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Who are these "POWERS" that be .. that are all watching Lord Splynncryth .. here on Rifts Earth ?

And why do they NOT have a domain here on rifts earth for themselves .. since ... its just THAT importent of a place to not allow any single entity to conquer it ?

What say you ?

I'm interested to hear what other people have to say about this topic ..

Other Splugorth, Gods(light and dark), other AIs, pretty much any powerful entity/society aware of dimensional travel.
It's implied they would stop him because if he took over Rifts Earth, he would basically be in 'strikng' range of many, many dimensions.And could raid or conquer all those places.
And as for the other 'powers' not having outposts/holdings, I guess it's a pretty chaotic place, and not everyone wants to spare resources to be there. They just don't one being to control it.

Basically I guess it would upset the 'megaversal balance' or sumthin.

It's not so much that they're watching Lord Splynncryth, it's just that, at a certain power-level, everyone watches everyone else who could pose a serious threat.

Splynn's got a lot of power, and in Atlantis he has some prime real estate. The idea is, if he conquered (or attempted to conquer) all of Rifts Earth, he would become too potentially powerful for all his potential rivals/equals to stand for, and they would unite if only to stop him. Think if Splynn, various deific pantheons, etc., as locked in a sort of cold war.

This is never stated as fact however, but a maybe.

Some specific groups with a bone to pick with Splynncryth are the Greek Pantheon, True Atlanteans, and vampire intelligences.

So then Lord Splynncryth Taking over Europe or America ... would NOT be considered taking over the whole Rifts earth ..

So why is it then that when ever anyone asks ...

Why does Lord Splynn simply not just take over 1 more continent ?

And the number 1 answer has been ..

"Due to the "POWERS" that be ... "

To which I am just a bit curious .. would they really care if he indeed took over 1 more continent ?

Think about it this way.

He's at a cross roads. Right now.. he's put up a nice little flea market at the cross roads but people can still come and go and use the cross roads to get to where they're going and the flea market is there, if you want gear or a drink or something before moving on to where you're going..

But if Splynn took over all the land around the crossroads (( earth)) He could charge taxes to use all the roads coming in and going out. he could block some people from using the roads, and could use the roads to his own advantage.

Right now. He's the inn at the side of the road at the cross roads.

He's been warned, by many other alien intelligences/gods/ ect, that if he does any more.. they'll concider it a threat and they'll ALL team up to kick his collective slimy butt.

for now.. they don't mind. He's off on atlantis and the rest of rifts earth (( The interdimensional crossroads)) is open and the other things can come and go as they please

If he makes a move for POWER though, they'll gang up and kill him.

So yes. Taking another contenent is 'too much'

he's got atlantis and a couple other planets via rifts. If he tries to take too much of earth the other powers will stop him and kill or kick him off earth so that it doesn't become an interdimensional choke point.

Yeah , the situation had been pretty much summed up. And this is true not just for Splyncryth. So far only the most powerfull and insane being, like Nxla, the four horsemen of apocalypse, the lord of the deep, the Mechanoids, Xiticix etc. had the guts and will to try to conqeur Rifts Earth, and generally because they are so insanely evil and animalistic, that they do not give too much if they won or lose, oh yeah, most of them are de facto immortal. But in all those case, you see how the powers that be and armies of heroes do the impossible to repel and stop them(example the four horsemen , being repelled for the first time since eons).
Every power that be agree that taking over Rifts Earth is simply too much complicated and will require ay too much resource, not just in the conquest but in keeping it.
And if you compare to phase world, you should take in count that a) Phase world is, like Rifts Earth no-mans land b)Phase adepts ensure a certain level of cooperations between the factions and c) this status of realtive "peace" did not come in few years...it took millenia of bloodshed before thins settled down. In truth no dimensional crossroad, like Rifts Earth and Phase World, had ever been seized by a single power. For all the reason mentioned in this thread. After all is much more easy settle down for some "small" land to rule and use the dimensional rifts to go, or better carry lot of stuff with you as most power that be dimensional teleport naturally, wherever, and sometimes whenever, you want. Also note that most powers that be do not count manipulation of mere mortals as open "conquer", in that case is quite fair play, manipulating humans and d-bees for this or that reason is considered simlpy the normla behaviour for gods, AI and similia.

