> Every time I try to brainstorm a little on this,
> I keep finding myself drawing on elements
> from both SOTS and Archimage by Jude McLaughlin. Bleagh.
I know I am not one of these authentic pre-reader people, but how about a few ideas...
1) Doug might be considered by some entities to be a (minor) agent of the Three. This implies that some of their enemies are his enemies. Who is opposed to them, one way or another? If the three have the Triple Goddess as one face, the Herne the Huntsman, their consort/opposite number might fit. Or, someone like Surtur. I think Ares (Mars) and Loki have been overdone as opponents, so I would avoid these. Alternatively, what sort of entity would be really ticked off by Doug and how he uses his powers. Note that the attention span of such beings can be very short, or at least _seem_ that way!
2) As the Three operate through agents, so their opponents, or fellow chess players, might. If Akio is soul-less, this might make it a lot easier for certain entities to influence him, or even promise him something like his soul back! If he is told that the appropriate but very carefully arranged ritual sacrifice of Doug would help him...
3) Throw in a shapeshifter, that has been sucked into the world as a side-effect of Doug's gate. If you want to stir things up there is nothing like a shapeshifter! [grin]
4) Cause Doug's arrival in the world of RGU to displace someone else, who will only return when he leaves. He might take a while to figure this out, and when he does it puts him under some extra pressure. This could be a one-off due to the nature of this world.
5) One or more of the existing cast has a serious crush on Doug, and goes to serious attempts to make sure their love is not unrequited. Given the number of strange personalities there are about the place, this is far from unlikely. Cruel, yes, but...
If none of this helps, well, we aim to bemuse! [grin]
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind
> I keep finding myself drawing on elements
> from both SOTS and Archimage by Jude McLaughlin. Bleagh.
I know I am not one of these authentic pre-reader people, but how about a few ideas...
1) Doug might be considered by some entities to be a (minor) agent of the Three. This implies that some of their enemies are his enemies. Who is opposed to them, one way or another? If the three have the Triple Goddess as one face, the Herne the Huntsman, their consort/opposite number might fit. Or, someone like Surtur. I think Ares (Mars) and Loki have been overdone as opponents, so I would avoid these. Alternatively, what sort of entity would be really ticked off by Doug and how he uses his powers. Note that the attention span of such beings can be very short, or at least _seem_ that way!
2) As the Three operate through agents, so their opponents, or fellow chess players, might. If Akio is soul-less, this might make it a lot easier for certain entities to influence him, or even promise him something like his soul back! If he is told that the appropriate but very carefully arranged ritual sacrifice of Doug would help him...
3) Throw in a shapeshifter, that has been sucked into the world as a side-effect of Doug's gate. If you want to stir things up there is nothing like a shapeshifter! [grin]
4) Cause Doug's arrival in the world of RGU to displace someone else, who will only return when he leaves. He might take a while to figure this out, and when he does it puts him under some extra pressure. This could be a one-off due to the nature of this world.
5) One or more of the existing cast has a serious crush on Doug, and goes to serious attempts to make sure their love is not unrequited. Given the number of strange personalities there are about the place, this is far from unlikely. Cruel, yes, but...
If none of this helps, well, we aim to bemuse! [grin]
--
"It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind