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Grand Game 592: A Change of Strategy
🕑 Added 2025-03-07 12:02:16 +0000 UTCMy pronouncement elicited only a single terse word in response from the huntmistress.
“Explain,” she ordered.
“Gladly,” I said. Sitting back, I took the time to gather my thoughts. “From everything you’ve told me, and from everything I’ve learned of the void from… other sources, I think it’s fair to say that the initiative is squarely with the enemy at the moment. The void fathers are the ones making all the moves. They are the ones determining which sectors to attack and which new fronts to open. They are the ones choosing the battlefields. You and the brotherhood are in reactive mode, only attacking the positions the stygians expect you to.”
Kartara nodded, her expression shuttered. “A fair assessment. We are the Kingdom’s protectors. We defend what the void attacks. But what other alternatives do we have?”
Spreading my arms, I took in the surroundings. “This sector, for one.”
The huntmistress raised one eyebrow. “You’re suggesting we try to reclaim sector 30,199?”
“I am,” I said, ignoring her disbelieving tone. “This sector is as good a place as any to begin a counter-offensive. By all indications, it is deep within the void’s territory and important to the nether. There is a mature tree here, three other rifts, and what, by all appearance, is a harbinger creche. Why not start here?”
Senzo scratched his head in bemusement. “For all the reasons you just laid out. If we did as you suggested and established a base here, how long do you think it would last against a concerted attack?”
Duskar scanned the barren desert dunes. “The terrain is indefensible,” he agreed. “Even if the mature tree leaves us with enough time to fortify a camp, the ground underfoot will not support proper earthworks. Any walls we erect will not be worthy of the name.”
I shook my head. “I’m not suggesting you establish your base in this exact spot. There is a mountain range to the north. The terrain there is more conducive to building a fort, and additionally, if you delve underground, the stone itself will help keep the nether mists out.”
“But your netherstone is tied to this location,” Cait pointed out. “Our people will require constant and ready access to a portal if they are to remain in the sector. For obvious reasons, they can’t be miles away from one.”
I shrugged. “True. But you’ll have a new netherstone soon,” I said, gesturing at the dead harbinger.
“It’s an interesting suggestion, Havick,” Kartara said, “but not workable, I think. Or have you forgotten the three other harbingers under the mature tree’s control? Marching the army across miles of barren sand while under constant assault by the mist will be difficult enough, but to do it while under threat of no less than three stygian Powers? That would be foolhardy.”
I smiled. “Oh, did I forget to mention? Those three are dead.”
Senzo, Duskar, and Cait stilled, their eyes widening in shock. Kartara’s expression was more controlled as she exhaled carefully in a bid to hide her reaction.
She was only partially successful.
“You did forget,” the huntmistress said. “When—and how—did this happen?”
“The three harbingers died on the other side of the rift,” I replied. “They attacked the cloaking shield my people erected around the sector. Their assault was not wholly unexpected though, and in response, we lowered the shield, lured them in, and dispatched them.” I paused. “Their deaths were what prompted the void tree to flee to this side.”
Senzo eyed me askance, but he didn’t question the veracity of my words. The Pact I’d made earlier still compelled me to speak only truth, after all.
“You make it sound so easy,” the spymaster muttered.
“I don’t mean to,” I replied. “And I assure you, we didn’t take the threat lightly. In the end, though, slaying the three harbinger was easier than we anticipated, but that was largely the result of a mix of bad judgement on the young tree’s part and careful planning on our own.”
“So…. your faction now has four netherstones?” Cait asked, sounding both impressed and a little jealous by that fact.
My smile widened. “I expect so.”
“That does frame things differently,” the huntmistress murmured. She’d barely paid my exchange with Cait any heed, and her thoughts had clearly been elsewhere since I’d reported the deaths of the three harbingers.
I glanced at her. “It does, doesn’t it?”
She nodded. “The loss of all four harbingers explains the mature tree’s inaction. No wonder he hasn’t sent any reinforcements. He likely doesn’t have any powerful minions left to call on.”
“The mature tree could come himself,” Duskar pointed out.
“That would mean uprooting himself,” Cait objected, “and he won’t risk doing that.”
I nodded, agreeing with her assessment.
“But he could bring up reinforcements from elsewhere in the void,” Senzo warned.
“He can, and surely will,” the huntmistress agreed, “but it will take time for the nether to gather and dispatch aid—and it is not just any aid the mature tree requires. It’s Powers he needs. After his losses to date, nothing less will suffice.” Her gaze found mine. “That gives us time to safely reach the mountains.”
I clasped my hands together in suppressed excitement. “Then you agree to my proposition?”
Kartara pursed her lips. “Not so fast. I agree establishing a base in the sector appears feasible, but that is still a long way from expelling the void from it.”
