New One is up.

So... I think this doesn't really reveal all that much new. Faq now knows the composition of GK forces, but I think we were pretty sure the Decrypted had free will, even before this.

Still, very well done. Pity for Jetstone Jillian didn't turn around, but hey. Plotamancy strikes again!

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"The Infantrymen of Erfworld have nothing to lose but their chains. They have Erfworld to win. Infantry of all sides: Unite!"--Kawl Mawx, Master-class Moneymancer

25 stabbers plus two royal warlords.. and yet a similar sized dwagon can't carry one heavy?

Dragons seem to have more pure destructive power then Mega's though. Seems a good trade off.

I really like post-Decryption Ansom, he's such delightful fun. Good to see someone finally call Jillian out on her deeply evil behaviour as well.

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Ceterum censeo regnum artium magicarum esse delendum.

What is to stop Stanley disbanding the captured units?

Yes - one of the things I enjoy about Erfworld is that the characters all have flaws as well as strengths. It's interesting to see how Jillian can reconcile keeping Ansom alive with killing the other decrypted. Glad he called her on it.

because technically they are no longer his units. They are now prisoners of Faq - Faq pays for their upkeep, they take their turn with Faq, etc. If they are rescued then they would fall under his direct control again.

People, even virtual ones, appear to have the morality that they can afford.

It seems like Ossomer will be turned after all. I didn't believe it was possible to turn decrypted unit (turning to dust being an exception), however this update seems convincing. Of course we don't know whether Ansom knows better than we do, yet he definitely makes a good cause.

Nice nice.. I can barely contain the pant-wetting excitement



So can we take it that this is confirmation that the Decrypted can do as they please yet choose not to? If they have a will of their own, it seems this may be separate from a unit's "will-decreed-by-a-ruler"... Perhaps they just need to see evidence of someone who is working the Titan's will to greater effect, and then things could get slightly more interesting...... (everyone in the world becomes decrypted, has their own free will, cannot be 'turned' to any faction or side by force, and if they die - there's no coming back....) hmmmz....

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...I'm still holding out for the Arkenoid...
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Now I'm disappointed of Parson. The least I had expected of him would have been to make the city pretend to be without leadership so that Jillian would go in without looking left or right (which she promptly did), only to run right into his trap.

But well, there are enough cities ahead, so maybe he starts with two or three really undefended ones to make her even more careless before putting one into her way that really only pretends to be undefended.

If the Decrypted have true free will, it seems unlikely that all the thousands that have been created would be so uniformly loyal to Wanda.

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Is this a real holy war, or just a bunch of deluded boopholes croaking each other?

One could say much the same thing about the thousands of soldiers who've fought and died for Jetstone in this war.

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Ceterum censeo regnum artium magicarum esse delendum.

Since Parson was not in command of GK forces during their last turns, it is not fair to blame him. GK also needed a huge army dedicated to the conquest, so there were not many troops left.

On the other hand - in one of the previous text updates (the one where Parson chats with Charlie) Parson mentions consolidating the sides cities as a reason for the interrupted conquest, which would suggest some better preparations in the cities - like airspace-cleansing spells, golems or decrypted heavies deployed in garrison... Yet I doubt the other cities are guarded better - Ansom wasn't paying much attention to them, he was focused on new targets.

The impression I get is that the turning comes with memory manipulation. There has been some mention that there is some alteration. Nothing big, in terms of overall life.

But they pop with obscenely high loyalty scores. Thinking they love their resurrector (in at least one sense of the word), love the cause she services, and her side by extension (but her first and foremost). Religious folks like Ansom thus also believe that this is what the titans want of them. And what they can't remember is why they ever felt anything but this love for her.

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Portal X Parson OTP!

I guess what Ansom is getting at, in his own special version of Erfworld/Ansom logic, is that the decrypted have the same loyalty stat as any other unit. They "popped" to Wanda, just like any other unit pops to a side, and so they are loyal to her, but still subject to standard loyalty modifiers. So by his own admission, turning should be possible.

However:
1) We see that Vanna didn't know what she was looking at when she tried to turn him earlier.
2) We know that Wanda isn't a side, so that's irregular in itself.
2.1) We know that decrypted loyalty is to Wanda, not to GK.
3) Ansom has an angle: He wants to stay alive. If Jillian ever comes to believe that turning is impossible, then she might just as well "free" him from Wanda too. If he hopes to one day return to GK, he needs to keep Jillian believing that it is possible to turn him, even if he honestly believes it is not. Personally I doubt he's smart enough to see it this way, but its possible.

Its a very nice update. This is the type of conversation Jillian has been deserving for some time. Keep it coming

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No, no. It hit him in the brain because it killed him. - Dante

I'd guess this indicates you can modify your own loyalty stat. Ansom's is heavily weighted in favour of Wanda, who cares about him more than Jill who kills decrypted. If she does try to turn him he may well prove more resistant to turning that she had anticipated. Even more so than a conventional decrypted.

What I found revealing is that Schmuckers are an abstraction - Jillian's treasury gained 40,000 Schmuckers through the simple process of destruction. She didn't raid the treasury and carry off load of coins, gems, or anything tangible. Sort of like the D&D campaigns where a PC can have 50,000 gold pieces in their belt pouch . . .

Which sort of implies that somewhere out there is the First Erfinal Bank of the Titans doing all the bookwork. I wonder if Parson can come up with some cheats to 'work' the Erf finances that are as creative (and destructive) as the cheats developed here in Stupidworld . . ?

Edited for spelling. (happy fingers!)

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The Truth Will Set You Free. But First It Will Piss You Off.

I've always been an Ansom ... if not fan, then at least somewhat sympathizer. I'll add my voice to the choir "You go Ansom"!

OTOH, the fact that Ansom claims he has fr- no, let's avoid opening that can of worms. I'll be specific.

Ansom claims his will is independent of Wanda. There, better.

The fact that Ansom claims to not be a mere puppet of Wanda does not mean he in fact is not. He might lie, or he might deceive himself. This update leaves that old debate unresolved- because we're not entirely sure that Ansom is a puppet of Wanda either. It does appear that the Decrypted loyalty stat may vary ... it remains to be seen how significantly so.

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The whole point of this is lost if you keep it a secret.