With This Ring (Young Justice SI) (Thread Fourteen)

[Steelplaza]

The mildly suspect behavior of Silver Age Supergirl continues.

"Ha hah, no there's no need to look into my story and verify it. I don't even want to go home, don't waste your time. Communicate with my family back there? Absolutely not, no need, I'm sure they know. The important thing here is that you should do nothing whatsoever to investigate any claim I've made."

 

[Bud-E]

Is this Ahri'anh blessed by the Lords of Order like in Young Justice cannon?

 

[Mr Zoat]

Is this Kara British / mimicking OL's speech? If not, should be "pick up lines"

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

...'New Guy'? She means Conner? Well, I suppose to her he is new. No clone Superboys in her era, barring Bizarros.

Click to shrink...

The guy they let out of the Phantom Zone, whose name momentarily escapes me.

Remind me, when did OL leave our timeline? I thought it was well before brexit/etc, so 'vent-it' wouldn't be a thing he'd be familiar with?

Click to shrink...

It was before the referendum, but there'd been a strong anti-EU movement in the UK since we joined. And in this instance it's an Anglicisation of the Atlantean Greek abbreviation.

Although, this does raise an interesting question: What exactly IS Boss Smiley's stance on The Light? Considering that they more-or-less had the same objective as Paul, but that their methods were far more violent, chaotic and disruptive to the status quo, Boss Smiley must have naturally been opposed to them, right? Unless he chose to stay out of it because he thought the Justice League could handle them?

Click to shrink...

Boss Smiley doesn't care about particular manefestations of the status quo. Nothing fundamental is changing.

Is this Ahri'anh blessed by the Lords of Order like in Young Justice cannon?

Click to shrink...

Probably not.

 

[Ngamer11]

Is this Ahri'anh blessed by the Lords of Order like in Young Justice cannon?

Click to shrink...

It has been mentioned multiple times that Ahri'ahn detests "higher powers" like gods and elementals, and gained his strength through his own skill and hard work. This mindset spread to Atlantis as a whole, enough so that there is only one person, at least among the more experienced researchers, who studies elementalism (study of elementals and similar beings, not the four classical elements).

 

[Sordid Snake]

Effect; unless video games have been lying to me all of these years.

Click to shrink...

"The civilizations of the galaxy call it... Mass Affect"
I just call it very many people being very angry

 

[Whenever Possible]

In the next 24 hours, a bunch of atlanteans are going to realize they can't reach a bunch of doors on their buildings anymore and that their commutes have been noticeably altered as a result of being mostly bound to the surface instead of being able to swim up and down.

 

[Mr Zoat]

In the next 24 hours, a bunch of atlanteans are going to realize they can't reach a bunch of doors on their buildings anymore and that their commutes have been noticeably altered as a result of being mostly bound to the surface instead of being able to swim up and down.

Click to shrink...

I actually mention that in future segments, but they've prepared for it.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

Boss Smiley doesn't care about particular manefestations of the status quo. Nothing fundamental is changing.

Click to shrink...

Define "fundamental". What exactly would it take for Boss Smiley to directly interfere? We saw him try to screw with Paul for trying to uplift mankind, but when the Light tried to do the same in their own way, Boss Smiley never interfered with them. Maybe someone deliberately trying to instill a fundamental change in the laws of reality and the universe?

 

[Galacticplumber]

Define "fundamental". What exactly would it take for Boss Smiley to directly interfere? We saw him try to screw with Paul for trying to uplift mankind, but when the Light tried to do the same in their own way, Boss Smiley never interfered with them. Maybe someone deliberately trying to instill a fundamental change in the laws of reality and the universe?

Click to shrink...

Maybe because their way is innately self defeating nonsense that just destroys architecture? If your goal is to prevent uplift, and the actions of someone claiming to want uplift provably won't result in that you just shrug?

 

[Stsword]

Yeah, I find the Light's claims about wanting to benefit humanity pretty sounding bullshit to justify their acting like corrupt assholes.

And Smiley is all about people with power being corrupt assholes, so I'd have been shocked if he had a problem with the Light.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

Maybe because their way is innately self defeating nonsense that just destroys architecture? If your goal is to prevent uplift, and the actions of someone claiming to want uplift provably won't result in that you just shrug?

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I find the Light's claims about wanting to benefit humanity pretty sounding bullshit to justify their acting like corrupt assholes.

And Smiley is all about people with power being corrupt assholes, so I'd have been shocked if he had a problem with the Light.

Click to shrink...

So, what you guys are saying is that Boss Smiley never interfered with The Light because while their intended goal was to uplift humanity, they were unintentionally doing the exact opposite because of their stupid and corrupt methods, and upon realizing that, Boss Smiley decided that leaving The Light alone would be more beneficial to his goals than to interfere with them.

 

[Stsword]

So, what you guys are saying is that Boss Smiley never interfered with The Light because while their intended goal was to uplift humanity, they were unintentionally doing the exact opposite because of their stupid and corrupt methods, and upon realizing that, Boss Smiley decided that leaving The Light alone would be more beneficial to his goals than to interfere with them.

Click to shrink...

I very much doubt it was even an intended goal for most of them.

Lex I could see being that delusional, there is Savage's survival of the fittest, and Ra's, sure.

But Ocean Master, Klarion, Brain, and Queen Bee? If there was a bus full of children on fire, none of those would so much as spit on them unless they saw an angle that would benefit them.

 

[Mr Zoat]

So, what you guys are saying is that Boss Smiley never interfered with The Light because while their intended goal was to uplift humanity, they were unintentionally doing the exact opposite because of their stupid and corrupt methods, and upon realizing that, Boss Smiley decided that leaving The Light alone would be more beneficial to his goals than to interfere with them.

Click to shrink...

There's uplift and there's uplift.