“But it’s the first step to doing so,” I argued. “Like I said earlier, while rift diving may work against a stygian seed or even a sapling, your own experiences have already shown they are not nearly as effective against a full-grown tree. Take the young void tree we just killed for instance. It took a whole series of battles for my faction to dislodge the thing. Over the course of a few days, we steadily weakened its defenses, killing two overlords, dozens of nagas, and thousands of lesser stygians—and yet he was still no push over during the final confrontation.” I shook my head. “I’m convinced it’s going to take more than a single battle to defeat the mature tree.”
Kartara frowned. “It’s a campaign you have in mind, then?”
“That’s exactly right,” I replied. “We, or rather you and the brotherhood, have to stay entrenched in this sector, and bit by bit, weaken the mature tree’s defenses, until we are ready to strike the final blow.”
“A mature tree is not a young tree,” Duskar objected. “What you are asking could take months or even years.”
“It could,” I said bluntly, “which is why establishing an impregnable base is an important first step.”
“But aren’t you forgetting something?” Senzo asked. “Your faction fought the young tree in a sector that was still nominally part of the Kingdom. The void was constrained in what reinforcements it could send. Not so here. What’s stopping the void from sending ten harbingers against us—or twenty?”
“The same thing that stops any expanding empire from concentrating its forces too much—the need to defend the territory it already holds,” I retorted. “Any reinforcements the void brings to bear in this sector will have to be taken from elsewhere, weakening that sector’s defenses. Now, granted the void can still choose to do that, but will it do so recklessly? Will it expose other void trees in order to protect this one? I am not so certain it will. The mature tree already made that mistake and look where it is now.”
Senzo frowned. “And if you are wrong?”
I shrugged. “Then we abandon the sector, retreat—and try elsewhere.”
The spymaster still didn’t look convinced.
“Also, think of the benefits,” I encouraged.
“What benefits?” he asked.
Instead of answering the question directly, I replied with one of my own. “Who landed the final blow against the harbinger your people killed?”
“I did,” Kartara replied.
I suspected that might have been the case. “And I’m guessing you did so because you don’t possess an evolved Class and thus cannot acquire the Powerful Initiate Mark?”
The huntmistress’ lips tightened fractionally, but she replied evenly enough. “Correct.”
I nodded. “You did it to protect the rest of your people, of course—because anyone in the Kingdom sporting a Powerful Initiate Mark will become fair game for the Powers there.” I ran my gaze slowly across the four. “But all of you have grown so used to the status quo, you’ve not realized a core truth: the Game’s factions and your fear of them have tied your hands.”
The brotherhood players stiffened, feeling the sting of my criticism, but none of them interrupted.
“Imagine, the brotherhood didn’t have to fear letting its people become Powers,” I went on. “Imagine that for every stygian Power your people slew, you gained a new Powerful Initiate. Imagine that you had a stronghold in sector 30,199—a sector so isolated that nearly no one could get to it. Imagine you could nurture your newly-made Powers there, safe from the machinations of the Game. Now, tell me, what would the brotherhood be able to achieve then?”
Awed silence.
“That’s…” Duskar sputtered. “That’s…”
“Ambitious,” Kartara finished for him, her gaze resting on me.
I didn’t look away. I knew she understood the implications of what I was asking. If the picture I painted came to fruition, then many of her subordinates would surpass her in level and power—because she, of course, could not become a Power herself.
Asking anyone to permit such would be a bitter pill to swallow. How much harder would it be for Kartara who had likely been in command of the brotherhood for years?
If she wanted to, there were a dozen different excuses the huntmistress could use to dismiss my suggestion, and as loyal as her people were to her, they would undoubtedly go along with whatever she decided.
“Ambitious and intriguing,” Kartara continued, her face still inscrutable. “And a notion worth exploring further. I agree to your proposal.”
My shoulders sagged in relief, even as my respect for the huntmistress grew.
“However, there is still the matter of provisions to consider,” she went on as if there was nothing momentous about her decision. “If the goal is to keep the brotherhood stronghold in sector 30,199 isolated, I cannot supply them directly from our stores.”
“Agreed,” I said. “My faction will keep your people fed.”
Duskar shot Kartara a look. “We are really doing this?”
She nodded. “We are. If the outcome of today’s battle has shown anything, it’s what can be achieved with Powers fighting by our side. This is not an opportunity we can afford to ignore.” She paused. “Besides which, Havick is right, the brotherhood has been on the defensive for too long. It’s time we took the fight to the void.”
She inhaled, then issued a series of pronouncements in rapid succession. “The army we leave behind in sector 30,199 will be the genesis of something new: the brotherhood’s first Nethersphere chapter. It will function autonomously and will be charged with making inroads into the territory held by the void.
“The chapter will operate under a veil of secrecy, and its members will make a Pact sworn oath never to return to the Kingdom until the void has been fully defeated. I’ll remain in charge of the public-facing part of the organization—the Kingdom chapter—and will use it to funnel suitable candidates to the Nethersphere group.
