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  • What are the rules of the Game?

    I can only think of four.

    1. No fighting, ESPECIALLY beheading on Holy Ground. Of any kind.
    2. All fights between Immortals must be one-on-one. No exceptions.
    3. If you're an Immortal and encounter a freshly activated Immortal (meaning, a pre-Immortal who just died and has woken up from their First Death as an Immortal) you must take them and train them in the basics of the Game, or take them to another Immortal who will.
    4. If mortals see two Immortals fighting, the Immortals must flee and hide or otherwise immediately diffuse the situation.

    5. When you're an Immortal mentoring a new Immortal, when your pupil takes their first head/gets their first Quickening, you must cast them out on their own. Your job is done.

    Can you think of any others?
    Highlander: Dark Places

  • #2
    We have seen several different immortals training on holy ground. I would say that the rule is no killing on holy ground. We have also seen instances where the newly made immortal wasn't trained but killed instead. I think that rule is an iffy one depending on the character of the older immortal. As for the last one...we have seen several times where there are two immortals fighting and their friend sticks around to act as a second in case the first loses the duel and their head. Again...not a set rule but depends on the morality of the individual.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Colleengael View Post
      We have seen several different immortals training on holy ground. I would say that the rule is no killing on holy ground.
      I think the basic implication is, "If we screw up and one of us loses our head on Holy Ground, there WILL be consequences... so we better not even fight at all." Yeah, we've seen Immortals fight and even train on Holy Ground, but more often than not there's a huge hesitation to even draw a sword on it.
      Highlander: Dark Places

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Andrew NDB View Post
        2. All fights between Immortals must be one-on-one. No exceptions.
        Just bringing up something for fun. In this rule there is a loophole. No mortal or immortal human can interfere in the fight but since dogs are not humans, mortal or immortal, they can be used by an immortal to help him win a fight. Like in that episode. This loophole probably applies to other animals(or insects) as well. Bees anyone?

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        • #5
          There Can Be Only One (remaining) ... Good job =)
          La Peur Tue l'Esprit ...

          Comment


          • #6
            With the death of an immortal, some kind of energy transfer is initiated.
            May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

            Comment


            • #7
              This was written many, many years ago:

              Family Tree When it was practically spelled out (in hindsight) that Richie was a pre-Immortal
              The Innocent man Where we first see that Immortals can sense a Quickening from a greater distance than they can simply sense another Immortal.
              Mountain Men We see that when an Immie breaks a bone, it won't heal completely until it's straightened out (either that or they're re-breaking bones when they straighten 'em out).
              Note: Caleb does not admit to killing Carl. Conceivably, Carl could still be out there. When asked, Caleb said, "Think what you will."
              Loose end: Joshua (Caleb's adopted son) knows Duncan is not human. Whether or not he knows about Immortals is not certain to me.
              Free Fall In which it is established that pre-Immortals have been known to feel compelled to suicide in order to activate their Immortality.
              Note: Stronger hints that pre-Immies are drawn to realized Immortals before their first death.
              Secondary note: this is not saying the Felicia was new, we know she was NOT. This is noted because Duncan did not find her story unbelievable.
              Deadly Medicine A devastating injury that does not kill will seriously slow an Immortal down. Duncan suffered extensive head injuries. Also: the effects of drugs like Morphine seem to last just as long for an Immortal as they do for a mortal.
              Note: The doctor had slipped off with at least six patients for his experiments, one a Mrs Wilson, another a Mr DiSalvo
              Note 2: Duncan has an associate named Sam who is a master film developer and also has the equipment to do computer analysis of photographs.
              Revenge is Sweet It is first evidenced by Walter Reinhardt's reactions that an Immortal cannot identify another Immortal unless the other one gives himself away somehow (like being the only person close enough to BE the source of the signal).
              For Tomorrow We Die Xavier St. Cloud is introduced. At this point Duncan had only met him briefly in WWI. However, we all know how the timeline becomes complicated.
              It is established that Immortals, after they are killed in poisonous air (like Connor in the lake in HL1) can stand up and walk around in it, while it will still kill mortals.
              Duncan told Tessa that Darius has been a Buddhist and a Hindu. He always obeys the laws of the religion he's following.
              Duncan tells Tessa he's seen King Solomon's Mines.
              Saving Grace Grace's new identity is Isabelle Pont... who was 8 days old when the "real" one died.
              The Lady and the Tiger Amanda tells Richie she knew Richard the Lionheart. She tells Tessa she modeled for Rodan.
              Zachary Blaine, for those who like to speculate on where little Immortals come from, looks STRIKINGLY like Darius.
              Under Color of Authority In which we see that Immortals broadcast their signal at different ranges. While Richie never commented on Duncan's signal, he was amazed at Mako's. Not to mention when he and the woman were hiding out in the hotel room, Richie sensed Mako BEFORE Mako was close enough to sense Richie. Isn't that interesting!
              Prophecy In which we find that Cassandra and Roland Kantos could recognize each other's presence. Cassandra indicated that Kantos had taken about 1000 years to learn "the voice"
              Note: Duncan's mother, Mary, knew evil when she saw it. She was able to resist Kantos' control
              Secondary note: Cassandra and projecting illusions. Was the wolf real? The house was real but she made it so observers could not see it.
              Ooh! And a THIRD note: to emphasize a point, Cassandra could not similarly identify other Immortals by sensation. She didn't know Duncan's Presence from Silas, Caspian and Kronos'.
              I really am enjoying this series! Too bad they already axed it. *sob*


