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thisisnotthenerd · 4 months ago

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The Art of Conspiracy: Schemes and Stratagems in the World of Spyre

~ from the Library of the Aguefort Adventuring Academy~

Adventuring fundamentally involves violent deranged lunatics imposing their will upon the world at varying scales; generally in opposition to assumed threats. This defines adventurers as a reactive force: investigators of opposition and defenders of allies/the faith/nations/etc.

In the current age, the endless push and pull of antagonism drives the world. Without villains, the system would collapse; the occurrence of apocalypses is a known factor and a foundational aspect of the age.

Those that fill the niche have a propensity for plots and plans. It takes work to be an effective villain, you see. World domination doesn't only involve violence--it takes patience, negotiation, and a willingness to do what it takes. An accomplished villain can conceal their hand over time while still having the strength to cast fear in the hearts of the people.

This analysis takes a look at a few examples of the various plots and plans of villains in the world of Spyre and rates them on a 5 point scale with regard to:

Plot Complexity: How much work was involved in this plan? What did the villain need to accomplish to achieve success? How much time did they invest in this process?

Threat Scale: What kind of threat did they pose? how did they rate among the many apocalypses Spyre endures on a regular basis?

Relative Success: How close did they get before it was snatched away by some bumbling band of heroes? How much of the plan did they actually execute?

Induced Involvement: How did the heroes get invested in the scheme? Is there a level of personal vengeance that resulted in the heroes foiling the scheme?

Poetic Retribution: How powerful was the schadenfreude that resulted from them getting dunked on? What was their ultimate fate?

The mastermind of a given plan will be given the title of Main Antagonist. This title may be shared among multiple beings, assuming they have similar levels of impact upon the plan. If there are multiple plans at work, the mastermind of the greater/more evil/more complex plan will be emphasized.

---------------- AAA ----------------

Fantasy High Freshman Year

Main Antagonist(s): The Emperor of the Red Waste, Scourge of Solace, Kalvaxus

Villainous Allies:

The Cult of the Harvestmen: Coach Daybreak, Dayne Blayde, Penelope Everpetal, Ragh Barkrock, Zayn Darkshadow, Alston Hughes, Johnny Spells

The Attendants of the Nightmare King: The Shadow Cat Kalina, Aelwyn Abernant

Miscellaneous: Biz Glitterdew

Main Objective: To restore Kalvaxus to power by fulfilling the prophecy of the Elven Oracle Eleminthindriel, as shared below:

When Kalvaxus once again beholds his glittering treasure And seven maidens are once more chained at the mouth of his lair When war befalls the realm And a king and queen are crowned anew in solace Then will the Emperor of the Red Waste be released from bondage His destruction will know no bound The sun shall fall from the heavens And the world as we know it shall perish forever.

Ancillary Objectives:

The capture of seven virgins for use at the lair of Kalvaxus

The fulfillment of perditional contradoxy via the opening of a hellmouth in the body of Kristen Applebees, the chosen of Helio. This would incite war between Solace and Highcourt by violating the treaty that prevents the damnation of the chosen of the sun god Sol. It would further serve to cause the 'fall of the sun' as the Helioic faith reeled from the cataclysm.

The murder of the Elven Oracle Eleminthindriel on the Harpy, the flagship of Kalvaxus' fleet, was performed in order to transfer the title of Elven Oracle to Adaine Abernant, such that the book Watches and Wards could be removed from the Library of the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, thereby removing the protections placed on the school to prevent Kalvaxus from taking power again.

The removal of Arthur Aguefort from the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, further removing the protections placed on the school to prevent Kalvaxus from taking power again.

The restoration of monarchy in Spyre via the institution of prom king and queen.

The relocation of the Hoard of Kalvaxus to KVX Bank, where he could behold his glittering treasure for the first time in centuries.

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 3.5/5. This plot had a large number of moving pieces, as shown by the number of ancillary objectives. However, the objectives were relatively straightforward and corresponded to the given prophecy. Kalvaxus spent centuries marinating on his vengeance and rebuilding his wealth, but the majority of the plan was executed within the span of a year and a half.