“Unfortunately, necessity and circumstances dictate that the entire army be conscripted into the new chapter. None of the players we brought here today will be afforded an opportunity to return to the Kingdom. But I want to be clear, all future enrollment in the Nethersphere chapter will be voluntary.” She exhaled. “Now, are there any questions?”
Silence fell again as Kartara’s subordinates digested her words, but if the others were perturbed by Kartara’s emphatic adoption of my suggestion, they did not show it.
I, too, ruminated over the huntmistress’ words. Once again, Kartara had surprised me. She had not only heard and understood what I had said, she had wholeheartedly grabbed hold of the notion and developed it into something that, in the long run, had every chance of success.
Assuming of course, we managed to establish and maintain a foothold in sector 30,199 in the first place.
“Who are you putting in charge of the new chapter?” Duskar asked finally.
“You,” Kartara replied.
The orc straightened. “Me?”
“Yes, you.” She smiled. “I have no doubt you are up to the task.”
“But...” The orc licked his lips as, almost involuntarily, his gaze slid sideways to me. “You want me to work with him?”
Kartara laughed. “No doubt you will give Havick no end of trouble, but you are our best war leader, Dusk. Heglin and Cait will also stay with you and serve as your seconds.”
The nether witch straightened. “I will?”
Kartara’s lips turned upward again. It was as if her decision had buoyed her and much of the tension she’d been carrying had vanished in its wake. “Of course,” she said lightly. “You are one of our foremost nether experts. Who better to study the creche here?”
Cait’s eyes brightened and she nodded decisively. “I will not let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” Kartara replied. “Now, are there any other questions?” Although she fielded the question to the group at large, it was to me she looked.
I said nothing for a moment, still meditating over her choice of commander. It was fair to say Duskar didn’t like me—nor me him, for that matter—and I couldn’t help but feel that had factored in the huntmistress’ decision.
Did Kartara fear for the new chapter’s continued loyalty?
I thought so.
The Nethersphere chapter would be operating independently from the Kingdom one, and like it or not, would be heavily dependent on my faction for its survival, at least initially. Which, of course, was problematic from the huntmistress’ perspective. Such dependence might sway their loyalties, leading them to trade their allegiance to the brotherhood for me. But by appointing Duskar their commander significantly, she’d significantly reduced the chances of that happening.
A calculated decision, then, I mused.
Still, I could not fault it. And for all my dislike of the orc, I did not doubt his competence.
Turning my focus outward again, I found Kartara and the others watching me intently. “I have just one question,” I said, ignoring their stares. “Two actually.”
“Go on,” the huntmistress.
“Who will be returning to the Kingdom with you?”
“Just Senzo,” Kartara replied. She threw the spymaster an apologetic look. “His expertise I cannot spare, and truthfully he will be more useful in the Game than here in the nether.”
I nodded. “Makes sense.”
“And your other question?” Kartara asked.
“What’s Duskar’s new title?” I paused. “And please don’t tell me I have to call him huntmaster!”
Just as I hoped, my question set the others chuckling.
Kartara smiled at me knowingly. My intention had been to set the others at ease—and it had worked—but not without the huntmistress realizing what I was about. Not that she seemed to mind.
“Alright, now that we have all settled—” Kartara glanced at Duskar—“tell me how do you want to do this?”
The orc leaned forward. “Well first, we need to…”
Comments
David Brewer
Eh it's similar to his situation. But his situation stems from the lack of an evolved Class. The quote I posted has 4 (only 3 of them are needed) requirements to obtain the powerful Initiate mark. Evolved class, unsworn, and either leveling 250 or you've slain a level 300 foe. The key fact is ANY player can in theory reach level 299 and max out tier 6. Only players with a power mark can reach tier 7. But the risks from obtaining a power mark drives many players into either swearing fealty to a Power, or like the thieves' guild Nexus chapter boss... they stop leveling before reaching 250. And obviously there are two more options... Ascend to become a Power or die. And the later is what happens to most players in Michael's situation... it's not "safe" to become a Power without a patron to shield you. Edit: As Adriel mentioned when he gained the powerful Initiate mark... having that mark (which literally gives him nothing) allows Powers to attack him... thus most players (tier 4, 5, and 6 ones anyway) rightly fear it. Because even when Michael was level 199... nothing at that point protected Michael from someone like Loken (Supreme Power) except ignorance.
Michael Rabbitt
I believe it would work like scions, where ceruvax can’t go above 299 should be the same for envoys
Michael Rabbitt
Then envoys wouldn’t be forced to stop leveling, they’re sworn to a power so they automatically can’t become a powerful initiate
wilbur henn
Please tom chapters .I can't wait please
Brian
Where you at Tom? We miss you and Michael
David Brewer
"Congratulations, Michael! You have slain your first tier 7 creature and accomplished the feat: A Mighty Player! Requirements: be unsworn to any Power, possess an evolved Class, and reach player level 250. Or be unsworn to any Power, possess an evolved Class, and slay a foe above level 300. Your spirit signature has been etched with a new Mark! You have acquired the Mark: Powerful Initiate, and have begun to tread the ways of Power yourself" For reference.
