Post by Toz76 on Apr 8, 2021 20:14:45 GMT -5
WELCOME, MORTALS! DO YOU FEEL FINITE? WEAK? POWERLESS? FOR THE LOW, LOW COST OF SELLING YOUR SOUL TO A POWERFUL EXTRADIMENSIONAL BEING, YOU COULD BECOME AN IMMORTAL HUMAN WITH ULTIMATE MAGICAL POWER AND ONLY A FEW DEBILITATING SIDE EFFECTS!
Part One: The Behind The Scenes Stuff
The Church Of The Horned One is the name of one of the most memorable villains in 3WSR. Also known as the Vile Evil Confederacy, COTHO is a group of evil magic users united by their desire to summon the "Great Horned Beast" into the mortal realm, thus causing the end of the world. Members sell their souls to the "Horned One", in exchange for an end to the aging process and great power that increases as you gain ranks in the organization.
The VEC in its original form began as an attempt to provide recurring 3WSR villain Bronze Mage with some interesting characters to play off of. They were incredibly successful, and while their original story arc ended with most of them being trapped in an inescapable tomb called the Crypt Of The Anchor, they proved so memorable that they were broken out and became arguably the stars of the story for a long time, as they recruited hilariously incompetent new members and tried to prepare for a rematch against their hated enemy. At the climax of the original 100-page thread, they faced off against the Colorfolk, the magical knights that are the heroes of 3WSR, but both groups were forced to form an unlikely alliance against the far less comedic and more competent antagonists, the Servants Of Metalicana. Ever since then, the Colorfolk and VEC have shared an interesting relationship. Both are diametrically opposed- one is a good organization dedicated to preserving knowledge and protecting the innocent, and the other is a death cult that wants to end the world. But due to their common enemies, they find themselves working together and pooling their resources more often than not.
COTHO is not as in control of the situation as they think they are, though. Several of its members are extradimensional demon creatures called Cubii (singular Cubus). The Cubii hail from a complex alien society and are actively using the Horned One and beings like it across the multiverse to conquer all realities and appease their rulers. These characters are notably more alien than the other characters in VEC, who are defined by their humanity, but their machinations frequently drive the plot.
The other defining piece of the COTHO ideology is the mighty being known as Silvestron. Believed to be a reincarnation of the ancient hero Heph (long story), Silvestron is supposed to be the most powerful evil mage who has ever or will ever live, and he is key to the ritual that will bring the Great Horned Beast into our world. COTHO is always on the hunt for individuals that fulfill the requirements of the prophecy and could potentially be Silvestron. In the original 3WSR lore, there were at least three viable candidates for who would ultimately become Silvestron, but the person most characters guessed was Percy Silver, a fifteen-year old boy who is dumber than a box of rocks and consistently gets himself into wacky shenanigans due to sheer incompetence.
While the original canon was abandoned, at least one writer (Toz) had planned out a complete arc for the VEC. It would detail Percy Silver's unwilling descent from a naive idiot to an evil being due to the influence of the Bronze Mage and an evil sorceress named Zemlya (see also the Deszeld City arc, which was only partially completed but showed the beginning of Percy Silver's fall from innocence). At the climax, Silvestron would sacrifice the Bronze Mage on an altar to bring the Horned One into the world, bringing on a final battle of epic proportions. While our heroes would defeat the Horned One, it was meant to be an "end of an era" for 3WSR, as many characters on both sides of the conflict would have their arcs conclude here and the role of the VEC would be filled by a now independent Silvestron coming to terms with his destiny, the Cubii moving into the open after their plan failed, and a splinter cell of VEC survivors. Perhaps a version of this will happen in our new continuity, but who knows?
What To Know When Writing For COTHO
The new version of the VEC as seen in the 4WSR continuity is very underdeveloped compared to their predecessors, but are already attempting to worm their way into the conflict with the colorfolk. Most of the members return with their original personalities and motivations, although most backstories have been altered due to the unrealistic timeframe of the VEC in the old canon. I'll make another post in this thread talking about specific characters, but there are some specific things that should be noted.