Scale of Threat: 3/5. The restoration of Kalvaxus threatened the nation of Solace primarily and would have extended further, given time for Kalvaxus to make contact with his forces. However, his rapid defeat stymied these efforts and contained the threat to the Aguefort Adventuring Academy.

Relative Success: 4/5. Most of the objectives were accomplished as intended: the maidens were successfully captured, the Oracle and Principal were killed, the Hoard was relocated, and Penelope and Dayne were crowned as monarchs in Solace. However, the specific objective of perditional contradoxy was prevented and the Cult of the Harvestmen was eliminated. The objective of war was accomplished with Aelwyn Abernant's capture, as her rescue from Solesian prison by Elven strike teams incited hostilities between Solace and Fallinel. The fall of the sun was accomplished by Arthur Aguefort, after he piggybacked his way to the Heavenly Heights of Elysium.

Induced Involvement: 3.5/5. This is due to the uneven distribution of personal enmity and heroic involvement; Kalvaxus personally ate Pok Gukgak, father of Riz Gukgak, who dealt the final blow to Kalvaxus and avenged his father. The Cult of the Harvestmen intended to use Kristen Applebees to start the apocalypse, thereby triggering her crisis of faith and creation of a new deity. Aelwyn Abernant acted as a rival to Adaine Abernant by making her the Elven Oracle and generally participating in the scheme before her imprisonment. The villainous party as a whole threatened the families of the heroic party and burned their homes down.

Poetic Retribution: 4/5. Kalvaxus was restored to his glorious form, but was summarily defeated in the span of a few minutes (extended by chronomancy) by an adventuring party of freshman and a few of their allies. He was revivified and defeated again by the seven maidens who were captured for the plot. After his final demise, Kalvaxus descended to the Nine Hells, where he was turned into a boat by the Cult of Bill Seacaster and sailed upon for the remainder of eternity.

Overall Score: 17/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

Fantasy High Sophomore Year

Main Antagonist(s): The Nightmare King & The Shadow Cat Kalina

Villainous Allies:

The Abernant Family & Elvish Associates: Arianwen Abernant, Angwyn Abernant, Aelwyn Abernant, Killian, Kir

The Court of Elders: The Great Unicorn, Leader of the Wood Elves, Leader of the Treants, Leader of the Sprites, Leader of the Centaurs

Abyssal Demons: Employees of the Hotel Cavalier, Marilith

Main Objective: The restoration of the Nightmare King to physical form using the Crown of the Nightmare King as well as the spread of his influence across the world.

Ancillary Objectives:

Retrieval of the Crown of the Nightmare King and dispersal of its effects on an individual

The spread of the curses of the Nightmare King such that the Nightmare King and her servants could influence the minds of the world of Spyre, detailed below:

her spellbook, the cursed coin that carried her influence to the minds of the dreaming her familiar, the plague of the shadow cat, who lived among the illusions and sought the return of her deity her cottage, a curse to abjure the celestial from the forest of sylvaire, that the gods would not be able to seize her power again her broomstick, the tree at the center of the forest, that twisted the fears of those intruding upon her holy forest her name, the crown which symbolized her presence on the material plane and anchored her as a deific being

The return of the Elven Oracle to the shores of Fallinel

The acquisition of Infernal permission to enter the Nightmare King's Forest via the capture of Gorthalax the Insatiable and subsequent implantation into the wood elf Killian

The creation of a ritual that allows control of the fear shown by the Nightmare King's forest; in other words, to oppose the effects of the curse of the Great Tree, involving the use of dusk moss.

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 4/5. The specific plan was simple: retrieve the Crown of the Nightmare King, acquire infernal permission to enter the Forest, and successfully traverse Sylvaire to raise the Nightmare King into the height of his power once more. The Shadow Cat Kalina spent centuries spreading her influence through Fallinel and the world of Spyre via her contacts e.g. Landrin Lier, but this particular plan was executed over the course of a year, and accelerated in the week of the ritual.