Michael Rabbitt
I believe they can go above 250, without an evolved class you can’t go above 299 so I don’t see a reason why envoys can’t go above 250
Gabriel Medeiros
Pretty sure envoys are capped at 250. Any higher and they could turn into powerful initiates.
David Brewer
Sadly no.
Grady Perry
There’s a tornado 5 miles from my house and I’m checking to see if the next chapters are out.
Alexander C Hyde
But by appointing Duskar their commander (specifically)significantly, she’d significantly reduced the chances of that happening.
David Brewer
No what I mean is, every dungeon has a leyline connection to a kingdom sector. To "protect" the dungeon when a Kingdom sector is overrun by the void that leyline is shut down. Hence her reference to, "We seal this dungeon." Don't get me wrong... it clearly isn't actually working. But I don't believe it's a continuity issue.
obiwann
…. As opposed to dungeons in…. Other sectors?
David Brewer
She's talking about Kingdom sectors falling. Pretty sure, she's talking about sealing dungeons from Kingdom sectors... like the situation in Draven's Reach. Keep in mind, we don't actually know the number of sectors in the Kingdom but given the number of Death's Bastion being >90,000... there clearly tens of thousands of sectors maybe even more. So it's seemingly a bit extreme, but totally possible that 1-5 sectors could be lost annually for centuries and yet still be thousands or tens of thousands remaining. I mean if we assume 3/year... that's 300/century.... thus to lose ~90,000 sectors at that rate would require 300 centuries.
obiwann
In chapter 558… the female war chief speaks about hundreds of sectors falling… dungeons being sealed etc… good year 1 sector falling… bad year as many as 5… Is this a continuity error?
obiwann
I think he has forgotten about us for this week 😖
Steven Black
Only 3rd refresh today...
wilbur henn
Any plans tom
wilbur henn
6th time checking today
obiwann
Re reading… going back to previous book… debating thoeries here…. 🤷🏽♂️
Alejandro
😂 let’s hope we don’t have to wait an other day… and let me guess you have also been rereading the last chapters while you for the next one? 😁
obiwann
my guy, I have been refreshing since Wednesday
Alejandro
Anyone else early on Saturday refreshing the page in hopes of more chapters? 🥹
obiwann
😂🤣
David Brewer
Well to be fair, you didn't say a saw made of one of the Forces. That could maybe work... but if you are going to overpower mind control. It's tinfoil hats. Magneto secretly lined his hat with tinfoil!! Everyone knows that, and whatever the X-men lore actually says is a damn, dirty lie. Unless it admits he used tinfoil.
obiwann
I dunno man… the teeth and paw attack with claws …. Feel like it’s vuln to force damage…. Put some magneto style helmets on the nagas to make them resist psi attacks… give em’ some saws…. 🪚 have MC be a bit away launching his astral simulacrum thingie… could be a Strat! Lil corny maybe.. haha
David Brewer
I bet it would wreck the saw.
obiwann
I wonder what a mature tree would do against a saw…..
David Brewer
It's more likely that the new Powers don't care about the ones the void has consumed because they have isolated sectors that contain the needed tier 7-12 (likely nobody has one of each) to have an "easy" path to 600. And the truly high tier dungeons may even be "shared" by each Force (admittedly that fits Light, and maybe Shadow better than Dark) not hoarded by a given Power or faction. I doubt the Powers would (without being either collaborators or mind controlled slaves) actively surrender such dungeons to the void even to prevent the rise of challengers. The value of having such dungeons for their personal use, or even to simply boost their minor Powers over their rivals would be to much. Admittedly, many of them would probably be unwilling to "share" their highest tier dungeons even with "loyal" Powers. The fear of being supplanted and all. The void doesn't seem likely to care which dungeons they seize. They've probably spent centuries or longer slowly snatching every dungeon they can... which will likely be mostly unknown dungeons, or dungeons abandoned and forgotten since the war. The stygians, in my opinion, have no need to target "Power-making" dungeons specifically. They don't fear Powers. Bear in mind, the Void Fathers know that even the Primes never... not once... have reclaimed a sector from the void. As in defeated a mature tree and forced the nether to retreat (likely they were foolishly focused on House rivals not the nether but still). And given the parallels in growth... the Void Fathers themselves are at least level 700+ monstrosities... why fear 1 or 2 more Supreme Powers? To quote Agent Smith... it's inevitable. Edit: Also keep in mind... dungeons that aren't cleared regularly can give the one to clear them bonus rewards, feats, and other such things. The Powers are stupid... but not so stupid as to actively abandon good high tier dungeons. Admittedly, stupid enough to allow it to happen, but only because they don't understand that it is. I mean, I suspect even many of the new Powers don't know the truth about the Void. Just ones like Tartar, Loken, Arinna, the Triumverate, etc.
