RichardWhereat
Aia airëa Fëanáro.
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To the left of the Milky Ways generally, under the counter.
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To the left of the Milky Ways generally, under the counter.
Orange light shenanigans, probably. Branding, assimilation, rewriting desires. Or just letting it read his mind to learn his name.Also, how did he defeat what I presume to be a Burning Martian?
Now I'm interested in what this version of Paul did with all his time. Also, how did he defeat what I presume to be a Burning Martian?
Is Ra's al Ghul aware of the Ancestor? If he is, maybe he can get his son to stand down."Mister Duvall didn't exactly strike me as the patient type, but maybe you could work something out. How long were you figuring?"
That should say 'that'."Yes. That walks and fires rays from its eyes than can transfer the spirit of the dead H'v'ler'ni inside it into the body of anyone it can see. Now, it sleeps."
Not magic? Bart frowned. What does that mean? 'Fabricate' comes from the Latin 'fabricationem', meaning building something. Nano… From 'nanos'? Dwarf? Put the two together and what do you get? A small building? Something small that builds?
Disease. They met men who had diseases they had no knowledge of, and most of their civilisation died as a result."
Though there was no particular accusation in the man's voice, Bart couldn't help but think of what happened to every Indian tribe who ran into white men. Sure, he knew that Europeans used to throw rotting cow carcases over the walls during sieges to try and spread disease amongst their enemies so it wasn't like it was anything unique, but he'd seen whole redskin villages filled up with smallpox victims.
A machine. It makes very small things and puts them together. Rock is strong, but it is simple."
"Your tribe selling those?"
"It is part of the last H'v'ler'ni city. Their machines are more complex even than what the white men from Europe make. Even if it were possible to remove it, it would not be wise."
"Mister Duvall didn't exactly strike me as the patient type, but maybe you could work something out. How long were you figuring
The Ancestor said about three hundred more years."
Bart winces. "Yeah, he ain't that patient. So, does he know this place is here?"
Hah hah! Fight it? No. If it awakens my tribe will do as the Ancestor said and flee to the four corners of the world to try to find him or another like him, someone who might be able to contain it and return it to sleep. We want to keep Mister Duvall away for the good of your people, for they are the ones who it will turn its rage upon once we have fled. So, for their sake."
Bart nods. A difficult task. And worse, no obvious way to make money from it. He needed more information
Well, that doesn't sound pleasant at all, no sir. It seems they're being brought to one of those plentiful-in-DC hidden ancient cities filled with advanced technology... But for what reason?January 8th, 1857
Midday
"Well that there looks like a wall."
Bart tried to cover up how relieved the idea that this whole thing wasn't going anywhere made him. Past the fairy trees lay a fairly steep incline, the sort of thing that could easily break a man's neck if he weren't riding real careful. The slope formed part of the edge of a pit, like someone pulled a plug out of the ground, or someone drilled a great borehole. There was a path around the rim, but if you missed it…
Yes, like so many other hidden cities, it's well protected, I'll bet. No doubt their guide's tribe plays a part in keeping it secret.He tried to ignore the yellowing bones in the pool at the bottom. The one he caught a glimpse of before he pulled his eyes away looked like a deer, and if the local redskins knew not to come here that might be all there was.
But now they were as far down as the path went, and there was a solid-looking piece of stone projecting out of the stony root-bound soil.
Ah, Americans. Always going to 'blow shit up' as their first option..."We come down in the wrong hole?"
He had some dynamite in his panniers… But he didn't think the redskins would want him blowing up their holy place, even if was just a hole in the ground.
Not unsurprising. If it isn't a city of advanced technolgoy, it'll be a city of advanced magic. Though at some point, they're basically the same thing.The guide look a pebble out of his belt pouch and tapped it against the rock surface, which melted and Bart found himself looking longingly back at the rim of the hole.
Scalphunter nods. "Magic. Strong magic."
Well puzzled out, Bat. And it's certainly a strange concept to an era where machines tend to be enormous things made of steel and iron, belching flames and steam..."No." The guide put the stone back. "Nanofabricators."
