Armageddon???? Epilogue Up

[Edward Yee]

Displaced, you mean?

P.S. By the way, Stuart... any "less than faithful defections" that are going to come off looking worse than the time an Iraqi claims homophobic attacks by post-invasion militias with U.S. backing... only for his own introduction to mention that he's former mukhabarat? (I almost put the damn magazine down at that point.)

[Starglider]

So there is no super-mega-uber weapon from hell right?

No. This is one of the many times the story disregards dramatic conventions in order to make a point. It would certainly have been more dramatic (if horribly cliched) for Belial to have made an amazing superweapon that is a deadly threat to the humans. Instead it's made clear that even under the best possible circumstances and the most generous plausible assumptions, a bronze age civilisation can't reverse engineer (or invent) anything in time to do any good against an invasion.

P.S. Here's the original draft version of the lighting canon scene, written back in early spring;

----

The Van de Graaff generator was crude, but what it lacked in finesse it made up for in size and the enthusiasm of the duergar cranking it. "More power" shouted Obersturmbannfuhrer Herwijer "I must have more power!" The prototype Great Trident occupied a commanding position in the centre of one of a former storage area, deep in the tunnels of Palelabor. It was a humming, sparking mass of hand-wound copper coils and close-packed Leyden jars wrapped around a central iron shaft. Fifteen feet in length and two feet in diameter at its widest point, the weapon was Herwijer's first attempt to make an artillery piece using the demon's unspeakably primitive technology base.

The weapon was sighted down a long tunnel, at the end of which was chained a very unfortunate duergar. Herwijer got the impression that had been sentenced to death for incompetence, something do do with losing a whole shipment of 'mushroom ale' to the 'ratlings', he wasn't clear on the details. The humming quickly built to a climax and the weapon finally discharged, a great glowing bolt leaping from the trifold prongs and hurtling off down the tunnel. Lightning crackled between the glowing bolt and the tunnel walls as it sped towards the target, who had a fraction of a second to scream in terror before being blown into tiny scorched chunks.

"Endlich, es funktioniert! Ausgezeichnete." Herwijer crowed.

Yulupki took a different view on the proceedings. The naga had been watching the human mage work from the gallery. She still thought it unlikely that the human notions of how to fight a war could be of any use to superior beings, coloured as they were by the human's own pathetic weakness. However Count Belial had ordered her to evaluate their efforts and she had no real choice but to obey. "So you have taken twenty days and a pile of metal to do what any naga could do with a mere thought. You expect this to impress?"

"Ah no, meine lady, you see, the device does not generate power, it merely focuses and compresses the power supplied to it much more efficiently than your current equipment."

Yulupki wasn't precisely sure what that meant but it sounded like a slight. "You DARE belittle the great forces of Hell?" She had her tentacles raised and their emitter tips crackled with her eagerness to erase this annoying human from existence.

"Oh nein, meine lady, my weapon can only work in combination with your great powers. Of course you could have learned made such weapons yourselves, doubtless much better than a human could. It is just that you have never had the need, and there is such urgency..." Herwijer had been a high flyer in the National Socialist regieme and he hadn't managed that without licking his fair share of boots.

Yulupki waved dismissively. "Enough. Show me what this weapon of yours can do for me."

"Of course, meine lady." He smiled and spread his hands. "But I believe we will need a larger area to test it in..."

The naga barked orders to the lesser demons, who swarmed over the weapon, unbolting it and hoisting it onto their backs. She turned and slithered down through the tunnels to the great gates, the team of duergar following behind with the weapon and Herwijer trailing at the rear. There she mounted one of the wheeled platforms and ordered the gates opened. "I think a ratling hunt will do nicely. We shall see if your overgrown trident can increase my tally."

"Inspired! Now if you could set the barrel down here, on the railing..." The duergar heaved the great trident onto the forward railing of the platform, which promtly sagged under the weight. "...and you grip this part here, then insert your... ah... appendages into these flanges here..." Yulupki's face betrayed a great distaste for the entire process but she tolerated it for now, she could always repay the insolence with some creative torture once the human mage had been proven useless.

