WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
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DPUO wrote:<+AirHippo> Funnily enough, folks who abide by the law and try to make something of their lives don't appreciate the rich kids of rich parents getting away with murder and skimming through life.
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Anna
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
New update on the last page, for those who missed it.
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
Sea
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"Quotes posted on the internet are hard to verify."
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
C to ask about stuff, then B to leave so that we don't have to be against Galahad it this conflict, for now....
The Comerlian Family
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
C, because we need to know stuff, then we may try to leave. If the AIM doesn't let you out, kill them. If they do, don't, we shouldn't attract attention.
Quite frankly I wonder why I ever began making ships for this. You see, my work never becomes quite as good as I feel it deserves to.
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Anna
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
Galahad shoots a glare at Assassin, "You stay out of this! She's my sister and I'm going to take care of her. She doesn't need you putting ideas in her head."
"Oh yes, much better for you if she remains safely under your care so Saber can kill us both when you don't need us anymore, hm!?" Assassin spits back, taking a step towards him.
"Stop!" I yelled at them both, burying my head in my hands and running my fingers through my hair, taking a deep breath, "I just want to know what the hell is going on." I mutter, "And some clothes. Explanations and clothing."
Galahad and Assassin both turn to me, and Galahad laughs, tucking his hands into his pockets and nodding his head slightly, "Yeah, no worries, Mari. We can do that. Doc, can you sort out some clothing for her?"
The doctor frowns a little and nods, moving to leave the room and waving at the soldiers to follow him, "Come along, you idiots. If that girl wanted us dead, there's little either of you could do about it." He mutters as the soldiers eye me with distrust.
Once they're gone, Galahad moves to leave as well, "I'll sort out finding us a more comfortable room where all this can be explained to you. Assassin, shall we give her some privacy?"
Assassin turns her head to Galahad, placing her hands on her hips, "It's bad enough that I had to leave her side when she was in that coma. I'm staying right here."
Galahad shrugs helplessly and turns to step out, "Well then, when you're ready sis, just ask for me and someone will take you to where I am."
Overwhelmed still, it's all I can do to nod wordlessly, and he lets the door slip closed. Assassin's posture relaxes and she moves over to sit in the empty chair beside my bed, "This would be much easier if you weren't close to him. Then it would be a simple matter of killing him and leaving Saber without a Master..." She mumbles.
"I still don't even know what you're talking about. What's all this 'Master' and 'Servant' business about?" I ask her.
Assassin tilts her head towards me, "It's... complicated. Your brother and whoever he has with him will probably do a better job explaining it than I would, so I suppose it's good you have him, if only for that reason."
*********
An hour later, I'm wearing an outfit that more or less resembles my usual off-duty attire, a sleeveless white top and loose black pants that allow for ease of movement, I'm fed, and being led into the room in which Galahad is waiting for me. He sits me down and starts to explain to me what he calls the 'Grail War'.
It turns out the Originators left some surprises behind. One of them is a massive subterranean facility that they referred to as the Grail. It's constantly gathering outrageous quantities of energy and exotic matter from both hyperspace and subspace, but until three decades ago, it was unknown what it did. When it detected seven people on the surface of Akasha with something close to what we consider Originator circuits, each one was paired with an artificial intelligence called a Servant.
Each one of those original seven masters was informed that the Grail was capable of granting a single wish, its ability to alter the laws of physics and reality as we know it were unparalleled, and that if all seven masters would agree to the same wish, it would be granted instantly. Those first seven masters debated and argued, along with their Servants, but no resolution was reached. A year later, the servants disappeared.
Ten years later the same thing occured again. This time, after much debate, it was discovered that only Masters that were still alive, or Masters still in possession of a Servant, were needed to agree to be granted their wish. That's when the Grail War started. That first Grail War was a massacre, hundreds of people dying on the surface of Akasha. It was apparently during the conflict of this Grail War that the faction we now know as the Akashic Independence Movement broke off from the Terran Allied Colonies. There was no clear victor in that war, with all seven Masters killing each other, or their Servants.