Lenwen wrote:So then Lord Splynncryth Taking over Europe or America ... would NOT be considered taking over the whole Rifts earth ..

So why is it then that when ever anyone asks ...

Why does Lord Splynn simply not just take over 1 more continent ?

And the number 1 answer has been ..

"Due to the "POWERS" that be ... "

To which I am just a bit curious .. would they really care if he indeed took over 1 more continent ?

He would have...if it wasn't for those nosy kids and their stupid dog.

CURSE YOU SCOOBY!

On a more serious note...A whole continent...they probably would take notice. After all, it's a slippery slope. How long before he takes another...and another...when do you say "enough is enough"?

I think he could easily set up colonies everywhere...but as long as he's not building pyramids he should be fine.

Lenwen wrote:Who are these "POWERS" that be .. that are all watching Lord Splynncryth .. here on Rifts Earth ?

And why do they NOT have a domain here on rifts earth for themselves .. since ... its just THAT importent of a place to not allow any single entity to conquer it ?

Cibola, Naruni, yama kings, Greek pantheon, norse pantheon, Hindu Pantheon, persian pantheon......ect.


as for why they haven't set up shop? many have. but like the splynncryth, they realize that trying to take control of the whole thing is not only a waste of resources and inefficent, but that if they tried all the other factions with interest would begin to intervine directly to thwart them.

imagine if Splynncryth were to try and take over north america. the naruni would start selling arms to everyone, both above and below the table, at sizable discount. the native american pantheon would show up to defend their people from enslavement, Cibola would marshal allies to counter splynn, just in case splynn doesn't stop at north america, and the greek and norse pantheons would both be readying their armies and champions for the same reasons. things would get very tense, very fast....and could easily precipitate a massive "war of the gods" on terran soil....

I do not think Cibola has vested interest in North America .. outside of the theory of "What if" ..

The Norse Pantheon would not care about North America ..

The Persian Pantheon would not care about North America ..

Same with the Greek Pantheon , Hindu Pantheon , Yama Kings rule a full 1/10th of the Earth already ..

The analogy of Rifts is like Phase world is sorta a Skewed analogy ..

Phase World is ruled by the Prometheans .. and the children of that Race are the defacto rules .. First Stage Prometheons The Venerable and mysterious Second Stage Prometheons , have forgone thier affairs with the mortals of this realm of existance ..

Phase world is in fact , RULED by 1 single power block .. that being those First Stage Prometheons ..

I personally do not think Lord Splynn taking another continent would matter what so ever to the "Powers that be" As a matter of fact .. I do believe in Rifts .. "Aftermath" Lord Splynn has already set up shop on a certain Old Canadian Province and has in fact started the build SEVERAL bases ...

Which further proves my point that So long as Lord Splynn Does not go after the WHOLE WORLD .. just bits an peices an makes it know this is all he wants .. Taking and holding North America should be no big deal for Lord Splynncryth ..
Lord Splynn has the resources and the overall military to take and hold North America easily while still holding Atlantis and his other 3 worlds as well ..

Yes Lenwen, that's exactltly wha ti had in mind, even if I expressed it in quite confusing way.
As long as no one try to seize the entire planet, anything is fair play. Of course the same is true in both way.
Adding to this, many gods are focusing on regaining some lands they consider theirs, for the most part, as well as spreading their religion. So if Splynncryth ensure freedom of cult, most don't mind if he took over part of north america.
And immortal beings like AI and deities generally make LOOOOONG term plan, after all is not that they are going to die of old age.
I don't think Atlantis will conquer all north america, albeit is likely they will settle a large fortified port on its coast, at least not in short time. In the next 100-200 years perhaps it will make further steps, unless great changes (nothing mortal related, immortals are accustomed to see human empires grow and crumble in short , for them, time) in the schem of the things.