              Reborn Immortals are quite capable of waking up from a death without making a sound if they have to, it seems.
              Bloodlines Amanda, confronted with Nick seeking her out, gets flustered and cute.
              Morgan, the silversmith, proves that an Immortal can kill a mortal on Holy Ground without visible ill-effect.
              Nick causes Morgan to lose his head and there is a Quickening. However, no one received it. Cross-reference with last episode of first season (if there ever is a second season) and we can invent a logical reason!
              If an Immortal loses his head in close proximity to a pre-Immortal, there is a Quickening, but the pre-Immortal is not physically capable of absorbing it. That's my theory.
              Birthright Hey! Amanda blatantly hints that she stole The Star of India from the Duke of Wellington in 1819, or 20. I see a story coming on....
              The Unknown Soldier Amanda learns that she's left a trail of dead mortals behind her, as she put it.
              Cloak and Dagger The return of Bert Myers (who was not born with that name), former member of the Stasi, Nick Wolf's sort-of friend, who has all sorts of nasty things in his background. Including one marriage to a Romanian spy, but that's over. He works in securities, and through Nick is able to get Amanda's help on some rather odd things. His lover was Katherine. She was a really deep double agent for a former East German Stasi nasty.
              The Devil You Know Amanda does not read minds, and in fact is able to be fooled. Take a good-looking man with a plan to rob something cool, and you end up with her doing something foolish and not suspecting him of being a danger to herself.
              A Matter of Time A dead Watcher. Nick meets Joe. Yeah! Poor Jeff Case died. "We observe and record Immortal activity." And follow Andre Korda. I wonder, we could have a story where Methos met Korda, afraid that Kronos had found him until he realized the absence of scar....
              She learned a lot from him before she managed to get away. I heard people keep griping that they had no idea Kristin was Immortal, but it did not seem un-obvious to me. I mean, she hung out with Korda, had been with him for eight years. Just because the big black guy also had a sword didn't mean the girl wasn't Immortal.
              The kiss between Nick and Amanda was wonderful! Those two are made for each other! That was incredibly romantic!
              The French Connection I think I'll fall for Bert Meyers. Oh, no! Korda got Meyers! Korda growls, "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?" Myers says, "I'd say someone who didn't get much love as a child." *WHACK*
              Father Liam Riley, Immortal, is introduced. He'll be Amanda's Darius, I guess.
              The Rogue Goodness, how Nick Wolf met Myers. You know, if Myers keeps running afoul of Immortals, he's going to notice something eventually. But as there currently is no season 2.... waaaaah!!!
              Inferno Hey, if it isn't the bitch queen! So, her name is Talia. Lovely woman. Ick. But she did keep Amanda from being guillotined, though she was the one who arranged it.
              So, Father Liam Riley is asking Nick the "What if you found out you were Immortal?" question. Which we've all decided is supposed to be a hint.
              "Maybe genius isn't a function of time. Maybe it's an act of God." -- Nick Wolf
              Actually, I think I'm beginning to like Talia. She sure doesn't let anyone push her around. Does the phrase "horrible fascination" ring any bells? Maybe it's why so many of us like Kronos and even Caspian. Now I can see myself writing "Talia" stories. Talia captures and tortures Methos in a farm house (they all hang out in Paris, after all). "I know yuir an aristocrat! I can tell by yuir honker! I'd cut it down to size if it wasn't a waste of my time!"
              The Frame As Jade says about Nick, "Gorgeous, angry. Amanda likes him. Just my type." The amusing thing about Jade is that I've seen her several times. In fanfiction. Oh, she didn't look the same, but she and Amanda interacted the same. Don't you love canon?
              Love and Death Oooh. A wedding photo. Amanda and this guy! 1867. Bert is so sneaky.
              All through the series are examples as to why Amanda, in the universe without MacLeod, became a black widow. Derek Markum threatened to take her head if she wouldn't marry him!
              Wow. Father Liam Riley has a protoge. A young woman he's making as certain as he can will not know beforehand that she is Immortal.
              Myers got to watch Derek Markum shot dead and then get up. Demanding a satisfactory explanation, when Amanda told him the exact truth, he said he didn't believe a word of it.
              Thick as Thieves NICOLAI BRESLAW!!! Happy, happy! So good to see him! Wow! Happy me!
              Za Inquisition. I keep looking for Baldric. Oh my goodness. This was hilarious. Our Immortal's name is Jeremy Dexter.
              Nicolai's little brother Sasha won for the first time in his life, gambling with his company's money, over 2,000,000 marks. He went to collect his money, and the casino was robbed. The company discovered the missing money and sent men to arrest him. But he had killed himself.
              "I'm too old too quibble about semantics. As I near the end of my relatively undistinguished career, I find my justice elsewhere." - Nicolai Breslaw
              The Manipulator Amanda had a student, Kristina. Not an Immortal. She was to be married off to the enemy's son to resolve a war. The villain, Rancov, looked MUCH better with a mustache. So, who is the manipulator? The reporter-Watcher, Tim Helfet, or the other Immie? Well, the reporter.
              The Ex-Files Lauren Wolf shows up, bruised and battered and bleeding. Dr Julian Heller. Oh, boy. This man crossed path with Amanda when a young woman who was a prostitute bore her baby. Men arrived to burn the mid-wife and Amanda as witches.
              Amanda had to kill the midwife to keep her from suffering the burning, and managed to get away.
              Note, upon Heller's death, the Quickening went straight for Amanda. Not even a hint of interest in Nick.
              War And Peace Basketball with Liam and buddies! Uh-oh. Reporter witnesses Amanda get killed and murderer escape. (Duel, of course. Reporter distracted Amanda, so other guy got a strike in, but because reporter was there he could not take Amanda's head.) It's really just a play, honest!
              Sean, who was after Liam in truth. Uh-oh. Liam, what did you do? New York, eh? Revolutionary war. He was a redcoat.
              A woman brought drinks to all the rebels. The woman tried to advise her son, Sean, to be careful. They had left Scotland to escape the British, but he is determined to fight them, here for the peace of the colonies. Sean's first death was at Liam's hand. Only after shooting him did Liam sense the latent Immortal.
              The implication I get here is that while they are dying, the Immortality flares up.
              Then he heard a scream behind him and fired, killing Sean's mother. She forgave him, for he promised her Sean would live. But Sean had seen Liam shoot her. Liam left her in Amanda's care (which probably means it was Amanda who had to explain all the dos and don'ts of Immortality to Sean) and swore to God he would give up everything if only Sean's mother would live. Amanda, pitying his guilt, told him she had and he became a priest. But in truth, the mother died of infection some days after being shot.
              The reporter is trying to sell the story of a woman who resurrected, but is known already for inventing tales.
              Don't let us lose Liam so soon. Oh, he is definitely out of practice. Good. We get to keep Liam. For a while, at least.
              Now I get it about the Immortals inviting Nick to join their club. That does seem to be some sort of major hint, doesn't it? I wonder if this group Sean hangs with are his students or his peers?
              Dead on Arrival The secret of the CD. The Netherlands, 1610. Amanda met (Peyton?) the alchemist who was poisoning his brother.
              Nick just seems inexorably drawn to Immortals, doesn't he? And has "inhaled a slow-acting poison" that will kill him. Oh, no. Amanda is trying to keep Nick close to her.
              I wonder if the truth is that Peyton has powers, like Cassandra and Nagano. Except it seems he had holograms. Though I think that's a bit much. Just like when Duncan killed Richie, in a way.
              Amanda shot Nick dead. She says that if you don't suffer a violent death, your Immortality is not triggered. Now, I've noticed the various speeds at which first-timers seem to waken from death, and my thought is the level of violence is a factor in the speed of regeneration. I'm writing a story based on this subject as we speak.
              Naturally, these are only MY conclusions.