Boss Smiley thinks it's fine for things to become the same but bigger and with better guns. A corrupt government ruling millions and a corrupt government ruling tens of billions are just as pleasing to him as each other. Ships, aircraft, spacecraft... Who cares? But the SI is someone who might say 'Why don't we make people swear magically binding oaths in court?' or 'Why don't we make politicians swear magically binding oaths while they're in office?' and that's not on.

 

[CrazyNoVa]

I very much doubt it was even an intended goal for most of them.

Lex I could see being that delusional, there is Savage's survival of the fittest, and Ra's, sure.

But Ocean Master, Klarion, Brain, and Queen Bee? If there was a bus full of children on fire, none of those would so much as spit on them unless they saw an angle that would benefit them.

Click to shrink...

I mean, if it were Atlantean children, maybe Ocean Master would lift a finger to help out. He's similar to Ra's in that he's delusional and genuinely believes that what he's doing is for the good of Atlantis, no matter how horrible his methods are. Emphasis on "maybe".

There's uplift and there's uplift.

Boss Smiley thinks it's fine for things to become the same but bigger and with better guns. A corrupt government ruling millions and a corrupt government ruling tens of billions are just as pleasing to him as each other. Ships, aircraft, spacecraft... Who cares? But the SI is someone who might say 'Why don't we make people swear magically binding oaths in court?' or 'Why don't we make politicians swear magically binding oaths while they're in office?' and that's not on.

Click to shrink...

Okay, so Smiley's problem isn't with uplifting and technological advancement so much as with integrity and making Earth a less corrupt planet for humanity? Smiley wants to control the world and keep humanity under his influence by making sure that while mankind advances scientifically, they will do so in such a way that they will always remain corrupt, weak, and above all else, under his thumb.

 

[Ngamer11]

Okay, so Smiley's problem isn't with uplifting and technological advancement so much as with integrity and making Earth a less corrupt planet for humanity? Smiley wants to control the world and keep humanity under his influence by making sure that while mankind advances scientifically, they will do so in such a way that they will always remain under his thumb.

Click to shrink...

So he's less a spirit of stagnation and more a spirit of corruption. I suppose that tracks.

 

[Mr Zoat]

4th May 2013
13:51 GMT -2

I fly across the Atlantic towards the newly-risen Poseidonis wearing my formal robes, Professor Sephtian's best work affixed to my under-armour. Ahri'ahn is an individual I tried to research; a hugely powerful magician and the founder of the modern Atlantean magic traditions. But that was in antemergi Atlantis, and right after their entire civilisation sank and they had to adapt to aquatic life wasn't the best time for making and preserving written records.

What records they have contain mentions of him up to a certain point, and then he's only referred to in the past tense. The usual assumption is that he died; the best ways for a magic user to extend their life involved making some sort of pact with a magic-based life form, and that would have been contrary to everything he believed about mankind's place in the world. And the other methods…

I don't want to condemn someone from that long ago for their cultural biases. Not out of hand, anyway. The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there, and all that. So let's just say that if vampires existed back then he would have considered undergoing the transformation to be 'polluting his body' and leave it at that.

But I remember the 'Camelot Falls' storyline in the Superman comics where he could step from one point in time to another. Leaving an Atlantis that he thought was in good hands in order to explore the future is certainly something that an archmage of his generation might do…

Ring, status of William Knightley?

Unknown; unable to locate.

Send a message to Johanna. Ask her to get hold of him and tell him not to do anything stupid while Ahri'ahn is around.

Compliance.

"There a reason why we're flying this slow?"

"Ahri'ahn comes from a-." Huh. "I was going to say 'more violent time', but given what's been happening lately that's probably not true. More sporadically violent, perhaps? Casually violent? The shields might have been removed, but I'm pretty sure that he'd have made certain that Poseidonis would be resilient enough to stop any reasonably probable attack before raising it out of the water."

Lantern Stewart nods. "You want them to see you coming."

"It's more that I don't want to fly face-first into multiple layers of wards. Especially as we're over the old continent of Atlantis now."

He thinks for a moment. "You think he couldn't bring the whole thing up in one go?"

"I think he's a classist. Which is to say, he believes that lower social classes should know their place."

He snorts. "And that place is under water."

"According to Adom, Queen Gamemnae did something similar. Though with her it probably was a power limit which prevented her from raising the whole place."

"Am I gunna regret asking who the Atlanteans considered 'low class'?."

"Poor people, foreigners, the ritually unclean, the seriously religious."

"Why the religious? I thought ancient societies were all about religion."

"Ahri'ahn thought that supplication to supernatural forces is something that mankind should rise above. He didn't claim that gods don't exist, but… You don't worship gravity, do you?"

He smiles. "I guess not."

"Even today, people who are a little too into gods are considered to be a bit mentally slow. There was one poor guy at a thaumaturgy party I crashed who got roundly mocked by the entire gathering once they found out what his speciality was."

"How long ago was Ahri'ahn around?"

"Assuming it's actually him and not another poser, a while. He's older than Adom, but not older than Doctor Mist." I frown. "Unless he's been spending time in suspended animation, or jumping forwards in time like Max Mercury. I would also advise against assuming that he's unfamiliar with technology; viewing the future is well within his power. Who's he talking to now?"

"Doctor Mist."

"Makes sense. I think that Doctor Mist is one of his ancestors."

He regards me sceptically. "They don't look much alike."

I shrug. "With enough generations in between, that doesn't matter much. With four generations a century, and most of their partners having paler skin-. Did I ever mention that he's one of Mister Zatara's ancestors?"

"No."

"If there's a person born with access to more raw magical power than most people, most of the time he's one of their ancestors. He's literally the progenitor of a magic-focused human subspecies."

"Given how long it's been, I guess he's related to just about everyone in Atlantis."