The Norse would have a vested interest not in protecting North America, but in opposing Splynncryth. Same with the Olympians. Both have enough allies on the continent that an overt war with Atlantis, such as the scale it would take to "take over" would draw a lot of attention, and lets not forget the Native American Pantheon, not to mention that Archie and the CS both would go into extreme overdrive to destroy them. Would Atlantis win? Eventually I'm sure, but at such a cost it wouldn't be profitable. Europe has a bit more in the vested interest for the Olympians and the Norse, as well as the celtic pantheon, and Myrlin and company. Splynncryth also knows that he'd never hold India, China, or Japan (between the humans and the oni, it'd be a constant battle for way too little gain, unless he allied with the oni, and I don't see the Oni taking to Splynncryth the same way the gargoyles do), and Africa is another that's not worth his time (aside from the phoenix empire, but he already has that effectively). The Russian Gods and the Warlords would make his life interesting in Russia, and South America has several Pantheons in effect, not to mention a city of True Atlanteans.

And that doesn't count personal appearances by the various Gods of Light throughout the Megaverse who would show just to make sure that things went well, nor the demon lords who would oppose Splynncryth holding Rifts Earth, because they want it, and Naruni who want to own the planet and the avenues of business it allows.

But to answer the original question more directly: The powers that be include pretty much every major politically minded demon lord, deevil lord, alien intelligence, major supernatural race, the cosmic forge, most gods (good and evil), the True Atlantean race as a whole (when they can act as a single mind, which isn't often), The Demons of China, etc. It's less about direct opposition for vested interest as opposition on general principle. You can't have it because I want it, or I want part of it, or I just don't want you having any more, because I like being contrary or confrontational, etc.

Would they oppose colonies? Not unless those Colonies were a major force for curtailing the religions and followers of a major power or three. Besides, Splynncryth has shown himself, in how he set up Atlantis, to be very egalitarian when it comes to the other major powers. After all, why be greedy when there is more than enough for all, and well even gods have things they need to buy, and its better to have a god as a satisfied customer than an enemy breathing down your neck.

Ah but Lenwen you are limiting the scope of your argument to only what you know as a slightly omnipotent reader. It would help to think of Splynn as a evil slimy version of a monsters only Wal-mart instead of a government. Because in reality it is what he has set up in Atlantis.

1) It has been stated that Splynn is an immortal hedonistic gambler not a warmonger. He wants to be entertained, amass riches and power and he has millennium to do so. He is rather young as far as Splugorth go too. Splynn probably has enemies all over the Megaverse outside of Rifts Earth as well. Every Splugorth does.

Until recently, even he was not sure he wanted to stay on Rifts Earth with the seven dangers lurking around. He didn't know the Four Horsemen were going to be defeated after all, even if HE got involved. Or that the Mechanoids arrival was not the beginning of an invasion. So why rush to spend resources to take more land that might not even be there in a decade or two? It is just not his style.

2)I believe it has been stated that his satellite colonies in Europe, Africa and the Americas are really only massive slave camps and resupply ports for his minions. Not true invasions. They have been erected to help alleviate the difficulties of supplying his slavers and holding massive amounts of slaves and goods securely. Before they are shipped off to Atlantis for sale.

His satellite colonies are under constant attack by outside forces as they stand now. London is raided by the knights, but Mrylnn doesn't want to wake the bear that is Atlantis until he is ready to take the continent on with a guarantee of winning. The lizardman kingdom is an experiment, that is turning bad, by the dragons of Atlantis. The ports in N. America has already suffered setbacks by Archie and his Shemarians. Archie has held the Eastern seaboard with his robots since the Republicans fell.

