[Abstruse]

The whole dust-up with GW read a bit like he he got off easy for handing the Azzies, The NAN countries, the CAS folks and the UCASers their collective rear ends in Denver. I mean, I get it that the authors needed somewhere for homeboy to set up shop and that Denver had been off the radar for a while, but come on. You don't go against five countries militarily and not get some serious political and tactical backlash for it. I thought there would be some sort of troop mobilization at least as a show of force. The whole Take Over thing read like it was an isolated incident between pocket mil-spec security forces. You'd think megas and entire countries would be so on a war footing as is with so many hostile neighbors that they'd return GW's wrath in kind. Hell, even biological agents would make sense. I mean, there's something to be said for the idea that "If I can't have it, nobody can"  being still alive and well. Whatevs. I wrote enough.

Most of that did happen, but not the way you're thinking.  Ghostwalker shows up astrally and starts blasting the hell out of Aztlan's sector.  So Aztlan starts bringing in troops.  This causes a political fallout because no country is supposed to have more than a specific number of military assets for security only.  So the other sectors started bringing in troops and resources not because of Ghostwalker, but because of Aztlan.  Then Ghostwalker shows up with a body now and basically says "Mine."  Not everyone agreed, but Ghostwalker did some backroom dealings and voila, Aztlan's out and everyone's happy having a dragon treating the territories of five of the six most powerful North American governments as his personal fiefdom.  The transcripts of the meeting are actually pretty good reading.

[Mindset]

I guess. I still think five countries, all of which would be at high alert considering the UCAS president just took a public dump seemingly from "the bad guys", would have more to say on the matter then rolling over for a pervibial tummy rub. What if five countries in the post-modern countries went to war or at least went on a full offensive which would more then likely be the move considering tensions would be sky high? Abstruse, you're right. They were a good read. My frustration led to a re-read. My topic is off topic, though. DZ's legacy should live on through another plot line involving more Greats and Elves and Ninjas and sh*t.

[Kot]

I think they just decided 'Nah, what the hell. If we won't get Denver for ourselves, then let's make sure nobody else does, and give it to the friggin dragon. This way we know where he lives, and he won't help himself to any of our territories.'

[Abstruse]

I think they just decided 'Nah, what the hell. If we won't get Denver for ourselves, then let's make sure nobody else does, and give it to the friggin dragon. This way we know where he lives, and he won't help himself to any of our territories.'

It was also the only way to avoid a war.  After Aztlan brought in forces, everyone else did too.  If Ghostwalker hadn't been there to say "Mine", all six nations would've said "Mine" and with all those tensions would've exploded.  Tense political war would've turned to shooting war very fast since Aztlan violated the Treaty of Denver (you know, that document that pretty much maintained what little peace there was in the continent) followed by everyone else doing the same. 

Turning the city over to Ghostwalker was the only way to maintain the peace.  Everyone got something in the backroom deal, and everyone also got Aztlan out the city which they all would've wanted for various reasons (mostly to break up the various voting blocks).

[CanRay]

Pretty much.  The only people losing out and getting slotted off is the Azzies.

And, let's face it:  Slotted off is their default setting. 

[The_Gun_Nut]

Ghostwalker did trash some of the security forces in Denver, some in each of the zones, but, with the exception of Aztlan, did it all in self defense (of course, random dragon flying around would spook anyone, factor in paranoid zone troopers and...).  Aztlan he took special care of, and gave the entire Aztlan zone to the CAS and likely made several other concessions to the other local powers.

Plus, he's a great dragon.  It's better to be working with one than on the business end of their flame thrower.

[Ten-Hex]

It wasn't five countries on one side and a great dragon on the other. It was a balkanized city occupied by multiple competing powers (not all of whom had a direct territorial route to the city) each on their own side with a great dragon (accompanied by a substantial array of spirits) jumping into the mix.

And it's not as if Ghostwalker just woke up and blindly threw a tantrum. A lot of commentary discounts his planning and groundwork prior to assaulting Aztlan's (and Lofwyr's) assets in Denver to reassert control of his territory, just because it happened so quickly that it's hard to conceive of any entity working that fast. It speaks volumes of why Ghostwalker was one of the most dominant greats during the Fourth World.

[Kot]

Well, Denver wasn't exactly 'his territory'. That's in Romania IIRC...

[CanRay]

Well, Denver wasn't exactly 'his territory'. That's in Romania IIRC...

Wasn't Denver Dunkie's old stomping grounds?  He just moved to Canada after he woke up and got his own 'Trid show?

[DesVoeux]

Yes, Dunkelzahn awoke in Cherry Creek Lake, Denver. (Which also seems to make the Big D the only dragon I know of that awoke in a major metropolis.)

Re: Ghostwalker taking over Denver. You have to remember that A) he's a Great frakking Dragon, B) he emerged from an astral frakking rift, and C) he had an army of frakking spirits with him. Him taking over Denver (one city) is a lot more believable than Native Americans rising up and taking over the United States and Canada.

[CanRay]

Yes, Dunkelzahn awoke in Cherry Creek Lake, Denver. (Which also seems to make the Big D the only dragon I know of that awoke in a major metropolis.)

Re: Ghostwalker taking over Denver. You have to remember that A) he's a Great frakking Dragon, B) he emerged from an astral frakking rift, and C) he had an army of frakking spirits with him. Him taking over Denver (one city) is a lot more believable than Native Americans rising up and taking over the United States and Canada.

To be fair, the Native Americans had the Hispanics on their side. 

[The_Gun_Nut]

And volcanoes.

[Abstruse]

And volcanoes.

Four volcanoes.  That were previously dormant.  About the same time that the world had just come to terms with the fact that people could run around casting spells and no one knew what you could actually do with magic.

[WareWolf]

And volcanoes.

Four volcanoes.  That were previously dormant.  About the same time that the world had just come to terms with the fact that people could run around casting spells and no one knew what you could actually do with magic.

It wasn't that SAIM beat the USA, it was fear. No one knew if this was a warning shot or if the magic wielders had just landed their best punch. I imagine a lot of corporate puppeteers didn't want to find out since they weren't sure how to make a profit off the event. Better to let SAIM "win" and use the resulting chaos to twist law to the corps own benefit.

[bigity]

He wasn't assassinated he "Sacrificed" himself to power an incredibly powerful focus. He then somehow became a free spirit named Lethe and ended up possessing a cyberzombie named Billy aka Burnout. He is as of last mention guarding a metaplaner gap that divides our world from that of the Horrors.

That crap is still supported as canon?  Ugh