Creating a Steampunk Domain- a Good Idea?
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Moral Machivelli
- Rat Blinder
- Posts: 413
- Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2005 3:54 pm
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Okay. I have a little more detail if you wish to hear it...
*When the "Fearmongers" were sealed away, the spirits of light and arcane magic were sealed away too. This means that, essentially, the entire world this domain comes from was covered in a Dead Magic Zone. When the Fearmongers broke out, magic was restored, but by that time all existing magical tomes had been destroyed and those with arcane power in their blood had diluted it out of existence. As a consequence, no native to the domain may begin play as a class that can cast magic -Arcane or Divine- even though it lacks a magic-affecting aura like Lamordia. Once they enter other domains, however, they can learn these classes.
*Though racial predjudices and the like do exist, the natives of this domain are far more used to dealling with demi-humans than the average Ravenlofter. As a consequence, Racial OR is reduced by -1 in relation to these natives.
*Half-Vistani is not a valid race for a player from this domain; the Vistani find this domain abhorrent, and the only place less likely to receive their visitation is Invidia. Caliban, however, is, as this race can be used to represent "Vatspawn"; a bizarre race of demihumans emerging from alchemical experiments in creating "perfect beings" whose creation began before the domain was even pulled into Ravenloft.
*The average domain native is actually aware that they are no longer in their original world, though they don't know that they're in Ravenloft. As far as they know, some technological undertaking went wrong and they were ripped from their world and hurled.... "somewhere else". Precisely where they landed differs from individual to individual; some say a parallel world, others a different planet, some say the Abyss and others the past or future of their own world.
Well, I hope this helps somewhat...
*When the "Fearmongers" were sealed away, the spirits of light and arcane magic were sealed away too. This means that, essentially, the entire world this domain comes from was covered in a Dead Magic Zone. When the Fearmongers broke out, magic was restored, but by that time all existing magical tomes had been destroyed and those with arcane power in their blood had diluted it out of existence. As a consequence, no native to the domain may begin play as a class that can cast magic -Arcane or Divine- even though it lacks a magic-affecting aura like Lamordia. Once they enter other domains, however, they can learn these classes.
*Though racial predjudices and the like do exist, the natives of this domain are far more used to dealling with demi-humans than the average Ravenlofter. As a consequence, Racial OR is reduced by -1 in relation to these natives.
*Half-Vistani is not a valid race for a player from this domain; the Vistani find this domain abhorrent, and the only place less likely to receive their visitation is Invidia. Caliban, however, is, as this race can be used to represent "Vatspawn"; a bizarre race of demihumans emerging from alchemical experiments in creating "perfect beings" whose creation began before the domain was even pulled into Ravenloft.
*The average domain native is actually aware that they are no longer in their original world, though they don't know that they're in Ravenloft. As far as they know, some technological undertaking went wrong and they were ripped from their world and hurled.... "somewhere else". Precisely where they landed differs from individual to individual; some say a parallel world, others a different planet, some say the Abyss and others the past or future of their own world.
Well, I hope this helps somewhat...
"Is there any word more meaningless than 'hope'? Besides 'blarfurgsnarg,' of course."
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
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Jester of the FoS
- Jester of the Dark Comedy
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- Joined: Wed Dec 03, 2003 12:19 am
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So they sealed and seperated their domain away from the magic? I can't help but think about that in planar terms. If they cut themselves off for the rest of the multiverse.
So then, if they're cut off from the gods and magic, where do the souls of the dead go?
The answer? Nowhere. They're all still there. Walking dead would have been a nightmare and creamations probably became the norm. So the souls of the dead and bound to their ashes which are ritually scattered. Over a generation or two the souls seep down into the earth. Into the rocks and soil. Into the coal.
Ties a couple ideas that were tossed out together. The 'miracle fuel' is coal mixed with the powers of souls. The entire city would essentially run on the spirits of the dead.
I might be tempted to Fritz Lang it up, turn it into a Steampunk Metropolis. It does lend a few ideas to who the lord could be.
