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

[Razorfloss]

Oh great zealots. They're always "fun". Have fun with that Krono and try not to get killed.

 

[B.B. Rain]

"You expect me to believe that Salt-Upon-Wounds has no designs on our territory?"

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I thought Krono's father in law was "Balm-Upon-Wounds", in this timeline?

Is there another "-Upon-Wounds" around, or was the name change a recent enough thing that people are still stuck on his less pleasant past, or...is this an error?

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

19th March 2284
13:56 GMT -6

Of course, they can't all go according to plan.

"-with the Mormon heretics, or with witches like you?"

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...Ah, I can see the obvious inspiration for folks like this. I take it their attitude is straight from the Old World Blues mod, and this is kind of the typical response you get if you have anything aligned with you that they don't like...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Saint Michael, ruler of Heaven's Gate (a name that makes me wince to hear it) glowers at me. Between the scar running across his face top right to bottom left and the burning religious fanaticism clear in his manic eyes, he's a rather good glowerer. The unique but potent-looking power armour of his bodyguards decorated with the I superimposed on an X of their faith helps, especially with the hisses of steam released by the uranium-heated steam cores which drive them.

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If they're going for a 'Chi-Roh' symbol, they got the wrong greek character. Still, it sends a clear message, I suppose.

"Because we're neighbours?"

There were some people from Heaven's Gate living in Bone Dancer territory before the Odious King rose to power, and since they lived furthest from his centre of power and had a strong faith of their own, they weathered it a little better than the Bone Dancer tribals. Heaven's Gate has now annexed most of their former territory, as well as conquering the minor fundamentalist Christian nations to their south. So they're now the neighbours of the N.C.R. and its allies along the Arroyo-Vault City line, as well as the Ammonites.

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And boy, that name is meaningful for sure. Though I bet it's coincidental in-universe.

And I don't want to have another war. We're pretty sure that Edward Sallow is dead, based on interrogations of a few captured legionaries. Vulpes Inculta is directing most of what's left of the Legion's offensive capacity while someone called Aurelius is directing the defence of what's left of their territory. And we're… Managing, but I'd really like to avoid jumping right into another war.

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The Legion suffering a slow, fighting decline, then. Victory is inevitable, but not imminent.

Because these guys… They use advanced technology. I've seen impressive-looking energy weapons, power armour, motorised vehicles and tanks, as well as aircraft. And as far as I can tell they're every bit as fanatical as the Legion. Their population isn't as big and away from their core territory their roads aren't good enough for them to easily bring their military power to bear, but…

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Downright suspicious, it is. Thankfully they're not expansionist... Yet?

It would be difficult and bloody.

"The Samaritan is the neighbour of the Israelite when he embraces godly behavior, not because he happens to be living nearby."

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Ah, the kind who takes Bible verse as absolute truth, rather than general guidelines for good living, I take it...

"Each of the nations that are taking part allow peaceful proselytism. This would be an opportunity to convert the heathen without warfare."

"Do you think we fear death, knowing that the heavenly kingdom awaits us?"

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How about 'Thou shall not kill'? I know, it specifically refers to unlawful murder, not general warfare, but that's not a well-known fact.

"I like to think that you would be inspired by the founders of the Christian church, who went amongst the heathens and preached to them without fear, knowing that the heavenly kingdom awaited them, and all of those they converted to the teachings of Jesus Christ."

"And you? Will you do as Prospero did and repent, and abandon your sorcerous ways?"

Hm. It's best to be honest, but how best to convey it?

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Kind of hard to turn his brain off, given his enhancements. Or do they have a more specific beef with things he's learned to do since the last episode we saw of him (You know, the whole 'magic' thing.)

"To begin with , the phrase 'suffer not the witch to live' is a mistranslation. The word used actually meant something like 'alchemist', and in context most likely meant 'poisoner'. With regard to myself… To be honest, a few years ago I was an atheist. Had been for most of my life. Even the usual abilities of my tribe are the result of firing an alien machine at our brain; if our understanding of physics were more advanced I suspect it would be every bit as compressible to secular science as steam engines."

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In other words, not impious or unholy. Totally reasonable, even, except under the most hardline fundamentalist theology.

"Your tribe. Not you."

"No. Not me. I do actual magic. I've had the ability ever since we killed the Odious King."

His eyes narrow. "You're infected with his evil."

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Wonder if that's a story we'd ever get, or is it simply too mundane to show...

"Not as far as we can tell. Have you ever met a demon, Saint Michael? I don't mean… A human criminal, or madman, or some sort of predatory mutant. Not a… Person driven by hunger to consume human flesh, or a violent drunk who's temper got out of hand. Not… Mundane cruelty, the… Tests God lays before his mortal followers as He did before Lot. I mean… Looking at someone, and seeing something… Inhumanly evil staring back… And to have it recognise that you see it."

