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

Chojin Patriarch · Sep 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Day 383
A rather nice pyramid ship

After so much time living in rural primitivism, the hard lines and perfectly flat surfaces of the White Pyramid are… Jarring. Not unpleasant -honestly I find myself more relaxed than I've been for a while- but a major change from what I've been seeing for the past… Year.

The cats are a good deal more on guard. Panthro aside, they've only started encountering advanced technology in the last year, and he doesn't have much more experience than they do.

A notable difference between original and reboot, I'll note. The original Thundercats had a high-tech lair (that they built themselves in a very short time,) an armoured tank and hover boards. And of course the spaceship they used to get to Third Earth...

I try reaching out to the pyramid's computer systems again, and am once more rebuffed. Not by anything in particular; there's no voice saying 'access denied' or anything like that. Just a vague sense of my probe being turned aside from its target. I suppose that I might be able to force a connection, but I'd rather not risk breaking things just yet.

It's unlikely to be incompatibility, unless the pyramid works solely on magical methods.

"Hey, look!" Wilykat points at a group of decorative statues in the next chamber. Some sort of… Ritual space, perhaps? The sarcophagus chamber should be almost directly above here. "Evil Spirit statues! It's like that place where Mumm-Ra made his sword!"

That would be a rather odd design choice if true. The room has a raised decorative pool of water at one end with a decorative fountain in the middle. The four statues face outwards from the same wall, and spreading out from there are raised beds of plants, some of which are currently fruiting.

Lion-O frowns as he takes in the statues. "Mumm-Ra had a lizard, a jackal, an ape and a vulture, not… His brow flattens. "That's a cat."

Egyptian gods all, though. Fitting for mummies.

It is, though considerably more feline in appearance than the Thunderan cats. It-. She's in the Egyptian style of putting the head of an animal -a lioness in this case- on the body of a human. Her clothing looks… Egyptian enough that I can't tell the difference. The headdress is topped by a.. round disk whose meaning I don't understand. That design of headwear is shared with the other three: cobra-headed, ibis-headed and cow-headed. Hopefully that means that they're not more of the Ancient Spirits of Evil that Mumm-Ra deals with, but it might just mean that whoever lives here happens to prefer different patrons.

And I wonder what the cats make of the cat goddess? They aren't exactly more than funny-coloured people with strange ears, whereas the gods are, well, humans with animal heads.

Wilykit stares up at the lioness. "She looks mean."

Tygra's looking at the others. "I don't recognise them." He turns to Cheetara. "I don't suppose Jaga taught you anything about this?"

Given she's the cleric of the party, that's a reasonable question. (not exactly a healing cleric, though. More of a battle monk.)

Cheetara actually glances at me for a moment before replying. "Training as a Thunderan cleric didn't involve a lot of… 'Comparative theology'."

"How closely does this resemble the ritual space Mumm-Ra used?"

Heh. Probably safest given the kind of things Mumm-ra worshipped.

Lion-O drags his eyes away from the statues and looks around. "Not much. Other than the four statues. And his were in a circle."

Tygra glances aside. "Four statues makes a square."

Well, it can be both. The four points can be on the circumference of a circle.

"I mean the space was a circle! And the statues were around it!"

"Then this probably isn't a ritual space. We should move on. Unless you're especially thirsty."

Who knows what effect the water would have on someone?

Wilykit and Wilykat look at each other, then take a step towards the fountain. I put a yellow barricade in their way, then take a pair of water skins our of subspace and float them in front of the kittens. They look up at me.

"Your mother insisted."

Heh. I kinda think they wanted to try the space water, though...

Wilykit looks away, shrugging. "Now I'm not thirsty."

Wilykat similarly turns his nose up. "Hm."

Children. And.. cats.

Neither known for accepting what's offered when they could go for something more interesting.

Panthro looks up at me. "This place only wanted to let you in. Do you recognise these statues?"

"They look Egyptian." I point at the cow. "Hathor." The cat. "Bastet." The ibis. "Thoth. I don't recognise the snake, and I don't remember what they were gods of."

Probably Wadjet, a goddess of protection for rulers, the land and other deities. Though the cobra isn't her only depiction... It fits best here.

"Not evil spirits?"

