House Ragnarok

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House Ragnarok

Unread post by Razorwing »

I recently made a post in the Viking Headgear thread about a little project I've been working on for a while... but I've decided it needs its own thread so that I can post new developments and get feedback on the ideas I've been working with. For simplicity, here is what I posted in the other thread to help get this thread started.

Razorwing wrote:
Premier wrote:Ya just had to go and find a way to inspire me from something I would have easily waved off.
Now I am envisioning some Retro village in the Northern Islands along the Victorian coastline, near the Barren Sea, that has been abandoned by NEXUS support and discover by the Tundra Dwellers. Years later the first hard core cadre surfaces (thinking Pathfinder & Spartans meets Splicers.) Massive War mounts that are a mixture of moose, elk, and polar bears for the Beast Guard, Grizzly brownies, Shark and river otter fused with alien for the amphibious Warmounts, Seige Boar tanks, Ivory Draconian Wolves for aerial mounts......

Sheeeshhhhh Kaid, Thanks a lot. ;)


It's funny that this has come up... let me introduce you to a little project I've been working on for a while now... House Ragnarok.

House Ragnarok is more of a collection of Splicer Clans based in the Northern Mountains, far from the main Houses of the Resistance. Within the Mountains are a series of valleys and highlands where the main Clans are based.

At the center of the valleys is the Yggdrasil Nature Preserve, one of the largest in the world... and virtually unknown to the outside world due to the fact that it is so isolated. It is an oasis of perpetual spring in an environment where winter lasts almost half the year.

To the south of the Preserve is the vast boneyard known as Helheim which marks the border with the Machine Complex known as Musphelheim. Musphelheim is built to fill the main pass into the valleys and was situated there to take advantage of the raw mineral wealth of the Northern Mountains... allowing the Machine access to the raw materials it needs to build machines to send to other complexes around the world.

The various Retro-Villages set up within the valleys are collectively known as Midgard to both the Machine and the Resistance in the area. Most inhabitants appear to be of Northern European stock, though there are a few examples of other ethnic groupings (most likely from travelers who have stumbled upon lesser known passes and found their way into the villages but were unable to leave).

The two main Clans the area are the Aesir and the Vanir... each based in their own hidden Seedling fortresses (Asguard and Vanaheim). These two clans formed an alliance a generation ago to fight a third clan, Clan Jotun that had been forcibly converting people from the Midgard retro villages into biotics and other monstrous warriors with their splicer-tech. It is believed that Clan Jotun was completely destroyed, though at least one Librarian was captured by House Aesir. The alliance between the Aesir and the Vanir has remained strong and the two Houses are beginning to merge into one unified resistance movement.

Another smaller clan has recently begun to take a more active hand in fighting the Machine. Clan Alfar has created a encampment high in the canopy of the Yggdrasil Preserve (which they have named Alfheim) and have some of the most advanced Biotech in the area... which they have been slowly trading to House Aesir and Vanir for some time. The fact that they operate within the Preserve gives them access to genetic samples the other Houses find difficult to acquire, which give them a valuable commodity to trade with the other Houses for more refined biotech that is difficult for them to develop. However, a splinter group of the Alfar has broken away and made an alliance with the Gaia personality to keep the Resistance out of the Preserve in exchange for exclusive access to its wealth of genetic samples. This splinter group calls itself the Svartalfar and have create their own realm (Svartalfheim) in the volcanic caverns that run under the preserve (and most of the mountain valleys).

The last portion of the resistance is the Technojacker clan known as the Dergar, based in their mountain fortress (old military bunker) of Nidavellir. While they tend to be isolationists, they are firmly against the Machine and will side with the Resistance if asked or needed. Most often though they are only seen when they come to the various villages to test new born and young children for the potential to become Technojackers. The tests are done under very controlled conditions to minimize the risk to those who would trigger a Plague reaction. Even the various Houses have begun to screen new children for the potential and any that are found are given to the Dergar (and the Dergar turn over any children born to them that aren't technojackers to the Resistance or a Retro Village to be raised). While the Rergar and the Resistance rarely work together (for obvious reasons), they do tend to respect each others abilities... but there is an underlying air of pity for the Dergar that makes some Resistance members seem a little arrogant to these technojackers.

Unknown to all, a portion of Clan Jotun survived the blood feud and have hidden themselves in the old service tunnels running under the Helheim Boneyard (they have begun to call these tunnels Jotunheim). Reduced to a single young Genepool (it grew from the only Saint to survive the blood feud) and a handful of other members, they are fed information on both the Aesir and the Vanir from the captured Librarian that now works with the Aesir. Slowly they are rebuilding their forces using the same techniques that lead to the blood feud... abducting people from the retro villages and turning the majority into Biotics and other modified human creations. This time however, they are being more careful and keeping the number of abductions low and spread out so as not to draw attention to themselves just yet. They are also perfecting new warmounts unlike anything the Resistance has yet seen.


I will go into greater detail as I finish ideas I am working on, but I'd still like to hear feedback on just this little introduction to this small corner of the Splicer World. Oh... and feel free to as questions or offer suggestions... they may be better than what I had in mind. ;)
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Re: House Ragnarok

Unread post by RiftJunkie »

This is cool. I look forward to seeing more. Thanks.
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Re: House Ragnarok

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Looks very cool keep going please!
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Re: House Ragnarok

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Well, I'm back with some more information on House Ragnarok... with a focus on some of the background of Clan Jotun.

Clan Jotun had a simple philosophy... if you weren't fighting the Machine or providing supplies for those fighting, you were a traitor to humanity and an example must be made of all traitors. It didn't matter if you were born into the Resistance or one of the Retro-Villages... humanity MUST fight the Machine.

Unfortunately, their Warlord at the time... a brutal tyrant named Yimir was an aggressive and power hungry man who felt that all the Clans should be united under his rule. Thus he began to subjugate all who could oppose him... starting with the Retro-Villages of the Midgard region.

It was standard practice with Clan Jotun that they would come to the various retro-villages at the end of the growing season to take their "taxes" in food and personnel. Every family in the village had to contribute a share of the food they grew to the "war effort". Additionally, any family found to have more than one child would see those extra children conscripted at the age of 12 into Clan Jotun. Lastly, the elderly and infirm who could no longer work the fields and contribute to the war effort were also dragged away to make a new "contribution"... either to be converted into a Biotic... or as raw material for new biotech. Anyone who resisted were likewise taken away with the elderly (including the rest of their family if they could no longer contribute to the war effort because of this).

Warlord Yimir also had no qualms about human experimentation... especially Biotic conversion. He gave the Librarians free reign to perform any experiments they wished... so long as it was performed upon those that were conscripted into the Clan. While the Librarians were officially forbidden to perform their experiments on those born within the Clan, many Librarians claim that many of the Clan "volunteered" for their experiments when their more secretive experiments came to light (Yimir kept close tabs on all of Clan Jotun's Librarians).

Though Clan Jotun could produce any of the biotech common to the Clans, they specialized in the Biotic conversion process... creating some truly monstrous and powerful soldiers to fight the Machine. Unfortunately, Yimir chose to use these impressive creations against both the Retro-Villages that dared to resist him and the other three Clans in the area (the Aesir, the Vanir and the Alfar). Yimir wasn't a fool however, for he new that if he attacked outright, the other Clans would unite against him (and though he felt he might still have the strength to win with such an outcome, he felt it prudent to hedge his bet).

His first ploy was to instigate a war between the two strongest Clans that could rival his might... the Aesir and the Vanir. He did this by dispatching covert groups to harass the two Clans on their shared border... leading them to think the other was testing each other for a possible invasion. As the two clans grew more hostile to each other, Yimir offered to act as a mediator in order to arrange diplomatic talks... talks that he would have his forces attack to convince each side that neither wanted peace. Only a single Jotun Clansman would survive these "attacks" by the other Clans... and conveniently implicate the other Clan as being the aggressor. While these ploys did cost Clan Jotun a bit of their strength (while the battles were staged, the fighting was real), it had the desired effect... a blood feud between Clans Aesir and Vanir... which Yimir hoped would leave both Clans too weak to resist being absorbed into Clan Jotun. Meanwhile he would consolidate his hold on the remaining Retro-Villages and build up his strength to deal with which ever Clan came out on top.

Unfortunately for Yimir, he had dismissed Clan Alfar as being any potential threat to his bid for power, which gave this young Clan the opportunity to reveal his plans. While the Aesir and Vanir fought each other, the Alfar noticed Jotun's movements and conscription of people from the Retro-Villages. They even managed to infiltrate Clan Jotun's stronghold and discovered the scope of Jotun's human experiments. Realizing what Warlord Yimir was planning, Clan Alfar knew that the only way to stop him would be to get the Aesir and Vanir to stop their blood feud and for the three Clans to unite against Clan Jotun. Unfortunately, Yimir's deceptions had worked all too well... and it would take an extraordinary effort to convince the other Clans to stop their fighting. Fortunately, the Alfar had an idea that might work.

The Alfar sent representatives to both the Aesir and the Vanir to find out just what has started the blood feud... information they shared with the other Clan. At first the two warring Clans refused to admit that they could have been tricked into fighting each other... and even accused the Alfar of trying to manipulate them... but their respective Warlords at the time could not see what the Alfar could get out of such manipulations (yet could easily see why Yimir would want them to continue fighting). After much debate, the two Warlords agreed to send a representative of their Clan with the Alfar to confirm the Alfar claims of Clan Jotun's build up of power while each side would also send a "prisoner" to the other Clan to act as collateral against treachery.

The Aesir representative for the mission was the young but powerful Dreadguard Donnar while the Saint Palter offered to be the Aesir hostage to the Vanir. For the Vanir, the Outrider Frey while his sister, Freja (leader of the Archangel squadron known as the Valkyries) volunteers to be the Vanir hostage to the Aesir. Donnar and Frey journey to the Jotun stronghold... passing through a few of the retro-villages oppressed by Clan Jotun on their way (and are humbled by how much their feud has blinded them to the suffering of the people they are supposed to protect).

Reaching the Jotun stronghold, Donnar and Frey see first hand the build-up of forces within Clan Jotun. They also spot a young woman about to be forcibly converted into a Jotun Biotic and blow their cover to rescue her. Thankful for the rescue, Gerdi agrees to return with them to tell the Aesir and Vanir the true plans of Clan Jotun... but unfortunately their Alfar guide is killed protecting, forcing the three into the Yggrasil Preserve to escape their Jotun pursuers. Fortunately, Clan Alfar anticipated such an outcome and sent a small party to see the trio safely back to the meeting place.

Telling their respective Clans all they had seen... with additional information provided by Gerdi... and the sacrifice of the Alfar guide... the Aesir and the Vanir agreed to unite with the Alfar against the Jotun. In the following battle, Warlord Yimir was killed along with most of his clan. While a few scattered, it is believed that none were able to reunite the far flung members. Only the Jotun Librarian Loftur was captured by the Aesir and forced to reveal all it knew of the Jotun's plans.
Last edited by Razorwing on Tue May 05, 2015 4:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: House Ragnarok

Unread post by Premier »

Hey Razorwing,

Ever since you mentioned this concept, I have been blown away all over again with what can be developed in this game setting. I too look forward to more of the Great House of Ragnarok. In review of your material posted thus far, I think you are off to a great start.

Nice history with subterfuge to ground the politics and Clan blood feuds. One can imagine the beliefs and how they could be based and the influences they could have within the haven societies.

What a perfect use of the Archangels, I was literally on a parallel development route for Valkyries, but I easily concede to your fantastic concept as I feel it is way more befitting. I am really looking forward to your Warmounts and Dreadguard concepts, and certainly these wicked Jotun Biotic monsters. PLEASE keep me clued in, even if you have to PM me roughs as I am so amped to see where you take this. This would make an awesome Rifter article or hopefully a nice addition for one of he SPLICERS world expansion books.

