#the dreen

Deltarune by Toby Fox versus Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio

I have a new Mildly Unhinged But Textually Supported Prediction!

Because you see, the Foglios do play fair, and sometimes they'll give us a little bit of foreshadowing on just long enough a delay that we might not notice it the first time through. For example:

in the most recent Girl Genius comic, one of the Dreen has made a tactical error and accidentally rearranged Klaus Wulfenbach's priorities under his spark wasp control -- and now he has no choice but to aim to kill them. Oops!

I threw this together in a fit of inspiration -- I assume the next comic will go differently, but I wanted to publish it anyways because the concept really just seized on me as soon as the Dreen in-comic mused "Say - What is that Music?"

The full extent of the damage is going to have to wait for friday's page But isn't that the sky-net thing the Dreen put up to keep the MOON safe??

Me:

Ok, I started trying to work out why the Dreen were so sure they owe a debt to the Baron and Castle Heterodyne...

And fuck is it big.

And oh... killing the interdimensional dragon doesn't come close to cleaning their debts.

First it's worth remembering they are big games hunters.

They don't really care what happens to this reality, or eachother; as long as they get the awesome fight of Epic-ness.

They want fights with second phases, bosses with final forms, and the definitely they want to get points for style.

And even though they know they have to stay in harmony to kill the dragon; one of them trys the kill steal, cus his gun got upgrades and goes up to 37 bitches.

What they wanted from the Baron was the BIG gun. So big that it the entirety of castle Wulfenbach.

And they were happy to make him build an entire empire; just to make him feel like they are doing him a favor, by being able to be given access to it.

And they don't mind fucking over eachother, or the dimension; to get their shiny upgrades.

Also their perception slightly outside of the normal time. Allowing them to nudge events into ones they prefer.

You could say the Dreen have the ability to see the percentages on Skill Checks on their HUDs.

What I am saying we should be thinking of the Dreens like call of duty players.

(or other MMO of your choice lol).

Even them being "often flummoxed by events they had just experienced" sounds like they pressed skip on the dialogue cut scene; to fecking speed run.

And when you look at it like that isn't the Other the more juice monster to fight?

An intelligent one, with access to time travel.

So powerful now she's killed/will kill the god Queens.

Able to make copies of her self, and hid among any number of ordinary NPCs/normal people.

Or even Wulfenbach soldier clanks.

The ones that the Dreen helped get built, and encouraged the building of the whole fleet of airships that they could now escape on.

There's even the secondary mini boss of Zola.

And since the Dreen have started interfering, empire building 'for the Barron'; the Other has gone from contained threat that Bill and Barry dealt with; to a potential world destroying one.

You will have an important revelation about hats!

So who's guessing that right now is how the Other/ Lucrezia gets hold of time travel?

From being able to analyse the Barron Time Stop/ Take Five bomb, (via her revenants in the black squad).

Lucrezia's had years to have it studied by her people*. And can now combine it with Doctor Monahan's research of the Queens' mirrors/gates. (Big Rat island).

(*Lucrezia couldn't study it herself, as none of the bodies she's had access to are sparks. Tarek couldn't make spark clanks like Agatha dose, with her dingbot primes.

And Klaus didn't know that their able to do that. He appears to have only been helping as much as told to while under her control. So I doubt the Barron mentioned if he noticed, while modifying the little dingbots into WiFi repeaters and transmitters for Lucrezia clank clones.

Not even sure if Lucrezia new human body, [Madame Olga's], is a spark either. Getting herself a female sparks brain has been a major obstacle to her. As the Order kill off so many trying to summon her.

Having access to the spark is of the one of the reasons she broke Klaus out of the time stop. But Klaus has gotten her whinging about cake for the past 2 hours. Lol well done Klaus).

But, ok let's back this up a bit.

How'd the Dreen get here

We know all 3 Dreen came through a rift, when Robur Heterodyne was pissing about with Prende's Lantern/Queen Ninisinaa's Star.

This stopped time in Mechanicsburg, as well as the Castle's perception of events. Castle later gets upgrades to help her still think during a time stop for next time.

(Castle Heterodyne gets female pronouns from me, cus she likes to play matchmaker with the family 😆).

