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The next blog update...

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 8:55 am
by david
I know the ink is barely dry on Seith's blog update today, but I just wanted to whet your appetite for his next post....

In his next blog entry, Seith will speak more of the GOAT world, reveal a bit more of the story, and finally unveil the name of the main character.

Yes... the super-lovable minstrel mouse will get a name in the next update! :shock:

Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2014 3:33 pm
by evilkinggumby
I hope they name him David. :) because that'd be a HUGE thanks to you, and it would imbue the story (at least a lil) with the old "david and goliath" scenario. A small simple mouse taking on a HUGE adversary and winning not because of might, but because of cunning, intelligence and the will to survive. :)

If i am right, David has to call Fluffy off me so I don't get beaten again.. hehehe

Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 3:58 am
by david
@EvilKing... for sure there is a strong flavor of the 'David and Goliath' story in GOAT, cunning VS brute force. Absolutely!

To date though, my contribution to GOAT has been so small that I'm utterly undeserving of such an honor, but I personally love your suggestion. Regrettably, 'David' is probably too everyday and ordinary for the hero's name (darn my parents for not naming me something more dramatically suitable). Imho, to be in keeping with the GOAT universe, the mouse needs a name that is a bit fantasy flavored.

But you'll be happy to hear that Fluffy is back to his demonic roost on my roof, next to the chimney. It's nice to hear our neighbors screaming again, especially when Fluffy sticks his horrible giant head through their wall, as a joke, while they watch TV :shock: :shock: :shock:

Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 11:47 pm
by KwisatzHaderach
david wrote:
But you'll be happy to hear that Fluffy is back to his demonic roost on my roof, next to the chimney. It's nice to hear our neighbors screaming again, especially when Fluffy sticks his horrible giant head through their wall, as a joke, while they watch TV :shock: :shock: :shock:
:lol:

Looking forward to the next update. Judging by its gothic influences I would have totally expected the mouse to be called "the nameless mouse". Now I'm curious.

Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 10:58 am
by evilkinggumby
Tilo..haha such a cute name. Now is that pronounced "tee-low" ot "tie-low" ?

Sorry David, guess my hope was for naught.

regarding the blog post though, I am excited by a lot of what was detailed. I like the idea that so many died from the green fire, and that it in itself is sort of a necromantic entity so it used the fallen to build it's army. This means every race mentioned in the lore has a good chance of popping up as an enemy (skeletal or otherwise). That could be pretty amazing to see. :) Fighting undead badgers and hawks. Bears. Wolves... oh man seeing the greenfire army would be pretty sick. :) that is.. if it returned....

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Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:03 am
by KwisatzHaderach
Tilo is an excellent choice for a mouse name. Very mousy indeed and very unique. Once the franchise is owned by Disney they will be very grateful for such a high value of brand recognition :D

Loving the details of the lore. What I especially like is that the hero's heritage is burdened with betrayal, while the rats stand like noble animals - something I would have initially thought opposite (I know we are fighting UNDEAD rats, but still...)

Nevertheless, I couldn't help but find a few inconsistencies within the story:

1.) There is a contradiction when Seith on the one hand writes:

The great battle has passed into myth and legend now – but some facts are indisputable: the mighty Badgers of Baladhon fought and lost and even the Hawks of Halenvir fell from the sky. None of them could turn back the foul invasion.

But a later passage states:

It is interesting to note that the only trace of what might truly have happened in those long-forgotten days can be found in the oral tradition of the Myghlar Magpies, the Truth Sayers, who now inhabit the ancient tower of Periclave. To this day they scour the kingdoms, bartering in the only currency they respect: stories – facts, mostly, but also legends and songs.

I think the problem with these passages is the fake connection between STORY and FACT. A fact is widely considered something which can be proven in a physical form. If not that it is a principal that can be empirically observed to be "quasi" a fact. I don't think this term goes very well with the term STORY. Just my nitpicking, but I found it odd when I read it.

2.) There might actually be some more info to follow up, so, in case Seith has got this all planed out I'm sorry for my nagging. Anyway, something I found initially irritating when reading the story was that the rats were able to single-handedly defeat the green flame and its army. How? was the first thought that entered my mind. I also don't see a reason not to state the means at this stage of the story reveal as to how the rats were able to do what noone else could. I'm sure though that evilkinggumby can come up with something valid :P


3.) In case we're just transfering a half-way authentic medieval social system to the animal kingdom (hehe), I find it very unfitting that General Jahrlan might have become king had he survived. Seith writes:

Jahrlan did not survive the battle, but had he done so he would have had a chance of becoming king himself.


