OddHat Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Alternate Earth 21: A Study in Emerald From this story: http://www.neilgaiman.com/exclusive/StudyinEmerald.asp Warning: Spoilers for the above story follow. The Kings of Edom claimed this Earth long ago, but Humanity has survived. Things are just a little … different. The nobility of every country rules by right of Edomite blood. Doctor Jekyll is as well respected in 2004 as Doctor Freud, or more so. So is Doctor Frankenstein. There is no war, no desperate poverty, no starvation, and no disease of the mundane sort, and every day all over the world people die to feed or amuse the half-humans who make this possible. The Kings sometimes kill millions, apparently through inattention, and a very few have taken to “experimenting†with humanity. Human culture remains recognizable, save for the presence in every country of the half-breed nobles who rule in the name of the Kings. In 2004 the Earth boasts over 2 and ½ Billion Humans. The elite “nobles†number in the hundreds of thousands. Technology is largely Victorian, save for Mad Science and some of the strange technology of the Kings. Normal people can be born, grow up, fall in love, work, marry, grow rich, know joy … and may be killed at any moment by the whim of a passing noble, or by the uncaring passage of a King. Humans accept this as the best of all possible worlds, and the way things should be. Human criminals prey on humanity, and human cops, courts and “heroes†protect them. In this world, who are your Characters, and how are they different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald . . .I think you don't quite understand what the Kings of Edom are. Think Lovecraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParitySoul Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald Brand X - Oiy. I would most likely be a Frankenstien creation. Maybe part human/nobel with the intended job of being a military uber weapon. But as I have turned rogue against my creators I would be supporting the human resistance. My name might be: Solider X or somesuch. Creation X? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald . . .I think you don't quite understand what the Kings of Edom are. Think Lovecraft. Read the story I linked to. Lovecraft and mad science, in a world taken back by the old ones where some fragment of humanity still survives. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metaphysician Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald Um, if the Kings of Edom break out, there won't *be* a planet left for their to be remnants on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald Um' date=' if the Kings of Edom break out, there won't *be* a planet left for their to be remnants on.[/quote'] Author/GM's call. Many of the Alternate Earths could not have existed; the fun is in figuring out how your Character would look if they did. In this world, for whatever reason, the freed kings have kept humanity as slaves and experimental subjects rather than simply destroying the Earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just A Guy Name Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald I've obviously been away from the bookstore for too long. A very intriguing concept, and a tremendous twist upon the Cthulhu by Gaslight theme! Thanks a bunch for the background teaser and the link. Rep on it's way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald More than likely dead. He wouldnt exactly particularly be willing to be a slave. Would rather die. But if he didnt get killed off already would probably be leading some band of cutthroats somewhere. Attacking isolated groups of humans for what is needed for him and his band to survive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbsousa Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald Golden Eagle would be one of those Mad Scientists, creating Flying Golems to fight for the Duke of Manhattan Protector would be a restorationist, killing any Edomite who ventured into the African Quarter of Manhattan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BishopofB&W Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald I have this in a collection called Shadows Over Baker Street. Good Stories ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Watcher Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Re: Alternate Earth 21: A Study In Emerald -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assuming the events and history of the short story are transposed onto the Champions Universe... Warp: The changepoint in history is recent enough (700 years before the Victorian era) that the evolutionary potential of humanity would not be affected. So mutants will still be emerging. That established, Daniel Stone's powers emerge when a rampaging German noble playing with Mad Science devestates Detroit while he and his mother were visiting the city. Enraged by the death of his mother and the rest of the city, Daniel Stone vows to use his powers, skills, and resources on behalf of the Restorationist movement. And being the son of Robber Baron Franklin Stone, and immensely wealthy in his own right, those resources are considerable. Helping him in this endevor is his lover the beautiful Laura Palmaris, a brilliant scholar in the forbidden disciplines (because of their potential to be applied to the expulsion of entities to other dimensions) of Advanced Mathematics, Higher Level Geometry, Planar Sorcery, and Dimensional Science. Together the explore the potential of his powers and her scientific understanding, hoping one day to become powerful and knowledgable enough to banish the Kings and their spawn from the Earth. Until that time they work secretly with the resistance organization VIPER, the largest and most formidable Restorationist organizations on the planet. Together with their fellow members of the elite superhuman Dragon Squads, they strike back at the monsters who dare to rule the World of Man. Spectrum: A zealous member of a New World restorationist movement, Jack Chrichton volunteered to pilot an experimental Mad Science rocket in a desperate attempt to find allies against the Edomites in the worlds beyond. Launched into the void, he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, making contact with a probe of the mysterious and godlike ancient alien race known as The Progenitors. Scanning Crichton's memory, the Probe learned of the subjugation of humanity by the elderitch Kings and determined that enslavement by such extradimensional entities violated its directive to safeguard the natural evolution and progress of one of the species of interest to its masters. To counter this development, it uplifted Crichton into an energized corporeal state with the properties of both energy and matter capable of vast manipulations of the basic universal forces, and downloaded the complete knowledge stored in its memory into the restortionist's mind. After this enlightenment Crichton then gathered Progenitor technology and knowledge from hidden repositories to help the Restorationist cause. Now armed with immense personal power, the knowledge of the godlike Progenitors, and an arsenal of their supertechnological artifacts Jack Crichton is the Vangard in the fight against the Edomites, harrying the Kings and their spawn until they are scoured from the Earth. Mystic: Still Under Construction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.