Another ten years, another Grail War. The Third Grail War, ten years ago. Rules were put into place. The Grail established the Class System to accommodate the sort of conflict that seemed inevitable each time the Servants were summoned. Saber, Knight of the Sword. Lancer, Knight of the Spear. Archer, Knight of the Bow. Rider, the Mounted Knight. Berserker, the Mad Warrior. Caster, the Wise Mage. And my own Servant, Assassin, who kills with trickery and surprise. Each Servant summoned was assigned one of these classes, the AI within taking on the identity of a mythological figure from the culture of the species who summoned it. AIs were apparently paired with Masters that complimented them in some manner, personality-wise.
There was a victor in the previous war, but remarkably, Galahad tells me, he killed himself and banished his own Servant, rather than ask his wish of the Grail. Apparently, nobody is really sure why.
Finally, he tells me about the Command Glyphs. The three red marks on the back of my left hand. He has some as well, though his are in a different pattern than my own. They are what link us to our Servants. A servant requires a Master to function, and they're linked directly to our Originator Circuits, as only someone with such circuits can properly power and bond with a Servant.
Listening to all this, I'm having trouble taking it all in, "So what are the Glyphs for?"
"Well, quite simply, they're three absolute commands that you can give your Servant." Galahad tells me.
"You mean I can tell Assassin to do something, and she'll be forced to do it if I use a Command Glyph?" I ask, glancing to Assassin.
Galahad nods, "More or less, though more generalized Commands are generally ineffective. Direct, specific commands to do one thing, immediately, are much more effective. Using a Command Glyph, you can even temporarily enhance a Servant's Power, or command them to do something that would normally be impossible for them to do, such as teleporting to where you are."
"Wow. That's... pretty remarkable." I murmur.
"It is, so don't use them frivolously." He replies with a chuckle.
I sit back in my chair, looking to Assassin, "But... if these Command Glyphs are necessary, does that mean the Servants have desires of their own?" I ask.
Galahad clears his throat, "Well... that's more complicated, but... more or less, yes. During the first War, when the people involved started killing each other, the Servants went from being unified and emotionless to having... well, their own goals which they're pursuing. Nobody's sure, but we think that the Grail's programming might have been affected. Before that, all the Servants were telling their Masters to wish for the same thing. For the return of the Originators. But afterwards... well, some of the Servants have much more violent wishes now, and others have more selfish ones. The Grail now says it will grant the wish of whichever Master wins the War, but also the wish of that Master's Servant."
"Oh..." I reply, shifting in my seat, "Well... what's your wish, Assassin?"
Assassin starts, seeming surprised that I asked her, laughing a little, "Me? Well... nothing. I don't really have a wish of my own at all, except maybe being able to stay like this."
I can't help but smile at that. At least I didn't end up with a Servant wish some sort of horrible, destructive or selfish wish. I don't think I could have stood that. But all this means... if the Grail really can do that, if it's powerful enough to alter reality to such a ridiculous degree, then maybe... maybe it can grant my wish. A world without conflict, without murders and wars and pointless suffering. A truly peaceful universe.
"So, as you can see, Master." Assassin pipes in, "If we're going to participate in this war, we can't be under the thumb of your brother, or his Servant. We may be forced to fight them, even if it is later, rather than sooner."
"Or you could ally with me." Galahad points out, "It doesn't have to be to the end, but at the very least we can agree to not hurt each other, and in the meantime, exterminate the other Servants. Their Masters too, if necessary."
I'm uncertain. Assassin is right. Having someone who we may have to fight soon being in charge of our safety seems unwise, but Galahad is my brother... and a traitor. It's a hard decision.
For now, I...
A) Decide to ask more questions (please specify what questions you want to ask)
B) Decide to temporarily ally myself with Galahad.
