Storypost XIII - Finally an Exposition Dump
You feel yourself being pulled somewhere new - and not just your body, but your very soul, your EVERYTHING - all of it is being pulled somewhere...
You can't see anything, but you feel like you're moving at a million miles an hour. But then, you sense yourself being...filled with something... that's it! It's all coming back! Your power! Its returning to you! Your DETERMINATION solidifies.
This is it. The godmodder killed you once. That can't happen again. After everything that has happened, all your recent failures, trials, and suffering... it's time to turn this fight around! Your power grows with your will!
Base Player Power increased to 20,000!
Actions amount increased to 3!
With you gone from the godmodder's prison, the godmodder feels his abilities take a significant hit...
Godmodder loses all benefits gained from killing your Player group, as well as those gained from killing Xerath and Valla!
You can see the other side... the portal... you're almost there!
-----------
Arrival!
All Players, along with Disco-Chan, collapse on hard, rough, red ground. A few of the Players immediately spring up and look around, concerned about a trap... but their attention is quickly swept up in everything before them.
Above, you see a dull and dark ceiling, so high up as to be barely visible. Everywhere around you are giant red mounds of some manner of soil, like you're in a giant cave. Well... this is definitely hell.
The portal's current location, and everything around it, is situated in a large valley, surrounded on most sides by mountains, with a few small paths leading out. But within that valley, you see giant plastic buildings, production facilities... and plastic soldiers wandering around (or they were, until they stopped to look at you). You've arrived in the Peacekeeper's complex!
You notice Fenix, who was standing next to the portal.
Fenix: Players, you're finally here! Thank goodness!
Fenix: Right. All of you sit tight. Don't worry, the Peacekeepers aren't your enemies. I'll go get Quinn. He'll explain everything!
Fenix turns and starts to walk off. But after a few steps, he turns back.
Fenix: We're all glad to see you back. We were getting worried.
Fenix turns again, and leaves. After a moment, the other plastic soldiers start to go about their business again, and you all have few minutes to yourselves.
Not content to just sit around, captain.cat decides to take a look around. Using his newly rejuvenated powers, he hovers a fair distance above the base and looks around. All of the Peacekeeper buildings are here, and you can even see a few of their bosses around (but none of your own entities, save Fenix). It doesn't look like they've seen combat recently, but the tone of the base is a solid "wary". Makes sense. You are in hell.
Captain.cat returns to the ground, and eventually, Fenix returns, Quinn alongside him.
Quinn: Players. I have a lot to say, but first... the elephant in the room.
For a moment, the atmosphere is tense. Then, Quinn immediately drops to his knees, and bows his head.
Quinn: I'm sorry.
Quinn: In my desperation to destroy the godmodder, I hatched a plan to take both him and everything out... but, though I still don't know the details of my alternate-timeline self, I definitely failed.
Quinn: And the more I've thought about it, the more I realized... I was too desperate. The means I took to stop the godmodder was wrong. And so I am really and truly sorry, for endangering you at a critical time.
Quinn: I was desperate because we've always been entities. Ever since I attained sentience, I've... wanted to live my own life. To be able to separate from this war.
Quinn: But the godmodder grows more ambitious by the minute. And I can't live my own life if I know there's a chance it'll be snuffed out by a maniac just as its begun.
Quinn: And so, because of that... we, the Peacekeepers, are with you now.
Quinn: Really and truly.
[P] is now treated as an [AG] sub-faction rather than an [N] sub-faction, and will now act on the appropriate phase!
The Players all take a moment to accept Quinn's apology, quite happy at the prospect of having some backup. You summarize for him what you've learned and discovered while in the prison. Some brief conversation ensues, but eventually, Quinn gets anxious...
Quinn: Right. I need to brief you all on our current situation.
Quinn: First off, obviously. We're in hell. This is the "afterlife" that both we and your DEATH Stasis Pod were sent to. Fenix?
Fenix: Yes. We were sent to separate locations. The DEATH pod is currently in a rather... awkward position.
Fenix: The other entities and I agreed that I would move out and attempt to find help - both since I was statistically the strongest and that I possessed certain abilities the others do not.
Fenix: (That specific ability being "is able to talk without direct orders from owner")
Fenix: Eventually, I found the Peacekeepers. They let me rest, and while I was sleeping...