1) COTHO welcomes everyone
Not everyone in VEC is a powerful magic user. One of their high-ranking members, Chessmaster, is just a really smart guy. Many of their recruits don't have powers, and the powers they do have are either weak to the point of uselessness or actively harmful. The incompetent new recruits are one of the time-honored traditions of VEC/COTHO, and the comedy of that can and should be played up.
2) COTHO keeps its cards close to its chest
Only those at the very top of COTHO, generally those at the rank of Archbishop and above, know the truth about how evil the Horned One is. To most, the Vile Evil Confederacy is a self-depreciating nickname, and COTHO is a legitimate religious organization.
3) COTHO is deeply human
Every major character in the cult, and many of the minor characters, have very well-defined personalities. The Bronze Mage is power-hungry and revenge-driven. Priori the necromancer is withdrawn and snarky. Chessmaster is extremely intelligent and considers himself above most others. Honeybadger is arrogant and far less attractive and charismatic than he thinks he is. Even joke characters like The General and Rodney the Intern have a degree in pathos in how ridiculous their abilities are and who they become when they find a way to use their weaknesses as strengths.
4) COTHO is not SOM
I'll let Tug tackle this in more detail if/when we see SOM again, but it's important to note that SOM is not COTHO. Both groups are similar- a hierarchical structure led by an incomprehensible non-human monster- but the way these concepts are realized is very different. SOM is very anime-influenced, and its ranks are made up of less human creatures, from liches to snakemen to blue gorillas. Additionally, SOM has far more manpower. With a few notable exceptions, COTHO tends to avoid nameless goons, but each "General" in SOM commands a decent-sized force of them. Finally, SOM is far more cutthroat. When members like Raios and Redfox of SOM interact, there is tension- Raios is jealous of Redfox's higher rank, and Redfox is wary of potential betrayal. COTHO members are much more of a religious hierarchy than a military hierarchy, and most members believe they are at the rank they are meant to be. This isn't to say that SOM or VEC are "better" than each other. Both are very memorable and fun, but they serve different purposes. This entire section might be totally outdated depending on what SOM looks like in the new canon but I guess we'll see.
COMING SOON: A look at the major characters of COTHO and what to keep in mind when writing for them.
Part One: The Behind The Scenes Stuff
The Church Of The Horned One is the name of one of the most memorable villains in 3WSR. Also known as the Vile Evil Confederacy, COTHO is a group of evil magic users united by their desire to summon the "Great Horned Beast" into the mortal realm, thus causing the end of the world. Members sell their souls to the "Horned One", in exchange for an end to the aging process and great power that increases as you gain ranks in the organization.
The VEC in its original form began as an attempt to provide recurring 3WSR villain Bronze Mage with some interesting characters to play off of. They were incredibly successful, and while their original story arc ended with most of them being trapped in an inescapable tomb called the Crypt Of The Anchor, they proved so memorable that they were broken out and became arguably the stars of the story for a long time, as they recruited hilariously incompetent new members and tried to prepare for a rematch against their hated enemy. At the climax of the original 100-page thread, they faced off against the Colorfolk, the magical knights that are the heroes of 3WSR, but both groups were forced to form an unlikely alliance against the far less comedic and more competent antagonists, the Servants Of Metalicana. Ever since then, the Colorfolk and VEC have shared an interesting relationship. Both are diametrically opposed- one is a good organization dedicated to preserving knowledge and protecting the innocent, and the other is a death cult that wants to end the world. But due to their common enemies, they find themselves working together and pooling their resources more often than not.
COTHO is not as in control of the situation as they think they are, though. Several of its members are extradimensional demon creatures called Cubii (singular Cubus). The Cubii hail from a complex alien society and are actively using the Horned One and beings like it across the multiverse to conquer all realities and appease their rulers. These characters are notably more alien than the other characters in VEC, who are defined by their humanity, but their machinations frequently drive the plot.