C) Decide to kill Galahad, take him by surprise right here and now. He's my brother, and I love him, but if I can put an end to all the pointless deaths and wars in this universe by winning the war, then sacrifices are necessary.
D) Decide to leave with Assassin. I can't trust Galahad, but I don't want to fight him right now either.
E) Other
Vote for any combination of the five.
"Oh yes, much better for you if she remains safely under your care so Saber can kill us both when you don't need us anymore, hm!?" Assassin spits back, taking a step towards him.
"Stop!" I yelled at them both, burying my head in my hands and running my fingers through my hair, taking a deep breath, "I just want to know what the hell is going on." I mutter, "And some clothes. Explanations and clothing."
Galahad and Assassin both turn to me, and Galahad laughs, tucking his hands into his pockets and nodding his head slightly, "Yeah, no worries, Mari. We can do that. Doc, can you sort out some clothing for her?"
The doctor frowns a little and nods, moving to leave the room and waving at the soldiers to follow him, "Come along, you idiots. If that girl wanted us dead, there's little either of you could do about it." He mutters as the soldiers eye me with distrust.
Once they're gone, Galahad moves to leave as well, "I'll sort out finding us a more comfortable room where all this can be explained to you. Assassin, shall we give her some privacy?"
Assassin turns her head to Galahad, placing her hands on her hips, "It's bad enough that I had to leave her side when she was in that coma. I'm staying right here."
Galahad shrugs helplessly and turns to step out, "Well then, when you're ready sis, just ask for me and someone will take you to where I am."
Overwhelmed still, it's all I can do to nod wordlessly, and he lets the door slip closed. Assassin's posture relaxes and she moves over to sit in the empty chair beside my bed, "This would be much easier if you weren't close to him. Then it would be a simple matter of killing him and leaving Saber without a Master..." She mumbles.
"I still don't even know what you're talking about. What's all this 'Master' and 'Servant' business about?" I ask her.
Assassin tilts her head towards me, "It's... complicated. Your brother and whoever he has with him will probably do a better job explaining it than I would, so I suppose it's good you have him, if only for that reason."
*********
An hour later, I'm wearing an outfit that more or less resembles my usual off-duty attire, a sleeveless white top and loose black pants that allow for ease of movement, I'm fed, and being led into the room in which Galahad is waiting for me. He sits me down and starts to explain to me what he calls the 'Grail War'.
It turns out the Originators left some surprises behind. One of them is a massive subterranean facility that they referred to as the Grail. It's constantly gathering outrageous quantities of energy and exotic matter from both hyperspace and subspace, but until three decades ago, it was unknown what it did. When it detected seven people on the surface of Akasha with something close to what we consider Originator circuits, each one was paired with an artificial intelligence called a Servant.
Each one of those original seven masters was informed that the Grail was capable of granting a single wish, its ability to alter the laws of physics and reality as we know it were unparalleled, and that if all seven masters would agree to the same wish, it would be granted instantly. Those first seven masters debated and argued, along with their Servants, but no resolution was reached. A year later, the servants disappeared.
Ten years later the same thing occured again. This time, after much debate, it was discovered that only Masters that were still alive, or Masters still in possession of a Servant, were needed to agree to be granted their wish. That's when the Grail War started. That first Grail War was a massacre, hundreds of people dying on the surface of Akasha. It was apparently during the conflict of this Grail War that the faction we now know as the Akashic Independence Movement broke off from the Terran Allied Colonies. There was no clear victor in that war, with all seven Masters killing each other, or their Servants.
Another ten years, another Grail War. The Third Grail War, ten years ago. Rules were put into place. The Grail established the Class System to accommodate the sort of conflict that seemed inevitable each time the Servants were summoned. Saber, Knight of the Sword. Lancer, Knight of the Spear. Archer, Knight of the Bow. Rider, the Mounted Knight. Berserker, the Mad Warrior. Caster, the Wise Mage. And my own Servant, Assassin, who kills with trickery and surprise. Each Servant summoned was assigned one of these classes, the AI within taking on the identity of a mythological figure from the culture of the species who summoned it. AIs were apparently paired with Masters that complimented them in some manner, personality-wise.