"Not as far as I remember."

Some of the most good of the Egyptian deities. Guardians, rulership and wisdom, it seems. Definitely not a villain's patrons.

I look around-. There. A door decorated with an image of the local primitives venerating a divine figure in white and gold floating above them, with the four deities leaning down to bless… Her. The disk behind the central figure is the same as that on the gods' headdresses. Which makes her the owner, I assume.

Not subtle about her status, that's for sure.

The image suggests profound arrogance, but… Mumm-Ra literally has dealings with the 'Ancient Spirits of Evil', so it's not impossible that whoever rules here was genuinely empowered by these gods and was their vassal on this world. Not a modest woman, certainly, but perhaps not on the Mumm-Ra 'kill-a-stellar-cluster-to-get-a-neat-sword' level.

I suppose it ultimately depends on how she treated those she ruled. And given they seemed prosperous before Mumm-Ra showed up...

I land in front of the door, and it opens to reveal a broad staircase leading upwards and curving back around to where I expect the sarcophagus chamber is. I fly-

"Hey! Wait up!"

-directly up the stairs, the door at the top showing an image of the White Pyramid and the white/gold woman standing behind it and gesturing at a group of primitives who are hard at work building a city. I land and it opens, revealing…

Because who wants to walk up that many stairs? Definitely a ruler's tomb, that's for sure, if the murals are anything to go by.

A mummified body. Arms and legs are wrapped in preservative bandages while the torso is wrapped in a blue cloak. It -she?- is splayed out on the floor as if she was reaching for the white and gold sarcophagus that it the room's focal point. Statues of the four gods are positioned around it in along the edge of a circle drawn in the floor.

And Lion-O just looks at Tygra and goes 'See? Circle!' Once he catches up, anyway.

Scan.

Distortions all around. Powerful magic I assume. No movement or sign of life from the figure on the floor. Pretty clear where she was trying to get. I drift forwards-.

So... Put her in and see what you get, or let her rest?

Cheetara appears next to me, and takes in the scene. "She was their ruler."

"And that's her sarcophagus. If we want her knowledge we're going to have to wake her up."

Assuming she's kindly disposed towards you for reviving her.

"How do you know she's not another Mumm-Ra?"

"I don't. This will probably be easier if she is, because she'll be focused on getting revenge."

And she'll still be weakened after revival. It wouldn't take long to work out if she's good or bad. Watch how much she rants...

I pick up the.. remains with a construct gauntlet and lift the sarcophagus lid with another. The body has had part of its chest and face smashed in, and generally appears to be as free of moisture as Mumm-Ra's base form. I'm not sure if the organs have been removed in traditional Egyptian fashion or if their disappearance is just a product of her injuries or age but this is very clearly a corpse.

...For now. Mumm-ra didn't exactly look like a spring chicken most of the time either.

"We should check with Lion-O-."

I put the body into the sarcophagus and close the lid, and Cheetara draws her staff.

...Of course, if it doesn't revive her, then at least you've given her a proper burial.

I scan as we wait, but I'm not detecting any change in the distortions or in the sarcophagus. I lost the ability to scan the corpse once I put it into the sarcophagus, but more mundane detection in the form of hearing and sight suggests that nothing is happening.

I float closer, looking down on the sarcophagus. Ah. In the middle of the head end there's a mounting for something that appears to have been forcibly removed. The scratching there is the only damage I've seen is this entire pyramid. The mount is a circle… The exact size of the tech stone. Which is currently in Mumm-Ra's possession.

Well, guess that's what he stole from it.

Well, it was only a fifty percent chance-.

On the other hand…

If it has space for an energy source... Well, you have a nice big one right there.

I draw the sword of Plun-Darr and consider the Soul Stone. I suppose… It makes recharging easier but it's hardly essential. And if she only needs it to rejuvenate herself then I can just take it back afterwards.

"Hey!" Lion-O runs up the last few steps and into the sarcophagus chamber. "We-."

So, he's found some way to recharge without it? A Personal Lantern he's keeping hidden, or just in a Malvolio-esque 'tapping into the yellow current of the universe'?

"I found the mummy. It looks like it requires a power stone to reanimate her. Do you intend to volunteer the War Stone?"

