Balseraph History and Culture

[Perkin Warbeck]

Hahaha- so that answers my question perfectly then! Just read what thewyrm says and watch how he changes the thread direction at a whim to fully understand. Perfect answer!

 

[A_Hamster]

I'd agree with that- I was thinking about how they'd show the rest of Erebus what was best about their culture. It's only because Its one way I feel the cultural shifts are done- I know it's also about who has the most temples, carnivals and theatres, yet human cages attract others too if you think about it! Many of the Balseraph cultural buildings aren't exactly the sort of thing you can imagine the Bannor would go for (why is it we always pick on them by the way?)

Why the Bannor? Because they are an easy target, being grim and humorless. They have just cause to be that way, but it still makes them the butt of the joke.

As for the human cages ... look at the side shows in 19th century U.S. circuses. It's the same idea, it was just those unfortunates had no other job options and so stayed willingly.

You have to be the first person to know who he is, I take my hat off to you sir. He's my all time fave person from history and just goes to show what a lot of good a bad element can cause.

Thank you. Can't take full credit though. I'd seen the name before in a work of fiction, as the title of a play and with an attributed quote. I'd assumed the author had made up the name and quotation. When I saw your user name, it made me wonder if the person was historical, so I looked him up. And lo! A historical personage, and a pretender to the throne of England!

 

[thewyrm]

Actually the free flowing and transitory nature is my favorite aspect of this thread, and it meshes with the Balseraph theme of chaos very well.

Looks like version 0.33 is going to have a lot of changes for the Balseraph. Anyone care to share their thoughts?

 

[Pyr0mancer]

Woo, Loki's going to be more useful past the early game! Shame on the loss of Mutate though, I always relied on that in the early game to get boosted warriors. Nothing like a Cannibal Blitz 5/4 warrior on turn 1

Also, Balseraph mages are going to be absolutely amazing now if the Puppet works as I think it does. If it's a permanent summon, then you basically get disposable mages to send with your stacks or raiders while keeping your actual mages safe, as well as 2 casts per mage per turn. Even if it's just temporary you still get extended effective range for your mages.

Freak shows... depends on whether Human/Orc/Elf/Dwarf cages are still around. if so, sweet, if not, oh well, the other changes seem to make up for it. Balseraph druids are getting nerfed due to the Domination changes, but that was necessary and we all knew it was coming anyway.

 

[Milford Cubicle]

Just like in the game i've just been playing, doesn't it really spoil the whole thins when the Balseraphs convert to the Order and and become a 'good' civ, as if they've all decided to put all the theatrics and the decadence behind then and start petting bunny rabits and preaching law and order, it would be like if Marilyn Manson converted to christianity and turned into a Christian rock band. A crying shame

 

[thewyrm]

The Balseraphs following Order is like Disneyland as an actual kingdom.

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom! Step right this way for a safe, family friendly ride. If you don't proceed in an orderly fashion and enjoy yourself, we'll kill you.

Every night our leader has a Magic light parade. Stand outside and watch it. Or we'll kill you.

Enjoy pirates of the Lanun isles. Point and laugh as magically animated mock ups try desperately to catch that rascal Falamar. Or we'll kill you.

The Calabim inspired Haunted Manor will leave you terrified. Watch your necks as our scary vampires fly through the air. Or we'll kill you.

Welcome to our sister theme park, Erebus Adventure. In our signature ride "Soaring Over Erebus" we simulate the feeling of gliding over such landmarks as the Hastur Cliffs and the Grigi Plains. We even pipe in the luxurious smells of fruit as we sour through the Umbralwood and fly past Yggdrasil. Please wear your seat belt and keep your belongings in the compartment below you. Or we'll kill you.

 

[cyther]

Very scary, very Balseraph, but it would make a great place for Perp to find some new victims.

 

[Crazy_Ivan]

Im curious, since the way Balseraph puppets work is changing (extened range/immunities becomes multiple copies of the caster) how exactly WOULD it work in terms of fluff? What bars and eater of dreams or a Amurite Archmage from copying themselves and playing pupetteer? Is it just extremely esoteric Balserian knowledge? Perpentach's mind magic given to the strongest of his mages? Keelyn's knowledge of summoning and control? A bizzare mix of the two former?

 

[thewyrm]

I think it most likely that the puppet itself is not "summoned" exactly. They have puppets that they carry with them and use their knowledge of mind magic to "infuse" their puppets with mental ability. Possibly even breaking the minds of their slaves and them transplanting them into the puppet's wooden body.

 

[Darksaber1]

Or they have the ability to summon (by summon, I mean call from, say, the spellcaster workshop/home/pocket dimmension) their puppets with, say a magic pendant or something (in the lore only), then mentaly bond with the puppet.

 

[KillerClowns]

I think it most likely that the puppet itself is not "summoned" exactly. They have puppets that they carry with them and use their knowledge of mind magic to "infuse" their puppets with mental ability. Possibly even breaking the minds of their slaves and them transplanting them into the puppet's wooden body.

Doubtless these puppets are made by a very special method, one that the Balseraphs would sooner die then divulge. And perhaps it is something about the Balseraph mind that allows them, and them alone, to infuse their creations with life. A certain, let us say, mystical resonance from Balseraph spellcasters that other civilizations cannot reproduce.

 

[Nikis-Knight]

The Balseraphs following Order is like Disneyland as an actual kingdom.

Welcome to the Magic Kingdom! Step right this way for a safe, family friendly ride. If you don't proceed in an orderly fashion and enjoy yourself, we'll kill you.

Every night our leader has a Magic light parade. Stand outside and watch it. Or we'll kill you.

Enjoy pirates of the Lanun isles. Point and laugh as magically animated mock ups try desperately to catch that rascal Falamar. Or we'll kill you.

