Prologue – Trade Chat
(North American System Information Exchange Forum, formerly Community Building and Civil Defense Chat)
abby_gail, bento, RainyDayze, GringottsGoblin, DoritoMan, D.VaLuvr69, Carion, RadicalEdward, FusionGal, NotACop, Scholar, RamblingWreck, Anonymous4, Anonymous6, RedShift, SevenNationArmy, DarkLord, BagOTrix, White_Queen, Faraday, BackpageGal, FullServiceMassage, daytrader, LinaLuv, Skippy, shadow_clone23, THE_MERCHANT, jenny8675309, Rabbit, Angelus and Tracker are in the chat.
shadow_clone23: Things are getting wild out there! Ever since this ‘Flames of Vengeance’ buff hit the Middle East, the whole area has been a hotbed of little conflicts. Fortunately, no one has lit the match on any of the bigger blazes.
FusionGal: I’ve got family in Ukraine, and they say Russian forces were massing on the border, but now they’ve stopped, for some reason.
DarkLord: I spoke with Baba Yaga, and she’s had her daughters make sure that their property doesn’t do anything without consulting her, first.
Carion: So, she’s really ruling Russia through her daughters, who have enslaved the richest and most powerful men in the country?
DarkLord: The reforms she is planning will be happening. The only question is whether they happen easily, or whether a lot more people either wake up as property, or never wake up at all.
Skippy: Well, fuck. Glad I don’t live in Russia.
SevenNationArmy: Hey, DarkLord, don’t suppose you have any word on the Poland-Belarus situation?
DarkLord: Not directly, but I believe that, once Belarus realizes that Russia won’t have their back, they’ll stand down. They know they can’t fight all Poland’s allies on their own.
FullServiceMassage: Does anyone know how this all started?
DarkLord: I think White Queen would be the best to say it. She was there, after all.
White_Queen: Bastard.
RainyDayze: Wait, really? You were there? In Baghdad? But I heard there was some big alert in DC when you disappeared in the middle of a debate? There wasn’t enough time to fly over to the Middle East!
Scholar: Not technically true. The Outlaws that the Ceresan Empire uses could have made the trip that quickly, but not while using their stealth settings, which means that SOMEONE would have seen it. No way that could have happened unnoticed.
D.VaLuvr69: Not to mention that those two hate each other.
Scholar: That, too.
White_Queen: Fine, the secret is already out enough that there’s no point in hiding it. Shortly after the battle in Central Park, I was granted the Mantle of the White Queen. I didn’t make a big deal about it because the Mantle is not a combat one, like my Black Knight. The White Queen is a mantle for organization and operational efficiency, not for striking down enemies in open combat. Better for dealing with courtly intrigue than deathly danger.
bento: So, you used that, along with the Light Magic to hypnotize people into voting you into office!
White_Queen: Don’t be silly. While I could have done that, it is far too noticeable, and when (not if, when) someone notices it, it will bite you in the ass. No, direct manipulation like that is foolishness. And, besides, the Mantle has no direct effect on my magic.
THE_MERCHANT: So, a social focus, then. I know of Mantles like that. Probably with an enhancement to social skills, and increased resistance to them being used on you. And, since you mentioned court intrigue, probably some other defenses, as well.
White_Queen: Yes, two of the major abilities of the Mantle are that I triple my CHA for social skills, and triple my resistance to them. And I am immune to mental influencing spells, psychic damage, poisons, and toxins.
DarkLord: Of course, leaving aside the stuff she undoubtedly isn’t mentioning, I will point out that it is possible for a Light Mage with high Charisma to indirectly influence people without hypnosis or anything like that. Simply using light magic to make oneself the focal point of everyone’s attention would open them up to influence by the social skills, for instance. Like how she was glowing during all those campaign speeches. Nothing illegal, or even all that dishonest about it. Just the normal tricks any politician and their staff use, amped up considerably thanks to the System. She wouldn’t be using mental magic or robbing them of their free will, just distracting people with something shiny while she whispers in their ear. Before they realize it, they’ve sold everything they own to donate to her campaign, and are now her contractual servants.
White_Queen: I have never convinced someone to sell everything and make themselves my contracted servant, nor have I tried to do that.
THE_MERCHANT: Of course. I’m sure you haven’t done that exact scenario before.
Rabbit: Wow. You three really are good at back-handed allegations and saying things without saying them.
DarkLord: It is a common thread amongst those who, either through conscious decision or some type of restriction, have difficulties in telling lies. People who do not lie tend to fall into one of two groups: those who embarrass themselves, saying the exact truth, and exactly what is on their mind at any moment, without any consideration for how it might be said, and those who are clever enough to tell people the truth, but that truth is either restricted in scope, or is something that is true for one meaning, but not the meaning others will hear.
THE_MERCHANT: Indeed. As a representative of the System, I cannot make slanderous accusations against individuals. DarkLord has carefully cultivated a reputation for trustworthiness that lies would undermine, and the nature of his personal power means that him telling lies could potentially destabilize reality in a local area. And even before she had a Mantle, White_Queen had a politician’s forked tongue.
White_Queen: I will, at least, confirm that the Mantle of the White Queen does not have any specific restriction against lies or deception, but the Mantle does not want to be the man behind the curtain. The Mantle wishes to be in charge, on a public scale, and prefers solid foundations rather than a house of cards, which means that any lies or deceptions must be made with care, preferably with an eye towards stability and sustainability.
DarkLord: In other words, she lies as little as possible, and keeps them as consistent as possible, so that it is harder to trip her up and cause everything to come crashing down around her.
RedShift: Well, tearing ourselves away from this drama, what about the India-Pakistan situation? Pakistan just declared war!
DarkLord: I’ve stationed elements of the Ceres Royal Navy in low Earth orbit over the region, and have personally talked with the leaders of both Pakistan and India. The Ceresan Empire will not intervene in a conventional war between the two states. However, if people start doing war crimes, or start putting nukes on the table, then Ceres will make sure both sides are incapable of doing so in the future.
bento: So, fighting armies is fine, but using nukes, or dumping white phosphorus on civilian targets, and Ceres brings down the hammer?
DarkLord: Precisely. Ceres has no intention of playing world police, but we do take the specter of nuclear war seriously, even if it is just a ‘local’ nuclear war, like with India and Pakistan. You do not want to see what happens when you mix magic and nukes. We learned that in a previous timeline.
White_Queen: I am forced to agree with him.
THE_MERCHANT: The less said about what happened when Tokyo was destroyed, the better.
Scholar: Well, now I really need to know.
DarkLord: Picture Godzilla, but made of tentacles.
NotACop: I really rather wouldn’t, thanks.
bento: H-how does that even work?
RamblingWreck: I am too sober for this conversation.
FullServiceMassage: Holy shit! There’s ALREADY Rule34 of that up online! Poor Ultrawoman!
RamblingWreck: I am REALLY too sober for this conversation.