"Ah, no?"

"Fine." I pull the soul stone off my sword and place it in the mount, which after a brief delay reshapes itself to accommodate it. "Now let's see if that works."

And brace for trouble if things go poorly.

Well, at least this will be a nicer meeting with Mumm-Rana than the Eighties' version, assuming she doesn't attack on sight because cat-folk. And once the initial 'let's you and him fight' tussle is passed, they can get down to the business of fighting Mumm-Ra. So their little field trip won't be a complete waste, at least.

The scratching there is the only damage I've seen is this entire pyramid.

The scratching there is the only damage I've seen in this entire pyramid.

Duke Long · Sep 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
A mummified body. Arms and legs are wrapped in preservative bandages while the torso is wrapped in a blue cloak. It -she?- is splayed out on the floor as if she was reaching for the white and gold sarcophagus that it the room's focal point. Statues of the four gods are positioned around it in along the edge of a circle drawn in the floor.

'that is'

Mr Zoat said:
"Fine." I pull the soul stone off my sword and place it in the mount, which after a brief delay reshapes itself to accommodate it. "Now let's see if that works."

'Soul Stone'? It was capitalised a few paragraphs ago.

Rebu · Sep 7, 2024

Okay, I'm going to speculate from my limited knowledge of both shows, but she sounds a lot like a Stargate "goddess".

moralrelativity · Sep 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"Mumm-Ra had a lizard, a jackal, an ape and a vulture, not… His brow flattens. "That's a cat."

Needs a closing quote in the middle. Probably after the ellipsis.

Mr Zoat · Sep 7, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
The scratching there is the only damage I've seen in this entire pyramid.

Duke Long said:
'that is'
'Soul Stone'? It was capitalised a few paragraphs ago.

moralrelativity said:
Needs a closing quote in the middle. Probably after the ellipsis.

Thank you, corrected.

BrotherofaStudio · Sep 7, 2024

It's Mumm-Rana, isn't it.

Rogos · Sep 7, 2024

The lioness-headed one might be Sekhmet (not exactly the nicest of deities, and there are other ones who could fit the description...) instead of Bastet, but ancient Egypt had this thing where some gods could turn into others depending on circumstances, with Sekhmet and Bastet being two different aspects of the same deity. Also damn, Paul must have been here for a long time, to forget what those gods are associated with... unless Egyptian mythology was never a major interest of his ?

Mr Zoat · Sep 7, 2024

Rogos said:
The lioness-headed one might be Sekhmet (not exactly the nicest of deities, and there are other ones who could fit the description...) instead of Bastet, but ancient Egypt had this thing where some gods could turn into others depending on circumstances, with Sekhmet and Bastet being two different aspects of the same deity. Also damn, Paul must have been here for a long time, to forget what those gods are associated with... unless Egyptian mythology was never a major interest of his ?

It wasn't. Half the time any SI of mine is going to be remembering Stargate.

Chaoswind · Sep 7, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
It wasn't. Half the time any SI of mine is going to be remembering Stargate.

I hope this is a shadow drop that Javek is going to pay a visit to stargate Paul next aka Mammon.

Then again the few super technologies of the setting are overshadowed by the stuff Javek has collected and what he got naturally from his original universe.

Someguy Somewhere · Sep 8, 2024

Just as a note, we did see a brief look at Lord Protector, further down his time line a while back, where he went multiverse hopping on his own and Poked the Worm Universe. I think I recall that he had full on magitech power armour that integrated a Lantern to recharge from. When Describing it, he name dropped Ranna, if memory serves.

My own armour is a masterwork of technology and magic wrought for me by Mumm-Rana's hands. My only influence is in the yellow lantern built into the cuirass, freeing me from the need to recharge the ring. It has served me well on a dozen battlefields, and a simple analysis shows that it will outperform… Armsmaster's? Armour in every regard.

dw7thdoctor · Sep 8, 2024

Someguy Somewhere said:
Just as a note, we did see a brief look at Lord Protector, further down his time line a while back, where he went multiverse hopping on his own and Poked the Worm Universe. I think I recall that he had full on magitech power armour that integrated a Lantern to recharge from. When Describing it, he name dropped Ranna, if memory serves.

Thank you. I was confused and thought he was already at this stage. I guess I didn't think it was earlier in his time line

Jus4532 · Sep 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Primaris Psyker

How is that Primaris not trying to kill P'ol or the Fauntless One? Did P'ol do a solid for Guilliman or something?

Mr Zoat · Sep 8, 2024

Day 383
A rather nice pyramid ship

"Oh."

"What?" A slightly out of breath Lion-O jerks his head back and forth between me and the sarcophagus. "What's happening?"

I raise my right hand and add colour to the waves of energy I'm seeing, making them visible to the cats. I'm not sure what exactly is happening. It seems reasonable to assume that the Soul Stone is providing power and the sarcophagus is… Repairing her? Resurrecting her? But I can't tell a single thing about the mechanics involved. There's a slight increase in heat, but not enough to be waste heat from some sort of… Nanotech repair process. The sarcophagus doesn't seem to be physically plumbed in to the pyramid's systems, so it isn't just repairing an avatar body and re-uploading a stored personality. In any case I didn't see any technological implants in the body.

So… Genuine magical resurrection. It's… Interesting that the power stones can do that. The name 'Soul Stone' was suggestive, but… I shouldn't assume that souls exist, or that afterlives exist. Even now that we know that Mumm-Ra is not a unique being, it could well be some magic that they've used rather than something universal. It's a mild source of frustration that while systematising the teaching of science and technology is relatively simple, I haven't seen able to find anyone who can provide a general magic education. At best, there are people who can teach a few magical feats within their own style, or which rely on their own physiology to the point where if I wasn't able to scan them I wouldn't know for certain that it wasn't merely preternatural biology.

If-.

White and gold light flares from the sarcophagus, forcefully pushing the cats back while doing nothing to me. Not sure if that's because I'm floating or if it's another example of human preference. The cats brace and draw their weapons and Wilykit and Wilykat take cover behind the rear two statues.

Then the sarcophagus lid floats upwards and towards the rear wall, the interior of the sarcophagus glowing a pale blue colour. A bandage-covered hand reaches up out of the sarcophagus to grip the near-rim, its grip tightening as I watch. Then she slowly sits upright, head and torso still swathed in her blue robe. The brief glimpse of her face I see shows that it's mostly been repaired, though the skin is still bloodlessly pale. Then her other hand emerges, supporting her on the other side of the sarcophagus as she straightens and takes her first breath before unfolding upwards.

"Attendants. I shall require an update on the progress of the outer defences."

…

"I will not-" She starts turning towards us. "-repeat-."

She stares imperiously at the cats for a moment, then her face morphs into an expression of rage! Hands glowing with blue energy come up, and glowing blue bonds wrap themselves around the adults and lift them off the floor!

"How dare you trespass here after all you have wrought upon my world! I will send your remains to-."

I land directly in her line of sight. Her attention switches to me at once, then her hands drop to her sides.

"Thutmose? How have you-?"

She grips her robe and carefully steps out of the sarcophagus, the lid closing up automatically behind her as she approaches me.

"You… Live again. That should be impossible."

"I'm sorry. I have no idea who Thutmose is."

Her eyes widen. "A living human? That is even less likely."

Ah. "Can I assume then that you are a dead human?"

She's staring at my face, but doesn't appear to be listening. "Cell culture? No, every time we tried that they simply died. The White Pyramid is no more shielded now than it was-. Temporal manipulation?" Her eyes snap to mine. "What year were you created?"

"Nineteen eighty three, but I don't-."

"Impossible."

"'cooz 'e?!"

She ignores the struggling Lion-O, reaching up slightly with her right hand to touch my face. Her bandages don't cover her fingers, and the texture of her skin is surprisingly rough. It glows for a moment, but my environmental shield strengthens and nothing appears to happen.

She pulls back her hand, looking almost offended. "What is that light?"

"Do you want an answer or are you just going to say 'impossible' again?"

"You will forgive me. It has been some time since I have dealt with another person. And that was when Mumm-Ra came to my world to steal my phylactery." She glances at the sarcophagus lid, eyes fixing on the Soul Stone. "Ah. Thutmose's stone. It would energise the sarcophagus, but it cannot empower me further."

I nod and reach out, a construct hand pulling-. Failing to pull the stone from the sarcophagus. Mildly troubling, but all it really means for now is that it will take me longer to recharge.

The… Liche? Walks around me and stares up at the cats suspended in her magic. I think Lion-O's trying to bring the Sword of Omens to bear, but she caught his arm in a awkward position and he can't get leverage.

"Why did you bring Mumm-Ra's slaves with you? And another stone… This one must be their leader."

"Their ancestors rebelled. They nearly managed to kill him, but unfortunately he survived and healed himself. They're-."

"So they saw a chance to take his power for themselves, and they took it?"

"Something like that. I was busy when they accessed the historical record."

"Three worlds they slaughtered with sword and gun, and those were just the worlds ruled by myself and my peers. Knowing Mumm-Ra there would have been many others murdered to earn the favour of his evil masters. And then they rose up against him?" She sniffs. "Clearly their gene line is irredeemably flawed."

She makes a slicing gesture with her right hand, and the bonds begin to tighten around Lion-O's party.

"I'd rather that you didn't kill them."

"I can make a better species to replace them."

The kittens' heads poke out from behind a statue, and I gesture for them to get back.

"Without your phylactery stone?"

She lowers her hand, though the bonds don't loosen. "No, I would need to recover that first. I take it that it is in Mumm-Ra's hands?"

"I'm afraid so. The cats are unified against him. Killing them would be wasteful, especially when you can't replace them."

She considers them for a moment, then clenches her right hand. Their bonds vanish and they fall to the ground. Landing on their feet, since they're cats.

She glares imperiously at them. "Remove yourselves from my home until your betters call for you."

"'Betters'?" Lion-O glares. "I'm not removing myself from anywhere until-."

She raises her right hand again and a blast of blue energy hits Lion-O in the chest, sending him flying out of the room and down the stairs. Cheetara takes a combat pose-.

Tygra shakes his head. "Let's not pretend he didn't have that coming." He turns towards the exit. "Protector, if you like her so much, you deal with her. I'll make sure my baby brother doesn't have a booboo."

"Very well."

The other cats hesitate for a moment, then the adults follow him out.

At least the kittens are following my instructions now, even if it would be better it they left.

"So. You implied something rather unfortunate has happened to humans. What was it?"

"A species-wide ritual sacrifice."

Mr Zoat · Sep 8, 2024

Jus4532 said:
How is that Primaris not trying to kill P'ol or the Fauntless One? Did P'ol do a solid for Guilliman or something?

No, this is set well before the Warhammer 40,000 plot started advancing. The Primaris Psyker is surrounded by tau with guns and knows what's good for him.

Edit: I've just realised that you think I'm talking about a Mutie Marine Librarian. Primaria Psykers are Guard battle psykers.

hance1986 · Sep 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"So. You implied something rather unfortunate has happened humans. What was it?"

should be ' happened to humans '

Bigking321 · Sep 8, 2024

I know absolutely nothing about this particular setting.

But I assume the humans were insane and responsible for all the bad stuff happening?

Mr Zoat · Sep 8, 2024

hance1986 said:
should be ' happened to humans '

Thank you, corrected.

Darko · Sep 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
m. Killing then would be wasteful

"Killing them"

Mr Zoat said:
"So. You implied something rather unfortunate has happened humans

"happened to"

Sarlar · Sep 8, 2024

Well. Rip humanity?

More worldbuilding in ' How much is Paul doing to build up the cat society', which is neat.

(I know absolutely nothing of... Thundercats? Is that the setting?)

Though I'll admit, I was kinda hoping for either more Invincible or for the main story. Back to lurking!

Jus4532 · Sep 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
No, this is set well before the Warhammer 40,000 plot started advancing. The Primaris Psyker is surrounded by tau with guns and knows what's good for him.

Edit: I've just realised that you think I'm talking about a Mutie Marine Librarian. Primaria Psykers are Guard battle psykers.

Got it, sorry. When Primaris comes up, I immediately think of the space marines.

Chojin Patriarch · Sep 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
Day 383
A rather nice pyramid ship

"Oh."

"What?" A slightly out of breath Lion-O jerks his head back and forth between me and the sarcophagus. "What's happening?"

Amusing that you'd think he'd know any more than you do, Lion-O. Despite his power, Lord Protector isn't that much more knowledgable than anyone. At least, I assume so. Outside of raiding some databases and history books, anyway...

I raise my right hand and add colour to the waves of energy I'm seeing, making them visible to the cats. I'm not sure what exactly is happening. It seems reasonable to assume that the Soul Stone is providing power and the sarcophagus is… Repairing her? Resurrecting her? But I can't tell a single thing about the mechanics involved. There's a slight increase in heat, but not enough to be waste heat from some sort of… Nanotech repair process. The sarcophagus doesn't seem to be physically plumbed in to the pyramid's systems, so it isn't just repairing an avatar body and re-uploading a stored personality. In any case I didn't see any technological implants in the body.

So, then, what you can't see if key to the process. In this case...

So… Genuine magical resurrection. It's… Interesting that the power stones can do that. The name 'Soul Stone' was suggestive, but… I shouldn't assume that souls exist, or that afterlives exist. Even now that we know that Mumm-Ra is not a unique being, it could well be some magic that they've used rather than something universal. It's a mild source of frustration that while systematising the teaching of science and technology is relatively simple, I haven't seen able to find anyone who can provide a general magic education. At best, there are people who can teach a few magical feats within their own style, or which rely on their own physiology to the point where if I wasn't able to scan them I wouldn't know for certain that it wasn't merely preternatural biology.

Kind of depressing, really. No doubt Mumm-Ra guards power hungrily, and anyone who comes to his notice concerning magic is removed from it with prejudice...

If-.

White and gold light flares from the sarcophagus, forcefully pushing the cats back while doing nothing to me. Not sure if that's because I'm floating or if it's another example of human preference. The cats brace and draw their weapons and Wilykit and Wilykat take cover behind the rear two statues.

I suspect the kittens had the smartest reaction of anyone. Probably not a good idea to be armed in her presence when she emerges.

Then the sarcophagus lid floats upwards and towards the rear wall, the interior of the sarcophagus glowing a pale blue colour. A bandage-covered hand reaches up out of the sarcophagus to grip the near-rim, its grip tightening as I watch. Then she slowly sits upright, head and torso still swathed in her blue robe. The brief glimpse of her face I see shows that it's mostly been repaired, though the skin is still bloodlessly pale. Then her other hand emerges, supporting her on the other side of the sarcophagus as she straightens and takes her first breath before unfolding upwards.

I'm guessing there's a shortage of soft tissue involved, especially around the nasal region. A common trait of recovered Mummies of all kinds..

"Attendants. I shall require an update on the progress of the outer defences."

…

"I will not-" She starts turning towards us. "-repeat-."

Ah, for her it's probably still the day she 'died', and the pyramid was under attack.

She stares imperiously at the cats for a moment, then her face morphs into an expression of rage! Hands glowing with blue energy come up, and glowing blue bonds wrap themselves around the adults and lift them off the floor!

"How dare you trespass here after all you have wrought upon my world! I will send your remains to-."

Yeah, that would be about the reaction we expected. Any time now, LP?

I land directly in her line of sight. Her attention switches to me at once, then her hands drop to her sides.

"Thutmose? How have you-?"

Interesting. He resembles a former ally to some degree. Presumably one who was usually a bit better preserved in his empowered form, maybe.

She grips her robe and carefully steps out of the sarcophagus, the lid closing up automatically behind her as she approaches me.

"You… Live again. That should be impossible."

...A dead ally. Right. Better get explaining, LP, or she might get angry.

"I'm sorry. I have no idea who Thutmose is."

Her eyes widen. "A living human? That is even less likely."

Oooh, informative. No humans in this day and age, eh?

Ah. "Can I assume then that you are a dead human?"

She's staring at my face, but doesn't appear to be listening. "Cell culture? No, every time we tried that they simply died. The White Pyramid is no more shielded now than it was-. Temporal manipulation?" Her eyes snap to mine. "What year were you created?"

How about a better question, what year, preferably in Common Era, do you know it is?

"Nineteen eighty three, but I don't-."

"Impossible."

For a given value of 'created', certainly. I'm guessing there's a span of many millennia between then and now.

"'cooz 'e?!"

She ignores the struggling Lion-O, reaching up slightly with her right hand to touch my face. Her bandages don't cover her fingers, and the texture of her skin is surprisingly rough. It glows for a moment, but my environmental shield strengthens and nothing appears to happen.

Probably a diagnostic spell of some kind, but safer to not let her make skin contact...

She pulls back her hand, looking almost offended. "What is that light?"

"Do you want an answer or are you just going to say 'impossible' again?"

Ooh, snarky. Yes, everybody does seem to be having different conversations with each other at this stage...

"You will forgive me. It has been some time since I have dealt with another person. And that was when Mumm-Ra came to my world to steal my phylactery." She glances at the sarcophagus lid, eyes fixing on the Soul Stone. "Ah. Thutmose's stone. It would energise the sarcophagus, but it cannot empower me further."

Right... Alive, but with minimal power. Still better than dead, certainly.

I nod and reach out, a construct hand pulling-. Failing to pull the stone from the sarcophagus. Mildly troubling, but all it really means for now is that it will take me longer to recharge.

The… Liche? Walks around me and stares up at the cats suspended in her magic. I think Lion-O's trying to bring the Sword of Omens to bear, but she caught his arm in a awkward position and he can't get leverage.

Lion-O, please stop thinking with your sword-arm and use the underdeveloped muscle inside your skull? She panicked, so stop struggling.

"Why did you bring Mumm-Ra's slaves with you? And another stone… This one must be their leader."

"Their ancestors rebelled. They nearly managed to kill him, but unfortunately he survived and healed himself. They're-."

Which was impressive, to say the least.

"So they saw a chance to take his power for themselves, and they took it?"

"Something like that. I was busy when they accessed the historical record."

I'm guessing it ended up destroyed in the process. Otherwise he would have investigated further.

"Three worlds they slaughtered with sword and gun, and those were just the worlds ruled by myself and my peers. Knowing Mumm-Ra there would have been many others murdered to earn the favour of his evil masters. And then they rose up against him?" She sniffs. "Clearly their gene line is irredeemably flawed."

Hey, now. Don't judge them by their ancestors.

She makes a slicing gesture with her right hand, and the bonds begin to tighten around Lion-O's party.

"I'd rather that you didn't kill them."

Pity he couldn't back that up with the sound of a cycling gun, but alas...

"I can make a better species to replace them."

The kittens' heads poke out from behind a statue, and I gesture for them to get back.

Yes, I rather suspect their mother would be upset with him if they got hurt in this.

"Without your phylactery stone?"

She lowers her hand, though the bonds don't loosen. "No, I would need to recover that first. I take it that it is in Mumm-Ra's hands?"

Spot in, I would assume, given the talk of 'Tech stone' this and 'War stone' that...

"I'm afraid so. The cats are unified against him. Killing then would be wasteful, especially when you can't replace them."

She considers them for a moment, then clenches her right hand. Their bonds vanish and they fall to the ground. Landing on their feet, since they're cats.

...Naturally. Still, let's hope they can be reasonable and not leap immediately to violence.

She glares imperiously at them. "Remove yourselves from my home until your betters call for you."

"'Betters'?" Lion-O glares. "I'm not removing myself from anywhere until-."

In this case, Lion-O, it means 'people more powerful than you are'.

She raises her right hand again and a blast of blue energy hits Lion-O in the chest, sending him flying out of the room and down the stairs. Cheetara takes a combat pose-.

Tygra shakes his head. "Let's not pretend he didn't have that coming." He turns towards the exit. "Protector, if you like her so much, you deal with her. I'll make sure my baby brother doesn't have a booboo."

...Case in point. I can't help but picture him being dragged by the scruff of his neck through the pyramid, heels dragging on the ground, all the way outside.

"Very well."

The other cats hesitate for a moment, then the adults follow him out.

Good sense for once. They're definitely outgunned here.

At least the kittens are following my instructions now, even if it would be better it they left.

"So. You implied something rather unfortunate has happened humans. What was it?"

"A species-wide ritual sacrifice."

...Oh, my. That is going to need some explaining, methinks.