              Family Tree No Immortals that we know of have a clue who their biological parents are.
              The Innocent man Immortals can sense a Quickening from a greater distance than they can sense another Immortal.
              Mountain Men When an Immortal breaks a bone, it won't heal completely until it's straightened out (either that or they're re-breaking bones when they straighten 'em out).
              Free Fall Pre-Immortals 1) have been known to commit suicide without knowing why 2) are drawn to realized Immortals.
              Deadly Medicine A devastating injury that does not kill will seriously slow an Immortal down. The effects of drugs like Morphine (or knockout gas) seem to last just as long for an Immortal as they do for a mortal.
              Revenge is Sweet An Immortal cannot identify another Immortal unless the other one gives himself away somehow (like being the only person close enough to BE the source of the signal).
              For Tomorrow We Die Immortals, after they are killed in poisonous air (like Connor in the lake in HL1) can stand up and walk around in it, while it will still kill mortals.
              Under Color of Authority Immortals broadcast their signal at different ranges. Whether they have different levels of SENSING the signal has not been covered.
              Prophecy There are Immortals who can identify each other by presence, presumably from, say, a thousand year association.
              Raven: Reborn Immortals can kill mortals on Holy Ground without visible ill-effect. If an Immortal loses his head in close proximity to a pre-Immortal, there is a Quickening, but the pre-Immortal is not physically capable of absorbing it.
              The Ex-Files If an Immortal is killed by a pre-Immortal, the Quickening goes to an Immortal close enough to receive it.
              War And Peace A pre-Immortal's signal, muffled normally, flares up when they are dying.
              Dead on Arrival Amanda says that if you don't suffer a violent death, your Immortality is not triggered.

