Relics 3: Ashes for Gold UPDATED 15th October, Final Update, see Post 741 for details

[Frankex_2272]

@JBento

Ok, see, this is not (theoretically) wrong. The current prediction is that we’re going to end up with everybody being shades of light to medium brown (though I’d argue that 200 years is waaaaaaay too short a timespan). The issue is that this is DEFINITELY not the result of an ascending empire, especially not the British one - we know this, because the British Empire spent a considerable amount of time lording over India, and the result of that wasn’t “the British ruling class in India became brown”, it was “and then the Indians got fucked over, in multiple ways, repeatedly and hard”. Hells, just go ask Meghan Markle about the CURRENT British ruling class and how they feel about someone a couple shades off “pasty white”.

Well, I wasn’t talking about the British Empire, but really about globalization that allows just what I mentioned. Simply a colonial world empire like the British was a means to achieve globalization and if it were not so, it would be given in another way than the origin of something inevitable in the future of humanity.

@JBento

I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking here. Do you mean “chosen ones” as humans who carry Highest DNA (like Spillane) and “other beings similar to them” as the Highest?

A bit of both since in many mythological worldviews there is talk of original humans who received a kind of divine design that their descendants should follow for a full life here on this tangible planet earth. Like the commandment to populate the earth or to never forget the law of love in Africa (I really liked this legend of origin but I don’t remember what culture this worldview of love was)

[idonotlikeusernames]

@Frankex_2272

Simply destroy all the Carxite in the castle and let World War II as well as human history unfold without any direct or indirect intervention from the Carxite and the Most High.

The golden ending…probably. Unless that is Deus ex machina.

Let the whole Carxite and most high episode become one of those speculative “above top secret” clearance secrets. Heck maybe we’ll get an alternate world X-files episode out of it or something.

@JBento

The current prediction is that we’re going to end up with everybody being shades of light to medium brown

Probably not, if anything designer babies will make for more colour options not less…fuchsia will be so in-season in the year 3033.

[JBento]

@Frankex_2272

Simply a colonial world empire like the British was a means to achieve globalization and if it were not so, it would be given in another way than the origin of something inevitable in the future of humanity.

This is, regrettably, not how colonial empires work. Colonial empires are, by nature, invested in REINFORCING the differences between the colonisers and the colonised.

@Frankex_2272

A bit of both since in many mythological worldviews there is talk of original humans who received a kind of divine design that their descendants should follow for a full life here on this tangible planet earth.

Ok, I’m STILL not sure what exactly you were asking, but here is my take on the multiple options. Note that I haven’t played the B3 demo yet, so this is coming from what I learned and/or can hypothesise from Books 1 and 2:

So, the Archive is pretty clear that he qualifies Spillane only a bit above “sludge”, and humans without special DNA very much BELOW “sludge.” Either the Archive has a sufficiently developed AI to extrapolate “humans suck” from the archive data or it’s base programming already includes “humans suck”. It doesn’t SEEM to be able to deviate much from its programming so I’m slightly leaning towards the latter.

The Most High, on the other hand, deliberately inserted their own DNA to “uplift” (gods how I hate that word) select humans, so either they wanted that DNA to spread and eventually be part of every human or they wanted to create a sort of ruling class of ascended humans to tule over the great, unwashed masses. If they were aiming for the first, they failed miserably, and they know enough about genetics to actually do the whole process, so I’m leaning towards the goal being having a genetically-modified ruling class. This is… not great.

I’m preeeetty sure they were ok with the modified humans banging normal humans - though as the Archive points out, this means the ascended DNA gets diluted to the point that most people who have it no longer count as ascended, so the end result of this is… nothing, that I can see. The Most High appear to just have made the modifications and then left, so it’s not like they were running a breeding program to reinforce those genes, so in some more generations probably nobody is going to count as ascended.

If your question, however, is if the Most High were ok with modified humans banging Most High, the Archive’s opinion of humans doesn’t really make me lean towards “yes.”

@idonotlikeusernames

fuchsia will be so in-season in the year 3033.

Fuchsia is an abomination and a curse upon the eyes. Actual purple, however, is the new black every year.

@idonotlikeusernames

now sexy blue or green skin on the other hand, that’ll always be at least somewhat in style.

It certainly is THIS year:

[idonotlikeusernames]

@JBento

Actual purple, however, is the new black every year.

Uh, uh, purple is soo year 3000…now sexy blue or green skin on the other hand, that’ll always be at least somewhat in style.

[Frankex_2272]

@JBento

This is, regrettably, not how colonial empires work. Colonial empires are, by nature, invested in REINFORCING the differences between the colonisers and the colonised.

