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Okay, all joking aside, this is a fun, "What if" style thread...

Namely... In the world of Rifts, using Rifts only, no Palladium Fantasy, no Beyond the Supernatural, nothing from the Dimension Books... Just Rifts... North America only... How do you think would be the best way to kill Emperor Prosek.

You post your ideas and we will rip the idea apart, and look at the flaws, the possible repurcussions, and generally BS in the ultimate Rifts debate...

Are you a bad enough dude to kill the Emperor?

Turn his security detail against him, especially the psychics.

Convince his son that now is the time for him to start ruling.

It's discovered that he and Erin Tarn were once lovers and he's assassinated by his own generals who then put his son on the throne.

I think that's secretly canon. It would take me a while to find the old link to the joke thread about that, though...maybe later.

Just having seen the original British 'House of Cards', having a similar drama detailing some entirely human scumbag's rise to power through similar machinations occurs to me...or simply have it Karl's rise to power eliminating his rivals.

I'd have a fairly complicated plan involving an adult dragon's normal human servitors visiting Chi-Town on "vacation" for a year or two, taking pictures, finding out Prosek's planned public speech dates, and so on... then the dragon casts various protection spells on himself, t-ports in to snatch the Emperor, then t-ports out and drops him from about two miles up.

He gets captured by the federation of magic, is surgically and magically altered to permanently change his appearance but not his aura. As everyone has guessed he is changed to look like a D-Bee. (We'll go with.... D'norr Devilman)

He is then released back into the Chi-Town 'burbs where he narrowly avoids death at the hands of some deadboys, and is saved by hiding D-Bees. They rescue him and teach him how to survive.
He of course betrays them all a week later and they are all captured by guards. They are all executed save for him because a dog boy who had once patrolled with him recognised his "scent".
Filled with hope that his nightmare will be coming to an end and that he will be restored, he is only too glad to go for further testing to prove his identity.
After a few mind melters and psi stalkers verify his aura is legit and that he is indeed telling the truth or seems to be, he is put into a holding cell for 3 weeks and routinely tortured.
In the end, the 3 officers in charge of his interrogation DO believe he is The Emperor Karl Prosek. However they believe having him released is too dangerous as he can never be accepted for the man he once was ( or as their leader) and exiling him is out the question as he has too much knowledge of The CS. The reports, journals, video recordings and audio recordings of "The D-Bee" Prosek have been completely destroyed. The psychics who verified that he was telling the truth have all been charged with treason in attempting to pass off this abomination as their leader. They have been executed.

Joseph is inaugurated as Emperor and hailed by the populace as they hold a day of mourning for his father. (No one in the CS including Joseph know the true fate of his father, aside from the 3 officers, after a month gone missing he is assumed dead and The CS could not afford to wait any longer in naming its next emperor.)

Karl Prosek is chained in a dark dingy cell. He has been starved and is very gaunt. Bruises and burns cover his body, his teeth have been cracked, some removed. He is missing 3 fingers and 2 toes. His wounds are constantly reopened and he not allowed to heal.
Just as Joseph's tribute for his father is beginning on a stage in Chi-Town. The officers have dragged the tortured fallen emperor out of his cell, placed a gun against his head and have shot him dead.

I actually have his Son kill him (How this is done, doesn't really matter. But he is the instrument of it all). Then take over the throne in a power grab. In order to facilitate some issues I had with Players, I instituted a 'Kinder and Gentler' CS Organization. IE Same as the old, but with better PR...

The CS toned down on the Nazi theme, but had a secret military campaign that the players had to uncover. A variation of the CWC and the new body armor styles.