"Not necessarily. There are a lot of other genes in the mix, and people didn't often mix between different city states. Except possibly the rulers, to maintain alliances."

"Still, it's a long time."

"I never really looked into exactly which genes carried the trait. Conventional genetic analysis isn't reliable with magic, anyway."

Coming up on the city proper now. There's the palace, which… I think the outline is mostly the same, but they've increased the amount of the exterior covered by walls rather than left open to the water. There's the Conservatory of Sorcery, which… Seems to have been expanded. The main body of the city looks… Really different out of the water. As with the palace they've walled up some of the higher doorways, and there've added rune-inscribed obelisks at major intersections. Probably a security measure. I-.

Dolmen Gates! They've added Dolmen Gates! They can't keep using their biomantically-engineered swimming creatures for transportation-. And the cities were individually shielded, so normal travel between them was impossible. Dolmen Gates bypass that, though-. They've have to have teleported between them the hard way to assemble the other terminus…

Calm down. Quick check…

Yeah. Can't see a single Atlantean who isn't a Pureblood.

Which is a problem, because while an aristocrat of Ahri'ahn's era might regard peasants as being comprehensively beneath him that's nothing compared to how he'd view foreigners. I think-.

"Ah!" A.. long haired and pale skinned man-. Translucent projection of a man appears in the air in front of us, smiling broadly. He's wearing a richly embroidered coat over a plain white shirt and tan trousers. I slow, but the projection keeps relative station so I accelerate again. "There you are! I understand that we've you to thank for expunging the Anti-Life!"

"The plan was mine, but many people worked to bring it to fruition."

"Oh, come now." He frowns. "No false modesty."

"Alright. It was all me. I'm brilliant."

He smiles. "Please, come to the palace. We've a great deal to talk about."

 

[Ngamer11]

But I remember the 'Camelot Falls' storyline in the Superman comics where he could step from one point in time to another. Leaving an Atlantis that he though was in good hands in order to explore the future is certainly something that an archmage of his generation might do…

Click to shrink...

It's a good thing Paul remembers this as that means he won't be blindsided by Ahri'ahn being potentially hostile. Also, that should say 'thought'.

Ring, status of William Knightley?

Unknown; unable to locate.

Send a message to Johanna. Ask her to get hold of him and tell him not to do anything stupid while Ahri'ahn is around.

Click to shrink...

Considering Paul can't locate Arion, he's either got mystical protection or is already dead. I'm betting the latter.

"Doctor Mist."

"Makes sense. I think that Doctor Mist is one of his ancestors."

He regards me sceptically. "They don't look much alike."

I shrug. "With enough generations in between, that doesn't matter much. With four generations a century, and most of their partners having paler skin-. Did I ever mention that he's one of Mister Zatara's ancestors?"

"No."

"If there's a person born with access to more raw magical power than most people, most of the time he's one of their ancestors. He's literally the progenitor of a magic-focused human subspecies."

Click to shrink...

I didn't realize Doctor Mist was one of Zatara's ancestors, though it's not surprising when you think about it. He's been around for eleven thousand years, so having a lot of descendants should be expected.

Yeah. Can't see a single Atlantean who isn't a Pureblood.

Which is a problem, because while an aristocrat of Ahri'ahn's era might regard peasants as being comprehensively beneath him that's nothing compared to how he'd view foreigners. I think-.

Click to shrink...

This doesn't bode well. Hopefully Paul's defenses will be enough to at least get away if things get violent.

"Ah!" A.. long haired and pale skinned man-. Translucent projection of a man appears in the air in front of us, smiling broadly. He's wearing a richly embroidered coat over a plain white shirt and tan trousers. I slow, but the projection keeps relative station so I accelerate again. "There you are! I understand that we've you to thank for expunging the Anti-Life!"

"The plan was mine, but many people worked to bring it to fruition."

"Oh, come now." He frowns. "No false modesty."

"Alright. It was all me. I'm brilliant."

He smiles. "Please, come to the palace. We've a great deal to talk about."

Click to shrink...

I see Ahri'ahn is as pompous as expected. Hopefully Paul can keep his ego sufficiently inflated so that they don't have to immediately start fighting. I can't wait to see where this leads.

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

4th May 2013
13:51 GMT -2

I fly across the Atlantic towards the newly-risen Poseidonis wearing my formal robes, Professor Sephtian's best work affixed to my under-armour. Ahri'ahn is an individual I tried to research; a hugely powerful magician and the founder of the modern Atlantean magic traditions. But that was in antemergi Atlantis, and right after their entire civilisation sank and they had to adapt to aquatic life wasn't the best time for making and preserving written records.

Click to shrink...

The bane of historians everywhere: periods of poor documentation. Whether it's entire history books being destroyed or merely altered to strike names from the walls, losing all that is a travesty... I imagine one of the first formal uses for time travel would be assembling a more complete history of Earth...

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

What records they have contain mentions of him up to a certain point, and then he's only referred to in the past tense. The usual assumption is that he died; the best ways for a magic user to extend their life involved making some sort of pact with a magic-based life form, and that would have been contrary to everything he believed about mankind's place in the world. And the other methods…

Click to shrink...

On the other hand, just because someone disappears from the records, doesn't mean they're dead. Exiles, disgraces, and the like are one way, and magic adds so many more ways to vanish...

I don't want to condemn someone from that long ago for their cultural biases. Not out of hand, anyway. The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there, and all that. So let's just say that if vampires existed back then he would have considered undergoing the transformation to be 'polluting his body' and leave it at that.

Click to shrink...

Accurate to Ahri'ahn. Most kinds of transformation would be against his purity-focused beliefs...

But I remember the 'Camelot Falls' storyline in the Superman comics where he could step from one point in time to another. Leaving an Atlantis that he though was in good hands in order to explore the future is certainly something that an archmage of his generation might do…

Click to shrink...