There was a victor in the previous war, but remarkably, Galahad tells me, he killed himself and banished his own Servant, rather than ask his wish of the Grail. Apparently, nobody is really sure why.
Finally, he tells me about the Command Glyphs. The three red marks on the back of my left hand. He has some as well, though his are in a different pattern than my own. They are what link us to our Servants. A servant requires a Master to function, and they're linked directly to our Originator Circuits, as only someone with such circuits can properly power and bond with a Servant.
Listening to all this, I'm having trouble taking it all in, "So what are the Glyphs for?"
"Well, quite simply, they're three absolute commands that you can give your Servant." Galahad tells me.
"You mean I can tell Assassin to do something, and she'll be forced to do it if I use a Command Glyph?" I ask, glancing to Assassin.
Galahad nods, "More or less, though more generalized Commands are generally ineffective. Direct, specific commands to do one thing, immediately, are much more effective. Using a Command Glyph, you can even temporarily enhance a Servant's Power, or command them to do something that would normally be impossible for them to do, such as teleporting to where you are."
"Wow. That's... pretty remarkable." I murmur.
"It is, so don't use them frivolously." He replies with a chuckle.
I sit back in my chair, looking to Assassin, "But... if these Command Glyphs are necessary, does that mean the Servants have desires of their own?" I ask.
Galahad clears his throat, "Well... that's more complicated, but... more or less, yes. During the first War, when the people involved started killing each other, the Servants went from being unified and emotionless to having... well, their own goals which they're pursuing. Nobody's sure, but we think that the Grail's programming might have been affected. Before that, all the Servants were telling their Masters to wish for the same thing. For the return of the Originators. But afterwards... well, some of the Servants have much more violent wishes now, and others have more selfish ones. The Grail now says it will grant the wish of whichever Master wins the War, but also the wish of that Master's Servant."
"Oh..." I reply, shifting in my seat, "Well... what's your wish, Assassin?"
Assassin starts, seeming surprised that I asked her, laughing a little, "Me? Well... nothing. I don't really have a wish of my own at all, except maybe being able to stay like this."
I can't help but smile at that. At least I didn't end up with a Servant wish some sort of horrible, destructive or selfish wish. I don't think I could have stood that. But all this means... if the Grail really can do that, if it's powerful enough to alter reality to such a ridiculous degree, then maybe... maybe it can grant my wish. A world without conflict, without murders and wars and pointless suffering. A truly peaceful universe.
"So, as you can see, Master." Assassin pipes in, "If we're going to participate in this war, we can't be under the thumb of your brother, or his Servant. We may be forced to fight them, even if it is later, rather than sooner."
"Or you could ally with me." Galahad points out, "It doesn't have to be to the end, but at the very least we can agree to not hurt each other, and in the meantime, exterminate the other Servants. Their Masters too, if necessary."
I'm uncertain. Assassin is right. Having someone who we may have to fight soon being in charge of our safety seems unwise, but Galahad is my brother... and a traitor. It's a hard decision.
For now, I...
A) Decide to ask more questions (please specify what questions you want to ask)
B) Decide to temporarily ally myself with Galahad.
C) Decide to kill Galahad, take him by surprise right here and now. He's my brother, and I love him, but if I can put an end to all the pointless deaths and wars in this universe by winning the war, then sacrifices are necessary.
D) Decide to leave with Assassin. I can't trust Galahad, but I don't want to fight him right now either.
E) Other
Vote for any combination of the five.
Founder and Event Coordinator for the BSF Beauty Pageant. Founder of the Pseudo-Chainship Project. Admin. Games Master.