One idea I had for my 'first' homebrew domain (the first I liked, I sent it in to a couple of the Books of S___ and had it rejected) was the idea of a council who was the darklord. I based it roughly on the Hellfire Club with whoever was the head was the lord. It might work here with a CEO or head of a company or firm being the lord.
So then, if they're cut off from the gods and magic, where do the souls of the dead go?
The answer? Nowhere. They're all still there. Walking dead would have been a nightmare and creamations probably became the norm. So the souls of the dead and bound to their ashes which are ritually scattered. Over a generation or two the souls seep down into the earth. Into the rocks and soil. Into the coal.
Ties a couple ideas that were tossed out together. The 'miracle fuel' is coal mixed with the powers of souls. The entire city would essentially run on the spirits of the dead.
I might be tempted to Fritz Lang it up, turn it into a Steampunk Metropolis. It does lend a few ideas to who the lord could be.
One idea I had for my 'first' homebrew domain (the first I liked, I sent it in to a couple of the Books of S___ and had it rejected) was the idea of a council who was the darklord. I based it roughly on the Hellfire Club with whoever was the head was the lord. It might work here with a CEO or head of a company or firm being the lord.
Well, considering the "false history" of the domain places the blame on the backfiring of a Steampunk machine of spectacular proportions, a CEO or some form of "mad inventor" would have been my choice for a Darklord.
I'm not too sure about your idea that the "miracle fuel" is coal fused with the spirits of the dead- primarily because it defeats the idea of "Soul Drives"; special engines which trap the spirits of the dead and torture them for power, engines which have the (as yet unknown) side-effect of bringing the machine they're attached to to life as a Dread Golem (devoid of the usual "creator-link" though).
Besides which, the world the domain comes from was Dead Magic -and there are Dead Magic planes in the multiverse- and that has no effect on souls. Not to mention that magic came back when the Fearmongers broke loose; it's just that no knowledge of how to tap it remains.
Still, good ideas, and they might be useful. I've never seen Metropolis, but a Steampunk version of that might do well as the Domain's "Capital City". Speaking of cities, I was thinking that most of the domain would be "untamed wilderness", with small towns scattered here and there -usually located near veins of superfuel and other valuables- with a minimum of two heavily industrilized cities (like Steampunk Victorian Londons) which are essentially at war with each other.
I was actually thinking that the domain would have problems with the undead, but that these would be "techno-undead"; created by Reanimators as a side-effect of their (futile) search for the key to Eternal Life. Being created by alchemy, clockwork components or "aetherical manipulation", techno-undead would be harmed by negative energy (which degredates the "charge" that animates them) as well as positive energy and would be immune to turning/rebuking.
I'm not too sure about your idea that the "miracle fuel" is coal fused with the spirits of the dead- primarily because it defeats the idea of "Soul Drives"; special engines which trap the spirits of the dead and torture them for power, engines which have the (as yet unknown) side-effect of bringing the machine they're attached to to life as a Dread Golem (devoid of the usual "creator-link" though).
Besides which, the world the domain comes from was Dead Magic -and there are Dead Magic planes in the multiverse- and that has no effect on souls. Not to mention that magic came back when the Fearmongers broke loose; it's just that no knowledge of how to tap it remains.
Still, good ideas, and they might be useful. I've never seen Metropolis, but a Steampunk version of that might do well as the Domain's "Capital City". Speaking of cities, I was thinking that most of the domain would be "untamed wilderness", with small towns scattered here and there -usually located near veins of superfuel and other valuables- with a minimum of two heavily industrilized cities (like Steampunk Victorian Londons) which are essentially at war with each other.
I was actually thinking that the domain would have problems with the undead, but that these would be "techno-undead"; created by Reanimators as a side-effect of their (futile) search for the key to Eternal Life. Being created by alchemy, clockwork components or "aetherical manipulation", techno-undead would be harmed by negative energy (which degredates the "charge" that animates them) as well as positive energy and would be immune to turning/rebuking.