Good. Trust but verify. No telling what this one will be like.

Ring, status of William Knightley?

Unknown; unable to locate.

Click to shrink...

Concerning. Has he been operating under the name Arion, or some variation yet here?

Send a message to Johanna. Ask her to get hold of him and tell him not to do anything stupid while Ahri'ahn is around.

Compliance.

Click to shrink...

I hope you have last known locations for him, at least. If he's any decent kind of magician, he's probably hard to find anyway, but a good lead helps.

"There a reason why we're flying this slow?"

"Ahri'ahn comes from a-." Huh. "I was going to say 'more violent time', but given what's been happening lately that's probably not true. More sporadically violent, perhaps? Casually violent? The shields might have been removed, but I'm pretty sure that he'd have made certain that Poseidonis would be resilient enough to stop any reasonably probable attack before raising it out of the water."

Click to shrink...

An era when violence was more acceptable as an option. Which necessitates caution now.

Lantern Stewart nods. "You want them to see you coming."

"It's more that I don't want to fly face-first into multiple layers of wards. Especially as we're over the old continent of Atlantis now."

Click to shrink...

And his spell eaters are only so good...

He thinks for a moment. "You think he couldn't bring the whole thing up in one go?"

"I think he's a classist. Which is to say, he believes that lower social classes should know their place."

Click to shrink...

With Poseidonis' unmodified people at the top of the social pyramid, just as the city is at the peak of the continent, eh?

He snorts. "And that place is under water."

"According to Adom, Queen Gamemnae did something similar. Though with her it probably was a power limit which prevented her from raising the whole place."

Click to shrink...

And I doubt she was quite as focused on the segregation of 'classes'...

"Am I gunna regret asking who the Atlanteans considered 'low class'?."

"Poor people, foreigners, the ritually unclean, the seriously religious."

Click to shrink...

And after the drowning, those who were les than pure Atlantean.

"Why the religious? I thought ancient societies were all about religion."

"Ahri'ahn thought that supplication to supernatural forces is something that mankind should rise above. He didn't claim that gods don't exist, but… You don't worship gravity, do you?"

Click to shrink...

Sounds like someone else we know, hmm, OL? Then again, once he actually met gods, he did stow the 'jumped-up elementals' talk.

He smiles. "I guess not."

"Even today, people who are a little too into gods are considered to be a bit mentally slow. There was one poor guy at a thaumaturgy party I crashed who got roundly mocked by the entire gathering once they found out what his speciality was."

Click to shrink...

The elementalist/spirit summoner right? I wonder if he adjusted his work or kept to his course...

"How long ago was Ahri'ahn around?"

"Assuming it's actually him and not another poser, a while. He's older than Adom, but not older than Doctor Mist." I frown. "Unless he's been spending time in suspended animation, or jumping forwards in time like Max Mercury. I would also advise against assuming that he's unfamiliar with technology; viewing the future is well within his power. Who's he talking to now?"

Click to shrink...

Inadvertently correct, I see. Not that even if he'd endured every century between his last sighting and now, he wouldn't necessarily be old.

"Doctor Mist."

"Makes sense. I think that Doctor Mist is one of his ancestors."

Click to shrink...

I mean, unless he lived a chaste life, there'd be a lot of people with Mist as an ancestor.

He regards me sceptically. "They don't look much alike."

I shrug. "With enough generations in between, that doesn't matter much. With four generations a century, and most of their partners having paler skin-. Did I ever mention that he's one of Mister Zatara's ancestors?"

Click to shrink...

Especially if the magical gene is dominant in nature. Then again, it's apparently possible for someone with no history of magic in their lineage to suddenly exhibit it.

"No."

"If there's a person born with access to more raw magical power than most people, most of the time he's one of their ancestors. He's literally the progenitor of a magic-focused human subspecies."

Click to shrink...

Wonder what he thinks of that fact. I assume OL has mentioned it to Balewa at some point.

"Given how long it's been, I guess he's related to just about everyone in Atlantis."

"Not necessarily. There are a lot of other genes in the mix, and people didn't often mix between different city states. Except possibly the rulers, to maintain alliances."

Click to shrink...

No Hapsburg jaw showing up in their ancestry here?

"Still, it's a long time."

"I never really looked into exactly which genes carried the trait. Conventional genetic analysis isn't reliable with magic, anyway."

Click to shrink...

And if it was caused by White Light exposure, it not be detectable by Ring anyway. That power is very good at keeping a low profile.

Coming up on the city proper now. There's the palace, which… I think the outline is mostly the same, but they've increased the amount of the exterior covered by walls rather than left open to the water. There's the Conservatory of Sorcery, which… Seems to have been expanded. The main body of the city looks… Really different out of the water. As with the palace they've walled up some of the higher doorways, and there've added rune-inscribed obelisks at major intersections. Probably a security measure. I-.

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing there's also a lot of newly-installed stairs inside. Those obelisks seem a bit suspicious, though.

Dolmen Gates! They've added Dolmen Gates! They can't keep using their biomantically-engineered swimming creatures for transportation-. And the cities were individually shielded, so normal travel between them was impossible. Dolmen Gates bypass that, though-. They've have to have teleported between them the hard way to assemble the other terminus…

Click to shrink...

I suppose they continued production of them during the sequestering of the cities. Good to see them being put to good use.

Calm down. Quick check…

Yeah. Can't see a single Atlantean who isn't a Pureblood.

Click to shrink...

Makes me worry about what happened to folks like Sephtian... No doubt all banished to the lower cities.

Which is a problem, because while an aristocrat of Ahri'ahn's era might regard peasants as being comprehensively beneath him that's nothing compared to how he'd view foreigners. I think-.