Quality Control Enforcer
Gay cute girl and fucking proud of it.
Quality Control Enforcer
Gay cute girl and fucking proud of it.
Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
A, Ask about why Galahad turned traitor, and also ask about the attack from Berserker, as well as any questions other posters might have. Following that, probably D. Galahad seems to be a known Master, hanging around him might not be wise.
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Necrontyr1998
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
Forgive my confusion but why are the TAC and AIM at war?
Other than that I would go with Latooni's idea.
Other than that I would go with Latooni's idea.
Deus Est Mechanicus
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Fleet Version 1.8 is finally available for download!
viewtopic.php?f=70&t=7081
Owner of 'The Novian Empire', a Delphinius Gulf Wars faction.
Fleet Version 1.8 is finally available for download!
viewtopic.php?f=70&t=7081
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
The most important bit is not to trust Galahad, so that excludes B. I think the best idea is indeed first A (ask what Latooni posted), then D. B is not that important. Although this is an excellent opportunity to kill him, I don't think we should. With this new information about the entire Grail War I think we should leave the killing of Galahad up to the other Masters, so A, then D and B in time.
Quite frankly I wonder why I ever began making ships for this. You see, my work never becomes quite as good as I feel it deserves to.
Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
I'm backing Latooni's question, and I don't think we should do anything else until we have that information. D if he won't talk I guess
Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
I'm going with what latooni suggested for A. Not gonna vote for D though, not yet. Want more info first before deciding.
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Anna
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
Question: How do people feel about the updates so far? Is the thread updating regularly enough (updates will slow down during weekdays because I have work and I'm tired and lazy by the time I'm done with work), or too regularly? Are the posts long enough? Should they be bigger, or shorter? Do the pictures add to things at all, or should I stop throwing them in, etc?
Feedback appreciated. I might work on a post tonight, but if not, I'll probably put one up tomorrow.
Feedback appreciated. I might work on a post tonight, but if not, I'll probably put one up tomorrow.
Founder and Event Coordinator for the BSF Beauty Pageant. Founder of the Pseudo-Chainship Project. Admin. Games Master.
Quality Control Enforcer
Gay cute girl and fucking proud of it.
Quality Control Enforcer
Gay cute girl and fucking proud of it.
Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
The quality of the updates is decent. I was not sure what to think of it at first, as there wasn't much aside from a large mech attack and the cliche way of suddenly discovering your powers, but over just a few updates it improved quite a bit, and they're pretty decent. I like the situation the protagonist is in, with two characters that care about her but dislike eachother. She doesn't know who to trust, he is in a dillema. An ugly situation, makes for some interesting updates. Considering the lenth of the updates, the thread is definitely updated frequently enough, if not more. The posts are long enough to show the situation and give you some interesting story to look at, while still not being too big, which would result in large chunks of the story with no player interaction. I feel that the pictures, while not bad, do not contribute much to the update quality, but they also don't stand out or have a negative effect on the game.Anna wrote:Question: How do people feel about the updates so far? Is the thread updating regularly enough (updates will slow down during weekdays because I have work and I'm tired and lazy by the time I'm done with work), or too regularly? Are the posts long enough? Should they be bigger, or shorter? Do the pictures add to things at all, or should I stop throwing them in, etc?
Feedback appreciated. I might work on a post tonight, but if not, I'll probably put one up tomorrow.
Shortly, the game started out in a sort of a "meh" state, but right now it is pretty good.
"Quotes posted on the internet are hard to verify."
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Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
The images are great for helping you imagine what it's about, the rest is perfect as-is 
Quite frankly I wonder why I ever began making ships for this. You see, my work never becomes quite as good as I feel it deserves to.
Re: WAR FOR THE GRAIL - Part 1: World Of Origin
I enjoy reading these, but haven't bothered to post yet. Personally, I think it would be nice to have a tad longer posts, but that may just be me. Otherwise you are nailing this quite perfectly.
naysayers will be shot