SPIRIT WALKER - CHAPTER 17 SPOILERS

[Mysterious]

Spoilers Thread Discussion here.


Mysterious

[Cougar2k2]

A pretty good chapter, gives us even more things to think about. I also got a bad feeling about the guy Kevyn bought the shop from. He doesn't seem to be one to be to loyal or anything like that. Also about Lightfoot and her carrying weapons, first time she uses one of them their cover is bascially blown unless Kevyn or Clover has some trick up there sleeve (which is probable). Not much of a surprise Timble joined the Masked after finding out about Kevyn. Overall pretty good chapter it really keeps the story moving along.

[joshzharris]

Great chapter!

Now that Kyv knows that he can get on the Loremaster grounds and into the buildings, things should start to get interesting. I agree about the shady Flauren, too.

[Weresmilodon]

I disagree about the Flauren. Not only did he seem somewhat impressed with Kyven, he now has access to a crystalcutter for black crystals. Highly illegal, you understand. I very much doubt he would give up such an advantage without serious reasons. Even if he did, he would have to kill Kyven while doing so; otherwise a quick word to the Loremaster would get the entire Loreguard hunting him. Very bad for both business and health. No, I can see some banter and good-natured cheating, deceiving and going behind each others backs, but that's probably as far as it will go, if even that.

[J-Man5]

And the Flauren gives Kyven a source of blackmarket items. And a supply line outside of the Loremaster control, which means that things/people can be smuggled in or out along with information in or out. Anytime there is a black market it will include a market for data flow too. That is why countries always want to quash such marketing. Those who control the information flow control the world.

I still have a gut feeling that the spirits are a higher dimension dataform. In other words AIs that have taken on representative forms to interact with humans and arcans. Just my gut feeling. So far I haven't seen anything in the story to disprove it.

J-Man5

[boballab]

And the Flauren gives Kyven a source of blackmarket items. And a supply line outside of the Loremaster control, which means that things/people can be smuggled in or out along with information in or out. Anytime there is a black market it will include a market for data flow too. That is why countries always want to quash such marketing. Those who control the information flow control the world.

I still have a gut feeling that the spirits are a higher dimension dataform. In other words AIs that have taken on representative forms to interact with humans and arcans. Just my gut feeling. So far I haven't seen anything in the story to disprove it.

J-Man5

The only problem with the Flauren is that a crime boss like him, usually tries to butt their nose into everyone elses business to get a cut. If he gets too nosy well Kyv will just have to arrange an accident for him.

Now about the spirits being AI's the best example I can find against is the transformation of Kyven from Human to Arcan. The Shadowfox used her own Life force to given him the animal side after stripping his humanity. I don't think an AI would have that.

She opened her jaws once more, just as the light of his life wavered, baring teeth glowing with her power. She sank them into his neck, a killing blow, but instead of darkening his light, they instead caused it to blaze forth with renewed vigor. Life flushed through him, but it was life that burned into his flesh, infusing him with the fox’s own life energies.
And it changed him.

[J-Man5]

Ah but the AI's I think about are alive. Just a different type of life. And its a different type of life energy. Which could explain why Shaman have the ability to channel this power and why some monsters eat crystals and even the Shadow Fox powers that are available. So she transformed part of him into something closer to her. Bridging the gap between the artificial and the creator.


And the Spirits may not be a human construct. They could even be alien in nature.
J-Man5

[expedient]

Great chapter!

Now that Kyv knows that he can get on the Loremaster grounds and into the buildings, things should start to get interesting. I agree about the shady Flauren, too.

It only shows that the Loremasters don't seem to have active sensor sweeps going in the public areas, but then with the number of potential incidental hits from crystal devices that's not surprising. Once Kyv tries to get into private offices and secret high security places where even other Loremasters may be restricted he may have a more difficult time of it.

[GBLW]

Ah but the AI's I think about are alive. Just a different type of life.

Gee, aren't Fel's complications enough for you? Do you have to dream up even wilder schemes? Since he's implied that the Spirits are from a 'different dimension,' why can't they be a natural phenomenon there?

[hoppy]

Flauren is both a weakness and a strength. On one hand he brings more scrutiny to kyven both his and others. On the other hand his criminality could give Kyven another view of the loremasters, also he could be source of arcans if someone else was set up to act as a fence.