"Ah!" A.. long haired and pale skinned man-. Translucent projection of a man appears in the air in front of us, smiling broadly. He's wearing a richly embroidered coat over a plain white shirt and tan trousers. I slow, but the projection keeps relative station so I accelerate again. "There you are! I understand that we've you to thank for expunging the Anti-Life!"

Click to shrink...

Be on your guard, OL. Just because he's being polite doesn't make him a friend yet.

"The plan was mine, but many people worked to bring it to fruition."

"Oh, come now." He frowns. "No false modesty."

Click to shrink...

No, OL means that. You'd have to be a very special individual to manage to channel more than one Light at a time, much less seven.

"Alright. It was all me. I'm brilliant."

He smiles. "Please, come to the palace. We've a great deal to talk about."

Click to shrink...

Ah, why do I get a bad feeling about this?

And so we meet the probable threat of the arc. It'll be interesting to see how Ahri'ahn reacts to OL, who could well be a nightmare for him - A man with an entirely unnatural manner of thought, since his Enlightenment should be very obvious to someone as skilled as Ahri'ahn. Let's hope OL is on his guard against possible mind control attempts...

 

[Stsword]

I didn't realize Doctor Mist was one of Zatara's ancestors, though it's not surprising when you think about it. He's been around for eleven thousand years, so having a lot of descendants should be expected.

Click to shrink...

Zoat might have been inspired by his Secret Origin in which it's revealed that Zatanna is the result of Mist's social engineering and eugenics project to create the perfect apprentice. Or maybe not.

That was the story that revealed that Mist is actually a poser. He is immortal and does have genuine magic powers, but he's more Wizard of Oz than Merlin- He just pretends he's a fearsome and powerful archmage, his mojo is actually lacking in biggatons.

I thought that was an interesting take, but I guess Zoat disagrees since he's obviously not pretending in this story.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Also, that should say 'thought'.

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

Zoat might have been inspired by his Secret Origin in which it's revealed that Zatanna is the result of Mist's social engineering and eugenics project to create the perfect apprentice. Or maybe not.

That was the story that revealed that Mist is actually a poser. He is immortal and does have genuine magic powers, but he's more Wizard of Oz than Merlin- He just pretends he's a fearsome and powerful archmage, his mojo is actually lacking in biggatons.

I thought that was an interesting take, but I guess Zoat disagrees since he's obviously not pretending in this story.

Click to shrink...

It's quite possible to like two contradictory takes on a character and be unable to include them both.

 

[Mr Zoat]

4th May 2013
13:58 GMT -2

The phantasmal Ahri'ahn bows and gestures to the door of a room I.. think is the usual meeting room for the Atlantean royal cabinet. I couldn't claim to be certain about that, though, as they're clearly in the middle of remodelling the palace.

Our brief trip through the palace revealed more than a few changes in its structure, adjusting to the fact that the residents can't just swim upwards any longer. In some places they've just added spiral staircases with some sort of magic coral… Presumably put in before the city was raised. In other narrower shafts they're still working on installing lifts because there isn't really room for stairs.

"Thank you."

No.. guards, so I just push open the doors as the phantasm fades.

"…is now!"

Actual Ahri'ahn is dressed in much the same way that his projection was, and smiles at me in much the same way. Dr. Balewa is sitting just across the ovoid table from him, and in as much as I can read his body language he appears to be relaxed. Diana looks a little more pensive, and-. No Orin and no Mera. That's a moderate concern. Orin is a good man but he's nothing like as powerful as Ahri'ahn, and Mera isn't-. Probably isn't on his level either.

The table also has.. a modern atlas on it, turned to one of those 'oh-so-clever-we're-not-using-the-Eurocentric-world-map' pages loved by cartographers and tolerated by everyone else. Other documents include… Atlantean topographical maps of both Atlantis and the Atlantic rim, and what looks like a legal document of some sort.

Not sure what Ahri'ahn being here alone says about proceedings. If he only arrived roughly when the Anti-Life broadcast happened then he probably doesn't have anyone he trusts to back him outside of whatever deal he's made with the modern government.

Ahri'ahn gets up out of his chair and walks around to me, right hand extended. "A pleasure to meet you in person, Orange Lantern."

I shake his hand, careful to keep my right ring inert. "Likewise. What brings you to our era?"

"You do! I could hardly miss the mass deployment of Dolmen Gates outside of Atlantis. I thought perhaps that a new magic-focused civilisation had emerged."

I shake my head. "Unfortunately, not. Not yet. I'm trying, but the knowledge base just isn't there outside of Atlantis and Atlantis has been fairly introverted since the sinking."

He puts his left hand on my right shoulder, gently guiding me to a seat while raising his right forefinger in a lecturing position. I consider glancing back at Lantern Stewart, but I think it would be more polite to give the ancient magician who may have just taken over a continent with his arcane might my full attention.

"In my era it was a rational choice. The rest of the world had little to offer us. But now! Now, things are rather different."

I take the proffered seat as he resumes his own, Lantern Stewart contenting himself with lurking by the door-. Like a bodyguard, I suppose.

"Now Poseidonis has resumed its place on the surface and can once more host deputations from other nations."

"Well." I smile. "I'm glad to hear it. Levels of preparedness for arcane attack are shockingly poor in most places."

He shakes his head resignedly. "I know it all too well."

Ah-okay, now we need to check literally every government for magic subversion. Marvellous.

"It was you who had the gentry of Venturia studying Dream-. Hah." He bows his head as he leans back in his chair. "I apologise. Indulging my personal interests can wait. We have official matters to discuss."

"If you.. want help getting up to speed with modern civilisation, Teth Adom had a similar experience-."

He's shaking his head. "No, no. I have had a great deal of time to contemplate the changes in the world. I have not spent thousands of years locked in a pendant as he did. I appreciate the offer in the spirit in which it was intended, but… No. Now, to work. I understand that you have Atlantean citizens employed away from the Earth?"