During Robur's experiment the Castle saw the Dreen and their hats enter. But then didn't start perceiving what was happening again, untill after Robur had broken his machines; and gotten the Corbettite's to come pick up all 3 Dreens and the lantern.

Robur calls the Dreen angels.

A lot of the language about the Dreen, and their effects are flagged to the reader with religious wording.

Where the lantern go next

The lantern is then taking it back to Hermitorium in the Immortal Library, under Paris, with them.

This is where Van Rhijn get a hold of it, and starts seeing visions of a mechanical version of Lucrezia (Lucrezia-Anevka/ queen Lucrezia).

He calls her the Muse Of Time, can see her he messes with the Blasphemic energy's (time).

Van Rhijn used these disturbances to study her, which inspire his creation of the nine muses. He then later imprisoned Lucrezia.

(One of Van Rhijn's muses is Tinka, who Tarvek uses to build the clank body of his 'sister' Anevka. Which is then used as the body that of Lucrezia that Van Rhijn, sees traveling through time. And who inspire her own design. Nice paradox).

Tracking the Dreen?

The pair 'working' for Wulfenbach

The two that end up working for the Barron. They met Klaus at a gate, that he was using to escape Skifand with Gil.

The gate is working well, but somehow 'summoned' intra dimensional monsters, as well. Instead of killing them directly with a touch, the Dreen distroy the gate, banishing the monsters.

While this does convince Klaus to take them on to build an empire around, it does two other important things.

This stops Klaus able to examine the workings gate/ queens' mirror. (And see if they tampered with it to make that impressive display).

And it stops him going back to pick up his daughter, Zeetha.

Locking in the possibility that Zeetha will take the long way to find her dad, and her brother. Getting trapped in Europea where no one but Agatha has hear about her homeland.

Which eventually leading to her helping persuade the Circus to let Agatha stay, (without Zeetha Agatha would have been sent packing). And her also becoming Agatha's combat teacher.

Without these skills she would probably have died on the way to Mechanicsburg. And never being able to survive Castle Heterodyne, if she had.

Agatha unlikely to have gone to castle Sturmvoraus without the circus. As even the Geisterdamen write her off when they meet in the wastes.

But mostly because Sturmhalten is doubling back on herself, it's on the way to Beetleburgh. The circus doesn't take the direct route to Mechanicsburg.

No, the way that Agatha gets introduced to the Sturmvoraus' is on a stage, with all eyes on her; with undeniable proof that she's Lucriaza's daughter.

All nice and ready for her to get possessed by mummy dearest, in the Lady's Chapel. Because she is the holy child and it is the Orders sacred task.

(There's all that religiously language again).

It's all very improbable is what I'm saying. And suggested a thumb has been put on the scale, to get this change of events.

All of this comes from two nudges.

Destroying the gate, while telling him he'll build an empire. Making the Barron think he owes them for the life of himself and his son.

And having Agatha's locket stolen as she flees from a time disturbance, of Lucrezia in the same hats the Dreens wear.

Ok, that explains why the Dreen feel indebted to the Baron.

So what about the Castle. How do they piss her off?

The Dreen are responsible for the Baron have the resources, and need to use the Take Five Bomb.

(If Agatha doesn't get possessed by Lucrezia; then no one is using the singal spark-wasp. Especially not on the Barron).

As well as getting the Take Five Bomb, being set off at the exact same moment that Martellus drags Agatha through the Gate. (Both seem needed).

Which rips a hole in space time; letting out the dragon for them to fight in the first place....🤦

"the time block is bait - the Dreen are the hunters!"

Using the whole of Mechanicsburg, her town, just as bait.

Stopping her citizens lives for years for this scrap. Leaving many trap outside.

Say what you like about Castle Heterodyne, that pile of rocks loves her people.

And even bigger that that.

The Dreen have prevented Castle Heterodyne from aiding Agatha, and keeping the Heterodyne and her consorts safe in the fortress.

Getting her whisked away at their moment of triumph.

The Castle would do anything for her family.

Oooo she is going to be pissed.

And that's just the trackable action of the two 'working' for the Baron.

The one Dreen by himself

Ok, tracking this guy, helps make it clearer that the Dreen are working to are making sure Lucrezia final form isn't nerfed, for a better fight later.