Scale of Threat: 5/5. The Nightmare King threatened the world of Spyre as well as the stability of the Solesian pantheon (Sol-Galicaea-Helio). Given physical form, the Nightmare King would be able to dominate the realm.

Relative Success: 4.5/5. The plan, for the most part, went off without a hitch; the villainous party went relatively unhindered in their schemes before they entered the Forest of Sylvaire. They faced disruption in the final stages of their scheme, as the opposing party passed through the Forest of the Nightmare King and successfully dispelled the curses of the Nightmare King that provided power for the ritual.

Induced Involvement: 4/5. Kalina previously worked with Pok Gukgak; when he began investigating the Harpy-Cerulean connection as well as the nature of Kalina's existence, Kalina eliminated his citizenship such that Kalvaxus could consume him. The Abernant family abandoned Adaine Abernant in Solace, then captured her once more in the name of the Court of Stars alongside her sister Aelwyn. They repeatedly threatened and endangered her to the point of death. The Nightmare King possessed Figueroth Faeth to force her into capturing her father, Gorthalax the Insatiable. Kristen Applebees, while searching for a new deity and engaging with the philosophy of Cassandra, was murdered by the Great Unicorn until her self-resurrection.

Poetic Retribution: 3/5. Most of these antagonists were defeated by straightforward means with a few exceptions: Angwyn Abernant was punched to death by his daughter, Arianwen Abernant lost the use of her magic and was condemned to be chased by the Vands (Van with Hands) through Sylvaire. Kalina was struck down and dispelled, though she returned to aid her deity after some time. The Nightmare King returned to their previous state as the deity Cassandra, after being resurrected from the void by the Blessed Saint Kristen Applebees.

Overall Score: 20.5/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

Pirates of Leviathan

Main Antagonist(s): Langley Sheffield-Harrington & Storm-Druid Alamaria

Villainous Allies:

The Crescent Moon Trading Company: Clive Mardres, Various Soldiers

Sylvarian Druids of the Storm King

Mutinous Warlocks of Archdevil Bill Seacaster: Alistair Ash

Main Objective: To strategically destroy Leviathan in a ritual summoning the wrath of the Storm King Kahaerin such that all damages would be deemed 'acts of god', thus allowing for the collection of multiple highly profitable insurance policies.

Ancillary Objectives:

To secure various properties across the City of Leviathan and insure them such that they can be leveraged through a divine ritual to collect on the insurance policies

To acquire and return the Daughter of Storms to her father, the Storm King Kahaerin

To create infernal lamp ritual anchors for the containment of tiefling souls

To bind the souls of 15 tieflings for use as anchors in the summoning of Captain Bill Seacaster and the Storm King Kahaerin

To create an interplanar trade network by utilizing magically gifted gnomes to interface with interplanar roots of the Forest of the Nightmare King

To summon and bind Captain Bill Seacaster in order to remove the aegis of Jamina Joy from Leviathan

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 5/5. This plot combines a complex divine ritual with legendary artifacts with insurance law and property acquisition. Anyone could try to destroy Leviathan--they did it for the insurance policy.

Scale of Threat: 2/5. Mostly a threat to Leviathan, with a side of divine wrath. The threat was contained to the city, and the dangers of the rituals were rapidly dealt with.

Relative Success: 2.5/5. The heroic party prevented the summoning of Captain Bill Seacaster and subsequently warned the bosun Jamina Joy, who brought the forces of the city to bear. Furthermore, the heroic party freed the Ramble and interrupted the ritual before Kahaerin's physical manifestation.

Induced Involvement: 3.5/5. This is due to the uneven distribution of personal enmity and heroic involvement; Marcid the Typhoon was set up as the scapegoat of the plan if it were to fail. Jack Brakkow and his crew were used as the guinea pig of the summoning ritual by Clive McDoon, leading to a long-term curse and Jack's haunting. Cheese Stormcrank's brother Spaulding, among many other gnome pilgrims, was captured and used for divination rituals on the shores of Sylvaire.