THE king, not A king... The only way that would have been possible would be by marriage. It feels a bit strange that there is no mention of a king's daughter at this point.


And that's it. Again, I'm sorry for the critizism and I hope it doesn't come across as harsh judgement. It is not, just my feelings that there are a few very slight bumbs in a lovely story's pavement.

Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2014 12:40 pm
by Seith
@EvilKingGumby: Glad you like the name! As David pointed out in another thread it is indeed pronounced "tee-low".

And I have to precise that it is the famous Green Flame we're talking about, not the "greenfire"! :)


@KwisatzHaderach: Happy to see Tilo's name is to you guys' liking. And very nice observations! Alright, let me see if I can properly address your points:

1) As you know "facts", in medieval times, were a very, shall we say "fluctuating" notion. They were communicated through precarious means, and with varying degrees of accuracy. Facts and fiction ("stories") were greatly intertwined. Especially when history was transmitted not only through (very rare) books but also orally.

2) It's a very good question. Yet one I won't answer at this point, I'm sorry. Let's just say the Rats army is badass... :)

3) Another very good point! To clear any misunderstanding I should state that the piece of lore presented in the update is purposefully very broad in order to give a sense of scale and tone, rather than being a detailed historical account.

Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 1:53 am
by david
I love the Green Flame, an adversary who is so different. so fearsome; with its non-corporeal form, unknown purpose and alien thought-processes (if it had any thoughts, maybe the Green Flame just had drives). @EvilKing... And, you are right, it would be mind-blowing to see skeletal versions of other races :D

@Kwisatz... I think it is ok, we aren't hearing the whole story, Seith is deliberately keeping some of it back from us imho. Several giant mysteries remain (I love mysteries and trying to figure them out).

:?: As you say, even as badasses, with their large numbers, how could the Rats possibly have defeated such a powerful undead army and (it seems) an impervious entity?
:?: What was this Green Flame, it's purpose, perhaps it was controlled by another?
:?: If the Green Flame was mindless, how could the Mice have negotiated with it?

With regard to Jahrlan ascending to the throne, perhaps the Rat's system of monarchy was more like 'whoever is the strongest man with the most supporters is now king'. Maybe, back in feudal times, this was the Rat's unevolved version of monarchy... which, in a weird way, is really kind of a democracy. Despite their trappings of civilization, I imagine that some (though it seems, not all) of the Rats can be a savage, primitive bunch... if push comes to shove :lol:
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Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:23 am
by evilkinggumby
Doesn't take much to figure out how the rats won. They just built the largest asbestos sponge known and catapulted it onto the flame.. WHUFF.. gone... lol. I imagine a similar "death blast" afterwards like in the original death of the dark lord in Lord of the Rings... hehehehe....

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But really I figure the rats used sheer numbers and brute force. Being much like the Zerg, they could "swarm like rats" and just overtake the battlefield before the enemy could get a bearing on the situation. No matter the formation and training, getting hit by thousands if not millions of rats (mind you large human sized ones) all at once would make coordination impossible. Add in the general speed and dexterity of a live rat (vs reanimated undead) and it wouldn't be farfetched to get a few key soldiers close enough to smite the green flame however they figured out. Hell maybe they pushed the undead army onto the flame, smothering it with it's own army by the tidal wave of bodies and bones.. heheeh.. that'd be a sight to see...

Swarming like that would also make it hard to recant (with any kind of detail) what the battle was actually like.. it'd be a horrible chaos swarm and making sense of it would be really impossible. Sadly, it would also require a lot of rats to die in the process, as swarming is not always the most efficient for low casualties. But with rats, I guess, they can be ruthless and desperate.

I'll see if i can talk about the other discrepancies later, I was sick yesterday so I'm still coming back from the dead myself lol...

Re: The next blog update...

Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 10:05 pm
by david
@EvilKing... get well soon, I'll see if I can get some herbs and healing incantations from a local witch doctor for you ;)
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I agree with you about the Zerg rush, I believe the Rats would have used something like this to get through the (as you say, slower moving) undead army (which would have included reanimated - probably skeletal - hawks and badgers) and close enough to strike at the Green Flame itself.

At this key point though, I think there is an extra wrinkle to the tale about the defeat of the Green Flame - possibly involving Jahrlan - that Seith is keeping under wraps. Your asbestos sponge might be the answer!

You are completely right, it would have been utter chaos in the battle at ground level... perhaps a bird might make more sense of it from above though, but I'm really just guessing all of this.