obiwann
As I’m sitting here at jobesing my next fix… I was thinking… what if not only did the void fathers target the dungeons… but the new powers also didn’t bring it up because the dungeons targeted were the “power making” kind. With higher tier dungeons not being accessible… baby powers would be finding it harder to level up… and not wanting to fall like the primes… the older supreme powers don’t tell the players they likely going to cap out at lower power levels… essentially making the lower level powers food for the supreme powers… because without the dungeons it’s even harder to make it to supreme power levels… while ALSO essentially making the supreme powers invincible to players.
Alejandro
X2 😂😂😂
obiwann
Man I be checking every 5 minutes for a drop… guess it’s a no for today. I wanna hit him up be like…. Eyyyy buddyyyyy. Forget something??? Haha
David Brewer
Perhaps, but it still requires she level up a fair bit. But honestly, given everything about the game while it's possible becoming a follower might be enough I wouldn't expect that if it were her being merely a powerful Initiate would matter. But Tom has definitely done things that make me clearly wrong before, so we'll just have to play wait and see.
obiwann
Do we know if a power accepts forsworn what would happen?? They might lose that as it is. New powers wouldn’t trust them but she would… they might already be redeemed and we don’t know it
David Brewer
Because he needs the sector access. Getting Blythe to forge a Pact agreeing to not attack any Forerunners found within that sector and allow them free access to the safe zone to leave lets them actually use Draven's Reach. And even if the leveling aspect isn't great... it's tier 5. Big, and not particularly fast to respawn... they need to maintain the tithes for Draven. That means running Draven's Reach regularly. Without an agreement from the Blades it's dangerous to actually run the dungeon AND you run the risk of them becoming "curious" about why you need regular access. The notably low value of the favor would help to add a "no questions and tell no one" clause to protect the players involved and the secret of Draven's Reach. Is it less than the favor is worth? Absolutely. But at the moment the "true" value of that exit sector will never be particularly high. Not until Michael and the Forerunners are able and willing to sell access to Draven's Reach and thus encourage re-building the exit portal "town". At that point... yeah a tier 5 dungeon will draw crowds. Especially if Michael "accidentally" reveals he found fade in the dungeon. Edit: It is likely that no Pact would be sufficient to let Safyre's forsworn followers not be hunted. But I'm fairly certain that once she becomes a minor Power if they can deepen their mark of Safyre and become her sworn it'll redeem them to the Adjudicator akin to her gaining the power mark (10 of them anyway... oh and 1 for envoy). Edit 2: Also, after his previous interactions with the Blades I wouldn't trust them to make an arrangement like this without the leverage of something like the favor Blythe owes Michael... hence my suggestion.
obiwann
Why would he use his favor for that!?? Them coming out of there and being allowed to portal somewhere else… that is not nearly the value of the sector
David Brewer
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see a tier 7 or even tier 8 (I mean... it's Michael) dungeon dive. But he's got a lot on his plate right now that contraindicates leveling to 300. 1) Saya. Nuff said. 2) Dathe and his pack. ... okay so it's really only those 2 that support not leveling. But he also needs to use his favor from Blythe to let the elites (and near elites) including Safyre if possible start to use Draven's Reach to both level and pay tithes.
obiwann
I dunno why I wanna see a tier 7 dungeon run lol. Can u imagine getting tier 7 loot and see it as “basic”
David Brewer
To address the "value" of the 3 sectors... it still is totally possible that one or more of these sectors have never been visited by players (even likely given Kartara noting she's not heard of sector 30,199). But even if they have it's reasonable to conclude they haven't been visited in decades (given the above from Kartara) thus they may have "virgin" dungeons... and between them possibly an "undiscovered" (and not conquered by stygians) tier 7 dungeon Michael, Safyre, and any future Forerunner or Brotherhood Powers can utilize.
David Brewer
I don't recall any mention of a rift in Draven's Reach. The nether invaded via the breach (see above). Pretty sure the void is restricted by the same rule in this case as players. You can't open portals (or rifts) into dungeon sectors. The shield defending them prevents that. Thus, the void needs to breach the shield... and once they have done that a rift isn't needed. The guardians effectively serve to reinforce the shield on dungeon sectors akin to how the Forerunner mages maintain the shield on sector 18240... or Ishita's mages did in 12560. Which is why the guardians are so vital. They can reinforce the dungeon sectors and nobody else can. Edit: Keep in mind, literally the entire point of the dungeon’s shield is to prevent the nether from reclaiming that sector. If the nether could bypass it that would make the shield pointless.
David Brewer
Probably later today. He usually either posts in the morning, or the mid afternoon (like 3-4 central time).
mark janson
Dungeons can have rifts too. Dravens reach had a rift in it while it was being attacked by the void.
obiwann
I guess no chapters today eh?
David Brewer
No. Dungeons don't need rifts. They can be attacked in a more direct fashion... probably similar to how the harbingers attacked sector 18240's shield. Rifts are stygian portals between the nethersphere and the Forever Kingdom.
obiwann
Do the three portals indicate potentially dungeons? I know they are most likely to kingdom sectors… but what if some of those portals lead to already closed of dungeons… that could make sector 30,199 or whatever the #is incredibly powerful… especially if one is a powerl lvl. That could prove very interesting.
David Brewer
Dunno, but being 299 for Michael guarantees he can use Blood Puppet on her. I see no reason to assume she isn't though.
obiwann
Is envoy 299??
David Brewer
Mmm, I just realized Michael should reach 299 first. That way, he can Blood puppet the envoy to release Saya and maybe get an inside scoop on some of Loken’s games. 😁
David Brewer
Given the intent to have them clear the other 3 rifts in sector 30199... it's likely the "never return to the Kingdom" expectation is more, will not enter sectors "known" to the Game. The idea is to make them invisible to the Powers. They can't after all fight the mature tree to "close" the rifts that way, thus preventing the saplings from becoming young trees is the only way to easily do it. Edit: "Investigating the other rifts in the sector, for one. Seeing how the mature tree reacts to a long-time player presence for another. As far as I know, no one has actually tried to live in the Nethersphere before. How would the void trees react to such an incursion? And is it even possible?”
Lucas Oparowski
I think it's a tad much to make people be permanently be stationed in the nether. IMO should have the ability to take leave somewhere.
David Brewer
Michael killed 1 overlord, and provided the circumstances the other three died in. He killed 1 harbinger, and at best assisted some in killing the other two with his crowd controls. The other elites in his faction are what I was referencing. I thought I was fairly transparent that the value of most of the players (be they Brotherhood or Forerunners) less than level 200 was minimal against the stygians. But having those players creates the opportunity to build more players like Ceruvax, Safyre, or even Michael himself. And because those players can't easily defend themselves against the average stygian you need large numbers so the true elites can get a chance to ascend. As far as uprooting to kill Michael. Maybe it would work. But keep in mind that (and yes this is purely Michael's supposition) an uprooted tree can't use its mostly deadly abilities and can't heal that easily. Thus it is dangerous to the tree... would he win? I mean probably. But given the situation I suspect the trees are playing the long game. And we have no reason to assume the Void Fathers know that Michael is present in sector 30199 so they can't order him to attack Michael. Finally, from his interaction with his "son" they seem fairly self absorbed and extremely arrogant (some what justified by their success over all). I rather doubt he expects Michael will EVER be a threat to him. He's after all, much smarter, better, and so on than his now dead "son". Edit: And Michael having planned things out, or even having an excellent grasp of strategy doesn't make him not impulsive and rash. He even himself admits it. If was a cautious man, he'd be either darksworn or shadowsworn. He soloed a tier 4 dungeon as a tier 3... and got a note for there being fewer than 1000 other people that had ever done the same. It's not a bad thing, that he can be rash. I do agree... despite my earlier teasing about pillow talk with Safyre... that he is actually quite clever with how he approaches the Grand Game. But, consider his old "friends" after 1 year were in the level 150-170 range. After not quite 1 year (ignoring his year in stasis for obvious reasons), he's nearly level 300 AND is a powerful Acolyte. That was only accomplished by a combination of rash choices and ruthlessly effective plans. Otherwise, he'd be dead or lower level.
obiwann
The forerunners did not kill the lesser powers. Michael did… and the four elites in his faction. The fact that they were focused on MC is what made it laughably easy. The forerunners mopped up. And I have to disagree… MC has used caution and superior strategy almost every step of the way. With few exceptions Edit: If I was one of the void trees I’d uproot right now and wipeout everyone. The other tree that fell almost took MC out…. If he showed up on the horizon right now he could kill everyone. I hope that doesn’t happen :(. I think MC supposition that he can’t be resupplied with harbingers from other sectors is a mistake as the players don’t pose a threat into the nether… except for right the fck here in this sector. I’d send the tree all in…. Kill the player infestation or don’t come back at all.