"Is there any word more meaningless than 'hope'? Besides 'blarfurgsnarg,' of course."
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
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Moral Machivelli
- Rat Blinder
- Posts: 413
- Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2005 3:54 pm
- Location: Not Here...
Darklord of the Realm: The Holy Man
The steam rising from every chimney, every device, and every Superfule flame throughout the land creates a haze that seems to obscure even the sun. The ally is but a normal such place in the capital. The cobbles broken by the repeated passage of carts long gone to time; run with the rain that drizzles down. The irregular chug of steam goes past, as is it does by the day.
As you wake, you are conscious of your head resting just a little off the ground. You struggle to find some explanation for this attempting to rise …
“You will help me.”
You strain your head in the direction from which the voice has come. In the midst of the haze, you can see a man. Strange… in spite of the haze, he is plainly visible. He wares robes that are a shade of dull green, with no paterns woven into them. His simple brown hair is cut short, and he is quite clean shaven. From all appearances, he is some kind of... well Holy man
But that is absurd…
At this moment, your vision completely blacks out. Your head slams back to the wet hard ground, but what you can now guess is some sort of New Science Device takes the entirety of the impact. Somehow this man implanted it into your sleeping form without even causing you to feel a thing.
As you fall, you can hear a voice beginning to talk to you. It is a calm voice, and you surmise that it is the man’s. As it speaks so, images begin to form in your head, visions of New Science, of schematics, diagrams, wondrous, impossible machines which the machine explains to you in great depth all in brightest azure green.
But now, things begin to speed up. The diagrams flash before your eyes with impossible speed. The voice, which starts to explain principles of new science, becomes a blur, barely audible, but somehow you know it is important. You must remember. You don’t know why but you must remember every last fact.
It is an inhumane struggle. You are still trying to remember all the facts, when you pass out.
…
You awake, a changed person. Your newfound knowledge of those scientific principles could only be equalled by the very best of the guild of Newmen. You can build from memory a dozen devices that the guild can only theorize over.
And you know what you must do.
Not looking at the clocked figure of the holy man, who still lingers, you wander into the crowded main street.
A pity, as you did not hear his final words, which he whispers to himself, as he walks slowly back into the haze of Superfuel
Well, what do you think? Any good? I have more, but I am never a good judge of my own work, so I wanted to see what the comunity thaught.
The steam rising from every chimney, every device, and every Superfule flame throughout the land creates a haze that seems to obscure even the sun. The ally is but a normal such place in the capital. The cobbles broken by the repeated passage of carts long gone to time; run with the rain that drizzles down. The irregular chug of steam goes past, as is it does by the day.
As you wake, you are conscious of your head resting just a little off the ground. You struggle to find some explanation for this attempting to rise …
“You will help me.”
You strain your head in the direction from which the voice has come. In the midst of the haze, you can see a man. Strange… in spite of the haze, he is plainly visible. He wares robes that are a shade of dull green, with no paterns woven into them. His simple brown hair is cut short, and he is quite clean shaven. From all appearances, he is some kind of... well Holy man
But that is absurd…
At this moment, your vision completely blacks out. Your head slams back to the wet hard ground, but what you can now guess is some sort of New Science Device takes the entirety of the impact. Somehow this man implanted it into your sleeping form without even causing you to feel a thing.
As you fall, you can hear a voice beginning to talk to you. It is a calm voice, and you surmise that it is the man’s. As it speaks so, images begin to form in your head, visions of New Science, of schematics, diagrams, wondrous, impossible machines which the machine explains to you in great depth all in brightest azure green.
But now, things begin to speed up. The diagrams flash before your eyes with impossible speed. The voice, which starts to explain principles of new science, becomes a blur, barely audible, but somehow you know it is important. You must remember. You don’t know why but you must remember every last fact.
It is an inhumane struggle. You are still trying to remember all the facts, when you pass out.