One note though that stuck out to me:
Clan Jotun's affects on the Midguard Retro-villages sort of puzzled me: Are the Midguard Retro villages "true Retros" that were devised and being maintained by the Machine? "If" so, then please take heed that ANY Biotech detected within a 6 mile radius of a Retro could lead to the entire purging of that Retro village by the machine.

None of these villages are permitted to have metal (other than precious metals), modern technology or Bio-technology. Any sign of these elements existing within the village warrants an automatic purge at the hands of the robots. Purges exterminate all life within the village and a ten to twenty mile (16 to 32 sq. km) radius around it, including all humans, animals, insects, birds,plants, etc., absolutely all life. Purges are carried out either by robot armies or strategic strikes from orbit if there is heavy resistance. - SPLICERS Sourcebook 2004 Pg. 19


So "if" Clan Jotun is conducting its brutal affairs of conscription upon Midguard residents, it must be doing so without the presence of Biotechnology within the 6 mile radius, unless the Machine (for some odd reason) no longer monitors or maintains this Retro village sector, thus allowing humans to begin living on the surface comfortably.

That was the only thing that stuck out to me as questionable or unclear. Please keep up the awesome SPLICE, you are flowing!!!
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Re: House Ragnarok

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Are you kidding the machine would love this humans killing humans the sheer joy of it!

Also at one time I had developed an idea for Retro Villages. All have a central statue/fountain/what have you. It is covered in nano cameras that transmit back to the mainframe. As long as what happens in the village fits the theme it is ignored. So "giants" raiding a Nordic village fits the theme. It is unlikely the machine really understands the difference between myths and history.
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Re: House Ragnarok

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boxee wrote:Are you kidding the machine would love this humans killing humans the sheer joy of it!

Also at one time I had developed an idea for Retro Villages. All have a central statue/fountain/what have you. It is covered in nano cameras that transmit back to the mainframe. As long as what happens in the village fits the theme it is ignored. So "giants" raiding a Nordic village fits the theme. It is unlikely the machine really understands the difference between myths and history.


I'm inclined to think that "if" that was a defining factor as to Machine interference or not, then the Machine would not mess with Great Houses that are locked in blood feuds either, which we know won't be the case. The Machine sees these Retro villages as sort of like zoo preservation/museum historical vignettes for humans and the tainting of any Biotechnology breaks that facade. NEXUS doesn't even allow metal or advanced technology into these villages, let alone Biotech constructs. These invasive things are simply intolerable contaminates, with Biotechnology likely being the highest on the list. Anything that warrants an automatic 6 to 20 mile purge of ALL life is not to be trifled with or chanced, particularly with Biotechnology being within the proximity - even if it is being used to kill other humans. A purging is a purging.
Last edited by Premier on Tue May 05, 2015 2:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: House Ragnarok

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Thanks for the complements Premier... coming from you it really means a lot.

As for the your question about the Midgard Retro-Villages, this plays into the Machines's various personalities.

The Yggdrasil Preserve at the heart of the region is one of the largest on the planet... and the Gaia Personality keeps the robot minions of NEXUS well away from it. This means that the robot patrols are mostly limited to the Musphelheim Complex and the Helheim Boneyard areas (which are heavily patrolled... and why the remains of Clan Jotun based in the service tunnels under Helheim has yet to be discovered) while the other areas are sparsely patrolled by the robot minions (and response times for attacks are much longer). It is this main factor that has given the various Clans of House Ragnarok their foothold in the region.

However, this doesn't mean that the human populations aren't monitored and controlled. The Gaia personality has stocked the Yggdrasil Preserve with some of the most dangerous colonial life forms it has access to... all of which are free to roam beyond the actual borders of the Preserve. While this does give the various Clans access to some very interesting DNA samples to work with, most of these creatures would give most Splicers a hard time to bring down. All it takes to bring one of these creatures to a Retro-Village to do the Machine's dirty work is the right bait. Additionally, the Ishtar personality has had the Hecate personality stock the Musphelhiem Complex with 100 times the number of robots needed to pacify the area should it become necessary to do so (which gives the area a virtually limitless supply of robots to replace destroyed units... and is something that Gaia is very unhappy about). Unfortunately this also means that reaching the Computer Core at the heart of the complex will be nearly impossible for the Clans to accomplish).