Fenix: I had that dream, which I assume was sent by you. It contained a lot of information, and I managed to convey it to Quinn.
Fenix: I'm not totally sure how you did it, but it worked. We managed to get this portal thrown together, and here you are!
Quinn: We were concerned about trusting a dream. But I guess it paid off. Thank you again, Fenix.
Quinn: But let's keep moving, we don't have all of eternity. Our current situation...
Quinn: We're fairly well-established here. And the various demonic forces around have remained entirely neutral, to both us and Fenix while he was wondering around.
Fenix: They just... stare. They don't attack, but I feel like I'm always watched.
Quinn: We can't be sure we'll NEVER be attacked, but... we think Hell's army has bigger problems to deal with.
Quinn: The godmodder recently invaded Satan's abode. Our scouts weren't able to get close enough to see exactly what happened, but the godmodder scattered these... advertisement flyers everywhere. They're... well... here.
Quinn produces a crumpled up flyer, and lays it down on the ground. It's on a magenta background, and decorated with bright white text, showing the godmodder giving a thumbs-up gesture.
"REALITY 2
Coming soon to an everywhere near you!
'It's better, because you aren't in it!' -The Godmodder
Release date: Very very very VERY soon!"
Quinn: ...There's not a lot of ways to interpret this.
Quinn: This is no longer a fight we can afford to lose. Not that it ever was.
Everyone is silent for a moment, now apprehensive.
Quinn: Now then... onto more recent matters... in the few days while you were all out to lunch, I used my Player powers to seek information on everything I could, from every possible source.
Quinn: For a while, I thought we might have to oppose the godmodder alone. I'm... I'm glad that isn't the case. I was looking for some sort of secret way I could get a lot of power, very fast.
Quinn: And I ended up finding out how to get past the godmodder's anti-tracking defenses and set up a video feed of him, so we can keep track of him. I'm going to show you the current godmodder location now.
Quinn: Now: DON'T go chasing after the godmodder right away! Just watch, and I'll explain.
Quinn pulls out a walkie talkie and issues some orders. In moments, a large flatscreen TV is extended from a building wall, and it begins playing live footage of the godmodder.
Quinn: This is the real-world godmodder we're seeing. The HEXAGONAFIELD godmodder never left the HEXAGONAFIELD, as far as we know.
The godmodder's location appears to be some giant black void. Nothing but blackness in every direction... except, of course, for a stone building. The stone building is entirely square, and on its surface are seven slots... outlined in the perfect shape of the seven legendary weapons.
Looking again at the godmodder... he has all of them. All seven legendary weapons. Not one is missing. He finally completed his arsenal. Then that means... Alice...
(Somehow, despite no real reason why you should, you all feel like you have a hazy knowledge of what exactly went down when the godmodder was trying to get Yoreshield from Alice. Hmm...)
The godmodder appeals to be kneeling. Concentrating. His eyes are closed. The seven legendary weapons hover around him, floating together in a circle.
Quinn: I know. I want to attack right away, too.
Quinn: But if we try a surprise attack now, while he still has the seven weapons... we'll be wiped out. And you can't afford another trip through the prison.
Quinn: If I'm right, and he's trying to open up the administrative plane... then my intel points to the keys being used. And if the Legendary weapons are out of his hands, then we have a shot. Really and properly.
Quinn: Speaking of my intel... it's time I shared it all with you while we wait. I'm not sure how much all of you were taught of this back when you were young, on Earth. For those of you who even were on Earth!
Quinn: I think it's time we were all on the same page.
And then... Quinn tells you everything.
----------
In the beginning, there was nothing. And then... the Planes. Each Plane is essentially its own dimension, and they come in all manner of different varieties and sizes. Earth, and its surrounding universe, is one such Plane. Earth's universe is in fact the largest universe known in any Plane - thus making Earth the "base plane" of sorts.
The others planes are all their own self-contained universes, all smaller than Earth. Some planes contain life, sentient and otherwise, and some do not. Some planes have multiple planets, some planes are only as large as one planet, or smaller still. One plane is literally just a planet made of minecraft lava. Nothing else. There are just as many such random and nonsensical planes as there are habitable ones. The total number of planes is fairly large, but certainly not infinite - if a human were to dedicate their average lifespan to inter-plane tourism, and stayed a few weeks in each plane, they could probably visit all of them in their lifetime.