"Forward." Four of the servitors set to pumping the crank at the rear of the platform, which slowly rolled out through the bronze gates and into the vast cavern beyond, steadily picking up speed until the slight gradient defeated further acceleration. Beyond the pool of light cast by the torches around the entrance the cave was pitch black and Herwijer wondered how the snake demon expected to find any targets. In fact she had closed her eyes, relying entirely on her electical field sense to pinpoint the vermin. Their thoughts were weak and animalistic, but the bioelectricity of their bodies alone was enough for her to home in on. Closer, closer... she could sense a whole group of them crouching motionless off to the left of the track ahead. Probably waiting to see if the demon party was weak enough to attempt an ambush. Her skin began to tingle as her body built up to its maximum capacity of psychic force.

Now! Yulupki loosed an earsplitting shriek and discharged all her energy at the vermin. The human device caught her lightning before it could even form into bolts, held it for a split second, then spat an impossibly bright discharge from its maw. As the lightning flashed it illuminated the whole cavern; twenty nine ratlings were caught in the act of fleeing from the demon's approach. The great trident's bolt moved so fast it looked like a great spear of light transfixing a huge rat-creature at the centre of the group. The creature was instantly blown apart, replaced by a ball of plasma from which secondary bolts lashed out in all directions. Eight more ratlings were killed instantly, their nervous systems completely fried, while another thirteen were merely paralysed or knocked unconscious. The last seven were merely blinded, mewling and stumbling around helplessly.

Herwijer had dropped to the ground, hands over his ears and stars dancing in his eyes. He wasn't left to cower for long. Coarse hands hauled him to his feet. The demons had lit a pair of torches and his vision was fast returning. What he saw was not encouraging. His device was a write off, fully half the Leyden jars had blown out and runaway arcing had transformed much of the wiring into a twisted molten mass. Clearly the test had been a disaster and he trembled to think of what would befall him next. Then his gaze wandered to the left and he saw the snake demon, slithering around inspecting the char-grilled furry bodies.

"Why this is glorious! One spell did all this! Human, how quickly can more of these great weapons be made?"

"Well, mein Lady, it needs just a few little adjustments, I fear I underestimated your power..." A look of annoyance was returning to the snake demon's face, probably best she didn't know "...but if you would permitt me to optimise the duergar's working methods a little, within two weeks I will have Palelabor turning out fifty great tridents a day."

---

My original version of Palelabor was a little grander, though not radically different. The one major piece of artistic license is that electricity seems to behave more like the way it does in B movies than the way it does in real life - that's a theme Stuart started with the normal tridents, I just picked it up and ran with it.

[Surlethe]

I can just see Peter Lorre playing the part of Herwijer in that scene. Wouldn't it be grand?

A shame there are only two chapters and an epilogue left in Armageddon; it's been fun.

[CaptainChewbacca]

So, is Herwijer a Brownshirt, or an actual SS-man?

Footnote: If someone has been found guilty and sentenced to death, and executed, what (if anything) should be done with them when they're found in Hell?

They've received their punishment, do we execute war criminals twice? Mass murderers?

[EdBecerra]

His power base has been completely destroyed. His only hope now is to defect to Heaven and carry on his vendetta there. The destruction of his own power base actually makes this more likely, because he will make no demands. Simply allowing him to aid them against humanity would be enough for him at this point.

The phrase "he is SO hosed" occurs to me repeatedly throughout this chapter. Humans after him, his "loyal" servant betrays him, most - if not all - of those who were personally loyal to him dead in the attack on the convoy, lost his personal fortress, supplies, and retinue...

Aside from coming down with a bad case of dead, how much worse can it GET for Belial?

Ed.

[J]

Now, are all our people well-briefed?”