That said, Clan Jotun, while brutal in their use of force, is still a cunning enemy... or was a cunning enemy before the other Clans dismantled the House. They studied the ways of the Machine and knew when patrols would sweep the area of the villages (and what sorts of weather would prevent satellite coverage). It is during these windows of opportunity that the would make their move. Additionally, these were conducted more like raids... though ones where the Clan expected the villagers to comply with them rather than fight. Clan Jotun also kept a good record of who did what in the villages (to know where to find what they need) and which families had members that could be conscripted. Clan Jotun often had informants within the villages who would keep them informed as to who was expecting new children... and who was speaking out against the Clan. This would allow Clan Jotun to make surgical raids on those causing trouble and who would be conscripted. Any damage to the village from these raids that the Machine may notice would usually be attributed to one of the many beasts from the Preserve (and thus the Machine rarely investigated further).

Of course, for every beast that leaves the confines of the Preserve, there are dozens of creatures that don't... and Gaia continues to introduce new species (including some modified ones released to test their viability) into the Preserve on a fairly regular basis. Thus while Clans Aesir, Vanir and Jotun had access to some of the bounty of the Preserve, it is Clans Alfar and Svartalfar that reap the full bounty of the Preserve (and with Svartalfar's recent alliance with the Gaia personality... they benefit even more).

Still working out some of the details of Clan Jotun's Biotic experiments (some of which did manage to survive the destruction of the Clan... others are new works created by what remains of the Clan). The various Biotics that were printed for House Pandimonium has given me a few ideas to work with (and Norse mythology is rife with all sorts of monsters) and a framework to work with (rough Bio-E points to spend on various features and such). For the moment, I am still working on the history of the various Clans and the current state of affairs before going deeper into the game mechanics.

For the most part, each of the Clans will have focused on different areas of biotech development. Clan Jotun's specialty was Biotic conversions and similar human enhancements (Skinjobs and similar creations). Clan Aesir has focused much of its efforts on Host Armor with a smaller portion on Gorehounds and Warhawks. Clan Vanir's efforts have been in the areas of Warmounts and Wingpacks (the Valkyrie is one of their most elite units). Clan Alfar (and Svartalfar) have focused more on Plant fortifications, but also has a vast store of DNA sequences it trades with the Clans Aesir and Vanir for biotech in their respective areas of expertise. Lastly, the Technojackers of Clan Dergar have focused (with little surprise) on recovering the old technology of the pre-Machine age (believing it may hold the key to ending the war permanently).

There are still a lot of details to iron out... and the final draft is a long ways off (and who knows what will change by then).

Still, I hope this clears some of the questions you had (and maybe creates some new ones). Please keep the feedback coming (there is bound to be something even I haven't thought of... yet) :twisted:
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Re: House Ragnarok

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Razorwing wrote:Thanks for the complements Premier... coming from you it really means a lot.

As for the your question about the Midgard Retro-Villages, this plays into the Machines's various personalities.

The Yggdrasil Preserve at the heart of the region is one of the largest on the planet... and the Gaia Personality keeps the robot minions of NEXUS well away from it. This means that the robot patrols are mostly limited to the Musphelheim Complex and the Helheim Boneyard areas (which are heavily patrolled... and why the remains of Clan Jotun based in the service tunnels under Helheim has yet to be discovered) while the other areas are sparsely patrolled by the robot minions (and response times for attacks are much longer). It is this main factor that has given the various Clans of House Ragnarok their foothold in the region.