It was not in all empires, for example in the French and Spanish colonial empires, that division was made so that the transition to a new society would not be so radical with the locals, as well as to avoid local ethnic conflicts. That is why in the Spanish empire there were still indigenous communities that benefited from the Spanish empire by becoming the winning side and having colonial privileges, such as the republics of Indians where they governed their own people well but badly those who were their enemies, such as the Aztecs and the Incas. As well as having royal edicts that regulated the treatment between “races” as it was said at this time was not conflictive since before the fact of having to share the same space with other human beings with a different worldview was recognized.

Just as, for example, pointing out the Native Americans as subjects of the crown that made them worthy of the protection of Spanish law but also having to pay taxes to the empire, another particular case reported by Humboldt was like a woman who terribly mistreated her black slaves (excuse me but I need to clarify the words of the Prussian explorer) were taken away from women as well as granted their freedom to a state of enjoyment of rights including with their own peoples similar to the Republics of Indians (That’s what they called the indigenous areas that they enjoyed a certain autonomy and privileges within the Spanish empire as long as they spoke Spanish or were Catholic) With an evangelization process that did not eradicate indigenous traditions but rather assimilated them into religious rites.

Implying that the native attributes in Latin America did not disappear but simply evolved by interacting with another different worldview and that it took elements from them to form something new. In fact, that’s what I thought when the MC had his adventure in New Orleans by having my perspective as a true mestizo city in the United States by having cultural attributes inherited from the peoples of the slaves and the French colonizers that there was no prohibition of interracial marriages. And that’s the same for the inhabitants of New Orleans who I have no doubt have white and African ancestry alike.

[JBento]

@Frankex_2272

It was not in all empires, for example in the French and Spanish colonial empires, that division was made so that the transition to a new society would not be so radical with the locals, as well as to avoid local ethnic conflicts.

This is… demonstrably not true? Like, very extremely definitely untrue. waves in the direction of Haiti as just one example

[Frankex_2272]

@JBento

This is… demonstrably not true? Like, very extremely definitely untrue. waves in the direction of Haiti

Forgive me. I see I was wrong. You are more familiar with the French colonial system, you are right on this point

[Frankex_2272]

@JBento

The Most High, on the other hand, deliberately inserted their own DNA to “uplift” (gods how I hate that word) select humans, so either they wanted that DNA to spread and eventually be part of every human or they wanted to create a sort of ruling class of ascended humans to tule over the great, unwashed masses. If they were aiming for the first, they failed miserably, and they know enough about genetics to actually do the whole process, so I’m leaning towards the goal being having a genetically-modified ruling class. This is… not great.

@JBento

I’m preeeetty sure they were ok with the modified humans banging normal humans - though as the Archive points out, this means the ascended DNA gets diluted to the point that most people who have it no longer count as ascended, so the end result of this is… nothing, that I can see. The Most High appear to just have made the modifications and then left, so it’s not like they were running a breeding program to reinforce those genes, so in some more generations probably nobody is going to count as ascended.

I doubt this a bit since for me it would be logical to think that there are more people with an affinity to Carxita in the world but they simply do not know it since they have not interacted with her as the MC, the antagonist, that film director and that prince Hindu.

And on the other hand, I believe that many people have these special genes and two living examples apart from the MC and the antagonist are a film director and an Indian Prince. When they interact with objects of this type, their genetic affinity to extraterrestrial elements seems to activate and with it the forgotten gifts of their ancestors. It is the logic that I see similar to recessive genes. And I don’t doubt that there are more descendants of the “chosen ones” around the world and that they will wake up if such an important event occurs with these alien stones.

[JBento]

@Frankex_2272

Spanish colonial system than with the French

I’m not very familiar with the Spanish colonial system (except that little detail that they decided to murder everybody and raze everything they ran into while looking for a city of gold), but Haiti is such an incredible example of literally everyone involved that wasn’t the Haitians being so absolutely irredeemably terrible forever that it just got etched into my mind.

@Frankex_2272

I doubt this a bit since for me it would be logical to think that there are more people with an affinity to Carxita in the world

I’d have to replay R1 to be sure, but I think the Archive says most people who have the DNA have it so diluted that it no longer hits the affinity threshold. I can definitely be misremembering it, though.

[KZV]

My immediate guess is that Deus Ex Machina is gonna be fairly literal. There will be an actual being of godlike power coming from the machines of the ancients. It might even be Spillane!

[Dej]

I don’t know if this is what he meant but Spanish colonies had an interesting attempt at absorbing the conquered populations into the existing feudal system(yes the Spanish state kept feudal characteristics that late). There was a lot of intermarriage into important families and so on after the destruction of what they viewed as a satanic religion and barbaric culture. Not an endorsement, just a different approach to North America which often resembled a war of annihilation.

