Thebes is Doomed

[jtelson]

The player generated tagline for my Heracles' Children: The First Age campaign has become "Thebes is Doomed, but some days it's more doomed than others."

 

The Setup:

The Oracle at Delphi has continually assured the Heroes that the city they have chosen to protect is doomed, but that the exact nature and time of said doom is uncertain. Only that Thebes is doomed.

 

Most of the characters have taken it in stride and decided that they'll continue to protect the city and behave as normal.

 

Critias doesn't believe in fate and whenever the topic is discussed says so.

 

Those were pretty much the reactions I had expected

 

Pelorios, however, has begun to help build up the city: Improving the common Thebian's quality of life. Improving the city's infra structure, helping it's economy etc, in a very real effort to make the city a more tempting target for an Athenian invasion. In short he's attempting to make the doom of Thebes as quick and painless as possible for the average Thebian by inviting assault from a particular direction.

 

The Question

Since it seems unlikely that many other people are running a superhero game set in post Trojan War Thebes my question is 'If faced with a similar situation (A trusted source of prophecy has declared your city doomed) What would your character do?'

[BcAugust]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Well, in our Aberrant game, we've pretty much seen for sure(by time travel, and various proclamations) that our home is doomed. As to how we've reacted, I'll leave the others to my friends who also post, but my character has taken it as a step in her personal philosophy.

 

Which sounds odd, yes, but realizing the impermanence of what man builds, and the fact that her entire world is going to end in fire just means she takes the time to love the people she loves now, as well as being able to take the various proclamations that would otherwise drive her nuts(She considers herself "Nature", or at least headed there) with an "This too will pass" attitude.

[Hermit]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

 

The Question

Since it seems unlikely that many other people are running a superhero game set in post Trojan War Thebes my question is 'If faced with a similar situation (A trusted source of prophecy has declared your city doomed) What would your character do?'

 

Aquatic has often said Hudson City should be burned to the ground and salted after clearing the people out..meant in a gloomy defeatest bitter humor way. However this would worry him. Ironically, as a half Atlantean, he might have access to other mystic resources he didn't before, and might consult them as well for more details. Doomed how? Can the doom be thwarted ? Diverted, reduced? The answers he found or didn't find would direct his next actions.

 

Mole- Having seen a future where an Undoomed HC still stands, Mole wouldn't buy it as written in stone.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

my question is 'If faced with a similar situation (A trusted source of prophecy has declared your city doomed) What would your character do?'

 

 

WHITE KNITE:

he'd be the denier type. we'll fight it, we'll prevent it. "That's Not Gonna Happen"

 

 

SANDOR the MYSTIC:

he'd start grooming survivors. "Ok, when the crash comes, I'll need leaders, suppliers, people who owe me favors, and citizens who will rebuild rather than complain."

 

COSMO-KNITE:

Too pragmatic. He'd start putting points into a base in the nearest big city. He'd be ready to move shop when the time was approaching. Not that he wouldnt help fight off doomsday, but he's too slick to ever be a refugee, or have to sleep on a cot next to one. "Here's a card with my new email and phone number in Wilmington"

[Guest Major Tom]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Thebes must be the Bronze Age's version of Cleveland. I remember having much

the same feeling about the place when I lived there.

 

About it being doomed, I mean.

 

 

 

Major Tom

[Blue]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Already the case, and they're doing it.

 

The PC's know that the city they protect is the last link in a chain, and when it goes, so goes the world.

 

If you believe that sort of thing. There's compelling evidence. But some people refuse to believe anything unless they've seen it themselves.

 

So they do their superhero thing, either out of disbelief or because either way people need protected.

[Clonus]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Riptide lived in California. That his city was generically "doomed" wouldn't even raise an eyebrow. Hey, the Big One's gotta come some day, right?

 

The Wizard of Oz Incorporated would invest in survival shelters. Just because the city is doomed doesn't mean mean everyone in it is.

 

Hellfire would start praying.

[Drhoz]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Vitus of Clan Scorpion, if he had a reason to care, would strive to 1) postpone the Doom 2) Take out the Doomer in a mutual Doom, or failing that Ensure that Dooming the Doomee was as expensive as possible for the Doomer

 

Zero would leave town, and not tell his mother about the Doom

[Metaphysician]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

As Bc alluded to, my character Hermes is playing in a similar scenario. His response to being pretty much certain his home civilization is going to be wiped out. . .

 

Well, at first he was pondering ways to cheat destiny, not so much by averting Thera's fall, as by ensuring a colony of Thera persisted elsewhere, either in time or space. Its still a possibility, but he's not focusing on it so much.

 

Perhaps his biggest reaction, though, is in realizing that what makes Thera great, is the nobility of the human spirit, and this nobility exists just as much in the distant past and in the far future as today. The loss of Thera is/will be a tragedy. . . but to act like it is an irreparable, intolerable loss is to succumb to hubris, and the belief that *only* Thera can ever embody nobility and light, *only* Thera could ever make the world a better place.

[hfergus]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Lets see...

Volt - Try to prevent it and not take it as given. Prophecies tend to be cryptic, so it may be preventable. Also, if not time is mentioned, maybe the city is doomed when the sun burns out... you know, in millions of years! Just too optimistic to give up.

 

Olorin. - Would insist on prophecy bring repeated if possible. Try to find loophole (if there is one, he'll find it; he has experience doing so.) . Note loophole above. Also prophecies often say "if" or "when" Prevent the "if" or "when", and the prophecy will not come true. (another type of loophole.) Too stubborn to give up.

 

Black Tiger - will prepare for the worst, but still fight on. Way too stubborn to give up.

 

Futurian - From the future. Could be the prophet. If not, one of three things could come out of his mouth, depending on what he knows of the future. 1)"Not where I come from, if I remember right." (may leave "if I remember right" off if he is certain. 2) "Not yet." 3) "That's the future I remember, but I am not certain that this is my past and that it is destined. Try anyway!" Yes, he'd try anyway. - unless he somehow thought saving the city would make his future worse, but I cannot see him thinking that. - unless if was saved and it did make things worse.

[Badger]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Badger- If hard-pressed, believes the future is fluid rather than solid. Anyhow, his goal is kind of basically, to keep fighting till he cant fight anymore. He fully expects (and wishes) to eventually die in some battle.

 

Frosty Bob- Wonders if he causes it in the future. Ok, in actuality, probably would just move on when the time comes. Dude, is for all intents and purposes immortal.

[Querysphinx]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Having dealt with prophecy before, Thunder works on the, "Yes, it will happen but it doesn't necessarily mean what you think it does" theory of prognostication. Doomed in what way, exactly?

 

If she could be convinced that doom was inevitable, she'd try to channel everything down to the smallest possible doom. She might even rename herself "Thebes" and see if she could take the whole thing on herself.

[DusterBoy]

Re: Thebes is Doomed

 

Now, the thing about prophesies is that they're so ambiguous . . . I think the classic example is of the king that goes to the Oracle and ask if he will be victorious in his upcoming war. The Oracle replies that if he goes to war, he will destroy a mighty empire. Heartened, the king goes to war, but the empire he destroys is his own.

 

The Centurions live in London. Each of them knows that if the sea levels do rise, the Thames Barrier ain't gonna be enough . . . but is that what the Oracle means? 'Course, right now there's a massive argument going on about what exactly it does mean, or if it means anything, or even if the Oracle is worth a damn in the first place . . .