However, this doesn't mean that the human populations aren't monitored and controlled. The Gaia personality has stocked the Yggdrasil Preserve with some of the most dangerous colonial life forms it has access to... all of which are free to roam beyond the actual borders of the Preserve. While this does give the various Clans access to some very interesting DNA samples to work with, most of these creatures would give most Splicers a hard time to bring down. All it takes to bring one of these creatures to a Retro-Village to do the Machine's dirty work is the right bait. Additionally, the Ishtar personality has had the Hecate personality stock the Musphelhiem Complex with 100 times the number of robots needed to pacify the area should it become necessary to do so (which gives the area a virtually limitless supply of robots to replace destroyed units... and is something that Gaia is very unhappy about). Unfortunately this also means that reaching the Computer Core at the heart of the complex will be nearly impossible for the Clans to accomplish).

That said, Clan Jotun, while brutal in their use of force, is still a cunning enemy... or was a cunning enemy before the other Clans dismantled the House. They studied the ways of the Machine and knew when patrols would sweep the area of the villages (and what sorts of weather would prevent satellite coverage). It is during these windows of opportunity that the would make their move. Additionally, these were conducted more like raids... though ones where the Clan expected the villagers to comply with them rather than fight. Clan Jotun also kept a good record of who did what in the villages (to know where to find what they need) and which families had members that could be conscripted. Clan Jotun often had informants within the villages who would keep them informed as to who was expecting new children... and who was speaking out against the Clan. This would allow Clan Jotun to make surgical raids on those causing trouble and who would be conscripted. Any damage to the village from these raids that the Machine may notice would usually be attributed to one of the many beasts from the Preserve (and thus the Machine rarely investigated further).

Of course, for every beast that leaves the confines of the Preserve, there are dozens of creatures that don't... and Gaia continues to introduce new species (including some modified ones released to test their viability) into the Preserve on a fairly regular basis. Thus while Clans Aesir, Vanir and Jotun had access to some of the bounty of the Preserve, it is Clans Alfar and Svartalfar that reap the full bounty of the Preserve (and with Svartalfar's recent alliance with the Gaia personality... they benefit even more).

Still working out some of the details of Clan Jotun's Biotic experiments (some of which did manage to survive the destruction of the Clan... others are new works created by what remains of the Clan). The various Biotics that were printed for House Pandimonium has given me a few ideas to work with (and Norse mythology is rife with all sorts of monsters) and a framework to work with (rough Bio-E points to spend on various features and such). For the moment, I am still working on the history of the various Clans and the current state of affairs before going deeper into the game mechanics.

For the most part, each of the Clans will have focused on different areas of biotech development. Clan Jotun's specialty was Biotic conversions and similar human enhancements (Skinjobs and similar creations). Clan Aesir has focused much of its efforts on Host Armor with a smaller portion on Gorehounds and Warhawks. Clan Vanir's efforts have been in the areas of Warmounts and Wingpacks (the Valkyrie is one of their most elite units). Clan Alfar (and Svartalfar) have focused more on Plant fortifications, but also has a vast store of DNA sequences it trades with the Clans Aesir and Vanir for biotech in their respective areas of expertise. Lastly, the Technojackers of Clan Dergar have focused (with little surprise) on recovering the old technology of the pre-Machine age (believing it may hold the key to ending the war permanently).

There are still a lot of details to iron out... and the final draft is a long ways off (and who knows what will change by then).

Still, I hope this clears some of the questions you had (and maybe creates some new ones). Please keep the feedback coming (there is bound to be something even I haven't thought of... yet) :twisted:


Thank you for the kind and informative reply RazorWing, I’m enjoying the development of House Ragnarok! I can tell it’s in the right hands as it has that provocative vibe to it.