“Yes Chatelaine. Belial seized your fortress and imprisoned you and those loyal to you. Then he and his people set about their evil schemes. It was a time of great hardship but we managed to plot our escape and recover the fortress. We have stopped Belial’s plans for more attacks and killed those responsible. Now, we wish to surrender to the humans who killed those who treated us so brutally.”

“Very good. Make sure everybody remembers it. For the survival of us all depends on our being seen as Belial’s victims.”

I get the feeling they're up to something, I don't think a simple surrender would involve such detailed planning & briefing.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Now, are all our people well-briefed?”

“Yes Chatelaine. Belial seized your fortress and imprisoned you and those loyal to you. Then he and his people set about their evil schemes. It was a time of great hardship but we managed to plot our escape and recover the fortress. We have stopped Belial’s plans for more attacks and killed those responsible. Now, we wish to surrender to the humans who killed those who treated us so brutally.”

“Very good. Make sure everybody remembers it. For the survival of us all depends on our being seen as Belial’s victims.”

I get the feeling they're up to something, I don't think a simple surrender would involve such detailed planning & briefing.

Indeed. And if Eurayle truly wanted Belial dead, then he should've been the first demon blasted with the super-trident and she wouldn't have let her see him giving the order to kill him. And, I suspect, the way they were shooting at Belial was more with the intention of driving him off, rather than turning him into bloody giblets.

[Edward Yee]

... even if Euryale and Chatelaine come off as "Deumos & Dagon 2.0."

Chatelaine is Euryale's title (it means something like 'lady of the castle'); they are the same person.

Whoops, edited accordingly. Hilariously, this meant that I thought that the majordomo's lines were Euryale's and hers were "Chatelaine" (the majordomo)'s!

[EdBecerra]

I get the feeling they're up to something, I don't think a simple surrender would involve such detailed planning & briefing.

Perhaps she wants a live distraction?

Any stage magician can tell you - hell, the Amazing Randy can tell you - that misdirection is THE key to illusions. With a live Belial, she can point in his (general) direction, and blame everything on him, while waving her hands to shoo any human suspicions away.

IS that what she's doing? I don't know. But if she gets to the humans first, tells her story, and we start chasing after Belial, our pre-occupation with him gives her a much better chance of getting us to believe she was just another cog in the Hell-machine, and really shouldn't be either punished, or removed from her minor position of power. (Worked to an extent in WW2 - "Ve vas only little peoples, ve vas only follovink orders, jah?" Of course, the higher up you are in rank, the less likely that excuse is gonna fly...)

Then, of course, it would be a rational next step for her to start sucking up to Abigor...

Ed.

[Edward Yee]

First, that draft was AWESOME. Second, niiiiiice that we haven't seen the last of Yulupki...

[Edward Yee]

Based on her lines at the end of Chapter 83, this sounds rational; she already checked to see if all of her/the majordomo's people have their alibis (or cover stories) in place.

As for Abigor, though... I'm certain that her sucking up will only last as long as Abigor -- and his human handlers -- determine that giving her a handout proves a good thing.

[Zed Snardbody]

Hehehehe...red on red....

[Darth Ruinus]

So, is Herwijer a Brownshirt, or an actual SS-man?

Footnote: If someone has been found guilty and sentenced to death, and executed, what (if anything) should be done with them when they're found in Hell?

They've received their punishment, do we execute war criminals twice? Mass murderers?

Well, I would think that now Death is redefined as occuring after your second "birth".

Birth>Life>Hell Birth>Life>Death>?

Because clearly, the people are alive after "Hell Birth", so they can't be dead. So, a death sentance would only have to be enacted once. Its just you have to carry out the death sentence after "Hell Birth"

From the old point of view, then yeah, death sentences would be acarried out twice. Unless some new laws come up and they say that striking one life off your life count is enough.

[Surlethe]

They've received their punishment, do we execute war criminals twice? Mass murderers?