…
You awake, a changed person. Your newfound knowledge of those scientific principles could only be equalled by the very best of the guild of Newmen. You can build from memory a dozen devices that the guild can only theorize over.
And you know what you must do.
Not looking at the clocked figure of the holy man, who still lingers, you wander into the crowded main street.
A pity, as you did not hear his final words, which he whispers to himself, as he walks slowly back into the haze of Superfuel
Well, what do you think? Any good? I have more, but I am never a good judge of my own work, so I wanted to see what the comunity thaught.
That looks excellent in my opinion! From what you've written, two interpretations of the Holy Man come forth, though neither of these may be what you were intending...
*The Holy Man is a vainglorious being, who is -or believes itself to be- the greatest Machinist in the domain. Its curse: it cannot create any form of New-Tech; its touch literally drains the life from Superfuel, rendering inert and worthless. Though it possesses the power to control any New-Tech within eyesight, this does not sate its appetites. Constantly it seeks out "apprentices" to who it tries to teach its schematics, in hopes of gaining fame through them, but in vain. Most apprentices never live up to its expectations, while those that do forget all about their teacher, claiming the credit for the Holy Man's designs and machines.
*The Holy Man was somewhat like Leonardo Da Vinci in life; though he forged machines of war out of neccessity, his true aims lay in the promotion of life. He tries to share his knowledge with others, to persuade them to use New-Tech to further the cause of good, but all those he instructs ignore the potential good of New-Tech to focus on designing new weapons, new mechanical horrors and nightmarish torture engines. And don't get him started on the Reanimators...
But anyway, I like it; you've done very well considering you had almost nothing to work with. Well done; can't wait to see what you come up with next...
*The Holy Man is a vainglorious being, who is -or believes itself to be- the greatest Machinist in the domain. Its curse: it cannot create any form of New-Tech; its touch literally drains the life from Superfuel, rendering inert and worthless. Though it possesses the power to control any New-Tech within eyesight, this does not sate its appetites. Constantly it seeks out "apprentices" to who it tries to teach its schematics, in hopes of gaining fame through them, but in vain. Most apprentices never live up to its expectations, while those that do forget all about their teacher, claiming the credit for the Holy Man's designs and machines.
*The Holy Man was somewhat like Leonardo Da Vinci in life; though he forged machines of war out of neccessity, his true aims lay in the promotion of life. He tries to share his knowledge with others, to persuade them to use New-Tech to further the cause of good, but all those he instructs ignore the potential good of New-Tech to focus on designing new weapons, new mechanical horrors and nightmarish torture engines. And don't get him started on the Reanimators...
But anyway, I like it; you've done very well considering you had almost nothing to work with. Well done; can't wait to see what you come up with next...
"Is there any word more meaningless than 'hope'? Besides 'blarfurgsnarg,' of course."
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
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Jester of the FoS
- Jester of the Dark Comedy
- Posts: 4536
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Well if old souls plus coal equals fuel, what would new, fresh souls be? Better fuel?Hell_Born wrote:I'm not too sure about your idea that the "miracle fuel" is coal fused with the spirits of the dead- primarily because it defeats the idea of "Soul Drives"; special engines which trap the spirits of the dead and torture them for power, engines which have the (as yet unknown) side-effect of bringing the machine they're attached to to life as a Dread Golem (devoid of the usual "creator-link" though).
As for the darklord I'm second-guessing myself now. Having it be a CEO or scientist does seem cliche and done. Lamordia is already the mad scientist domain. A CEO is slightly less done but just as obvious and perhaps a tad anachronistic.
Thinking about the idea of a giant city of technology, a metropolis of pnumatic tubes and pipes and gears... I wonder what would happen if the city itself were the lord? A single soul trapped in the heart of a machine that has grown so large and spread itself so far it is now everything. Streets are its veins. Buildings are its hair and fingers.
If the technology is powered by souls, why couldn't the prototype have used the soul but kept the life?
Well, I was objecting to the ghost-infused coal primarily because "Soul Drives" are supposed to be "forbidden technology"; officially outlawed but unofficially utilised by some of the most depraved and wicked souls. But I guess you have a good point.