As to your answer, I do understand that Gaia is not allowing machines into her Yggdrasil Preserve (rightfully so), but from what I’m reading, Midguard is not a Preserve and according to what Retro-villages are, they are “constantly” patrolled by robots. The Preserve wildlife would likely be just another additional threat but not the main threat to the Retro villages. But hey, its your creative sandbox and you are flowing, so maybe, the NEXUS personalities have decided that Midguard doesn’t warrant constant robot patrols as your indicating. Perhaps defining this aspect as to why; might help sustain this aspect as to what makes Midguard so unique or special from other Retro villages that are plagued with constant robot patrols. Maybe it’s a mystery and this lures others to chance making it to Midguard or to at least study and investigate why Midguard is not filled with Robot patrols versus other Retros. This could be simply another glitch of the machine or it could be like a Venus fly trap cleverly conducted by Lilith, Ishtar and Hecate, who knows for sure?

Also, from what I’m assessing in reading your reply, that Clan Jotun may be doing things more covertly and without the use of Biotechnology when they conduct their raids upon Midguard and it may simply be done with cunning intel and coordinated brute force. IMHO, Quite feasible aspects and easily explainable, kudos and works well for me.

Also liking the idea of each clan specializing more so in their own area of Biotech expertise. This broods with cool ideas, practicality and focuses. Great call once again and it peaks my interest even more.

By all means PLEASE continue to go into the SPLICE forge and iron away, this is looking GOOD……. so far.
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Re: House Ragnarok

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Awsome ideas. Keep going they are great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: House Ragnarok

Unread post by Razorwing »

The Yggdrasil Preserve is huge (and built over a geothermal hotspot... very much like Yellowstone Park in our world). While the Midguard Retro-Villages are not officially part of the Preserve, many are still close enough that they are in the "No-Go" zone for most robot patrols. Additionally the Mountain Highlands that make up the majority of the area limits the areas where the villages can expand into... and makes the use of robot patrols difficult for Nexus.

This is why Gaia has chosen an alternate means of keeping the human population under control... namely the introduction of Mega-fauna that the relatively low-tech nature of these villages will be difficult to fend off. In effect, NEXUS has chosen to go with a more... organic means of pest control (pests being humans) rather than resorting to the more traditional use of large numbers of Robots. Since these villages generally don't have access to MD weaponry or materials, defending themselves against even a single predatory Mega-Fauna is very difficult... making life in this area a lot more harsh than other Retro-Villages.

Most of the Retro-Villages rely a lot on simple fortifications (palisade walls, moats and other deterrents) to keep the majority of beasts away from the villages... but even these aren't always successful. More than a few villages have been decimated by the Mega-Fauna from the Preserve... even though they did nothing that would warrant a purge from the Machine. As far as NEXUS is concerned, this seems to be an effective alternative to a constant presence by robot patrols, allowing it to focus more on patrolling areas that would be higher priorities for the Resistance... such as the resources of the Helheim Boneyard and the Musphelheim Industrial Complex.

This doesn't mean that there are no robot patrols in the rest of the area... only that they are far less frequent and have a much lower response time when attacked... giving House Ragnarok the foothold into the region it needed. It is actually part of what attracted the Resistance into the area... the Preserve and Boneyard being two other good reasons as well.

There will be some of the most dangerous creatures on the planet making their home within the Yggdrasil Preserve. Creatures that can go toe to toe with even the most powerful Warmounts (with the outcome of such battles always in doubt). While only a small number of these Mega-Fauna are naturally predatory... even a stampede of the more docile creatures could pound a Retro-Village flat in very little time. Yet, as dangerous as it is outside the actual borders of the Preserve, it is even more so inside its borders (where the line between plant and animal; predator and prey is even more blurred). That Clans Alfar and Svartalfar have made their stronghold within this Preserve is an extraordinary achievement... and attests to their unparalleled knowledge of the area. There is a reason why the other Clans avoided entering the Preserve proper when they could (yes, the reward in DNA samples was great, but the price that one had to pay to get it was usually much greater).

Additionally, the Mountain Highlands act as a natural barrier to keep most of the Mega-Fauna within the general area... and only if they venture into Helheim or close to Musphelheim will NEXUS engage them (often merely to turn them back towards the Preserve).