That's a good question, and one that we'll be tangling with quite a bit in the next two books. Presumably, people's characters don't change substantially when they die; mass murderers are still mass murderers, rapists are still rapists, etc. So now that all the humans in hell are free, not only will we have chaos as various strongmen (like Caesar) vie for political power, we will also have criminals, murderers, rapists, etc. able to slip through the cracks. How is society going to deal with that? Stay tuned.

[JN1]

Belial does seem to live something of a charmed life.

[Stuart]

First, that draft was AWESOME. Second, niiiiiice that we haven't seen the last of Yulupki...

It is indeed; the final version of that chapter included both texts interweaved so that they make a coherent whole.

[Stuart]

That's a good question, and one that we'll be tangling with quite a bit in the next two books. Presumably, people's characters don't change substantially when they die; mass murderers are still mass murderers, rapists are still rapists, etc. So now that all the humans in hell are free, not only will we have chaos as various strongmen (like Caesar) vie for political power, we will also have criminals, murderers, rapists, etc. able to slip through the cracks. How is society going to deal with that? Stay tuned.

Here's another wild thought for you - consider all the people who got whacked so they couldn't testify in court against somebody or other. Well, as a conviction-avoidance strategy that has just gone out the window (or has it?????) and all the people who that did happen to and have just been rescued. They will be very unhappy campers. There's going to be a lot of feuds in Hell.

[tim31]

Has anyone databased the fictional weapons and technologies featured throughout the story, for interest's sake? The M114/115, portal tech, that sort of thing?

[EdBecerra]

Here's another wild thought for you - consider all the people who got whacked so they couldn't testify in court against somebody or other. Well, as a conviction-avoidance strategy that has just gone out the window (or has it?????) and all the people who that did happen to and have just been rescued. They will be very unhappy campers. There's going to be a lot of feuds in Hell.

And the IRS is going to get involved.

If killing a witness becomes self-defeating, the only other options available to organized crime are bribery and blackmail.

Bribery - well, I can see the IRS stepping forward with a unit whose only job is to audit the crap out of any and all witnesses in legal cases of nationwide interest on the grounds that "keeping them under a microscope will keep them honest."

Blackmail is more problematical - a person has to have something to hide, and the mob has to FIND that something to hide, then hide it themselves. (After all, blackmail's only good once - reveal the secret, and your victim has nothing left to lose.)

My, the possibilities here just keep expanding...

Ed.

[Singular Quartet]

That's a good question, and one that we'll be tangling with quite a bit in the next two books. Presumably, people's characters don't change substantially when they die; mass murderers are still mass murderers, rapists are still rapists, etc. So now that all the humans in hell are free, not only will we have chaos as various strongmen (like Caesar) vie for political power, we will also have criminals, murderers, rapists, etc. able to slip through the cracks. How is society going to deal with that? Stay tuned.

Here's another wild thought for you - consider all the people who got whacked so they couldn't testify in court against somebody or other. Well, as a conviction-avoidance strategy that has just gone out the window (or has it?????) and all the people who that did happen to and have just been rescued. They will be very unhappy campers. There's going to be a lot of feuds in Hell.

"You got whacked once, Vinnie. You try to testify again, and we'll whack you again, you hear me?"

[Edward Yee]

Wouldn't be surprised if the military (by way of the current "operational authority" -- my term) ends up getting involves in such matters by way of controlling the established portals... can't see "Vinnie" being reachable unless the would-be hitmen are U.S. military, like the stories of gang members who enlist to learn military skills/maybe grab some gear, even if they have to serve alongside/under rival gang members.

[EdBecerra]

Wouldn't be surprised if the military (by way of the current "operational authority" -- my term) ends up getting involves in such matters by way of controlling the established portals... can't see "Vinnie" being reachable unless the would-be hitmen are U.S. military, like the stories of gang members who enlist to learn military skills/maybe grab some gear, even if they have to serve alongside/under rival gang members.

And oftentimes, that ends with the unlovely realization that the US military is itself a "gang" of sorts (depending on how loosely you define the word), demanding your loyalty just as much as the Crips or the Bloods would.