Not magic? Bart frowned. What does that mean? 'Fabricate' comes from the Latin 'fabricationem', meaning building something. Nano… From 'nanos'? Dwarf? Put the two together and what do you get? A small building? Something small that builds? Alright, it wasn't a big hole that opened up, they'd have to lead the horses on foot, but-.
Hey now. How did a redskin know Latin?
You sound kinda disappointed, Scalphunter.
Whereas technology, if it's self-maintaining, can work for millennia."It has been a long time since our tribe had a medicine man who could command spirits to make rock run like water. Even the greatest spells fade over time."
Bart shrugs as he followed them into the gloom.
Hidden overhead lamps, eh? Probably seem like magic to untrained tribesmen. But evidently someone trained the Guide's people... One guess who?"Alright, I'll bite. What the hell is a nanofabricator?"
Behind them, the rock… Grows back, putting them all in the dark for a moment before light starts shining down from somewhere near the stone roof. Bart takes a moment to peer up, but he can't tell exactly where it's coming from.
Given Shaman Paul would have been around for at least 100,000 years... I'm not surprised he was acquainted with many of the hidden peoples of DC Earth..."Before men came to these lands, there was another, older people here before us. The Ancestor knew them while they lived here still."
"What did they call themselves?"
Ah, the age-old demonstration of succeeding too well. That's why you don't erase all diseases in your people. You just make them tough enough to shrug off infections."The Ancestor taught us that they were called H'v'ler'ni. I have no record of what they called themselves."
That name didn't match any of the redskin languages Bart knew. And from the looks of it Scalphunter didn't recognise it either.
Heh. That's a common problem with such things. Even today, artwork made in the renaissance period can fade and disappear. Though sometimes, it's easy to mess up the restoration..."What sort of people were they?"
"There are drawing here, if you want to see them. But it has been many generations, refreshed many times. I doubt that they show them as they are."
While I doubt either of these guys is quite self-aware enough for an awkward silence, that can't be comfortable."What happened to them?"
"Disease. They met men who had diseases they had no knowledge of, and most of their civilisation died as a result."
And for the most part, early occurrences were completely accidental...Though there was no particular accusation in the man's voice, Bart couldn't help but think of what happened to every Indian tribe who ran into white men. Sure, he knew that Europeans used to throw rotting cow carcases over the walls during sieges to try and spread disease amongst their enemies so it wasn't like it was anything unique, but he'd seen whole redskin villages filled up with smallpox victims.
"And the rest?"
Well, at least he's savvy enough to see how things are probably going to go..."Some fled. They may be a problem some day, but they will not be my problem. The rest changed themselves so that they would no longer be vulnerable to weaknesses of the body. Those are my problem. And if we are unfortunate, yours as well."
"We're already down here. Seems to me they're already our problem. And you haven't told me what a nanofabricator is yet."
That'd be like selling nukes to cavemen. I can't imagine how many ways that could go wrong..."A machine. It makes very small things and puts them together. Rock is strong, but it is simple."
"Your tribe selling those?"
I'd say premature, but he's probably only ever encountered things like Mesa Verde's Cliff Palace dwellings..."It is part of the last H'v'ler'ni city. Their machines are more complex even than what the white men from Europe make. Even if it were possible to remove it, it would not be wise."
"Nice city." Bart taps the rock wall with his left hand. "Rocky."
...That's rather specific..."They destroyed the surface when they left. What is left is underground."
"And you want to keep people away?"
"We want to keep people away for now."
Given the character of the era, that might be some time yet...Scalphunter frowns. "What do you mean?"
"We want to keep people away because it's dangerous. Far more dangerous than anyone except the Ancestor could understand. But it was his expectation that eventually man would be strong and wise enough to cope with it. Once that day arrives, we will happily stand aside."
Always a fun contrast between the ancient and the 'modern' architecture. As for Duvall... I suspect he'll have to go jump.He bows his head as they come to the end of the corridor, the passage opening out into a cave-. No, that ain't no cave. The walls are perfectly flat, painted white and far too angular to be natural. Their guide leads his horse to a wooden stall that doesn't fit the location at all, and Bart and Scalphunter guide their own horses in next to it.