As far as the experimental controls on human population in the area, this has proven to be a remarkable success... but also one that can't easily be applied to other areas due to the unique conditions in the area (in particular the natural barriers to keep the Mega-Fauna where the Machine wants them). This is also why Mushpelhiem is so heavily fortified... not only to keep the humans separated from the rest of the Resistance in other areas, but also to act as a deterrent to keep the other Great Houses away from the area... and to deal with any Mega-Fauna that might get out of the area.

This unfortunately means that the Clans of House Ragnarok are more or less on their own in this small corner of the world. It also means that most of the other Great Houses have no idea what is going on here either. There are a few smaller passes, but they are often subjected to avalanches (Snow, rock/mud slides and similar events) on a regular basis... but it does allow for an occasional traveler to get into the area from time to time. Which passes may be passible at any given time will vary though... depending on what the weather has been like (usually harsh).
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Re: House Ragnarok

Unread post by BookWyrm »

Here are a few thoughts;

Legions of Biotics named Einherjar who use Warmount wolves called 'Fenrir'.
Female Falconers called Valkyrie: while some still use the Black Talon Warhawk, the breed is called 'Huginn'; an equal amount use similarly bio-modified Ravens breed-named 'Muninn'. (yes, I know both Huginn & Muninn were both ravens).
Gorehound Wolves, breed-named after Odin's wolves, Freki & Geri.
A giant Warmount serpent named Jormangandr (much like Sansarakhaana in Rifter #44).
Last edited by BookWyrm on Mon May 25, 2015 7:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: House Ragnarok

Unread post by boxee »

Wow some really great ideas guys. Love the Norse theme.
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Re: House Ragnarok

Unread post by Razorwing »

Actually Bookwyrm, the Einherjar are going to be an elite unit of Dreadguard from House Aesir... lead by their current Warlord... Donnar. The Valkyrie are an elite unit of Archangels within Clan Vanir under the command of Freja (sister of Clan Vanir's Warlord, Frey).

Huginn and Muninn are two Scarcrows within Clan Aesir... loyal servants to the Librarian Wothan.

I was thinking that Fenrir were going to be a new breed of gorehound created as a collaboration between Clans Aesir and Vanir... but now that you reminded me of Freki and Geri, I am thinking that they will make better templates for this... Freki as warmounts for Outriders and Geri as gorehounds. This would allow me to change the concept of Fenrir to be more like a Werewolf-like biotic created by the remains of Clan Jotun (something new that the other clans wouldn't immediately link to the fallen Clan).

What remains of Clan Jotun are working on a super warmount... a cross between a moving fortress like the Kraken and a weapon of mass destruction like Sansarakhaana... Jormangandr.

Additionally, while Clan Jotun's leadership was devastated years ago, many of their various biotics scattered into tribes that roam the wilds. What few realize is that Clan Jotun engineered them in such a way that they could procreate and pass on their genetic modifications to their offspring (though only the basic versions of weapons and such... any upgrades would need an Engineer). For nearly a generation, these scattered tribes have been lurking on the edges of the valleys, growing in numbers while the remaining Clans were unaware... and now with newly emerging leadership within the remains of Clan Jotun, these scattered Biotic tribes are being united... and enhanced.

Still working on the details of these creations.
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Re: House Ragnarok

Unread post by BookWyrm »

Glad I could inspire a bit of creativity, Razorwing. :D
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Re: House Ragnarok

Unread post by Razorwing »

Well... I always had the idea for the werewolf biotic... but since I was using the Fenrir name for the Gorehound/warmount hybrid at the time, I didn't have any particular name in mind for this biotic. Truth be told, given the history of Fenris as an adversary to the Aesir and Vanir, this makes more sense... and now that I have alternative names for the Gorehound/Warmount hybrid... it just works out better.

I was even considering the names of the wolves that chase the sun and the moon as possible alternatives... but again, they are seen more as adversaries than as allies to the Aesir/Vanir alliance.

Hopefully I'll be able to finish a little more of the over-all background of the Clans (including a population breakdown) to post soon... there are just so many ways to interpret the Norse Mythology within the world of Splicers... I think people will be surprised with what I have come up with. :mrgreen: :twisted: :P
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