I nod. "Yes. They're being informed of what's happening here now. I expect a lot of them will wish to return as quickly as possible."

"Good, good. I will expect all of them to return." Oh dear. "They may put their affairs in order, complete their current projects... You employed them under contract with the High King of course, it would be improper to simply snatch them back." Most of his good humour vanishes from his face. "But I do expect all of them back."

"I'm not sure that I understand. Has the Orange Lantern Corps done something to insult you?"

He shakes his head. "I would hardly invite you to the royal palace if you had. But just as your projects required the aid of a great many of our best and brightest, so too will my work here require them. And Atlantis has first claim on their efforts."

I nod. "I will relay that to Clarissi Dox. Would you be amenable to us employing Atlantean magicians at some point in the future?"

He considers for a moment, and then nods. "They may be available to undertake projects, though given that their work for you is of a military nature there will have to be a degree of oversight that there has not been to date. And we will expect the products of their research to be shared with Atlantis."

I… Don't think that anything we've had them work on would create problems on Earth. Most of it is honestly fairly basic, just applied to space-aged systems.

"That shouldn't be a problem, as long as it's understood that just means what they created and not our technology."

He seems to find that… Slightly amusing. "Perfectly tolerable. The other matter of concern is your work with Venturia."

"I thought that you didn't want to-."

He shakes his head. "The work is admirable. But I have concerns with such matters being shared with… People outside of Atlantis."

I shrug. "I only commissioned it to try and calm things down after the independence referendum. I got reports, but it's all a long way from being actionable."

"Well, independence is no longer a concern. I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a copy of everything which they gave to you."

I raise my eyebrows. "'No longer a concern'?"

He makes a circling motion with his right hand. "In exchange for being protected from the…" He glances at Dr. Balewa. "'Anti-Life', and a few other concessions, they have agreed to rejoin Atlantis and normalise relations with the other cities." He huffs in frustration. "The situation should never have gotten to that point. King Orin should never have been raised amongst foreigners like a-."

He cuts himself off.

Yes, I don't imagine that he was particularly happy about that. Sending the heir to a foreign court is a pretty submissive thing to do. Having him raised by a lighthouse keeper is flat-out unthinkable. I can only assume that Queen Atlanna thought that she'd have more time to complete his political education once he reached adulthood.

"Is now a good time?" I hold my right hand out over the table. "I have it all stored on my rings, so it's really no effort to scribe it for you."

"Oh, no. You can hand a copy to my apprentice. He's heading here-" The door to the room opens. "-now."

I turn and-.

"Kaldur?"

What is he wearing?

 

[Ngamer11]

"Kaldur?"

What is he wearing?

Click to shrink...

I'm surprised someone with gills is allowed to be Ahri'ahn's apprentice. Perhaps he is still classist in private but understands that such thinking will not make him any allies, especially among contemporaries like Doctor Mist.

 

[Darko]

In some places they've just added spiral staircases with some sort of magic coral… Presumably put in before the city was raised

Click to shrink...

Or they grew it after it emerged.

No.. guards

Click to shrink...

Given the level of power Ahri'ahn has, guards may be useless.

those ''oh-so-clever-we're-not-using-the-Eurocentric-world-map' pages loved

Click to shrink...

Remove one ' from the beginning.

broadcast happens then

Click to shrink...

"happened"

arcane attack are shocking poor in

Click to shrink...

"shockingly"

But just us your projects require

Click to shrink...

"as your projects"

"That shouldn't be a problem, as long as it's understood that just means what they created and not our technology."

He seems to find that… Slightly amusing

Click to shrink...

Given that he grew up in a magical civilization and advanced tech that could actually challenge him is fairly new on Earth, it's not surprising that he may find it unimpressive.

"Oh, no. You can hand a copy to my apprentice. He's heading here-" The door to the room opens. "-now."

I turn and-.

"Kaldur?"

What is he wearing

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing he's wearing robes of some kind.

Makes sense, I guess.

Ahri'ahn is probably not training him as a battle mage, so he can wear clothing that is nit so easy to move in because he technically doesn't need to.

 

[Mr Zoat]

Remove one ' from the beginning.
"happened"
"shockingly"
"as your projects"

Click to shrink...

Thank you, corrected.

 

[Darko]

I'm surprised someone with gills is allowed to be Ahri'ahn's apprentice. Perhaps he is still classist in private but understands that such thinking will not make him any allies, especially among contemporaries like Doctor Mist.

Click to shrink...

Bigots will on occasion allow people that belong to the groups they hate to rise to a certain position of power, if only to make the system seem fair so that people won't rebel because the system is unfair.

Plus, Kaldur is a friend of Paul, and Ahri'ahn knows that Paul is very powerful and very resourceful, so he may have made Kaldur his apprentice in order to manipulate him into revealing things about Paul.

Plus he can also manipulate Paul if he thinks that Paul will care about his friends new position and would thus be inclined to have a positive view of Ahri'ahn.

And having Kaldur back him up also solidifies his rule over other Atlanteans.

Kaldur is respected and his connection to Aquaman could also help since the apprentice of the previous ruler is supporting the new one.

Though a thought did occur to me.

Maybe Kaldur isn't the apprentice and was just escorting him there.

He could be wearing the clothes the palace guards wear and that's why Paul reacted that way.

 

[Neruz]

It's also not impossible that while Ahri'ahn is a bigot, it's of the 'most of them are lesser' kind rather than the 'all of them are lesser' kind; ie that he recognizes certain gifted individuals can 'rise above' their circumstances of their birth and succeed in spite of their inherent inferiority.

Bigotry comes in many different flavors and Ahri'ahn is a bigot of a very different age and culture, do not expect him to conform to the shape of modern American bigotism.

