[ArkangelWinter]

I am tickled by the con idea. But there are hints that H doesn't know that Aina's still alive "somehow", which pushes that theory slightly towards implausible.

Unless GW is deliberately making H go after him, so that Aztechnology exposes its throat and he can gut them.

Ooh Harley getting conned as well? I like it

[CanRay]

Gotta get up pretty early in the morning to con Harley.

As in, not sleep for three days early.

[beowulf_of_wa]

maybe so on the 3 days, though i doubt thats actually an issue for a dragon.

[Sichr]

Ghostwalker is guilty for Aina`s sacrifice. Lets join the hands with Aytechnologz and walk towards the sweet revenge.
Thats more than "creature of whim" Id suspect...

See, the problem you're having is that you're approaching this concept as a rational being. Love is an inherently irrational emotion, pushing people to do things that they never would otherwise. Harlequin is working with a singular drive now, and is willing to do anything, and sacrifice anyone, in order to bring Ghostwalker down. He isn't thinking about things like "Azzie blood magic caused Big D to blow himself up to keep the Horrors from coming early". He's thinking "who has tools I can use to kill a Great Dragon and the will to risk getting a Great pissed at them"?

I think you`ve missed the point. Dont talk aout that "love" emotion. Been there, done that. And even with my short lived experiences I would rather revenge to those who are really responsible, than to those who were just saving the world from consequences...

Sometimes I almost believe taht Aina and GW was cooperating in the the D.C. conclusion...
Maybe she is standing right next to Hatchetman at this moments...

[Sichr]

maybe so on the 3 days, though i doubt thats actually an issue for a dragon.

Maybe three cycles?

[Crimsondude]

/not-so-silently munches on pita chips

[Sichr]

/now thats where those dragon clippings had landed...

[Mirikon]

Ghostwalker is guilty for Aina`s sacrifice. Lets join the hands with Aytechnologz and walk towards the sweet revenge.
Thats more than "creature of whim" Id suspect...

See, the problem you're having is that you're approaching this concept as a rational being. Love is an inherently irrational emotion, pushing people to do things that they never would otherwise. Harlequin is working with a singular drive now, and is willing to do anything, and sacrifice anyone, in order to bring Ghostwalker down. He isn't thinking about things like "Azzie blood magic caused Big D to blow himself up to keep the Horrors from coming early". He's thinking "who has tools I can use to kill a Great Dragon and the will to risk getting a Great pissed at them"?

I think you`ve missed the point. Dont talk aout that "love" emotion. Been there, done that. And even with my short lived experiences I would rather revenge to those who are really responsible, than to those who were just saving the world from consequences...

Sometimes I almost believe taht Aina and GW was cooperating in the the D.C. conclusion...
Maybe she is standing right next to Hatchetman at this moments...

But that's the thing, Sichr, to Harlequin, Ghostwalker IS the one directly responsible for Aina's death. Ghostwalker brought them all there, with Aina's help. Ghostwalker used the artifacts to go through the Rift, and seal it behind him, without letting anyone know the consequences. Because of that, Aina died in the process of saving everyone's lives from what would have been a nuke-sized explosion. So as far as Harlequin is concerned, Ghostwalker is responsible for Aina's death. And he is willing to deal with any and everyone in order to get his revenge.

Well, not anyone. I don't think he's quite so far gone as to try and bring Horrors over in order to kill off Ghostwalker, but he will use any other powers available to him, for sure. Including Azzie blood magic, if that is what it takes. I don't think there is anything, short of Aina herself speaking to him, that will stop Harlequin from launching his crusade. The consequences of this will be dire and far reaching, no matter who wins in the end.

[Ethan]

Gotta get up pretty early in the morning to con Harley.

As in, not sleep for three days early.

Or be known for being manipulative of a race known for being very manipulative...

I mean what does GW lose if Harley allies with the Azzies and goes after him? He has all them free spirits to help and he can potentially force the Azzies to overreach. And what does it cost him to not correct H's belief that Aina's dead? Bupkis.

Hell, Ghostwalker may even try to bring her back on his own as a sort of reward for Harlequin after Aztlan/Aztechnology get knocked around.

[Patrick Goodman]

/not-so-silently munches on pita chips

I'll take some of that action. Here, have a non-alcoholic beverage....

[Mirikon]

While it is certainly possible that Ghostwalker is using Harlequin to pull a long con on the Azzies, that honestly doesn't sound like his style.

My honest opinion? Ghostwalker's actions in DeeCee are the closest you'll ever get to seeing a Great Dragon being a fool for love, and leaping without looking at the consequences first. He was focused on healing Zebulon (shutting the Rift was just a convenient byproduct), and he really didn't care about what happened after that. But then, perhaps I'm just a romantic at heart.

Of course, now that things are in motion, he'll be putting plans in place to try and counter Harlequin and his Jester's Army. Which means that, even though he isn't running a con on them, he may still use their actions to take the Azzies down a few pegs. I'd look for Ghostwalker to try and take the offensive, starting with getting runners to disrupt this Jester's Army, and to act as go-betweens with other potential players, specifically the great dragons and immortal elves, but also the governments involved in Denver, and players in the underworld. Most directly, I'd expect him to get in contact with Amazonia and Horizon.

[Sichr]

Surviving a few Scourges and possibly tens of thousands of years and now all of sudden they all become frantic mindless idiots. The end is near.

[The Wyrm Ouroboros]

I think all of you have misinterpreted what's going on.  On the other hand, the people who are most likely to know aren't talking. 

[Mirikon]

Surviving a few Scourges and possibly tens of thousands of years and now all of sudden they all become frantic mindless idiots. The end is near.

Old age and experiencing a bit of hell on earth do not make individuals inherently more rational or mentally stable. In fact, things like that tend to build up over time, especially if you lose sight of things and become focused on a singular goal. That is true for anyone, not just immortal elves and dragons. Leading up to the events in DeeCee, hadn't we heard for a while that Ghostwalker had suddenly withdrawn from everything, like he was obsessed over something? And Harlequin was never exactly the picture of mental health. Like I said, rationally, there's no reason they should take things so far. But there are two emotions that can overwhelm the most rational mind, and make them do wholly irrational things: pride and love. Regardless of your feelings about them, you must admit that all the dragons and IEs have pride that would surpass arrogance, were it not for the fact that it is (mostly) warranted. Combine that with love, and the desire to restore/avenge a fallen mate, and you have a combination that can make people do great and terrible things. Just remember, there is no animal in the world so dangerous as one standing over the body of a fallen mate.

[Patrick Goodman]

Just remember, there is no animal in the world so dangerous as one standing over the body of a fallen mate.

QFT.