You've already visited other planes on several occasions - the HEXAGONAFIELD is a special kind of plane, being tied to a physical object, the godmodder's Soul Orb. You've also visited multiple "mini-planes" owned by minor gods.
There are a few forces governing these planes. First, you have your major and minor gods. Major gods are those part of a pantheon - the Norse pantheon, the Greek pantheon, the Egyptian pantheon, etc. The godmodder had them all killed before your fight even began. Then come the minor gods - they are "generic" gods, each assigned to watch over a specific function of Reality. Both the major and minor gods get their own small "mini-plane". However, if the god ruling the plane is dead or absent for a significant period of time, their plane will eventually cease to exist. Many planes have already been irrevocably lost to the godmodder's killing spree.
Presiding over the various afterlife planes - those that can still be visited even when you no longer have a physical body - are three major forces; you have Evacucorp and its endless bureaucracy, Satan, and God. It is unknown just how much of the responsibility for creating all the planes can be attributed to them. For there was something higher still, that existed even before the afterlife's rulers: The Administrative Plane.
The Administrative Plane is, in a sense, a truer God than God himself. The exact nature of the controls inside are unknown, to all save potentially the Arbiters and the godmodder. What is known is that it has numerous functions, and the ability to control most - or even all of - the planes at once.
A very, very, very long time ago, many different beings had just begun to travel between the planes. The administrative plane was potentially vulnerable to those who knew of its existence - and so, a group of very powerful and concerned individuals formed. They called themselves... the Architects. With the help of the Arbiters, God, and Satan, created a security system. The security system would permanently lock away the administrative plane and all of its power, sealing it such that it could only be reactivated in a truly dire emergency, an emergency that threatened all planes. The system would be composed of a lock to protect the terminal.
A lock that could only be opened with certain keys.
A certain seven keys.
The seven legendary weapons. The Starcalibur, Yorehammer, Resolute Heart, Infinileaf Clover, Mascythe, Yoreshield, and Allsee Spectacles.
These weapons were scattered in various planes - some in areas likely to be heavily defended, some in areas left abandoned to make them as hard to find as possible. The intent was, if an emergency threatened all planes, the planes would unite as one, gathering the weapons together to seize control as a group. To this end, the Architects left "clues" throughout reality, and let a specific few individuals know bits and pieces of the secret - leaving just enough evidence that a group of united societies could find the answers.
A group of united societies... or one very, very determined, and very, very, very, very powerful individual.
The Architects are long dead, but the godmodder found their secrets. And this is what inspired him to gather the weapons. He hopes to seize control of the Administrative Plane, and sacrifice the Legendary Weapons to achieve even greater control. And now, he's on the verge of succeeding.
But when the godmodder activates the Administrative Plane, it will take the Legendary Weapons away permanently. Their functions as incredibly powerful reality-breaking tools are merely red herrings for their true purpose, as well as a form of assistance - ensuring that those capable of gathering one are capable of gathering the rest. If all seven are gathered and used, that purpose is no longer needed. So the godmodder will lose access to the weapons, and become vulnerable again.
And then, we'll have an opportunity to kill him. Because the Architects weren't foolish enough to make a mere one-step defense system. No, the defense system has two separate steps. Once the one who has seized control of the Administrative Plane issues a command, they will be faced with a series of challenges. Until all the challenges are complete, the command will only be issued partially, not in full. These challenges are designed to ensure that all the planes are united - if everyone in Reality is working together, then the challenges will be a breeze. If one man is trying to use the Administrative Plane for their own benefit, then they will be destroyed... or at least. That would be guaranteed for all but the godmodder.
There are five of these challenges. While their contents were known only to the Architects, who took these secrets to their grave, the challenges are collectively known by one name:
The Tribulations.
----------
Quinn: That's all I've got.
Quinn: Feel free to ask me questions. I know that's a LOT of information to give you all at once.
Quinn: Once the Tribulations start, we'll have a window of time where we can attack the godmodder, BEFORE he seizes total control.