And the idea of the Capital City as the Darklord is an interesting one, but I like Moral Machivelli's Holy Man too... hmm, an idea arises to me...
Ever heard of a manga/anime series called Grey? Most of the world is a ruined place, with towns literally run by computers, who pit the inhabitants against other towns to earn "points"; reach a certain rank, and you get sent to the "earthly paradise" of "the City". I think we could adapt this: the various cities are living machines, like your idea for the Darklord, who pit their inhabitants against each other in a struggle for dominance, with each city truly being controlled by one entity: The Holy Man, who created the whole wretched mess in the first place.
And the idea of the Capital City as the Darklord is an interesting one, but I like Moral Machivelli's Holy Man too... hmm, an idea arises to me...
Ever heard of a manga/anime series called Grey? Most of the world is a ruined place, with towns literally run by computers, who pit the inhabitants against other towns to earn "points"; reach a certain rank, and you get sent to the "earthly paradise" of "the City". I think we could adapt this: the various cities are living machines, like your idea for the Darklord, who pit their inhabitants against each other in a struggle for dominance, with each city truly being controlled by one entity: The Holy Man, who created the whole wretched mess in the first place.
"Is there any word more meaningless than 'hope'? Besides 'blarfurgsnarg,' of course."
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
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Jester of the FoS
- Jester of the Dark Comedy
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True... that sort of thing is probably better suited to being the basis of an actual campaign. Still, even if this domain has only one metropolis it's still going to have a fairly large amount of comparatively "wild" land; the food and the Superfuel have to come from somewhere after all, and whilst starvation is still going to be part of this domain, it isn't an overwhelming feature- that's Paridon's schtick. Well, one of them at least.
Not to mention that the city and the country would house different sorts of horrors; those of the metroplis would be more subtle and stealthy, like the Reanimator whose selfish search for immortality causes plagues of serum-charged hungry corpses, or the clockwork-augmentated serial killer who uses his built-in mechanisms to effect his kills and to escape justice (or what there is of it). The wilds would house the more "open" horrors; the undead gunslingers, the ravening tribes of cannibal savages, the beasts warped into nightmarish abominations by Superfuel waste-products.
Actually, that reminds me: on the subject of classes; in addition to the "home-made" Mechanist/Reanimator, should we stick with the Fighter and Rogue classes from the corebook or should we use the classes from Spellslinger? Gunslinger, Maverick, Trailblazer; though designed for Western/Fantasy they might be adaptable to this Steampunk/Gothic Horror domain. Well, primarily the Gunslinger (new breed of Fighter) and the Trailblazer (wilderness dweller/Superfuel Prospecter; the new breed of Ranger).
Not to mention that the city and the country would house different sorts of horrors; those of the metroplis would be more subtle and stealthy, like the Reanimator whose selfish search for immortality causes plagues of serum-charged hungry corpses, or the clockwork-augmentated serial killer who uses his built-in mechanisms to effect his kills and to escape justice (or what there is of it). The wilds would house the more "open" horrors; the undead gunslingers, the ravening tribes of cannibal savages, the beasts warped into nightmarish abominations by Superfuel waste-products.
Actually, that reminds me: on the subject of classes; in addition to the "home-made" Mechanist/Reanimator, should we stick with the Fighter and Rogue classes from the corebook or should we use the classes from Spellslinger? Gunslinger, Maverick, Trailblazer; though designed for Western/Fantasy they might be adaptable to this Steampunk/Gothic Horror domain. Well, primarily the Gunslinger (new breed of Fighter) and the Trailblazer (wilderness dweller/Superfuel Prospecter; the new breed of Ranger).
"Is there any word more meaningless than 'hope'? Besides 'blarfurgsnarg,' of course."