[DigitalMaestro]

Ah but the AI's I think about are alive. Just a different type of life. And its a different type of life energy.

This idea definitely has merit. Even today, we use electricity to jumpstart dying/dead people. My uncle was clinically dead for ~5 mins and he came back to life.

The type of injury used to kill Kyven may prevent the electrical jumpstart from being effective, but we don't know that the Shadow Fox isn't/doesn't have nanotech. If the Spirits are conglomerates of nanites, or they have nantites in their systems, they may be able to drastically alter the molecular and genetic structures of their hosts. Modern nanotech theorists believe that they can use nanites to reconstruct flesh and even suppress and encourage genetic traits.

We have to keep in mind that this is fantasy, so the normal bounds of technology and science may not exist. Plasma, electricity, dark matter, every possible energy source and more in the realm of fiction can all affect the human mind and body in ways we do not currently understand. Fel has proven his knowledge of science in Subjugation's universe. Only he can tell how he will solve the questions of the Spirits.

Personally, I think it's all magic.

-Digital Maestro

[boballab]

In the redo, which I'm aiming to be a "novella" length story, the humans are the technologically savvy race, and the "furry" race, the Arcana, would be the ones connected to power of magic. The humans are technologically adept, akin to America in the 1700s, but used to be much more advanced. Humans used to have machines that traversed the sky and buildings that touched the heavens, but their civilization was destroyed in what was known only as The War, when humanity turned on itself. The destruction of humanity's great civilization caused the power of magic to emerge, literally as the war raged across the land, and the Arcana appeared along with it. But while humanity seeks to regain its lost knowledge, it has also begun to touch on the magic of the Arcana. Since the Shaman appeared two hundred years ago, only Arcana were capable of using magic, but recently (in plot reference) humans have begun to show magical aptitude, the power to harness and control the power of magic and the power of the spirit world, to become Shaman.

This little blurb is from Fels post explaining about how he was taking Legacy out of the Sennadar Universe and remaking it. This is the basic outline for the story of Spirit Walker and from it we can pretty much rule out that the Spirits are Tech based. Fel was talking about a basic Tech vs Magic story.

[darkhand]

If Kyv was to use the black market right, he could slowly start to drain the city of arcans, mind you that would be a very stupid thing to do, but it could be done. The Flauren can either be a help or hinderance on kyv, all depending on how he reacts to certain information that is gained or lost.

On another tak, did anybody else think that it might become difficult for kyv if the loremasters ever start to wonder where there detective got to, when the gaurd knows that she went looking for a man named kyv, who lived in a small mining town, who was a cutter, and a very similar person shows up on their doorstep without said detective?

Kyv might have to run hard and fast if they ever make that connection.

[boballab]

On another tak, did anybody else think that it might become difficult for kyv if the loremasters ever start to wonder where there detective got to, when the gaurd knows that she went looking for a man named kyv, who lived in a small mining town, who was a cutter, and a very similar person shows up on their doorstep without said detective?

Kyv might have to run hard and fast if they ever make that connection.

Actually I think that is part of the Shadowfox's plan. Shortly after Kyven got to Haven the Shadowfox said she had a plan for Danna.

He could sense her…amusement. I have plans for both of them, she admitted. But those are not plans that you need to concern yourself with quite yet. The other spirits agreed to bring them here so we could learn from them, but I have much more in mind for them.
“I think they’d be a good team,” Kyven blurted. “Danna’s really smart, and Toby’s such a nasty fighter.”
Yes. I’ve had…similar ideas, she admitted, glancing at him with those glowing green eyes

From that quote I deduced that she wants to pair Kyven and Danna together at some point. However I think that Danna is not ready yet for the role the Shadowfox has planned and at some point I believe somehow Danna will talk directly to the Shadowfox. So expect Danna to show up in Avannar at some point. When the Loremasters get curious they will look to have him investigated and Danna will be there to say "I have been investigating him over a unusual alchemy device" but she will also tell them that he is a "good citizen of Noraam" and can be trusted. That will also put her in place to be the lead investigator for the disappearance of all the Arcans, because as she told the council:

“I’m who they send for when they need crimes solved, not when they need officers on a battlefield,”

[michaelsuave]

Isn't it about time that Fel intervened with a diabolical spoiler, then retreated to his evil lair to chuckle darkly as we squirm and postulate? Come on Fel! You're in danger of losing your "evil master" member's card.

~Michael