In reality the Powers That Be see Atlantis mobilizing on Rifts Earth and are moving to stop him already. The CS, Free Quebec, Lazlo, Archie, and the native Americans will not stand by and let Ole' One Eye get more than a toe hold in N. America. Mrylnn is biding his time until Camelot is ready to clear London. The lizardman kingdom is wracked by civil war. Will Splynn, who is just setting up a few franchise slave taking operations so he can make more money, spend money to retaliate? Probably. But declare war on multiple fronts around the planet? Again not his style.

3) Reader Omnipotence is a problem. The Sploogorth are hated and feared through out the Megaverse. Even some Dark Gods don't like the upstart AI's. When you have beings that can wipe the floor with battalions of your best soldiers running around in the logistical nightmare that is Rifts Earth, you become cautious. We know he might whip any power on the planet one on one, but Splynn doesn't. Even he doesn't know 100% what dangers are over the next hill or across that ocean.

Lenwen wrote:
I personally do not think Lord Splynn taking another continent would matter what so ever to the "Powers that be" As a matter of fact .. I do believe in Rifts .. "Aftermath" Lord Splynn has already set up shop on a certain Old Canadian Province and has in fact started the build SEVERAL bases ...

Which further proves my point that So long as Lord Splynn Does not go after the WHOLE WORLD .. just bits an peices an makes it know this is all he wants .. Taking and holding North America should be no big deal for Lord Splynncryth ..
Lord Splynn has the resources and the overall military to take and hold North America easily while still holding Atlantis and his other 3 worlds as well ..

Give a inch and they take a mile is a old saying, and one that pretty much sums up the argument as to why Splynn does not take any more than what he already has.

Plus he already has everything he needs and why push the other powers?

The biggest tactical reason is simply because its indefensible. There are literally millions of points of entry to Rifts earth, and no power no matter how vast your empire you cannot defend all of them.

Splynn has a small niche carved out for himself, and the other splugorth are content to let him run it. His biggest rival, who is also one of the most powerful splugorth, is not sure he could win in a one on one battle with Splynn, so at the moment he is relatively secure.

As long as the spice flows, so to speak, the "powers" that be have no real reason to challenge Splynn's foothold.

Jesterzzn wrote:The biggest tactical reason is simply because its indefensible. There are literally millions of points of entry to Rifts earth, and no power no matter how vast your empire you cannot defend all of them.

Splynn has a small niche carved out for himself, and the other splugorth are content to let him run it. His biggest rival, who is also one of the most powerful splugorth, is not sure he could win in a one on one battle with Splynn, so at the moment he is relatively secure.

As long as the spice flows, so to speak, the "powers" that be have no real reason to challenge Splynn's foothold.

What he said.

Rifts Earth, at least at this point in time, is relatively peaceful in much the same way that a section of town that has plenty of rich clients to buy the drugs, usually will NOT devolve into a Gang War.

Of course, the Infernals of Dyval and Hades are coming to an unsuspecting Earth very very soon, and that could figuratively (and literally) blow the delicate balance to Hell.....

Who says he's not interested in conquering all of the earth?

He's what? 60,000 years old? He's got how long to figure out how much he really wants?

Look...if you are effectively immortal, then you don't operate on the same scale as we do.

Yes...the earth would be next to impossible to hold.

But he could spend the next 1,000 years building up his empire on Earth. It would be one of those situations where you turn around...and a 790 years later, you look around and say, "Oh damn! He really was planning on taking over the Earth!"

Lenwen, I think the first three replies (not including you) and Jesterzzn's reply are the most accurate.

Shadyslug wrote:Who says he's not interested in conquering all of the earth?

He's what? 60,000 years old? He's got how long to figure out how much he really wants?

Look...if you are effectively immortal, then you don't operate on the same scale as we do.

Yes...the earth would be next to impossible to hold.

But he could spend the next 1,000 years building up his empire on Earth. It would be one of those situations where you turn around...and a 790 years later, you look around and say, "Oh damn! He really was planning on taking over the Earth!"

Uh, I'm pretty sure that the ones watching him operate on the same scale...

Not that I'm poo-pooing your idea, it's just not Lord Splynncryth who lives as long as he does.