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
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Rotipher of the FoS
- Thieving Crow
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Frankly, this concept is sounding more like a whole steampunk-themed Cluster than a single domain, IMHO. It could play out a bit like the Shadowlands, in that there'd be one "big baddie" darklord who's relatively mobile and claims authority openly, and two or three pocket-confined darklords who work to undermine the dominant one by proxy, via hidden power-blocs of dissidents, outlaws, savages, cultists, whatever.
"Who [u]cares[/u] what the Dark Powers are? They're [i]bastards![/i] That's all I need to know of them." -- Crow
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Moral Machivelli
- Rat Blinder
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Hmm.
My design of the Holy man has him working on a very active agenda (Sorry, Hell_born, but both your guesses are no where near evil enough.
) He could certianly be the active darklord, and as his plans only affect the domain through side affects, any other lords would have free reign to plot.
As for the living city thing... I think I know how that might just fit. (Why is there no "Highly twisted evil" emoticon? 
)
I'm also working on some other stuff. Sites of interest mostly.
My design of the Holy man has him working on a very active agenda (Sorry, Hell_born, but both your guesses are no where near evil enough.
) He could certianly be the active darklord, and as his plans only affect the domain through side affects, any other lords would have free reign to plot.As for the living city thing... I think I know how that might just fit.
(Why is there no "Highly twisted evil" emoticon? )I'm also working on some other stuff. Sites of interest mostly.
So you like Rotipher's idea about this domain becoming a quasi-cluster too? Well, I guess we can pull that off... man, I hate not being able to do classes and stuff; I feel like a third wheel...
I still need your gainsay/naysay on the subject of classes. Also, I've had an idea rattling around for a while for a Prestige Class; I call it the Reforged, and basically it's a Steampunk Cyborg- one of the prerequisites is that the character has at least one New-Tech Implant, and by the end of it the character is a Living Construct with a couple of zeitbergers (or whatever they're called) and only dim memories of ever being human. Does this this sound like an idea that should be pursued?
On the subject of New-Tech, I do have a few rudimentary ideas for examples:
Steelsteed; an ordinary horse turned into a more combat and fuel-efficient mount by encasing it in integrated armour and directing a syringe of Zombie Serum directly into it's living heart, creating an armoured undead predator with feral intelligence.
Clockwork arm; replace a missing limb with this fully functional New-Tech equivalent, gaining a +1 Soak bonus to AC in the bargain.
Aether Pattern Analyser; this New-Tech eye lets you use Spot on Ethereal targets.
Zombie Serum; injected into a corpse, this vile alchemical concotion brings it back as a feral, flesh-eating techno-zombie.
Internal Air Tank; double or even triple the length of time you can go without breathing.
I know, I really stink at this, but I have to try and contribute somehow...
I still need your gainsay/naysay on the subject of classes. Also, I've had an idea rattling around for a while for a Prestige Class; I call it the Reforged, and basically it's a Steampunk Cyborg- one of the prerequisites is that the character has at least one New-Tech Implant, and by the end of it the character is a Living Construct with a couple of zeitbergers (or whatever they're called) and only dim memories of ever being human. Does this this sound like an idea that should be pursued?
On the subject of New-Tech, I do have a few rudimentary ideas for examples:
Steelsteed; an ordinary horse turned into a more combat and fuel-efficient mount by encasing it in integrated armour and directing a syringe of Zombie Serum directly into it's living heart, creating an armoured undead predator with feral intelligence.
Clockwork arm; replace a missing limb with this fully functional New-Tech equivalent, gaining a +1 Soak bonus to AC in the bargain.
Aether Pattern Analyser; this New-Tech eye lets you use Spot on Ethereal targets.
Zombie Serum; injected into a corpse, this vile alchemical concotion brings it back as a feral, flesh-eating techno-zombie.
Internal Air Tank; double or even triple the length of time you can go without breathing.
I know, I really stink at this, but I have to try and contribute somehow...
"Is there any word more meaningless than 'hope'? Besides 'blarfurgsnarg,' of course."
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
"Seek and Locate! Locate and Destroy! Destroy and Rejoice!"
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Jester of the FoS
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