If Malak Survived…

[Xihirli]

Malak was planning on releasing Vampire Durkom for his control after the gate business was concluded.

Either Malak kills Nale or they just both escape that encounter "alive," barely matters.

My question is, Malak brings Greg back to Bleedingham and releases him from his thrall.
What’s Greg’s next move? Would he ask Malak for help rigging the Godsmoot? Would Malak help him if asked?

[137beth]

I don't think HPoH would be willing to tell the truth to Malack, given that Malack seems pretty dead-set on building a lasting empire in this world, which is contrary to Hel's plan. I think he'd use the Empire's resources to get ahold of a teleportation item without telling Malack what it is for, and use it to get to the Godsmoot.

There is another possibility that I think is less likely but is amusing to think about. Hel can't grant clerical powers to the living, but she has no trouble giving cleric powers to undead. Malack has personal power to create lots of undead, and the societal power to avoid being easily killed by a low-level adventuring party. Malack also has plans to speed up the process later. Maybe HPoH and Malack (or Hel and Nergal) could make a deal to supply HPoH with lots of new undead who could become clerics of Hel. That would allow Hel to gain clerics in this world, while still giving her the option to seize control when the Snarl gets closer to destroying everything. The trouble being I'm not sure why Malack or Nergal would want to go along with such a plan.

[Synesthesy]

The answer depend on this: how did Nergal vote? This knowing that in the western pantheon "yes" won...

If Nergal voted yes probably Hel knows this, and in this case Greg could simply tell Malak the truth and then going to the Godsmoot is easy; and without the Order (that has no way to know what is happening) the world simply goes Ka-Boom.

If Nergal voted no, Hel may not trust Nergal enough to tell the truth and risk everything on Nergal's sense of democracy. But Greg would tell Malak another truth: the fact that he wants to go north to the dwarven land to get revenge. This is something Malak would understand. But if he doesn't understand, and tell Greg to try to enjoy his new (un)life, Greg is still a high rated guest of the Empire, so I bet that a smart vampire like him can get his hand on some kind of teleportation device. Or some other kind of vehicle. He is powerfull enough to escape Malak and probably Malak wouldn't be willing to follow him, and even if he would, maybe he couldn't as Greg is smart and strong.
Then Greg goes north, votes and as the Order can't be there, the world goes Ka-Boom (again).

[KorvinStarmast]

That was a good analysis.

[137beth]

If Nergal voted yes probably Hel knows this,

Would she? Hel saw how the Northern Gods voted, and how the Western Pantheon as a whole voted, but does she know the individual votes of the other pantheons?

[Precure]

Can't she simply ask?

[Ginasius]

The answer depend on this: how did Nergal vote? This knowing that in the western pantheon "yes" won...

If Nergal voted yes probably Hel knows this, and in this case Greg could simply tell Malak the truth and then going to the Godsmoot is easy; and without the Order (that has no way to know what is happening) the world simply goes Ka-Boom.

So we could say that Nale saved the World...

[Kardwill]

The answer depend on this: how did Nergal vote? This knowing that in the western pantheon "yes" won...

I don't think they already had their vote. I think the other pantheons voted during or right before the godsmoot. "Representatives from the West and South! How do your patheons vote?"
So Hel wouldn't have any guarantee of Nergal's vote. And telling Nergal would risk influencing the Western Pantheon vote.

(BTW, does it look like the W and S pantheons didn't have to have their debate through their priests, like the Northern one did?)

[Peelee]

(BTW, does it look like the W and S pantheons didn't have to have their debate through their priests, like the Northern one did?)

It looks like they did it through their high priests, yes. What would give the impression they didn't?

[Tzardok]

I don't think they already had their vote. I think the other pantheons voted during or right before the godsmoot. "Representatives from the West and South! How do your patheons vote?"
So Hel wouldn't have any guarantee of Nergal's vote. And telling Nergal would risk influencing the Western Pantheon vote.

(BTW, does it look like the W and S pantheons didn't have to have their debate through their priests, like the Northern one did?)

I think Synesthesy meant that Hel would be familiar with Nergal and be able to guess which way he'd vote under those circumstances. If Hel's impression of Nergal is he'd vote Yes, she'd have Greg reveal himself, if her impression was No she'd have him do the other thing.

[Kardwill]

It looks like they did it through their high priests, yes. What would give the impression they didn't?

*Checks the comic*

*Blinks*

I... have no idea why I thought the blue and red people we see during the godsmoot were gods, and not their high-priests. The lack of a 5-headed dragon mama makes it kinda obvious in retrospect...

[Synesthesy]

I think Synesthesy meant that Hel would be familiar with Nergal and be able to guess which way he'd vote under those circumstances. If Hel's impression of Nergal is he'd vote Yes, she'd have Greg reveal himself, if her impression was No she'd have him do the other thing.

This. They probably did this kind of vote so many times that many of the Gods would always vote the same. Just like in regular real life elections, some people choose a different party everytime while others will vote the same side for all their life. Maybe Nergal God of Death always voted the same the last few (thousands) times. Who knows?
But we saw that Gods of different pantheons sometimes get along with each others. We saw Rat and Tiamat, I can see Hel and Nergal. Maybe there is an annual work dinner between all Gods of deaths and they all eat pizza. Without Pineapples.
If this isn't the case, the "no" curse of action is also good for "she doesn't know".

[Peelee]

*Checks the comic*

*Blinks*

I... have no idea why I thought the blue and red people we see during the godsmoot were gods, and not their high-priests. The lack of a 5-headed dragon mama makes it kinda obvious in retrospect...

Ah, happens to the best of us sometimes!

[Provengreil]

Can't she simply ask?

Possibly not. The gods set up a lot of those official communications forums specifically to minimize meeting each other, at least across pantheons, due to the risks of minor snarls. Add on top of that possible rules about trying to influence world votes and the risks of Nergal not liking her plan for whatever reason, and checking might be riskier than taking a reasoned guess based on what she already knows.

[Xihirli]

I don't think they already had their vote. I think the other pantheons voted during or right before the godsmoot. "Representatives from the West and South! How do your patheons vote?"
So Hel wouldn't have any guarantee of Nergal's vote. And telling Nergal would risk influencing the Western Pantheon vote.

(BTW, does it look like the W and S pantheons didn't have to have their debate through their priests, like the Northern one did?)

That being said; none of her plans make any sense if there isn’t a tie for the Northern gods to break. She must have had SOME expectation that one of the pantheons would vote dyes and the other No; either from past experience or behind the scenes whispering. If both the Southern and Western pantheons vote the same, none of her plans matter.

[Kardwill]

That being said; none of her plans make any sense if there isn’t a tie for the Northern gods to break. She must have had SOME expectation that one of the pantheons would vote dyes and the other No; either from past experience or behind the scenes whispering. If both the Southern and Western pantheons vote the same, none of her plans matter.

Well, yes. She may be working from past occurences (she has a few million destroyed worlds' worth of experience, after all), or from actual intel from the other pantheons (but she's not really diplomatic, though.)

Note that if we consider she already knows the N gods' vote will be balanced, her plan matters about half the time, even without intel :

If S and W vote "yes", she auto wins
If S and W vote "no", she auto loses
If S votes yes and W votes no, N becomes the tie-breaker and her plan becomes critical
If S votes no and W votes yes, N becomes the tie-breaker and her plan becomes critical

But yeah, even if her entire plan started as an opportunistic grab (she didn't know she would be part of the vote until a cleric of Thor just happened to get vamped a few days before the 'moot'), notDurkon and Hel looked rather sure that they would get to play their role.