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And in this era, that would have to be something truly spectacularly evil to qualify.

"I have fought all manner of evil, and men who listened to demons and did their bidding. But I do not believe that I have seen what you describe."

"It changed me. And I don't just mean my facility for magic; I only got that after Andrew Shaw and I bested it. I mean that seeing that being unbound by mortal limits and reason could exist. Do exist. And if that one, why not others?"

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What, trying to frame it as 'part of God's plan' or something similar?

"Are you trying to convince me that you are here seeking the true path?"

"No. Just… That I would listen, because I know there is… Something there."

"And what of the idolaters who worship you?"

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Oh, don't tell me that's a thing now? Good grief.

I shake my head. "They saw me stand against a demon, and saw the demon flee to… Wherever it came from after its host was killed. They don't have a strong senses of religious faith, and so identified me as being somehow special. I don't believe that I am special in the theological sense, but I can't go around saying 'I'm not the messiah' all the time."

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No, that leads to silliness, and Krono is not a naughty boy.

"Why not?"

"Because then people who ask 'Why is this guy saying that he's not the messiah? What did he do? Are there people who think he is?', and before you know it we're re-enacting the Life of Brian."

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Oh, I think you might have found a way to make their heads explode in rage.

He frowns. "Who is 'Brian'?"

"It's a comedy film about a Jewish man, set during the time of Jesus. He briefly gets hailed as the messiah due to the people around him completely misinterpreting what he's doing."

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Ironically, as the result of an alien abduction, I believe. Bit of a laugh riot.

Saint Michael looks vaguely disgusted.

"It's very funny, and quite popular in Britain."

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He's not wrong.

"Utter degeneracy."

"Oh, not 'utter'. The original plan was to have Jesus himself as the main character, but the writers found that they couldn't laugh at it when they did that."

He sneers. "Praise the Lord."

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And given the Pythons, that was quite impressive to say.

"Look, even if it's just to see if any of us are worth trying to save, even if it's just to scout our lands, please, at least send a delegation. I've… Put a lot of effort into encouraging peace and cooperation between the civilised people of America and I'd very much like Heaven's Gate to be part of that."

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Man, this has become quite important to Krono, hasn't it?

"And if I refuse?"

"We carry on ignoring each other. We have no designs on your territory-."

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There might be trouble if they try to expand, but that's a future problem.

"You expect me to believe that Salt-Upon-Wounds has no designs on our territory?"

"Not as far as I know. He's having to absorb a lot of new land, and industrialise a largely primitive culture. That's taking his full attention. Even if he did, he couldn't beat you, and none of his allies are interesting in helping attack you."

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Old Balm must have made quite the impression in his youth to leave such lingering dislike.

Fortunately, their southern border just about matches where Utah ends and Idaho starts, so even if we do adopt 'match the old borders' as our rule we won't be obliged to force the issue.

He sits back in his chair, looking contemplative.

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And what area they do control should be more than enough to expand through for a generation or two.

"I will consult with my advisors and think on the matter. You will have my response by tomorrow morning."

"Thank you. I-."

"Will be escorted to a church, where prayers will be said over you and sanctified water will be spilled over you."

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Good, that's not a refusal yet. And if it helps to convince them, I don't think Krono will mind a wet, noisy night.

Ah.

"To drive out any lingering influence?"

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Hopefully there'll be no unexpected reactions between his FEV-enhanced physique and their 'holy' water.

"To ensure that I am speaking to a man and not an abomination."

"Very well." I stand, and the two soldiers in steam armour step forwards. I hold out my arms and they takes one each. "I will put myself in your care."

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Now that's an amusing image.

Well, hopefully they can bear to lean on their more peaceful teachings for a bit, at least until things get sorted out. Honestly, if they can be convinced to work nicely with other states, there might be some profit from gaining access to their advanced technology. As long as everyone else can tolerate their rougher edges...

 

[Fellow]

I thought Krono's father in law was "Balm-Upon-Wounds", in this timeline?

Is there another "-Upon-Wounds" around, or was the name change a recent enough thing that people are still stuck on his less pleasant past, or...is this an error?

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There's an antagonist in the Honest Hearts DLC from FNV called Salt Upon Wounds. I think he's the leader of the White Legs tribe that you fight in the game.

 

[B.B. Rain]

There's an antagonist in the Honest Hearts DLC from FNV called Salt Upon Wounds. I think he's the leader of the White Legs tribe that you fight in the game.

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And I was under the impression that this was a variant timeline, where he was called Balm-Upon-Wounds instead, hence my confusion.

 

[Mr Zoat]

I thought Krono's father in law was "Balm-Upon-Wounds", in this timeline?

Is there another "-Upon-Wounds" around, or was the name change a recent enough thing that people are still stuck on his less pleasant past, or...is this an error?

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He changed it when he was baptised. The people of Heaven's Gate either aren't aware of that or don't consider Mormon baptism valid. Or more likely both.

 

[B.B. Rain]

He changed it when he was baptised. The people of Heaven's Gate either aren't aware of that or don't consider Mormon baptism valid. Or more likely both.

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Okay, thanks for clarifying.

 

[Steelplaza]

So i have no idea how magic works in the Fallout universe, but does Krono not have any issues with the whole "lacking a soul" thing that other Pauls have? Or did something happen that fixed that? Or does Fallout magic not care about souls?

 

[Neruz]

So i have no idea how magic works in the Fallout universe, but does Krono not have any issues with the whole "lacking a soul" thing that other Pauls have? Or did something happen that fixed that? Or does Fallout magic not care about souls?

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Fallout magic is pretty much a big ole blank slate that we know nothing about other than that it exists and seems to mostly be tied to Lovecraftian entities.

So

 

[Graeme]

corrections:
"Even the usual abilities of my tribe"
unusual
"every bit as compressible"
comprehensible

 

[Mr Zoat]

corrections:
"Even the usual abilities of my tribe"
unusual
"every bit as compressible"
comprehensible

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Thank you, corrected.

 

[Duke Long]

"Not as far as we can tell. Have you ever met a demon, Saint Michael? I don't mean… A human criminal, or madman, or some sort of predatory mutant. Not a… Person driven by hunger to consume human flesh, or a violent drunk who's temper got out of hand. Not… Mundane cruelty, the… Tests God lays before his mortal followers as He did before Lot. I mean… Looking at someone, and seeing something… Inhumanly evil staring back… And to have it recognise that you see it."

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'whose'

"It changed me. And I don't just mean my facility for magic; I only got that after Andrew Shaw and I bested it. I mean that seeing that being unbound by mortal limits and reason could exist. Do exist. And if that one, why not others?"

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This paragraph reads pretty awkwardly to me. Not quite sure how I would fix it.

It's cool to see more of the supernatural side of Fallout, this story has done a bunch of that which I've enjoyed. I can't quite recall, was the demon slaying off-screened? If so that's a shame, it sounds fun.

"Because then people who ask 'Why is this guy saying that he's not the messiah? What did he do? Are there people who think he is?', and before you know it we're re-enacting the Life of Brian."

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'will'?

"Very well." I stand, and the two soldiers in steam armour step forwards. I hold out my arms and they takes one each. "I will put myself in your care."

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'take'

And boy, that name is meaningful for sure. Though I bet it's coincidental in-universe.

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Amusingly, I have seen it claimed that it was coincidental outside-universe too. Allegedly the guy who came up with the mod's Heaven's Gate had never heard of the real cult.

 

[Mr Zoat]

'whose'
This paragraph reads pretty awkwardly to me. Not quite sure how I would fix it.
'will'?
'take'

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Thank you, corrected.

It's cool to see more of the supernatural side of Fallout, this story has done a bunch of that which I've enjoyed. I can't quite recall, was the demon slaying off-screened? If so that's a shame, it sounds fun.

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I'm afraid so. It was only fun in the sense that having your arm eaten while you're fully conscious can be considered fun.

 

[xSieg]

"No. Not me. I do actual magic. I've had the ability ever since we killed the Odious King."

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Huh. Was Krono the next vessel chosen to become the Firewalker, then? It's funny since it's pretty obvious that the Odious King is supposed to be the inheritor of the psyker side to Master's FEV plan. He slots in pretty good as a substitute!

 

[Mr Zoat]

Huh. Was Krono the next vessel chosen to become the Firewalker, then? It's funny since it's pretty obvious that the Odious King is supposed to be the inheritor of the psyker side to Master's FEV plan. He slots in pretty good as a substitute!

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After a... Lengthy discussion with the person who made the Bone Dancer submod, it appears that I read too much into the repeated Twin Peaks references in the Odious King part of the tree.

For Krono, it was more that having direct access to the strange dimensions of the creature allowed him to piggyback on its comprehension to a degree, bypassing the usual 'going totally bonkers' problem of observing extra-dimensional space.

 

[Jankl]

So did the powers we saw previously come from his encounter with the Odious king instead of coming from the super serum he took? I thought Fallout Paul only had telepathy and telekinesis.

 

[Mr Zoat]

So did the powers we saw previously come from his encounter with the Odious king instead of coming from the super serum he took? I thought Fallout Paul only had telepathy and telekinesis.

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The F.E.V. gave him strength, toughness, radiation and disease resistance and an extended lifespan. The zetan neurotropic initiator gave him psychic powers. Actual magic -the definition of which he explained a earlier- is a result of his encounter with the Odious King's passenger.