Quinn: I'd say this is our new objective, but... we'll all be trying to do what we've always done.
Quinn: Defeat the Godmodder.
You can't see anything, but you feel like you're moving at a million miles an hour. But then, you sense yourself being...filled with something... that's it! It's all coming back! Your power! Its returning to you! Your DETERMINATION solidifies.
This is it. The godmodder killed you once. That can't happen again. After everything that has happened, all your recent failures, trials, and suffering... it's time to turn this fight around! Your power grows with your will!
Base Player Power increased to 20,000!
Actions amount increased to 3!
With you gone from the godmodder's prison, the godmodder feels his abilities take a significant hit...
Godmodder loses all benefits gained from killing your Player group, as well as those gained from killing Xerath and Valla!
You can see the other side... the portal... you're almost there!
-----------
Arrival!
All Players, along with Disco-Chan, collapse on hard, rough, red ground. A few of the Players immediately spring up and look around, concerned about a trap... but their attention is quickly swept up in everything before them.
Above, you see a dull and dark ceiling, so high up as to be barely visible. Everywhere around you are giant red mounds of some manner of soil, like you're in a giant cave. Well... this is definitely hell.
The portal's current location, and everything around it, is situated in a large valley, surrounded on most sides by mountains, with a few small paths leading out. But within that valley, you see giant plastic buildings, production facilities... and plastic soldiers wandering around (or they were, until they stopped to look at you). You've arrived in the Peacekeeper's complex!
You notice Fenix, who was standing next to the portal.
Fenix: Players, you're finally here! Thank goodness!
Fenix: Right. All of you sit tight. Don't worry, the Peacekeepers aren't your enemies. I'll go get Quinn. He'll explain everything!
Fenix turns and starts to walk off. But after a few steps, he turns back.
Fenix: We're all glad to see you back. We were getting worried.
Fenix turns again, and leaves. After a moment, the other plastic soldiers start to go about their business again, and you all have few minutes to yourselves.
Not content to just sit around, captain.cat decides to take a look around. Using his newly rejuvenated powers, he hovers a fair distance above the base and looks around. All of the Peacekeeper buildings are here, and you can even see a few of their bosses around (but none of your own entities, save Fenix). It doesn't look like they've seen combat recently, but the tone of the base is a solid "wary". Makes sense. You are in hell.
Captain.cat returns to the ground, and eventually, Fenix returns, Quinn alongside him.
Quinn: Players. I have a lot to say, but first... the elephant in the room.
For a moment, the atmosphere is tense. Then, Quinn immediately drops to his knees, and bows his head.
Quinn: I'm sorry.
Quinn: In my desperation to destroy the godmodder, I hatched a plan to take both him and everything out... but, though I still don't know the details of my alternate-timeline self, I definitely failed.
Quinn: And the more I've thought about it, the more I realized... I was too desperate. The means I took to stop the godmodder was wrong. And so I am really and truly sorry, for endangering you at a critical time.
Quinn: I was desperate because we've always been entities. Ever since I attained sentience, I've... wanted to live my own life. To be able to separate from this war.
Quinn: But the godmodder grows more ambitious by the minute. And I can't live my own life if I know there's a chance it'll be snuffed out by a maniac just as its begun.
Quinn: And so, because of that... we, the Peacekeepers, are with you now.
Quinn: Really and truly.
[P] is now treated as an [AG] sub-faction rather than an [N] sub-faction, and will now act on the appropriate phase!
The Players all take a moment to accept Quinn's apology, quite happy at the prospect of having some backup. You summarize for him what you've learned and discovered while in the prison. Some brief conversation ensues, but eventually, Quinn gets anxious...
Quinn: Right. I need to brief you all on our current situation.
Quinn: First off, obviously. We're in hell. This is the "afterlife" that both we and your DEATH Stasis Pod were sent to. Fenix?
Fenix: Yes. We were sent to separate locations. The DEATH pod is currently in a rather... awkward position.
Fenix: The other entities and I agreed that I would move out and attempt to find help - both since I was statistically the strongest and that I possessed certain abilities the others do not.
Fenix: (That specific ability being "is able to talk without direct orders from owner")
Fenix: Eventually, I found the Peacekeepers. They let me rest, and while I was sleeping...