Which puts you into conflict - if you skip on the military after promising your loyalty, how will your first gang react? After all, if you can betray your word to the US Army, you can betray it to them...

Trust - giving it or accepting it, it can be a real bitch.

Ed.

[Edward Yee]

From the anecdotes I recall, the gang members who were 'infiltrated' were expected to keep that word with the U.S. military, as I said, "even if they have to serve alongside/under rival gang members," and only use what they'd learned/acquired once off-duty or out of the uniform for good.

At the time gangs that are sufficiently informed or have informants within the military in Hell may be able to move fast enough to "get their hits in" before the military (like the politicians) catch up, but they're going to have to either get their hits in through the Earth side of a portal -- presumably guarded by military -- or have "moles" on the Hell side be informed, somehow... and even then, I can't see them having the leeway to do so, seeing the anecdote about the 25th MID colonel who was concerned about proper interaction with the locals to head off the need for COIN.

[EdBecerra]

They've received their punishment, do we execute war criminals twice? Mass murderers?

That's a good question, and one that we'll be tangling with quite a bit in the next two books. Presumably, people's characters don't change substantially when they die; mass murderers are still mass murderers, rapists are still rapists, etc. So now that all the humans in hell are free, not only will we have chaos as various strongmen (like Caesar) vie for political power, we will also have criminals, murderers, rapists, etc. able to slip through the cracks. How is society going to deal with that? Stay tuned.

I'd expect that there's going to be more than just Caesar picking up the reigns of power, given the general size of Hell, and the numbers of people present. Other great figures from history are present, and it's only rational to believe that a few of them will take a stab (pun intended) at grabbing some power and some land.

In some ways, this story reminds me of the 80's shared fantasy world "Heroes in Hell". With the exception that, in that series, Heaven wasn't ruled by a betraying, drug-addled, worship-jonesing bastard of a god.

Example? Where's Napoleon? If he's not nailed to a cross in the swamp, or taking a refreshing dip in the river of flames, I'd expect the cunning little Corsican bastard to be busily plotting away.

And the thought of the Incans down there... Plenty of Pre-Columbian empires that might kick-start themselves back into existence in Hell.

And the Chinese? They've been doing this sort of stuff since before we can remember. Ten thousand years of history and all that. Wonder if the First Emperor is down there...

Ed.

[ray245]

They've received their punishment, do we execute war criminals twice? Mass murderers?

That's a good question, and one that we'll be tangling with quite a bit in the next two books. Presumably, people's characters don't change substantially when they die; mass murderers are still mass murderers, rapists are still rapists, etc. So now that all the humans in hell are free, not only will we have chaos as various strongmen (like Caesar) vie for political power, we will also have criminals, murderers, rapists, etc. able to slip through the cracks. How is society going to deal with that? Stay tuned.

I'd expect that there's going to be more than just Caesar picking up the reigns of power, given the general size of Hell, and the numbers of people present. Other great figures from history are present, and it's only rational to believe that a few of them will take a stab (pun intended) at grabbing some power and some land.

In some ways, this story reminds me of the 80's shared fantasy world "Heroes in Hell". With the exception that, in that series, Heaven wasn't ruled by a betraying, drug-addled, worship-jonesing bastard of a god.

Example? Where's Napoleon? If he's not nailed to a cross in the swamp, or taking a refreshing dip in the river of flames, I'd expect the cunning little Corsican bastard to be busily plotting away.

And the thought of the Incans down there... Plenty of Pre-Columbian empires that might kick-start themselves back into existence in Hell.

And the Chinese? They've been doing this sort of stuff since before we can remember. Ten thousand years of history and all that. Wonder if the First Emperor is down there...

Ed.

You know, we can make some popular figure in hell be some rather unrated historical figure...who knows, with so many historical figures, perhaps the story can be more unorthox by allowing those unrated figures to be more popular than the more popular figures like Napolean...


For the chinese...perhaps we can use Cao Cao?