Poetic Retribution: 4/5. Clive McDoon was sent to walk the plank off of the Ramble into the depths of the Celestine Sea. Langley Sheffield-Harrington was drop kicked and crushed under an infernal lamp within the Ramble. Alamaria was turned into light & fireworks that dispelled the storm over Leviathan.

Overall Score: 17/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

The Seven

Main Antagonist: Charity Blythe & Talura, the Ending of All Things

Villainous Allies:

Talura, the Ending of All Things

The Ministry of Adventure: Preston, Jana Cleaver, Various Soldiers

Main Objective: In keeping with Project Reset, to capture and bind an Eidolon and utilize her power to grant wishes in order to cause more conflict in the world, thus promoting the adventuring industry.

Ancillary Objectives:

To reclaim the Legendarium Extraordia, an artifact which would enable the Ministry of Adventure to track all ongoing quests in the world of Spyre

To assassinate Tectonya Karkovnya, the Superintendent of the Solesian School District, for stealing the Legendarium Extraordia and absconding with it, and for advocating for the rights of adventurers as well as affected communities

To track and hinder powerful adventurers via honeypot missions from agents of the Ministry of Adventure, i.e. Jana Cleaver for Karl Cleaver

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 5/5. Another highly complex plot, this time relying on stolen research, covert assassinations, and government policies.

Scale of Threat: 5/5. Though Talura threatened the world in her own scope, via her reality destruction and gathering of her sisters, this plot would direct that across the world to all independent adventurers and upend the world for the sake of causing more conflict.

Relative Success: 4/5. They got most of the way through it by tracking the heroic party and stealing back the Legendarium, but face difficulties as the heroic party revived Tectonya Karkovnya and faced the perils of the Necronomikron by taking on the blessings of the Eidolons.

Induced Involvement: 2.5/5. Antiope Jones was considered for an internship at the Ministry of Adventure, but then tracked and nearly murdered by her boss and work crush. Katja Cleaver was abandoned by her mother Jana for the sake of ehr work with the Ministry of Adventure. Sam Nightingale independently formed a pact with the Eidolon Talura, and thus was invested in ensuring her freedom and infinite release.

Poetic Retribution: 5/5. Preston was disintegrated by Tectonya Karkovnya with a final reveal of his chariot tattoo. Jana Cleaver was killed in one round by her daughter Katja, raging for the first time. Charity Blythe was one-shotted by Antiope Jones, during which Antiope critically struck her, insulted her, showed her ass, and walked away. Talura was guided by her warlock and her sisters, as channeled by the heroic party, to infinite form.

Overall Score: 21.5/25

---------------- AAA ----------------

Summer of the Long Night

Main Antagonist: The Night Yorb

Villainous Allies:

Cult of the Night Yorb

Main Objective: To raise the Night Yorb and cast the world into endless night, in a very slow apocalypse.

Ancillary Objectives:

To grant power to the Night Yorb via the sharing of its name; corollary to 'Speak not of the Night Yorb'

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 2/5. The Night Yorb sought an endless night and accomplished it via eventual release from Riz Gukgak's tattoo after overuse of its name. The Yorbies followed up on this by continuing to worship its name.

Scale of Threat: 4/5. While slow, the Night Yorb's apocalypse spelled disaster for agriculture, for sun deities, and the general function of circadian rhythm.

Relative Success: 3.5/5. While the Long Night did occur, the Yorbies did not get the Night Yorb to the point of conquering the world in its name.

Induced Involvement: 3.5/5. The Bad Kids released the Night Yorb by speaking of it, and thus were responsible for dealing with it. They did not, however, have personal vengeance beyond this responsibility.

Poetic Retribution: 3/5. The Night Yorb was sealed into the Hangvan by "Gorgug Thistlespring" [Figueroth Faeth], and the Cult of the NIght Yorb was summarily defeated.