The other defining piece of the COTHO ideology is the mighty being known as Silvestron. Believed to be a reincarnation of the ancient hero Heph (long story), Silvestron is supposed to be the most powerful evil mage who has ever or will ever live, and he is key to the ritual that will bring the Great Horned Beast into our world. COTHO is always on the hunt for individuals that fulfill the requirements of the prophecy and could potentially be Silvestron. In the original 3WSR lore, there were at least three viable candidates for who would ultimately become Silvestron, but the person most characters guessed was Percy Silver, a fifteen-year old boy who is dumber than a box of rocks and consistently gets himself into wacky shenanigans due to sheer incompetence.
While the original canon was abandoned, at least one writer (Toz) had planned out a complete arc for the VEC. It would detail Percy Silver's unwilling descent from a naive idiot to an evil being due to the influence of the Bronze Mage and an evil sorceress named Zemlya (see also the Deszeld City arc, which was only partially completed but showed the beginning of Percy Silver's fall from innocence). At the climax, Silvestron would sacrifice the Bronze Mage on an altar to bring the Horned One into the world, bringing on a final battle of epic proportions. While our heroes would defeat the Horned One, it was meant to be an "end of an era" for 3WSR, as many characters on both sides of the conflict would have their arcs conclude here and the role of the VEC would be filled by a now independent Silvestron coming to terms with his destiny, the Cubii moving into the open after their plan failed, and a splinter cell of VEC survivors. Perhaps a version of this will happen in our new continuity, but who knows?
What To Know When Writing For COTHO
The new version of the VEC as seen in the 4WSR continuity is very underdeveloped compared to their predecessors, but are already attempting to worm their way into the conflict with the colorfolk. Most of the members return with their original personalities and motivations, although most backstories have been altered due to the unrealistic timeframe of the VEC in the old canon. I'll make another post in this thread talking about specific characters, but there are some specific things that should be noted.
1) COTHO welcomes everyone
Not everyone in VEC is a powerful magic user. One of their high-ranking members, Chessmaster, is just a really smart guy. Many of their recruits don't have powers, and the powers they do have are either weak to the point of uselessness or actively harmful. The incompetent new recruits are one of the time-honored traditions of VEC/COTHO, and the comedy of that can and should be played up.
2) COTHO keeps its cards close to its chest
Only those at the very top of COTHO, generally those at the rank of Archbishop and above, know the truth about how evil the Horned One is. To most, the Vile Evil Confederacy is a self-depreciating nickname, and COTHO is a legitimate religious organization.
3) COTHO is deeply human
Every major character in the cult, and many of the minor characters, have very well-defined personalities. The Bronze Mage is power-hungry and revenge-driven. Priori the necromancer is withdrawn and snarky. Chessmaster is extremely intelligent and considers himself above most others. Honeybadger is arrogant and far less attractive and charismatic than he thinks he is. Even joke characters like The General and Rodney the Intern have a degree in pathos in how ridiculous their abilities are and who they become when they find a way to use their weaknesses as strengths.
4) COTHO is not SOM
I'll let Tug tackle this in more detail if/when we see SOM again, but it's important to note that SOM is not COTHO. Both groups are similar- a hierarchical structure led by an incomprehensible non-human monster- but the way these concepts are realized is very different. SOM is very anime-influenced, and its ranks are made up of less human creatures, from liches to snakemen to blue gorillas. Additionally, SOM has far more manpower. With a few notable exceptions, COTHO tends to avoid nameless goons, but each "General" in SOM commands a decent-sized force of them. Finally, SOM is far more cutthroat. When members like Raios and Redfox of SOM interact, there is tension- Raios is jealous of Redfox's higher rank, and Redfox is wary of potential betrayal. COTHO members are much more of a religious hierarchy than a military hierarchy, and most members believe they are at the rank they are meant to be. This isn't to say that SOM or VEC are "better" than each other. Both are very memorable and fun, but they serve different purposes. This entire section might be totally outdated depending on what SOM looks like in the new canon but I guess we'll see.
COMING SOON: A look at the major characters of COTHO and what to keep in mind when writing for them.