 

[NightmareWarden]

Ahri'ahn doesn't appear to have traversed these eras with a similarly long-lived spouse. What sort of traits could explain that?

Additionally, he was probably enthusiastic about the Dream research for multiple reasons. He could have a way to use spellcasting off-world, perhaps with severe limitations? Or he has snubbed Dream of the endless before, which ruined a similar idea?

Lastly, I wonder if one of the Endless will get involved here. Destiny, if the mode of time travel is an issue? Despair, taking an interest in seeing Ahri'ahn's creations reduced to unrecoverable ash? Destruction, due to a magical super weapon?

 

[Chojin Patriarch]

4th May 2013
13:58 GMT -2

The phantasmal Ahri'ahn bows and gestures to the door of a room I.. think is the usual meeting room for the Atlantean royal cabinet. I couldn't claim to be certain about that, though, as they're clearly in the middle of remodelling the palace.

Click to shrink...

Though I imagine any existing members have been dismissed for now. It appears that Ahri'ahn has more or less taken full control of things in Atlantis. A somewhat worrying complication, especially if he displaced the existing rulers.

Spoiler: Commentary spoilered for length

Our brief trip through the palace revealed more than a few changes in its structure, adjusting to the fact that the residents can't just swim upwards any longer. In some places they've just added spiral staircases with some sort of magic coral… Presumably put in before the city was raised. In other narrower shafts they're still working on installing lifts because there isn't really room for stairs.

Click to shrink...

So they knew it was coming, I suppose. Presumably any lifts are operated by magic, unless Ahri'ahn has instigated some upgrades...

"Thank you."

No.. guards, so I just push open the doors as the phantasm fades.

"…is now!"

Click to shrink...

Clever of him to send a phantasm to greet the guests first, letting him get a look through its eyes first...

Actual Ahri'ahn is dressed in much the same way that his projection was, and smiles at me in much the same way. Dr. Balewa is sitting just across the ovoid table from him, and in as much as I can read his body language he appears to be relaxed. Diana looks a little more pensive, and-. No Orin and no Mera. That's a moderate concern. Orin is a good man but he's nothing like as powerful as Ahri'ahn, and Mera isn't-. Probably isn't on his level either.

Click to shrink...

Hopefully they're at least free somewhere in the city, and not confined in a slave camp or something. Alternatively, If Ahri'ahn is acting as prime minister or something, he might have Orin and Mera making the rounds of the cities on a publicity tour, or something.

The table also has.. a modern atlas on it, turned to one of those 'oh-so-clever-we're-not-using-the-Eurocentric-world-map' pages loved by cartographers and tolerated by everyone else. Other documents include… Atlantean topographical maps of both Atlantis and the Atlantic rim, and what looks like a legal document of some sort.

Click to shrink...

Let me guess, the atlas focuses on the Atlantic Ocean, front and center? I'm guessing Ahri'ahn is trying to carve out an agreement of Atlantean territorial sovereignty or the like...

Not sure what Ahri'ahn being here alone says about proceedings. If he only arrived roughly when the Anti-Life broadcast happens then he probably doesn't have anyone he trusts to back him outside of whatever deal he's made with the modern government.

Ahri'ahn gets up out of his chair and walks around to be, right hand extended. "A pleasure to meet you in person, Orange Lantern."

Click to shrink...

And why the heck is he so jolly about OL? The Maltusian contracts? OL's promotion of Atlantean magical proficiency amongst the surface nations?

I shake his hand, careful to keep my right ring inert. "Likewise. What brings you to our era?"

"You do! I could hardly miss the mass deployment of Dolmen Gates outside of Atlantis. I thought perhaps that a new magic-focused civilisation had emerged."

Click to shrink...

Not as large a rollout as OL would have liked, though. Between government reluctance and corporate opposition...

I shake my head. "Unfortunately, not. Not yet. I'm trying, but the knowledge base just isn't there outside of Atlantis and Atlantis has been fairly introverted since the sinking."

He puts his left hand on my right shoulder, gently guiding me to a seat while raising his right forefinger in a lecturing position. I consider glancing back at Lantern Stewart, but I think it would be more polite to give the ancient magician who may have just taken over a continent with his arcane might my full attention.

Click to shrink...

Yes, let's not tick off the gentlemen with phenomenal cosmic power...

"In my era it was a rational choice. The rest of the world had little to offer us. But now! Now, things are rather different."

I take the proffered seat as he resumes his own, Lantern Stewart contenting himself with lurking by the door-. Like a bodyguard, I suppose.

Click to shrink...

I take it Balewa and Diana are keeping mum to see how this plays out, given that OL is a league affiliate.

"Now Poseidonis has resumed its place on the surface and can once more host deputations from other nations."

"Well." I smile. "I'm glad to hear it. Levels of preparedness for arcane attack are shocking poor in most places."

Click to shrink...

As proved by the Anti-Life's near-total overwhelming of nearly every country. I suspect only a few magically powerful communities weren't affected.

He shakes his head resignedly. "I know it all too well."

Ah-okay, now we need to check literally every government for magic subversion. Marvellous.

Click to shrink...

Make a note, let Giovanni see to it. Balewa's presence here might put him at risk of being 'persuaded' as it is.

"It was you who had the gentry of Venturia studying Dream-. Hah." He bows his head as he leans back in his chair. "I apologise. Indulging my personal interests can wait. We have official matters to discuss."

"If you.. want help getting up to speed with modern civilisation, Teth Adom had a similar experience-."

Click to shrink...

That has been a while since that was mentioned... Forgotten about in the face of so many other affairs.

He's shaking his head. "No, no. I have had a great deal of time to contemplate the changes in the world. I have not spent thousands of years locked in a pendant as he did. I appreciate the offer in the spirit in which it was intended, but… No. Now, to work. I understand that you have Atlantean citizens employed away from the Earth?"