Fenix: I had that dream, which I assume was sent by you. It contained a lot of information, and I managed to convey it to Quinn.
Fenix: I'm not totally sure how you did it, but it worked. We managed to get this portal thrown together, and here you are!
Quinn: We were concerned about trusting a dream. But I guess it paid off. Thank you again, Fenix.
Quinn: But let's keep moving, we don't have all of eternity. Our current situation...
Quinn: We're fairly well-established here. And the various demonic forces around have remained entirely neutral, to both us and Fenix while he was wondering around.
Fenix: They just... stare. They don't attack, but I feel like I'm always watched.
Quinn: We can't be sure we'll NEVER be attacked, but... we think Hell's army has bigger problems to deal with.
Quinn: The godmodder recently invaded Satan's abode. Our scouts weren't able to get close enough to see exactly what happened, but the godmodder scattered these... advertisement flyers everywhere. They're... well... here.
Quinn produces a crumpled up flyer, and lays it down on the ground. It's on a magenta background, and decorated with bright white text, showing the godmodder giving a thumbs-up gesture.
"REALITY 2
Coming soon to an everywhere near you!
'It's better, because you aren't in it!' -The Godmodder
Release date: Very very very VERY soon!"
Quinn: ...There's not a lot of ways to interpret this.
Quinn: This is no longer a fight we can afford to lose. Not that it ever was.
Everyone is silent for a moment, now apprehensive.
Quinn: Now then... onto more recent matters... in the few days while you were all out to lunch, I used my Player powers to seek information on everything I could, from every possible source.
Quinn: For a while, I thought we might have to oppose the godmodder alone. I'm... I'm glad that isn't the case. I was looking for some sort of secret way I could get a lot of power, very fast.
Quinn: And I ended up finding out how to get past the godmodder's anti-tracking defenses and set up a video feed of him, so we can keep track of him. I'm going to show you the current godmodder location now.
Quinn: Now: DON'T go chasing after the godmodder right away! Just watch, and I'll explain.
Quinn pulls out a walkie talkie and issues some orders. In moments, a large flatscreen TV is extended from a building wall, and it begins playing live footage of the godmodder.
Quinn: This is the real-world godmodder we're seeing. The HEXAGONAFIELD godmodder never left the HEXAGONAFIELD, as far as we know.
The godmodder's location appears to be some giant black void. Nothing but blackness in every direction... except, of course, for a stone building. The stone building is entirely square, and on its surface are seven slots... outlined in the perfect shape of the seven legendary weapons.
Looking again at the godmodder... he has all of them. All seven legendary weapons. Not one is missing. He finally completed his arsenal. Then that means... Alice...
(Somehow, despite no real reason why you should, you all feel like you have a hazy knowledge of what exactly went down when the godmodder was trying to get Yoreshield from Alice. Hmm...)
The godmodder appeals to be kneeling. Concentrating. His eyes are closed. The seven legendary weapons hover around him, floating together in a circle.
Quinn: I know. I want to attack right away, too.
Quinn: But if we try a surprise attack now, while he still has the seven weapons... we'll be wiped out. And you can't afford another trip through the prison.
Quinn: If I'm right, and he's trying to open up the administrative plane... then my intel points to the keys being used. And if the Legendary weapons are out of his hands, then we have a shot. Really and properly.
Quinn: Speaking of my intel... it's time I shared it all with you while we wait. I'm not sure how much all of you were taught of this back when you were young, on Earth. For those of you who even were on Earth!
Quinn: I think it's time we were all on the same page.
And then... Quinn tells you everything.
----------
In the beginning, there was nothing. And then... the Planes. Each Plane is essentially its own dimension, and they come in all manner of different varieties and sizes. Earth, and its surrounding universe, is one such Plane. Earth's universe is in fact the largest universe known in any Plane - thus making Earth the "base plane" of sorts.
The others planes are all their own self-contained universes, all smaller than Earth. Some planes contain life, sentient and otherwise, and some do not. Some planes have multiple planets, some planes are only as large as one planet, or smaller still. One plane is literally just a planet made of minecraft lava. Nothing else. There are just as many such random and nonsensical planes as there are habitable ones. The total number of planes is fairly large, but certainly not infinite - if a human were to dedicate their average lifespan to inter-plane tourism, and stayed a few weeks in each plane, they could probably visit all of them in their lifetime.
