tushanshu_ooc | Malicant Final Plot Update

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Malicant Final Plot Update

Thanks to the diligent investigation by multiple characters, some key points about the boss battle are now known! Here's a quick breakdown of them:

Malicant will need to be faced below the shell, entered via Dreaming.
Going below the shell on the Life Plane will result in them getting brainfried! But the Dreaming doesn't have the same parameters, so characters won't have the same reactions (you know, like bleeding from orifices). Characters will have to find a suitable spot to get a large amount of people below the surface and enter through a Dreaming portal. Key points will be the psychic shielding to get the portals set up, the diorama to find an optimal place to do so, and the experiences of those who've already been below the shell who will know what to expect.
The Dreaming will need to be manipulated to put them on even terms with Malicant.
Since the Dreaming is a plane of manipulated willpower, characters will not be limited to their physical capabilities in a head to head battle with the Big Bad. Malicant's power is subversive, and so characters will need to employ the same tactics. Increased sensitivity to the Dreaming will be achieved through an injection of refined Gha'nal venom, supplied by Milyn and practical tips by those who have used this method before. Every character will have the chance to craft themselves the best scenario in which to meet Malicant.
The boons provided by "Asti" may be more hindrance than help.
Confronted on his home turf, Malicant will be pulling out all the stops to control the Foreigners. Those who are most closely linked to him, by use of the boons and possibly other "gifts" he's dispensed in his time posing as Tu Vishan, will be coming into play... and not for the better. Eva will be able to provide more information on this topic, though she still lacks access to her magic. Key points of this will be contact with Eva and those who have been making use of the gifts.

ETA: Here are the list of characters who have a boon and are still in game, from this list:

Amelia loquaciouslyfeline
Annabeth Chase sophos
Donnatello i_speak_softly
Enjolras solo_patria
Gene Khan wrathfulkhan
Jackie Ma jinzhong
Korra alphatar
Michaelangelo michaeljangelo
Midii Une unetrustworthy
Raine Sage ruinsprofessor
Skulduggery Pleasant skeletonenigma
Solomon Wreath peacefullywreathed
Wanijima Akito akito
Yami no Bakura denyamenti
Zelgadis gathersnomoss

ETA2: The exact level of control these things (boon, taint, etc) on each character is left to player discretion. It will be entirely possible to start out controlled and then break that influence during the fight, making them able to switch sides and help with others who are still Mali-puppeted. Only those with no external influence will start out unhindered by Malicant's effects.
There is a Vilii stone that will be the key.
Hidden below the shell, this stone was created from Malicant's inception eons ago. In the visions experienced by some characters, and with that vision shared to everyone because of the hatchling's telepathic link, it seems that this stone had the ability to "shatter" Malicant. Characters will need to find it and determine the best way of making sure everyone can have access. Key points will be those who investigated the Vilii on previous missions or who spoke to any of the Realm Watcher NPCs in Valishaera.

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There will be a collective event log for all these things going up in the next day or so (once everyone's had a chance to organize) that will feature these sections in sub headers, and then a final log will go up at a later date which will be the actual face off against Malicant. Plotting can be done on this post.

As we have a hard plot end deadline of Nov 30th, so I'd like to have the Malicant log posted AROUND the ~15th of the month at the latest, two give people a full two weeks max to thread out the end battle.

If you have any questions, please use the Questions header in this post.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So, Tazendra was given a pendant that lets her draw on her old sorcery It was through a kedan mystic*, rather than through Asti himself, so is it under the same provence as the boons?

(My copy of the posts

No, that would not be affected in the same way as what will be going on with the boon users.

Just wanted to make sure that Tazendra didn't find a very long-thinking cultist. Chekov's gun and all.

LOL, no problem.

In the interest of deciding what I would like to volunteer my character for, whether on the shell, or under it, will there be any specific consequences, good or bad, for those characters who have interacted with Malicant or visited his realm before?

(I'm referring to the events in summer 2013. Enjolras is the only remaining member of the group to be transported for a lengthy interview with Malicant, though I believe there may be characters from the other confrontation that took place at the same time.)

Specifically, I'm wondering if spending that time in Malicant's presence would have an effect on what happens under the shell.

It might come into play, but I'm not going to go into specifics as they still being worked out.

Regarding the Vilii stone:

"Characters will need to find it and determine the best way of making sure everyone can have access."

Does this mean that everyone will have to pick up their own Dreaming-version of the stone and use it to shatter Mali in their individual/potentially group fights? Or just that everyone needs to be able to access it so that when Mali starts to weaken, one of the participants can use it to 'shatter' him?

It will mean that everyone has to have their own access to the stone, or at least a piece of it, so there are a few ways to do that.

HEY GUYS.

What would happen to an immortal who would head down under the shell who would just keep getting back up from being brainfried? He has no psychic barriers but he will heal physical damage once it's to the point of "killing" him/stops affecting him. So he would just keep popping back up. He's also a turtlepapa with Riva if she or the other turtles might be able to help him against the psychic pressure while he's in the Life Plane portion under the shell.