"Mister Duvall didn't exactly strike me as the patient type, but maybe you could work something out. How long were you figuring?"
...Which would put the likely time around the mid twenty-first century... Though knowing DC, it ended up being sooner in Canon..."The Ancestor said about three hundred more years."
Bart winces. "Yeah, he ain't that patient. So, does he know this place is here?"
...Well, he's not doing a very good job of it so far. Typical villain."As far as we know, he only knows that there is something in our territory and that some of the tribe know where it is."
"Explains the attacks. He's trying to get someone to come forward."
Not everything can be solved by killing, Scalphunter. A lot of things, but it's sometimes more trouble than it's worth.Scalphunter scowls a little more as their guide leads them further inside… And Bart realises that the man never actually gave them a name.
"It would be easier to kill him."
And more and more often, I bet.The guide shakes his head. "Others will have heard. In time, they will come. It is unfortunate."
Bart nods. "That's one way of putting it."
That's a fun image. A Native American holding their own Olympics."For many generations, my tribe believed that if we increased our strength, we would be granted the full power of this place. We heard the Ancestor's tales of athletic competitions of Ancestor Greece, so we trained our bodies as they did. We lifted weights, ran, practised wrestling, archery and sword fighting. And we did not understand when he told us that would never be enough." He looks back for a moment as they come into a new room. "And then we met the white man, and his muskets and rifles and cannons. Then, we understood."
If they're advanced enough for nanotech, I expect lots of ray-guns."They had cannons?"
"They have weapons more powerful than yours by many times the difference between a rifle and a bow. But those are not the problem."
...Ohhh, shit. This place just got that much scarier.In the next room there's some sort of display case. Bart walks over to take a close l-.
"What the hell is that?"
...A Burning Martian is less of a danger than what he's going to show them? Oh, boy.The guide doesn't spare it a glance, walking over to a metal wall and tapping his stone against it once more.
"That is the head of the Martian that the Ancestor slew. This is the problem."
Red lights, huh? That's never a good sign.The metal sheet drops slowly into the floor, and Bart braces himself for whatever's got these people so scared.
Looks like… A small white… Barn, with red lanterns inside. Confused, he takes a step closer. What's so scary about a…
Yeah, that's a kill-bot, that is. Nice self-censoring there, Bat.
...Howzabout you guys close the door, let it keep napping..."That a statue?"
"Yes. That walks and fires rays from its eyes than can transfer the spirit of the dead H'v'ler'ni inside it into the body of anyone it can see. Now, it sleeps."
I bet he's already working out how to kill it.Bart tears his eyes away from it, and-. And gets an idea of the size of the thing by comparing it to the Indians standing on the ground in front of it and the gantries around it. It must be about a hundred feet tall.
Scalphunter appears to be taking it better.
...I really hope there's a few powered heroes able to take it down if it wakes up early..."Your tribe must fight this if it awakens?"
The guide stares at him with an incredulous expression on his face.
I'm betting it would make, say, 'War of the Worlds' like a playground scuffle..."Hah hah! Fight it? No. If it awakens my tribe will do as the Ancestor said and flee to the four corners of the world to try to find him or another like him, someone who might be able to contain it and return it to sleep. We want to keep Mister Duvall away for the good of your people, for they are the ones who it will turn its rage upon once we have fled. So, for their sake."
Convince Duvall, and people like him, that this place has nothing of value? Of course, the likelihood of success is... Abysmal.Bart nods. A difficult task. And worse, no obvious way to make money from it. He needed more information.
"So what could someone do around here that wouldn't risk it waking up?"
Scalphunter frowns as the three of them dismount.
Nah, Arkady is the son of Vandal Savage, and there's no way the two wouldn't know each other. That said, even if they hate each other, they'd likely have a sort of gentleman's agreement of peaceful conversations every now and then. Savage should be able to get his son to sit down.Is Ra's al Ghul aware of the Ancestor? If he is, maybe he can get his son to stand down.
Well, he's not doing a very good job of it so far. Typical villain.
