[HOE] Re-sending: Future HoE story idea

[john tfs <johntfs1@yahoo.com>]

--- Chris Beilby <cbeilby@hroads.net> wrote:
> John, just a request.  Could you please put a
> subject line in your new
> posts?

No problem.  Just forgot it that time.  Here it is
again, complete with subject line.



One question that I've seen regards the
Prognosticator's prediction of a world barren of all
life.  I think that Raven plays into it, but perhaps
not in the way that some folks believe.  I have some
ideas about how it all ties together and will get into
that in just a little bit.  For now, be aware that
I'll be including MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THE UNITY
adventure below.  Be also aware that some of my
speculation might hit fairly close to the eventual
truth.  Those folks not wishing to be spoiled might
want to hit the 'delete' key right about now. 
Everyone else, c'mon down.

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(Un)life's been pretty tough on Raven since The Unity
took off for parts unknown.  He's in hiding from
almost everyone on the planet, good, evil or EVIL. 
His army of zombies is literally becoming worm food,
and his masters escaped with the knowledge that he'd
betrayed them.  This last is especially bad since
there is every possibility that they'd be able to
return to their former power level and squish their
traitorous servant like a, well, worm.

Another thing to consider is the state of Raven's
personal power level.  Much of his power was derived
directly from the Reckoners.  Since those worthies are
a) very weak (relatively), b) very far away and c) not
very found of Birdboy, Raven's powers will most likely
take something of a nosedive in the fairly near
future.  The worms could help, if they chose.  Since
they've seen how Raven serves his "bosses", though,
this seems less than likely.  Aside from that, the
worms can't get behind Raven's whole "kill the planet"
idea, since they need humans for food and more
wormlings.  Life certainly won't be fun for humans
under the worms, but it will be life.  Let's move on
before I start to channel Pink Floyd.

Raven could certainly attempt to go to Banshee, but he
can forget about taking his army with him.  He might
go to Banshee and scout out the situation, but I doubt
that he'll attempt to directly confront his former
masters.  Especially since he won't know how to kill
them.  I suspect as well that the Reckoner-servitors
will be truly immune to all attacks except for the
one, specific weakness that can destroy them (no
Evenor shortcuts for these guys).  

Raven might decide to go on the "scavenger hunt" back
to the Wierd West to hunt for ways to kill his bosses,
but I don't see it.  Raven's a shaman.  More than what
he does, that's part of who he is.  He thinks like a
shaman, not a monster-hunter.  So, he'll turn to the
spirit world for a solution.  The Reckoners are
spirits.  How do you kill a spirit?  You conjure up
bigger, deadlier spirits to do it for you.  But where
to find a spirit like that...

Let's look at a group that got pretty well left out of
Judgment Day 2 - the croakers.  You guys remember the
croakers, right?  Big, green, toothy, live in vast
underwater cities (and have since before the coming of
man).  Got royally croaked when "changes in the
earth's tectonic plates" buried most of their cities
and pretty well ruint their whole darn day.  This all
happened many millennia ago of course.  Currently, the
croakers are trying to develop a breed of creature
that can survive on land long enough to activate a
secret Union project that would effectively cook and
drown the surface world.  Perhaps then their goddess
would be appeased.

Speaking of stuff that happened many millennia ago, at
one time Way Back When, the Reckoners sentenced
Something Nasty to Life Without Possibility of Parole,
and then only because they didn't have sufficient
whup-ass to administer Capital Punishment (they didn't
have Old Sparky back then).  Anywho, they stuck this
Thing in a special cage (made from anti-magickal ore)
under Montana (specifically under Blackleaf
Correctional institute, the Agency's prison for "weird
stuff").  Figure the Fab Four had rather a time
sticking their "inmate" into its cell.  I suspect that
it was a pretty awesome battle, maybe even enough to
cause "changes in the earth's tectonic plates" and
thus pave the way for mankind to arrive on earth...

I think most folks see where I'm going with this, but
for those haven't quite bought off their "Clueless"
hindrance, I'll go ahead and spell it out: Once upon a
time, the croakers dominated the earth, worshiping
their spirit-goddess.  The Reckoners coveted this
power and determined to seize it for themselves.  They
fought the Croakers' goddess-beast and forced her/it
into a special prison where it rages insanely (but
helplessly) to this day.  Eventually, humankind
evolved (or otherwise arrived) and the Reckoners found
it to be more compatible for their purposes. 
Ultimately, events progressed to the point at the end
of the Unity.  Re-enter Raven.

As mentioned previously, Raven is a shaman.  If any
shaman ever could make contact with the imprisoned
being, it's him.  Offers of freedom and the chance for
vengeance put Raven in a healthy bargaining position
visa-vi the beastie.  Contact with the beastie would
allow Raven to approach the croakers as a messenger
from their goddess, which puts him in a relatively
safe place to re-amass his power.  Also, once he finds
out about the croakers' plans for HAARP (Hi-Frequency
Aural Audio Research Program) he could very well shift
their direction.  Magic won't work on the crystal, but
pure science will.  Anybody ever see what happens to a
glass when an opera singer hits JUST the right pitch?

Once the Demon-goddess gets free, all bets are off. 
The Reckoners are gone.  The worms are still just
beginning to acquire true power again.  The
Demon-goddess will have a bit of a warm-up session
exterminating (most, except for the croakers and
Raven) life on earth, then she'll head to Banshee,
where she and her new buddy Raven have some old friend
to look up.  Raven's coming for the Reckoners, and
Hell is riding with him...

...unless he's stopped first.

BTW: I put this together based on information from pp.
96-99 of the HoE Shattered Coast sourcebook and from
pp. 113-114 of the Cyborgs sourcebook.
 


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