Click to shrink...

Ah, he wants to ensure that all Atlanteans have been accounted for and... Ensure their continued loyalty?

I nod. "Yes. They're being informed of what's happening here now. I expect a lot of them will wish to return as quickly as possible."

"Good, good. I will expect all of them to return." Oh dear. "They may put their affairs in order, complete their current projects... You employed them under contract with the High King of course, it would be improper to simply snatch them back." Most of his good humour vanishes from his face. "But I do expect all of them back."

Click to shrink...

Ah. Well that is a little more troublesome. I suspect NEMO hasn't exactly finished any sort of arcane training program they might have had yet...

"I'm not sure that I understand. Has the Orange Lantern Corps done something to insult you?"

He shakes his head. "I would hardly invite you to the royal palace if you had. But just as your projects required the aid of a great many of our best and brightest, so too will my work here require them. And Atlantis has first claim on their efforts."

Click to shrink...

I would think that would be up to the sorcerers themselves. What is some of them don't want to return?

I nod. "I will relay that to Clarissi Dox. Would you be amenable to us employing Atlantean magicians at some point in the future?"

He considers for a moment, and then nods. "They may be available to undertake projects, though given that their work for you is of a military nature there will have to be a degree of oversight that there has not been to date. And we will expect the products of their research to be shared with Atlantis."

Click to shrink...

Though I suspect a lot of it won't be all that useful to a terrestrial country. Or is simply not anything new.

I… Don't think that anything we've had them work on would create problems on Earth. Most of it is honestly fairly basic, just applied to space-aged systems.

"That shouldn't be a problem, as long as it's understood that just means what they created and not our technology."

Click to shrink...

Good, best to head off any misunderstanding about acquiring NEMO tech.

He seems to find that… Slightly amusing. "Perfectly tolerable. The other matter of concern is your work with Venturia."

"I thought that you didn't want to-."

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing he's simply dismissing their 'technology' as an amusing diversion and inferior to proper magical working. Though I have to wonder just how much he knows of the modern sciences.

He shakes his head. "The work is admirable. But I have concerns with such matters being shared with… People outside of Atlantis."

I shrug. "I only commissioned it to try and calm things down after the independence referendum. I got reports, but it's all a long way from being actionable."

Click to shrink...

Ah, there's a little of that arrogance and 'patriotic' Atlantis-first mentality.

"Well, independence is no longer a concern. I would appreciate it if you could provide me with a copy of everything which they gave to you."

I raise my eyebrows. "'No longer a concern'?"

Click to shrink...

I'll bet it's no longer a concern, eh? Definitely want to get those world leaders checked on...

He makes a circling motion with his right hand. "In exchange for being protected from the…" He glances at Dr. Balewa. "'Anti-Life', and a few other concessions, they have agreed to rejoin Atlantis and normalise relations with the other cities." He huffs in frustration. "The situation should never have gotten to that point. King Orin should never have been raised amongst foreigners like a-."

Click to shrink...

Careful there, 'Arry. Keep in mind your present company.

He cuts himself off.

Yes, I don't imagine that he was particularly happy about that. Sending the heir to a foreign court is a pretty submissive thing to do. Having him raised by a lighthouse keeper is flat-out unthinkable. I can only assume that Queen Atlanna thought that she'd have more time to complete his political education once he reached adulthood.

Click to shrink...

And it wasn't like Arthur was exactly in government custody.

"Is now a good time?" I hold my right hand out over the table. "I have it all stored on my rings, so it's really no effort to scribe it for you."

"Oh, no. You can hand a copy to my apprentice. He's heading here-" The door to the room opens. "-now."

Click to shrink...

I would not be surprised if Ahri'ahn has passive sensor spells in place all over. Like a mystical Big Brother.

I turn and-.

"Kaldur?"

What is he wearing?

Click to shrink...

I'm guessing formal Atlantean mage's robes rather than his usual heroing gear or the old Ocean Master armour (Which was technically a royal heirloom, so Ahri'ahn might have confiscated it...)

Well, at least he's keeping any visible displays of racism under a tight rein, what with this being some manner of territorial negotiation. His insistence on the return of any Atlantean offworld is concerning, though. If he's managing all this through mind control, subtle or not, then anyone not under his thumb is presumably a threat. Now, to see how Kaldur's been since last we saw him...

---

Ahri'ahn gets up out of his chair and walks around to be...

Click to shrink...

Ahri'ahn gets up out of his chair and walks around to me,...

 

[Darko]

Ahri'ahn doesn't appear to have traversed these eras with a similarly long-lived spouse. What sort of traits could explain that?

Click to shrink...

I don't understand the question.

He might not have traveled with a spouse because he just wasn't married at the time he decided to begin traveling.

Additionally, he was probably enthusiastic about the Dream research for multiple reasons. He could have a way to use spellcasting off-world, perhaps with severe limitations? Or he has snubbed Dream of the endless before, which ruined a similar idea?

Click to shrink...

We know from the Renegade timeline that he apparently traveled to that Middle Eastern kingdom Dream took, and that he apparently traded with its leader, so he already knows a but about the functions of the Dreaming.

Lastly, I wonder if one of the Endless will get involved here. Destiny, if the mode of time travel is an issue? Despair, taking an interest in seeing Ahri'ahn's creations reduced to unrecoverable ash? Destruction, due to a magical super weapon

Click to shrink...

Doubtful.

 

[BR549]

Lastly, I wonder if one of the Endless will get involved here. Destiny, if the mode of time travel is an issue? Despair, taking an interest in seeing Ahri'ahn's creations reduced to unrecoverable ash? Destruction, due to a magical super weapon?

Click to shrink...

Also it's been awhile, so I don't recall if it's a case of Not Necessarily On Earth-16, but in canon Sandman, remember that Destruction quit.