Edited 2014-11-08 17:03 (UTC)

Without psychic barriers, the effect would not be good on his mind. His body may keep healing but he might be left as a drooling vegetable.

Even if the brain damage itself would heal as well? Possibly at a slower rate due to the cumulative effect, but still.

Psychic damage isn't dictated by physical condition of the brain, it's psychic. Was there something you were looking to have Cain do?

Ascertain the location and condition of the Vilii stone, see if there's anything he can do from the physical side of things. Possibly gain access to Malicant's physical form (if it's in the same place as him in the Dreaming) and see the same.

Sorry for nitpicking, I was under the assumption that a psychic attack causing physical damage was different than psychological damage which is what I'm understanding to be the actual outcome of the attack?

Edited 2014-11-08 18:20 (UTC)

I'm not sure what you mean by gaining access to Malicant's physical form? But Cain will be able to get info on the stone, yes.

The psychic attack is causing both.

All right, I guess I'm just not understanding. It would have to be two different types of attacks/energies to be causing damage enough for death while also inflicting mental damage in order to provoke a vegetative state. I don't mean to be difficult, but I would like to know which sort is being caused or have a more direct understanding of what, exactly, is being done other than "psychic pressure". As I tend to reason it for myself, psychic force capable of inflicting bleeds and the like are usually physically-resultant in nature by damaging the tissue of the brain with an outside force that does not need to be there, while psychic mental assaults usually don't cause any physical damage but can definitely paralyze a person or otherwise cause psychological harm by digging open traumatic events or fears, etc.

Which, yeah, I realize psychic anything is not really... real or otherwise understood or anything, but if not doing this, then I got nothin' for participating when I'd like to be able to use Cain's unique fortuity to the foreigner's advantage somehow.

(Also I may be misunderstanding how Malicant's existence works, so ignore me on that part, derp.)

I'm not saying that Cain can't do it, I'm saying that a psychic assault is going to have both aspects in that there will be a mental component and a physical component. So while Malicant is attacking him psychologically/psychically, there are going to be physical symptoms of it too, like the bleeding.

I think we should be able to find a happy medium between being incapable of achieving what Cain wants to do and Cain shrugging off side effects because he's immortal.

Will the boons be present after Malicant's defeated?

That will depend on the outcome of the battle.

I have a question about the taint. Would Mali still be able to affect characters even
though the taint has faded ?

Yes, though to a lesser degree than those with boons since the boons were ongoing and the taint wasn't.

That is what I thought, I just wanted to clarify. Thank you

If characters die during the fight with Malicant/in the Dreaming, do they die permanently? I need to know this because Reasons.

It's going to be very strongly discouraged by Eva, at least.

Sooooooo is that a...yeeeessss???

ICly they'll be told yes.

Ok good. Thanks. o7

Clarification for everyone:

ICly, Eva's magic is not working at the moment so she won't be able to bring anyone back if they die during this battle. So characters will be told, "don't die or you're done".

OOCly, if players choose to have their character die against boon'd/etc people, there can be some behind the scenes magic to get them up and running again.

Character will, under NO CIRCUMSTANCES, be removed from the game because of these things or be unable to participate in the final log battle against Malicant himself, or survive the end of the battle unless the player wishes it like that. (As some players may be intended to exit the game in this manner rather than wait for the aftermath log, which is fine if that's the case.)

Okay, Zel's boon is technically a weakness -- he asked to be restored to human for part time, which means he loses some strength, toughness, speed, magical reserves, etc. Can Malicant just grab hold of him because he asked to have his entire body changed, or something else?

It's the fact that Zel accepted the boon, not what it does, that gives Malicant the hold on him.

Is it known exactly where the stone is going to be, or is it more ambiguous where the stone is? In other words, do we know roughly/exactly where it is we're going in the tunnels to find the stone? (Especially since I'm guessing the stone isn't directly visible from ground level seeing how it's in a pool of stuff.)

I'm curious exactly what context I should use to start a thread that would ultimately reveal the location of the stone.

The Stone's exact location isn't known, only that it's resting in a pool. That said, you're completely welcome to have Sokka spearhead the actual finding of it, as we left the location to player's discretion (we want it found, so have at!)

Is Malicant actually going to be responding ? Or is it up to us to write out the conflict?

In order to make the conflicts as integrated as possible to each character/group, and due to time constraints, we're asking that players craft their own scenes.

I have a few ideas for Enjolras for part 2, and facing Malicant, but honestly, his biggest, deepest fear is being at the mercy of Malicant again. It was the one time in his life that he felt truly powerless and reduced to begging. Would a scenario where he now literally is held in thrall by Malicant work?

If not, I was thinking something along the lines of an authority figure from his past who he disliked being the one holding the strings. Just literally being controlled by someone/thing else.

Being at Malicant's mercy is a totally legitimate option for this! If anything, it'll probably give him a bigger ego than he already has, traumatizing Enj like that.

Sounds great!

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Malicant Final Plot Update

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