Overall Score: 16/25

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Fantasy High Junior Year

Main Antagonist: Porter Cliffbreaker

Villainous Allies:

Jace Stardiamond

The Rat Grinders: Kipperlilly Copperkettle, Oisín Hakinvar, Ruben Hopclap, Buddy Dawn, Ivy Embra, Mary Ann Skuttle

Ankarna, Infernal Goddess of Fire and Rage, formerly the Giant Goddess of Dawn, Summer, and Justice

The Nightmare King’s Cult: Kalina, Baron from the Baronies

The Church of Sol/Helioic Church: Bobby Dawn, Pamela Dawn

Main Objective: To resurrect and subsequently destroy Ankarna in order to raise Porter Cliffbreaker as a new deity of war.

Ancillary Objectives:

To infect Elmville with rage crystals via implantation in the soil and ritual occurrence at the Root Warden

To spread shatterstars throughout Elmville and make the populace more susceptible to rage through subliminal messaging

To elect Kipperlilly Copperkettle as student body president such that she could take control of the school and thus alter the bylaws to remove the arcane protections placed by Arthur Aguefort

To find the name of the ancestral deity marked for slaughter, Ankarna

To find a location where a deity was borne in order to properly resurrect Ankarna

To promote a champion of Ankarna in her original aspect and thus gather their binding magical signature as approval for the adaptation of her domain

To gather the divine attributes (weapons, etc.) of Ankarna and grant them to the rising deity, Porter Cliffbreaker

To convince Ankarna to grant her power to Porter through deceitful prayer using devil’s honey

To prepare the body of the fetal deity, Porter, via the ingestion of ambrosia

To utilize the protective aegis of the Nightmare King, as brought back from the goddex Cassandra

To sabotage the Bad Kids and inflict stress and struggle upon them

Rating:

Plot Complexity: 5/5. This plot involved years of planning accelerated into a single year, as the masterminds took advantage of the previous years' chaos to hon in on their plan and gather allies. The divine ritual involved the preparation of multiple distinctive elements that ranged in rarity from divine attributes to a name hidden by Obliviati Mori. When key aspects of the plan fell through they were forced to restructure on the fly, as the delicate web fell apart.

Scale of Threat: 4/5. This plot threatened Elmville primarily, as the location of the most recent new deity's birth and bearing, but also caused chaos across the nation of Spyre and had the potential to spread beyond it. It further caused havoc within the Solesian pantheon as the deity Ankarna was raised from the Astral Sea.

Relative Success: 3.5/5. This party accomplished the majority of their objectives, but were foiled in a few key respects:

- Kristen Applebees' successful campaign for the role of student body president with the aid of Riz Gukgak and Fabian Seacaster - Adaine Abernant breaking Obliviati Mori on Ankarna's name - Figueroth Faeth's acquisition of Ankarna's domain in the Bottomless Pit and subsequent appointment as the champion of her original aspects - Kristen Applebees bearing witness to the death and resurrection of Buddy Dawn - Figueroth Faeth's deception with regard to Ankarna's true name - Riz Gukgak eliminating Kipperlilly Copperkettle before the votes could be counted

Induced Involvement: 4/5. Each member of the victorious party faced personal rivalry from their adversaries, the Rat Grinders. Without these instigations, the heroic party might have had an entirely different involvement in the plan.Furthermore, Gorgug Thistlespring and Figueroth Faeth suffered through Cliffbreaker's poor instruction and intentional infuriation, as he attempted to make either the champion of Ankarna's original aspect. Kristen Applebees' goddex, Cassandra, was targeted over the course of the plot in order to call forth the Nightmare King.

Poetic Retribution: 5/5. Porter Cliffbreaker was absolutely dunked on by Gorgug Thistlespring, and then summarily destroyed by a Divine Intervention from Ankarna. Each of the Bad Kids' rivals was dealt with quickly and with extreme violence. The goddess herself was resurrected in her original aspect to join a new pantheon, initiated by Kristen Applebees and Figueroth Faeth.

Overall Score: 21.5/5

#fantasy high #fantasy high sophomore year #fantasy high junior year #pirates of leviathan #the seven #kalvaxus #the nightmare king #kalina #langley sheffield-harrington #alamaria #charity blythe #talura #the night yorb #porter cliffbreaker #the rat grinders #musings on the solisian school district

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