(no subject)

[claudiometer]

Okay, guys, I'm trying to catch up but you got network-happy, there's kind of A Lot. And we should probably have it in once central place anyway.

What do we know about Jauntzilla? How the entire fuck are we supposed to fight these things? Hypatia's more worried about getting her expedition on the road while there's still people to go on it, but she'd prefer to have a home to come back to. I'm de-infiltrating myself when we get back, that's for damn sure.

[And later, after it comes up that Nation-Eaters are vulnerable to electricity:]

Right. So we've all agreed the time for subtlety is over. Who wants a Tesla? I'll make as many as I can when the party's not on. Free lightning you don't have to call on liminal bullshit to produce.

Comments

[butthemiracleneverhappen]

They project emotions. Block out the telempathy, you deprive them of their greatest weapon: making all freeze, rather than fight or fly. But it seems clear mere psychic defenses as granted by the Network are not enough.

They are attracted to psionic power. This is as much weakness as strength, if it can be used as a lure.

[claudiometer]

Good thing 'word squiggles' are making the rounds, I guess. But there's no way we're going to convince the whole Vale to stop being psychic in the last two or three weeks we have open to us.

[helborn]

You can definitely shut off your emotions, though I wouldn't recommend doing it for an extended period of time since it's generally not psychologically healthy. I did it in one of the towers, and if you know how to do it you can extend it to someone else instead of yourself.

[capital_asset]

They're vulnerable to electromagnetic radiation and electricity, and poisonous fungi will kill them. Also, the crystals on their bodies are functionally antennae, and react to radio waves. I would guess that that's part of how they communicate, but the one I examined was dead, so I can't say for certain.

Psychic hypocognition can get around the dread they project, but I'm not sure how many of us have that.

[claudiometer]

...Electricity, huh. Well, that I can - gimme a sec. [And Claudia takes a moment to tack something onto her original message.]

Hypatia got around the dread pretty well by getting really fucking pissed off instead, but that's also not gonna work for everyone.

[eldritchwheelies]

I can create magic circles to call down lightning. It's how I charge my cell phone.

Normally I use computers to do fancymath for it, but we don't need electronic computers if we have Factors.

[theflyingone]

Someone more familiar with electricity will have to tell me... The pylons outside Fallenheart, maybe they are not just for show? I saw similar structures in Jaunts happening on an Earth after my time--California, Harrogate, Newport... Could these forked towers be useful for electricity?

[breakaleginhalf]

...huh. So in theory, if we can shatter some of their antenna crystals, maybe their psionic bullshit would be less powerful.

Even if there's like. Some self-evident gaping holes in actually doing that.

[neverfeltthatway]

How vulnerable to electricity? I have a blue magic spell that might be useful. And if we have another source of electricity, I can help redirect the current.

I should be able to use psychic hypocognition on everyone fighting it who wants me to for for at least a few minutes. Exactly how long depends on how many of us there are.

[breakaleginhalf]

If, uh. If anyone wants, I could teach them how to do Magnator bullshit...? At the very least it's not Liminal. And you can use batteries instead of burning your own body, so you don't hurt yourself. Plus we can boost other people's powers by magnitudes, not multiples.

[He sounds a bit hesitant throwing it out there, but he's not going to smother a perfectly valid option.]

[claudiometer]

I mean, if people want to it probably won't hurt. Not any more than psychic bullshit hurts in the first place.

[brokers]

Normally I would suggest a railgun. Or a thanix canon. I have seen larger threats brought down, but we're badly underarmed.

...If enough of us who were Cryptos remain and remember or could relearn their focus, we might be able to build something powerful enough to make an impact.

[claudiometer]

That'd be another possibility. I could chip in toward it.

[theflyingone]

I feel like the solution may be more to do with how to unmake them. The crystals on their bodies may have something to do with it. But that is the sort of thing my Cleritor overlay would say, and he has the luxury of more time than we do.

I will gladly lend my Crypto skill if we decide to build this cannon.

[razorblade_empress]

I've still got my Crypto abilities and I've relearned my way around Sparktech, so hopefully I can contribute something. I was mostly working on survival equipment until the Nation Eaters started showing up, though.

[crouching_sin]

Do you mean the focus to work obsessively without needing to stop? I have that one.

[desperate_times_right]

Completely off topic, but you can make cars?

[claudiometer]

Not that kind of Tesla. Steampunk stun-gun dealios from back home. Named for their inventor, but Helena made a couple improvements, and I'm the one who figured out how to keep 'em from losing all their juice after about two shots.

[tookashirototheknee]

Oh... they're vulnerable to electricity?

Guess I'm getting my rubbers on.

Although, I wouldn't necessarily mind having one of those Teslas for later.

[claudiometer]

I really hope you don't mean condoms. [She's 99 percent sure he didn't, but Matt's the one who left the 1 percent there.]

Got you on the list, dude.

[neverfeltthatway]

I have color magic that can shoot powerful bolts of electricity, and if we have another source of electricity I can help direct the flow as well.

If we need a distraction while other people are working, I can turn into a sixty meter titan. Not as large as a nation eater, but somewhat on the same scale. I should hopefully be able to get its attention, at the very least.

Psychically, there are a few options, though I don't know if any of them will work. I could try stunning them - only a temporary measure, but if I can knock it senseless for ten minutes we can attack it or at the very least have a little time to evacuate. I could try to sever its psionic connection, or to suppress its emotions or cut off its psionic senses - or maybe just its own awareness of its psionic abilities. But since it doesn't work off the network like I do, I really couldn't say if any of these options will work at all, or how well if they do.

If they don't work, I could try connecting it to the network in order to affect it better - but that seems like a really terrible idea, if we have any other options.

[eldritchwheelies]

Just make me a big enough magic circle and everything in it is lightning.

Being a 200-foot tall monstrosity will help in getting the proper scale.

Before dungeon time:

[truerevelation]

... Damn thing was givin' me a headache. Y'know Raidou was sayin' that the dead ones were spittin' out radio waves? Started to get a pattern from 'em when I got listening... they're screamin' over the airwaves when they come looking for us. Looked into it further and... the way they do psychic shit all kinda ... mixes together with the transmissions.
I'm gettin' a coupla suspicions here.

[claudiometer]

Color me interested. What kind of suspicions?

[scarsolderthanyou]

Can someone turn the little old man into me again, when the Jaunt starts up? I'm not quite as big as that thing, once I shift, but I bet it's not used to fighting big things, either. While you people use your magic and lightning and whatever else, I can beat it around the head with my wings, or something.

[claudiometer]

Already promised mine to Altair. Armin's working on pooling the people who can do it, though, so someone else might be able to.

[vrepit_no]

...Just be careful where you point those things, people. Please.

[claudiometer]

Well, obviously. They may be stun guns but nobody gets one without a primer. For one thing, they have more kick than regular guns.