...I really hope there's a few powered heroes able to take it down if it wakes up early
I'm betting it would make, say, 'War of the Worlds' like a playground scuffle
Nah, Arkady is the son of Vandal Savage, and there's no way the two wouldn't know each other. That said, even if they hate each other, they'd likely have a sort of gentleman's agreement of peaceful conversations every now and then. Savage should be able to get his son to sit down.
It clearly says he's the sun of Ra's, not Savage.Nah, Arkady is the son of Vandal Savage, and there's no way the two wouldn't know each other. That said, even if they hate each other, they'd likely have a sort of gentleman's agreement of peaceful conversations every now and then. Savage should be able to get his son to sit down.
Aware of him, yes. However, Ra's would be more likely to want to try and capture him to discover the secret of his longevity than he helpful in this situation.Is Ra's al Ghul aware of the Ancestor? If he is, maybe he can get his son to stand down.
Thank you, corrected.
No. Wrong ethnic group.So is Paul the guide? Seems that way. And he is testing people to see what they will do.
Thank you, corrected.
Doctor Mist is around. Icon... Would probably opt to take no action.Those guys were assholes but their giant robot could take on Superman.
So Icon, Super-Chief, not a lot of supers back then whose chances I'd like.
Ah, the age-old demonstration of succeeding too well. That's why you don't erase all diseases in your people. You just make them tough enough to shrug off infections.
He's not splitting WIS/INT there.Given the character of the era, that might be some time yet...
Thank you, corrected.
Magic. Strong magic."
"No." The guide put the stone back. "Nanofabricators."
Not magic? Bart frowned. What does that mean? 'Fabricate' comes from the Latin 'fabricationem', meaning building something. Nano… From 'nanos'? Dwarf? Put the two together and what do you get? A small building? Something small that builds?
Tolkien did a lot of worldbuilding.Does this mean a nanometer is a dwarf meter!?
How do I get through history and math class without ever finding this out!?
Aware of him, yes. However, Ra's would be more likely to want to try and capture him to discover the secret of his longevity than he helpful in this situation
Why do you think Doctor Sivana wouldn't change?Orange Light from a lantern made by the dreaming, maybe with one of the Enemies of Men aka "Greed" trapped inside it.
Anyone but Paul trying to use it would go bonkers.
Well if Doctor Silvana got it he wouldn't change much.
Ok so the guide ain't Paul.
If that's what Pinklestia's saying I don't agree the orange light magnifies desire for anything. He wants his wife back, he wants to protect his kids, he wants credit and acknowledgment for his inventions. Unless Sivanna mastered his desires and achieved some sort of enlightenment he won't be able to control himself from going off the deep end.I think he's subscribing to the belief that you can't break what's already broke.
Sivana us a mad scientist and is crazy, so the orange light can't affect his sanity since it doesn't exist.
At least that's what he's saying, I think.
Paul was able to see for himself that Dr. Sivana's soul structure was such that an orange ring wouldn't change anything. I don't remember where in the story that was though.I think he's subscribing to the belief that you can't break what's already broke.
Sivana is a mad scientist and is crazy, so the orange light can't affect his sanity since it doesn't exist.
At least that's what he's saying, I think.
I believe that it was when he was trying to convince him to give everyone access to his tech to fight off the Sheeda.Paul was able to see for himself that Dr. Sivana's soul structure was such that an orange ring wouldn't change anything. I don't remember where in the story that was though.
Because that may not be impossible it is pretty unlikely. I mean…"
Obviously I could compel her, but the Geneva Conventions prohibit the use of mind control on prisoners. And I'd feel a bit bad about it without an imminent threat.
To sure whether I'm piggybacking on Thiva's New God abilities due to me dominating her, or if I'm sufficiently New God
I do need to go home for a day or so to check up on things. I'll have Canis take a look at a few samples. Maybe… Not suggest that he visit. Though I think he would find my spiritual growth interesting
I was gonna say that!
I guess the fact that the Titans/Gods once fought the New God's was part of the memory's Paragon lost when he had his everything blown up...Rhea wouldn't have been familiar with it, so either your people developed it independently or you copied it from them.