David Brewer
They do... in certain situations. Michael likely will be on the back foot when he fights the mature tree because he's rash and impulsive. So having numbers to deal with the trash would help. But, mostly the numbers help in this situation to generate more potential powerful Initiates. He'll need players to do what the Forerunners did here... deal with the lesser stygian Powers while Michael kills the tree. And this tree being in the nethersphere has more options for bringing powerful minions... hell we might even meet harbingers, overlords, or some other minion Powers that are above level 400. The Void Fathers aren't likely to easily surrender 30199... and as far as we know even the Primes never managed to succeed at something like this. I agree, having 1000s of non-elites, even elites won't (probably) be a major impact in the conflict. But having 100s of elites to sift through for future Powers? Vital. Edit: I'd like to note the Primes lost because of being overwhelmed by numbers not by being less powerful than their rivals. Which works in the Forever Kingdom because you can send players with 2+ lives to suicide against the various Powers and weaken them enough to win. But clearly that can't work (not as well anyway) against the stygians as people would be less inclined to be tossed aside for a permanent death than a temporary one.
obiwann
So hear me out guys…. I don’t think that the game is the same as it was millennia ago when the new powers gathered armies to take on the primes. Think about it… how do you gather people to your cause? By uniting them under 1 purpose. What can the powers do to unite them against a threat they have buried to the point no one but them knows about them? Ironically they are victims of their own success. However Michael on the other hand can easily sew and prove the narratives that the New powers are the threat because they have hid the fact that their dungeons and sectors are under attack! That could unite everyone against the NEW powers! All he needs is for the brotherhood to connect the dots for him! The most powerful non-power faction and foremost nether “experts” accusing the powers publicly while hiding in an unassailable base…. These new powers wouldn’t dare take the fight to the nether where they are real death if they fall. I think right here… right now this shadow war just tipped in Michaels favor. Well the war against the new powers anyway. The war against the void fathers on the other hand… has barely begun 😆🤣
obiwann
I don’t think the numbers count for much…. Mc and ghost wiped thousands….
Michael Rabbitt
And now to save Saya and maybe see loken again?
Michael Rabbitt
He seems shrewd and has the best qualities for a general going into an unknown volatile situation, he’s cautious and I actually think that he and Michael have more in common than they think in the style that they approach situations
David Brewer
Oh definitely yeah. That base is in for a seriously rocky future. But it is worth noting that if they are careful the tree may not immediately realize they haven't left.
Mike
I personally love the fact that it's only mc pov. It drives me nuts when authors put 20 different povs in their stories and half the time they don't need to be there. It would be cool for Michael to keep up with the brotherhood though. Which I am sure will be a big part of the story moving forward
Harley Dalton Jr.
Well, they better build a deep/strong base and start producing powerful initiates quickly. The stygian army when fully assembled would probably outnumber them exponentially.
David Brewer
The secret war part is fairly straightforward I think. It's not "safe" for the Brotherhood to let their players become powerful Initiates because they have no Powers to stand off the Powers of the various factions. So fighting a secret war enables them to start developing people into Powers, because they are hidden away from the selfish prats of the factions. Additionally, hiding in the nethersphere means they can permit Michael (and maybe Safyre at some future point) to assist because he/they won't be risking be revealed either. And this completely ignores the hope they have that they'll be able to actually kill the mature tree (someday) and reclaim sector 30199. Because ultimately IF they are going to actually stop the void they will need to fight in sectors like this one. This tree is relatively weak (as in it's the weakest it can be and still drag the sector to the nethersphere) and just lost all of its minion Powers. Yes, it will take a lot of people (especially if they plan to fight with players that aren't even elites)... but IF they can raise a few minor Powers loyal to the Brotherhood and Michael is able to either become an old Blood or nearly so they could take the fight to the tree with the expectation of victory. Remaining in the Forever Kingdom they have no chance to actually help against something like a mature tree. And finally the secret war thing also helps to protect the Brotherhood from being "tainted" if/when Michael's wolfiness is revealed to the Powers. If Michael only really interacts with Brotherhood soldiers that never leave the nethersphere the Powers can't really learn about it. And let's face it eventually (and likely sooner than later given how close Michael is to becoming a young Blood) the truth will be revealed, all it will take is say Loken’s envoy learning he's a powerful Acolyte. If you parse what she's saying... she isn't saying she'll only use the Forerunners. Just that she can't directly provide resources. It's likely the factions (given their desire to co-opt the players in the Brotherhood) keep some kind of observation on the Brotherhood. But by "selling" supplies to say... Kesh... they could effectively divert supplies to the nethersphere chapter and force the factions to tangle with the Triumverate if they want to know more. Michael offered to help as using the Forerunners is an easy immediate solution. But I won't fuss if Tom wants to explain so that we can get the truth not my speculation and theorizing.
Spencer
Totally right, my mistake
David Brewer
Senzo is a guy... aka the spymaster. Fiona, Kartara, and Cait (diviner, Huntmistress/Dread Summoner, and nether witch) are the Brotherhood's ladies that we've met thus far.
Spencer
Great chapter. Would love a POV chapter with the brotherhood soon. It would be great to know how many potential powers they have in their ranks. Also, I would be good to see the spymaster at work twisting the truth and seeing what *he can find out about our MC
Harley Dalton Jr.
