the matter...

"Civilisation was still struggling to emerge. There were only eleven of us at Z'onn Z'orr, and it was not until I returned to the caverns that I encountered Green Martians for the first time. Karmang himself gave no commands regarding how we should lead or who should be allowed to occupy what positions. Given that he admitted to ignorance on the subject of colour identity, he would have considered it premature to make a judgement."

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Heh. And that alone is telling. 'Ignorant of colour identity'? There's another bomb.

"But there were no Green Martians at Z'onn Z'orr."

"Not while I studied there."

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But wait, there's more bombs to drop, and this one's a doozie!

"Nor White Martians."

"Not as students, no. But it would hardly have been Z'onn Z'orr without Karmang."

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Those words alone would shake Mars up...

"What..?" The sorcerer ripples. "What do you mean by that?"

"Obviously, that Karmang was White."

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...But these will set it on fire. And they will, because there's a lot of people around to hear that. And no sooner will they register what was said then it'll be passed on to others. "Hey, I just heard the ghost of H'ronmeer say Karmang the Good was a White!" Yeah, that statement will be heard on the other side of Mars before this scene will be done...

Oh.

I… Look around, and see that while not all of the agronomists around us are staring at us, they've all stopped working.

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Yep. They're taking it in, and some will already be passing it on. Just that aura of shock is telling.

"What?"

"Karmang was White. I was slightly surprised that other Whites existed; I had at first thought that it was only him." The shade turns to Natasa. "I thank you for allowing me to see what Mars has become, but you should not strain yourself so much on my account. Return me to sleep, and wake me again after you have recovered if you have need of me."

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I suspect, if the Sorceror wasn't flying, he would have collapsed on his ass... And will no doubt want to learn necromancy just to get to talk to H'ronmeer and others again...

Natasa nods gratefully, and the shade evaporates.

"So how's that going to affect discussions?"

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Give them a moment to drink in that little reveal, OL. Their world has literally just been flipped over.

S'yrra stares at me, while the sorcerer does the vacant eye glow which indicates heavy telepathic traffic.

"You will get what you want. I'm just not sure what else will happen."

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OL might have to wait while the world takes in the news... No way will this stay quiet, no matter how much the Reds try to cover it up.

You know that saying about rumours being halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on? This time, the Truth got a headstart! This could trigger an uprising that makes the average Martian race riot look like toddlers slap-fighting... And the Hyperclan are no doubt going to take advantage of it.

 

[DrThoth]

I wonder if we'll find out the exact origins of anti-Whiteness and formalization of the caste system in this episode; Natasa or another necromancer could feasibly summon more and more recent shades and thus gather information on changing attitudes and social values. Honestly given the existence of telepathic knowledge transfer that would presumably be used between generations, there being anything like lost knowledge seems unlikely to me, except by deliberate obfuscation and censorship.

 

[Darko]

You expect her to bother looking out for the Invisible Jet? Which is kind of, you know.. Invisible? And I find it unlikely any aircraft would have gotten anywhere near flyover distance of Themyscira thanks to the wards... You know, having a whale-sized (and likely whale-shaped) thing flying nearby is bound to trigger the ducking reflex, no matter how far away.

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Well Steve Trevor came to Themyscira from a plane in most versions, so maybe she has seen some.

At least they aren't wandering about with rifles and whips?

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Well not the physical kind.

The telepathic kind is a different matter.

I mean, I doubt Natasa is wearing any kind of fancy robes. Maybe a black mantle over regular clothes? Hardly the stereotypical necromancer look... You know, what would a Martian Necromancer stereotype be like, I wonder?

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I think they mentioned that they don't really have a necromantic tradition, at least not in the modern day.

Apparently, Mars doesn't have a necromantic tradition

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[Handlewithcare]

That Red Priest was obviously paid by the human! He was a shapeshifted White all along! He was well meaning but deceived! And even if we beleive that, we shouldn't rush things. The old order isn't really that bad.

Rapid change would only mean Chaos, we need to discuss things.

Why, some of my best friends are White and they all told me they are happy.

 

[Stsword]

I don't know, you have stuff like the Deathly Hallows that don't seem to be matched by any modern magical advancement, plus no one appears able to replicate the Philosopher's Stone. That one-shot's premise seems logical, but I think the rate of magical advancement in canon is open to interpretation, just because of how vague things are.
I do appreciate Zoat's subversion of 'ancient=superior' though.

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Modern wizard society in the Harry Potter books, at the very least, knew enough about thaumatology that even people who hadn't even graduated Hogwarts could invent new spells/potions.

Snape invented new spells while he was a student, it's implied Hermione did the same, and the twins sold things they invented in their joke shop.

So magic is a science they understand well enough that making new spells seems to be analogous to writing a new computer program in terms of achievement.

Which suggests progress not regression, with new spells constantly being invented, advancing the state of the art.

Obviously not all new spells are shared, hence why not everyone has a philosopher's stone, so it would seem some spells were lost to the ravages of time.

 

[webxro]

If they believe that the shade is who he claims to be then, or even if he's just a random shade they dug up to claim what they want to claim, they just proved that talking to the dead is possible on Mars. Sorcerers would instantly go work on this because it instantly becomes the cool new thing, and they will have some success eventually, I mean knowing that is possible is half the issue sometimes.

 

[PDV]

"You will get what you want. I'm just not sure what else will happen."

Click to shrink...

That's it, that's the show. Game. Fic. $MEDIA_TYPE.