Holy tangent! Sorry about that but I spent that money on the history degree to be an internet pedant, I’ll have you know.

[Frankex_2272]

@JBento

I’m not very familiar with the Spanish colonial system (except that little detail that they decided to murder everybody and raze everything they ran into while looking for a city of gold), but Haiti is such an incredible example of literally everyone involved that wasn’t the Haitians being so absolutely irredeemably terrible forever that it just got etched into my mind.

Well, I have to tell you that the Spanish were not alone in exploring America. There were indigenous natives who had already allied themselves with the Spanish. So there were some privileged in their alliance-subordination and others harmed by rebelling from the beginning.

@JBento

I’d have to replay R1 to be sure, but I think the Archive says most people who have the DNA have it so diluted that it no longer hits the affinity threshold. I can definitely be misremembering it, though.

It is that I see it as the human attributes that we have inherited from the age of the caves that can be “activated” again, so to speak, when a situation puts us at the limit in our survival, such as violent behavior based on the rise of adrenalin.

[JBento]

@Frankex_2272

It is that I see it as the human attributes that we have inherited from the age of the caves that can be “activated” again, so to speak, when a situation puts us at the limit in our survival, such as violent behavior based on the rise of adrenalin.

Again, I can be misremembering, it’s been a while since I played, but I’m reasonably certain that it was really the Most High just modifying human DNA with theirs. It’s definitely not adrenaline based, though - there’s artifacts in R1 that don’t fit that theory, like the healing half of the Stone of Shamballah, the Ruby, aaaaaand… whichever one is the read intentions amulet.

@Dej

Sorry about that but I spent that money on the history degree to be an internet pedant, I’ll have you know.

I find pedantry to be great, actually. Likewise with semantics. (for clarification, this is neither irony nor sarcasm)

[Frankex_2272]

@Schliemannsghost

Pax Britannica.

I think a requirement for the Pax Britannica achievement would be that earlier in our history the British government had got their hands on the island of the highest in the Pacific to have enough study of that alien technology.

[BananaSword]

@Frankex_2272 I wonder if aspects of the Spanish colonial system were influenced at all by Spains own history of being colonised by the various Islamic dynasties that held most of the country for 300-400 years? It was a lengthy history of religious, ethnic, and racial mixing for the country which certainly played a part in shaping Spain by the 15th century.

[Frankex_2272]

You are right

[BananaSword]

@Frankex_2272

You are right

Ha, well it’s just a hypothesis. Spanish history isn’t exactly my area of expertise. I just know that the land we call Spain and Portugal today has had a very long history of being taken over by some group or another, good land, access to the mediterranean and being a good departure point for North Africa has put the boots of countless soldiers marching under no doubt hundreds of banners through that land.

@Schliemannsghost quick question, did you give the SS unit that we are competing against to unlock the knowledge of The Most High any special name throughout the series?

[AlexHaydenX]

Out of all the Godfather films, Godfather 2 is the most highly regarded out of the trilogy. I could say the same for Relics 2, the game was so great and it definitely has my money’s worth for the experience. I think I gave the first one an 8 or a 9 but I’m giving Relics 2 a ten. Going through with the Godfather analogies I hope the 3rd one isnt as bad as Godfather 3, but from what I’ve seen in the demo I have faith that @Schliemannsghost would pull a satisfying end to the trilogy. My scummy Spilane has come so far

I have some minor gripes here and there but its so nitpicky that I dont need to mention it.

Anyway this sounds very evil but my scummy Spilane should’ve romanced Esme in the first game since Abdul would die in the 2nd one anyway, I think Esme’s attention would be all on me but I doubt that since she’s a poly lol.

Alas Caius Spillane still can’t get over his ex and their sex was so great that she successfully reined in his selfishness and greed that he let Maria take all the winnings and be together with her again. I have a question though, when deciding if you’ll give the credit to Maria for winning or not there was an option that you wont agree to her deal since you dont want to buy her affection, if you chose that option and split the money with her 50-50 instead do you still have a chance to romance her in Book 3 or its closed off and you really need to let her win? Maria is great and all but Sam was pretty unhappy with my simping over Maria and every decisions are not worth it if my good pal Sam doesn’t like it

[Sujan_Dhakal]

You can initiate in the third game, but you won’t get the engagement/marriage scene. Then I’m pretty sure. as I see it, once you marry her, you’ll get access to all that wealth anyway, so…

[Schliemannsghost]

Yes, Sujan’s right, you can still get together with her in Book 3, but you won’t get a wedding at that point. (You may be able to decide that you marry her in the epilogue, but only established romances get to play through their wedding in Book 3!)