It doesn't make sense that they would ONLY use the forerunners to get supplies and their choice to wage a secret war seems a little off to me. Sure, it's an opportunity to secretly grow in power but they will need a LOT more manpower for this. Tom, I'd like more of your insight into the matter.
David Brewer
For this situation yeah, Kesh via Sedgwick will be vital. Her resources will provide lots of options for building the new base and various necessities (food, potions, ability books, etc,)... their base and the Forerunners' base truthfully.
obiwann
I think sedge is the ace in the hole… access to emporium but not nexus… brotherhood ain’t poor… this is right up their alley too. Man am I excited for this book
David Brewer
Lol. I rather doubt he's going to be gone long enough for that situation (if it occurred) to be a true "problem". I mean, after he sorts out the Brotherhood stuff he needs to get back to make sure the sector gets claimed (unless he's here after it's claimed) so he can go rescue his lost pup. Also, he'll need to speak with Safyre and Sedgwick to establish the situation with the nethersphere chapter... I highly doubt they brought supplies for even a two day visit... much less a permanent visit and needing to build a defensive structure or base of some kind.
David Brewer
I mean to be fair Kartara is the one vouching for his competence... it's reasonable that we haven't seen any yet. The Brotherhood has been trying to fight a war against the stygians with both hands AND their legs tied behind their backs. Under the circumstances "competence" has a range of meanings.
Kyle Cunnane
He’s annoying but not egregiously so, hasn’t really been shown to be competent yet though. He kinda just interrupts people and is wrong all the time 😂
obiwann
Personally I have no dislike for him… the TWINS on the other hand… oh boy
obiwann
He gonna come back from the nether sector and saf gonna be three months preggers …. Cue Maury Povich… “you are NOT the father!!”
David Brewer
Eh, maybe he's the only one of her elites that has an evolved Class?
David Brewer
It isn't fair. That's unavoidable, but I expect more of them would agree than not had they been asked. We're talking about players Kartara trusted enough to rely on during a "rift" invasion... involving a known harbinger and possibly a tree. Thus, most of them are rather committed to the "stygian nemesis" idea that Kartara spoke about earlier... and a way to actually take the fight to the stygians? Yeah they'd say yes. Now, in a few months... they may be less happy.
David Brewer
I suspect we'll get something concrete about Michael and Safyre soon, but I doubt it'll be smut. Regardless, the "fade to black" we got right before the attack started made it pretty apparent.
obiwann
I’m waiting for SOMETHING concrete about This!! lmfao. Is Tom too shy to write a lil smut ahaha
obiwann
They gonna be like the void chapter of the forerunners… leaving the forerunners to be able to walk house and void missions!! Too cool!! With such an access to Stygian powers… the forerunners could EASILY become the most powerful faction in the game!!
obiwann
They are warriors… she is their commander. They probably see orders as orders… and most likely are high on their victory with such little losses they want to carry that momentum forward.
Gregory Clifford
I suspect the main reason Kartara chose Dusk to work with Michael is to provide conflict for the reader. 10 points to anyone who proves me wrong!
Johnsmith
Ok I like the turn this took, a very clever solution
Ali Sha
Thank you for the chapters!
Harley Dalton Jr.
I don't like them not giving the members of their army a choice in staying or not.
Harley Dalton Jr.
Thanks for the chapter.
Alexander C Hyde
Over the course of a few days, we steadily weakened its defenses, killing two overlords, dozens of nagas, and thousands of lesser stygians—and yet he was still no (pushover)push over during the final confrontation.”
David Brewer
Potentially yeah. But truth be told he'll mostly be relying on the Adjudicator for restoring the Houses. I suspect by the time the Brotherhood trusts any recruits enough to deploy them into the nether chapter they'll be forcesworn. But with Nyra, the Adjudicator has shown a willingness to provide Michael with players that can be recruited into not being forcesworn. And yes, it definitely shows a depth of planning that Michael isn't known for... I suspect pillow talk with Safyre.
Michael Kantor
"But by appointing Duskar their commander significantly, she’d significantly reduced the chances of that happening" maybe with significantly reduced numbers of the word significantly.
Blakuis Woolf
Not to mention it shows rather exceptional planning for the future. Our friend Micheal doesn't tend to plan things out too much. But an alliance with the brother hood in the way he proposes also gives him access to powers and I think a tad bit of sway to help bring about more ancient houses
Alejandro
🫶
Kyle Cunnane
I like the route this is taking! Really can’t say I’m looking forward to more duskar though lol. Can’t wait for the other chapters today!
obiwann
This is moving things along VERY nicely. Wow 🤩
Michael Corey
That was great quite happy went this route it really feels the right way to go
Seraquel
This is gonna be fun!
David Brewer
More ambitious on Michael's part than I expected. Clever though. It lets him benefit from the obviously well established recruiting system the Brotherhood has established to gain more individuals to fight with his faction openly against the nether.
