Darkness of Rassilon campaign/plot ideas(spoilers)Thoughts?
Aug 12, 2016 7:33:56 GMT
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Post by senko on Aug 12, 2016 7:33:56 GMT
Ok sorry if the title's a bit off I was trying to fit enough description into a character limit. Ok to flesh that out a bit I was reading through the sixth doctor sourcebook today and a number of the plot ideas in there if adjusted just a little explain some things that have bothered me about the new doctor who series. Now I'll try to keep this as brief as possible (if you want full details on the sixth doctor stuff buy the sourcebook 
). What bothered me is that in all the early doctor stories Rassilon was if a little Ruthless generally a benevolent and helpful being while in the current one he's a power mad despot willing to sacrifice anything for his own goals including other Gallifreyans. I can't really buy into his becoming that way as a result of the time war because he lived through similar ones in the dark times. However then we have the 6th doctor sourcebook . . .
So, I think it all hangs together quite well and explains the differences in Rassilon, the time lords and even the causes of the last great time war. What do you think?![]()
). What bothered me is that in all the early doctor stories Rassilon was if a little Ruthless generally a benevolent and helpful being while in the current one he's a power mad despot willing to sacrifice anything for his own goals including other Gallifreyans. I can't really buy into his becoming that way as a result of the time war because he lived through similar ones in the dark times. However then we have the 6th doctor sourcebook . . .Now the three ideas that stuck with me were a possible explanation for the Valeyard (disease that afflicts wildly travelled Gallifreyan's), the key of armageddon with a matrix simulation of prominent time lords including Rassilon and in the 8th doctor sourcebook the ambiguity of the catalyst that reignited the time war. What occured to me is that you could combine the three as follows. Extensive travelling in time (hundreds of years/millenia even of subjective travelling and regenerating) slowly builds up negative energy of some sort (insert your favorite pseudoscientific term here) that results near the end of a timelords lifespan in all those darker urges and desires taking physical form and generally trying to steal the regenerations from their originating Time Lord. The "cure" those ancient Gallifreyans found was two fold (1) limit time travel to prevent future darker versions starting with all the time lords who had done extensive travelling and not produced a known darker form. As well as (2) seal the existing ones away in a matrix prison on a forgotten asteroid in the depths of space.
Now fast forward several billion years and Rassilon's darker half has finally managed to manipulate events to trigger the campaign given in the 6th doctor sourcebook at the conclusion of which the characters walk away patting themselves on the back about a job well done. The truth however is that everything went according to Dark Rassilon's plans and allowed him to escape his prison in a physical body. The problem is he is on his last/only life and there's no guarantee the current Gallifrey will welcome him or even believe him, however he has a solution. He manipulates the master to allow him access to the eye of harmony on the doctors tardis which contains unique properties due to its nature and reignites the time war.
He then presents himself in Gallifrey's darkest hour as Rassilon Returned "I never died but I am in my last regeneration and Gallifrey was safe so I slept in peace till now when you need me." Taking control of Gallifrey he manipulates events to get everything he wanted "I reluctantly accept a new regeneration cycle to serve you as I once more take up the reigns of presidency for now . . ." all the while he slowly works to ensure that after Gallifrey wins he will be able to retain his power. He manipulates crucial
events in the war to prolong it and allow cutural changes to slowly sink in to the Gallifreyan conciousness while arranging for certain individuals to gain everything they want as long as it doesn't threaten his plans by recalling the more ruthless or ambitious renegades to Gallifrey "Yes Lady Rani I can reinstate you as a time lord and give you all the experimental subjects you wish however there are certain things I want from you, some of the lesser races could be given a portion of our abilities to serve as expendable troops."
However there was one thing he didn't count on. The real/original Rassilon was playing a long game of his own and had decided the Gallifreyan society had fallen too far they either looked inwards corrupt and convinced of their own infallability or they surrendered to their darker instincts and fought to dominate the universe rather than save even without his darker half's influence it so they needed to go. So he acted, once, by the lowering of Arcadia's sky trench's and allowing the Daleks in which in turn prompted the Doctor to use the moment and remove Gallifrey from the universe in a manner that also removed the threat they fought against.
Now fast forward several billion years and Rassilon's darker half has finally managed to manipulate events to trigger the campaign given in the 6th doctor sourcebook at the conclusion of which the characters walk away patting themselves on the back about a job well done. The truth however is that everything went according to Dark Rassilon's plans and allowed him to escape his prison in a physical body. The problem is he is on his last/only life and there's no guarantee the current Gallifrey will welcome him or even believe him, however he has a solution. He manipulates the master to allow him access to the eye of harmony on the doctors tardis which contains unique properties due to its nature and reignites the time war.
He then presents himself in Gallifrey's darkest hour as Rassilon Returned "I never died but I am in my last regeneration and Gallifrey was safe so I slept in peace till now when you need me." Taking control of Gallifrey he manipulates events to get everything he wanted "I reluctantly accept a new regeneration cycle to serve you as I once more take up the reigns of presidency for now . . ." all the while he slowly works to ensure that after Gallifrey wins he will be able to retain his power. He manipulates crucial
events in the war to prolong it and allow cutural changes to slowly sink in to the Gallifreyan conciousness while arranging for certain individuals to gain everything they want as long as it doesn't threaten his plans by recalling the more ruthless or ambitious renegades to Gallifrey "Yes Lady Rani I can reinstate you as a time lord and give you all the experimental subjects you wish however there are certain things I want from you, some of the lesser races could be given a portion of our abilities to serve as expendable troops."
However there was one thing he didn't count on. The real/original Rassilon was playing a long game of his own and had decided the Gallifreyan society had fallen too far they either looked inwards corrupt and convinced of their own infallability or they surrendered to their darker instincts and fought to dominate the universe rather than save even without his darker half's influence it so they needed to go. So he acted, once, by the lowering of Arcadia's sky trench's and allowing the Daleks in which in turn prompted the Doctor to use the moment and remove Gallifrey from the universe in a manner that also removed the threat they fought against.
So, I think it all hangs together quite well and explains the differences in Rassilon, the time lords and even the causes of the last great time war. What do you think?