But also that are Not working to let her win overall.

He seems to have stayed put with the Corbettitesfor a lot longer.

(Ha monks with an angel locked up in their crypts).

He waited in the crypts of the Corbettite Depot Fortress, St. Szpac; where the Beast Of The Rails was imprisoned.

Only escaping/leaving after lady Margarella Selnikov dies; leaving Agatha in possession of key to Hermitorium, and Van Rhijn notebook.

(Both were nicked off Martellus ha!)

And both the notebook, and the key are then used later by Agatha to spring the imprisoned queen Lucrezia/ the muse of time.

(Agatha is slightly mind controlled into it. But this leads to the muse of time appearing in a rift in Beetleburgh, right in front of Agatha. And scaring her into the alleyway where he locker is stolen by Von Zinzer and his brother).

But that's not the only information that in the notebook now.

The notebook now contacting a collected folio of notes* people from many people studying it.

(*Lol I see what foglios' did there).

This includes Agatha's own notes from in the circus, and Moxana. Which she used to improve her own spark prime dingbots.

Tarvek's analysis of both Van Rhijn's notes and Agatha's. As well as his own that he used to make Anevka from his study of Tinka. And what he learnt to build mechanical Lucrezia, as well as some of what he learnt directly from her.

From working with The Incorruptible Library Agatha is able to access more of Van Rhijn's notes on both the muse of time and his work with the lantern. Information that helps Agatha know how to free Mechanicsburg from the Take-Five time-bubble and where to find the lantern.

It also contains Tarsus Beetle's study of the muses and his theories on how a organic mind could become a clank. This was the basis of Lucrezia's work.

The ancient Greek, Meton of Athens notes on at least some or all of this folio. Which shows that time travel are involved in the book getting those note.

This means that when chronologically Lucrezia does get time travel our heroes won't be far behind.

(Ok, that might still take 5-10 years. But we know how this comic works).

But this looks like the Dreen are trying to make sure the player party gets leveled up with EX, to keep some pace with the Other.

Even if it's only so they can get their shinny upgrades from the 3 sages, Agatha, Gil and Tarvek.

(Got to make sure your RND department has the information to make the best weapons right).

The solo Dreen then lets Gil know Agatha is off to Paris. And that Gil will also go there too.

But Gil doesn't actually met Agatha in Paris, or go there directly.

Because of this message he instead he rescues/ kidnaps Tarvek, and trys to take him back to Paris with him.

Where Bang explains to Tarvek about Gil being mind controlled by a copy of Klaus, and she asks for help from Tarvek. And they kidnap/rescue Gil to London instead, to fix it with Agatha.

This gives all 3 a chance to sit down together and both sets of mind control, (Lucrezia from Agatha's head, and Klaus from Gil's head). Setting them up to break the time stop and let the Dreen hunt the dragon.

But also setting up Lucrezia getting the Barron out of the time stop, so he can give he a new human body, (Madame Olga's). As well as letting her use Agatha's clanks as WiFi repeaters so she can have up to date copies of her clank bodies.

When Gil finally dose get to Paris with Tarvek; they get the plot drop about about The Shrike.

A Ghost swordwomen; leading a resistance movement against the Zola, the Other and the polar lords, around Holfung-Borzoi.

With the aid of rebel Geisterdamen, Othar Tryggvassen (Gentleman Adventurer), and Corbettites.

(It's Zulenna. Bet Tarvek will be happy when he finds out).

But again the plot drop about the Geisterdamen is flagged with religious language; of wanting to support Agatha as their holy child who they were made to guard.

They've even shown that's it's possible for a group revenants to loophole their mind control, fully by doing this. So they don't have to listen to either Zola or Lucrezia.

(Much like how Klaus was doing by making cake from scratch, before the Dreen removed his spark so the spark-wasp doesn't work).

And they don't have to listen to Agatha either, they just have to guard her. Honestly they could even take the Von Pin route if Agatha gave them trouble.

But yer, the Dreen are out for themselves, and the best hunt, with the best toys they can manage.

Which does involve making Lucrezia becomes a bigger threat first, then scale up the player party second.

Let's hope the Castle and the Barron put in a good bill for this nonsense.