Well, that is a heck of a line to finish a chapter on. I take it she'll explain that tomorrow. Let's just hope the cats don't do something foolish downstairs or outside, especially Lion-O, who has to be feeling very annoyed right now. Best case, Tygra can slap some sense into him for a little while. At any rate, exposition ahead for this timeline...

Vaermina · Sep 8, 2024

Bigking321 said:
I know absolutely nothing about this particular setting.

But I assume the humans were insane and responsible for all the bad stuff happening?

The show was cancelled after a single season, so this is mostly just Zoat making stuff up.

Stsword · Sep 8, 2024

Bigking321 said:
I know absolutely nothing about this particular setting.

But I assume the humans were insane and responsible for all the bad stuff happening?

There were no humans shown in the 2011 Thundercats show.

Mumm-Ra was a humanoid bat.

Mumm-Rana is from the previous Thundercats show from the eighties, which was very different.

So this is Zoat worldbuilding and adding elements from other continuities.

Darko · Sep 8, 2024

Chojin Patriarch said:
Amusing that you'd think he'd know any more than you do, Lion-O

Lion-O might have witnessed him having some knowledge of their world that would be weird for him to have, plus his ring seems to be able to do anything, so it wouldn't be that weird for Lion-O to think he knows what's happening.

Plus, he is a Paul and they all like to seem like they know everything.

Chojin Patriarch said:
Hey, now. Don't judge them by their ancestors.

I think that might be standard practice among her people.

Chojin Patriarch said:
In this case, Lion-O, it means 'people more powerful than you are

Not necessarily.

She may be talking about the fact that they're different species and she considers them inferior because of this.

Duke Long · Sep 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"You will forgive me. It has been some time since I have dealt with another person. And that was when Mumm-Ra came to my world to steal my phylactery." She glances at the sarcophagus lid, eyes fixing on the Soul Stone. "Ah. Thutmose's stone. It would energise the sarcophagus, but it cannot empower me further."
I nod and reach out, a construct hand pulling-. Failing to pull the stone from the sarcophagus. Mildly troubling, but all it really means for now is that it will take me longer to recharge.

Missing line, I think.

Mr Zoat · Sep 8, 2024

Darko said:
"Killing them"

Duke Long said:
Missing line, I think.

Thank you, corrected.

Jus4532 said:
Got it, sorry. When Primaris comes up, I immediately think of the space marines.

You may reasonably assume that unless I specifically say 'mutie marines' that I'm not talking about them.

Darko said:
I think that might be standard practice among her people.

Humans? Yes.

Dur'id the Druid · Sep 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"A species-wide ritual sacrifice."

So, either someone used them as summoning mats for something big, or they tried to summon Cthulhu?

Old Knife · Sep 8, 2024

Mr Zoat said:
"So. You implied something rather unfortunate has happened to humans. What was it?"

"A species-wide ritual sacrifice."

Gotta admit. Did not see that coming.

Mumm'Ra has been elevated to "Destroy on sight"

BartlettMagic · Sep 8, 2024

this is one of the settings i know a little about, so it was nice to actually be able to read it. i've skipped (i think) over a week of updates because they're stories i know nothing about and have no preexisting context to read them in. Warhammer, Invincible, Fallout... i think those are the ones i don't read

ForeverShogo · Sep 8, 2024

Well, if stuff is being mixed and matched to fill in the blanks, but we do know some of the stuff that was planned for future seasons.

One of those things was that there was going to be a 10 year time skip. With Lion-O fucking a grown up Wilykit and making her his queen.

The reason Third Earth is called that is because it's the third time Mumm-ra has visited Earth. He first visited it when dinosaurs were a thing. His second visit was during the time of Ancient Egypt. Third Earth is also our Earth in the far future. Something caused the Sun to become unstable, and it knocked the Earth out of its orbit. As a result the Earth ended up becoming one of Jupiter's moons.

All the animal people are part-human because Mumm-ra used human blood as the base for creating them. Which is why they're all so anthropomorphic.

And this isn't related to the 2011 show, but goddamn. In the comics set in the old continuity Mumm-ra proves to be a perverted old man. He enslaves an adult Wilykit and gives her the Slave Leia treatment. It's super horny and he does shit like make her bathe him.

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