The Calabim inspired Haunted Manor will leave you terrified. Watch your necks as our scary vampires fly through the air. Or we'll kill you.

Welcome to our sister theme park, Erebus Adventure. In our signature ride "Soaring Over Erebus" we simulate the feeling of gliding over such landmarks as the Hastur Cliffs and the Grigi Plains. We even pipe in the luxurious smells of fruit as we sour through the Umbralwood and fly past Yggdrasil. Please wear your seat belt and keep your belongings in the compartment below you. Or we'll kill you.

Dangit, thewyrm, now I'm just going to feel empty inside next time I visit disneyland, as it so pales next to Erebus land.

 

[thewyrm]

So Somnium is pretty cool, and After reading the Gambling House 'Pedia entry I got to thinking about what the "House Rules" in Balseraph lands would be.

My immediate thought is that the Wheel of Fortune card has to be inserted into the Balseraph deck. My initial view of what it would do is re-shuffle each player's highest and lowest card and then re-distribute them randomly amongst each player.

 

[KillerClowns]

So Somnium is pretty cool, and After reading the Gambling House 'Pedia entry I got to thinking about what the "House Rules" in Balseraph lands would be.

My immediate thought is that the Wheel of Fortune card has to be inserted into the Balseraph deck. My initial view of what it would do is re-shuffle each player's highest and lowest card and then re-distribute them randomly amongst each player.

Out of the blue, I say if Somnium is ever released seperately, it should have 'house rule' variants.
But I imagine reproducing the Balseraph variant for computer would be... difficult, since the game would be a bit more direct. Cups could be obtained from your foe... if you could stomach drinking that many shots of Balseraph whiskey. (Which is illegal in most of Erebus due to the its special "herbal mix," and occasionally used by the Svartalfar as a poison.) You could challenge one of your swords against one of theirs, resulting in a physical fight with the owner of the higher card being granted an advantage; challenging a seven with a three, if accepted by both parties, might mean the three would literally fight with a hand tied behind his back. Wands or pentacles could be challenged for in a game of wits. Wands would be riddles, delivered by a third party, and pentacles would be games of logic like (but not as long as) chess. Again, high card would hold the advantage. The high wand would get a hint as to the riddle's answer, the high pentacle would get a better starting position for the game. I can't think of any other "house rules" that the Balseraphs would have, but I'm sure they would be just as... interesting.
Dying during a game of Somnium, coincidentally, would be an automatic win, to make sure the swords challenges don't get out of hand... and those desperate to win could do so by suicide. Unfortunately, Gregory Deathclaw's 'victory' in the Somnium Championships of Year 74 of Rebirth remains one of the most controversial in Balseraph sporting history. Some insist that, since technically, he became a lich afterwards, he didn't really die during the game.

 

[thewyrm]

I have to say, I miss the gypsy caravans. Not because they were useful, but because they were such a great flavor unit. I love the idea of roving carnivals going from city to city, leaving every city they pass through a changed placed.

I imagine after the carnival leaves town, the other civs realize just how drab and lifeless their town really is. The men who's hearts were stolen by a dancer, children who were mesmerized by the animal handlers, old maids treated like young beauties for the first time in their lives, and I swear no one has seen [insert town person's name] since they left.

I wish I were a better writer, because I think a wandering Balseraph Carnival has the makings for an excellent series of stories.

 

[PinkPikachu]

One thing that I find really funny is that she's about the closest FFH has come to a "fairy-tale princess"

You mean, Demon-Tale princess

Actually, she might end up leading a civillization of misfit demons who were too weak to fight for themselves in the Infernal society. That'd be quite a crazy civ, made up of misfits from everywhere.

I always think of Keelyn, rather than being the one corrupted by the demons, is instead the one doing the corrupting. Or rather, just be being in her presence demons find their moralities shifting. Maybe its hereditary and due to her heritage, maybe she is charasmatic. But I see her as the one subplanting more human emotions (both positive and negative) into her summoned servants.

 

[thewyrm]

I always think of Keelyn, rather than being the one corrupted by the demons, is instead the one doing the corrupting. Or rather, just be being in her presence demons find their moralities shifting. Maybe its hereditary and due to her heritage, maybe she is charasmatic. But I see her as the one subplanting more human emotions (both positive and negative) into her summoned servants.

This is pretty much how I see her too. I have wrote up some fiction with her, she makes a great periphery character. Her affinity for demon control should never be explained. The mystery surrounding it is a large reason for her coolness.

I do have one concrete belief that I will maintain unless Kael himself says otherwise. Giggles obeys her and protects her of his own free will. He genuinely "loves" her.

 

[PinkPikachu]

This is pretty much how I see her too. I have wrote up some fiction with her, she makes a great periphery character. Her affinity for demon control should never be explained. The mystery surrounding it is a large reason for her coolness.

I do have one concrete belief that I will maintain unless Kael himself says otherwise. Giggles obeys her and protects her of his own free will. He genuinely "loves" her.

Hmm... Well... Her father was a great mind mage, and he was constantly getting copies of other people's minds in his head. What if his daughter was the extact opposite, but only with outsiders. That rather than getting a copy of their conscience, she imparts partial copies of her own conscience unto them, mentally opening the metaphorical door to a wider range of emotions and change?

 

[thewyrm]

Basically this is a shameless bump because I love this thread too much to let it slip to page 2.

Whenever I play as the Balseraph I play as Perpy because Insanity is just so much fun. It kinda sucks that I miss out on Keelyn's puppets of doom. I always finding myself wishing that Keelyn was the Balseraph hero rather than a leader.

Perhaps if I get on my hands and knees and beg Kael will make her a controllable character in one of the scenarios?

 

[cyther]

I suspect that both her and Perp will be quite active in the first few scenarios.