You've already visited other planes on several occasions - the HEXAGONAFIELD is a special kind of plane, being tied to a physical object, the godmodder's Soul Orb. You've also visited multiple "mini-planes" owned by minor gods.
There are a few forces governing these planes. First, you have your major and minor gods. Major gods are those part of a pantheon - the Norse pantheon, the Greek pantheon, the Egyptian pantheon, etc. The godmodder had them all killed before your fight even began. Then come the minor gods - they are "generic" gods, each assigned to watch over a specific function of Reality. Both the major and minor gods get their own small "mini-plane". However, if the god ruling the plane is dead or absent for a significant period of time, their plane will eventually cease to exist. Many planes have already been irrevocably lost to the godmodder's killing spree.
Presiding over the various afterlife planes - those that can still be visited even when you no longer have a physical body - are three major forces; you have Evacucorp and its endless bureaucracy, Satan, and God. It is unknown just how much of the responsibility for creating all the planes can be attributed to them. For there was something higher still, that existed even before the afterlife's rulers: The Administrative Plane.
The Administrative Plane is, in a sense, a truer God than God himself. The exact nature of the controls inside are unknown, to all save potentially the Arbiters and the godmodder. What is known is that it has numerous functions, and the ability to control most - or even all of - the planes at once.
A very, very, very long time ago, many different beings had just begun to travel between the planes. The administrative plane was potentially vulnerable to those who knew of its existence - and so, a group of very powerful and concerned individuals formed. They called themselves... the Architects. With the help of the Arbiters, God, and Satan, created a security system. The security system would permanently lock away the administrative plane and all of its power, sealing it such that it could only be reactivated in a truly dire emergency, an emergency that threatened all planes. The system would be composed of a lock to protect the terminal.
A lock that could only be opened with certain keys.
A certain seven keys.
The seven legendary weapons. The Starcalibur, Yorehammer, Resolute Heart, Infinileaf Clover, Mascythe, Yoreshield, and Allsee Spectacles.
These weapons were scattered in various planes - some in areas likely to be heavily defended, some in areas left abandoned to make them as hard to find as possible. The intent was, if an emergency threatened all planes, the planes would unite as one, gathering the weapons together to seize control as a group. To this end, the Architects left "clues" throughout reality, and let a specific few individuals know bits and pieces of the secret - leaving just enough evidence that a group of united societies could find the answers.
A group of united societies... or one very, very determined, and very, very, very, very powerful individual.
The Architects are long dead, but the godmodder found their secrets. And this is what inspired him to gather the weapons. He hopes to seize control of the Administrative Plane, and sacrifice the Legendary Weapons to achieve even greater control. And now, he's on the verge of succeeding.
But when the godmodder activates the Administrative Plane, it will take the Legendary Weapons away permanently. Their functions as incredibly powerful reality-breaking tools are merely red herrings for their true purpose, as well as a form of assistance - ensuring that those capable of gathering one are capable of gathering the rest. If all seven are gathered and used, that purpose is no longer needed. So the godmodder will lose access to the weapons, and become vulnerable again.
And then, we'll have an opportunity to kill him. Because the Architects weren't foolish enough to make a mere one-step defense system. No, the defense system has two separate steps. Once the one who has seized control of the Administrative Plane issues a command, they will be faced with a series of challenges. Until all the challenges are complete, the command will only be issued partially, not in full. These challenges are designed to ensure that all the planes are united - if everyone in Reality is working together, then the challenges will be a breeze. If one man is trying to use the Administrative Plane for their own benefit, then they will be destroyed... or at least. That would be guaranteed for all but the godmodder.
There are five of these challenges. While their contents were known only to the Architects, who took these secrets to their grave, the challenges are collectively known by one name:
The Tribulations.
----------
Quinn: That's all I've got.
Quinn: Feel free to ask me questions. I know that's a LOT of information to give you all at once.
Quinn: Once the Tribulations start, we'll have a window of time where we can attack the godmodder, BEFORE he seizes total control.
Quinn: I'd say this is our new objective, but... we'll all be trying to do what we've always done.
Quinn: Defeat the Godmodder.
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