              Comment


              • #8
                In the end, there can be only one
                May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Immortals experience a sensation when in the vicinity of another immortal
                  May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    There is a fifth, I realize.

                    5. When you're an Immortal mentoring a new Immortal, when your pupil takes their first head/gets their first Quickening, you must cast them out on their own. Your job is done.
                    Highlander: Dark Places

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                    • #11
                      I think it's safe to say rule number 2 has been proven not to be true by the episodes 'little tin God' and the movie Highlander: Endgame.

                      May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Nicholas Ward View Post
                        I think it's safe to say rule number 2 has been proven not to be true by the episodes 'little tin God' and the movie Highlander: Endgame.
                        It's still a rule. They literally say, "It's against the rules!"

                        But just because it's against the rules doesn't mean it doesn't ever happen. We have laws that get broken all the time. People cheat at poker games. Etc..
                        Highlander: Dark Places

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Even so, there are differences. The first rule cannot be broken without consequences as seen in Highlander III.
                          Rule 2, 3, 4 and 5 clearly can be and it was shown there were no consequences.

                          May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Nicholas Ward View Post
                            Even so, there are differences. The first rule cannot be broken without consequences as seen in Highlander III.
                            There is no proof of any consequences in H3.

                            Highlander: Dark Places

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              They got a scare....
                              Granted, we don't know what would have happened if they had continued to fight on holy ground but it was heavily implied there would be consequences.


                              For the laws and games that are broken in our universe there are consequences too, break the law and one will be fined or jailed (if caught).
                              But since there is no physical enforcer in the Game, the consequences might be different. For all we know, the gain from a Quickening might differ between playing by the rules and cheating.

                              And if we exclude the supernatural, then basically there are no rules at all and Kell was right not to care about them.
                              May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                Originally posted by Nicholas Ward View Post
                                And if we exclude the supernatural, then basically there are no rules at all and Kell was right not to care about them.
                                True enough. I'm sticking with the idea of a subliminal command that keeps them from really going at it on Holy Ground. A huge disaster because of it is just bad and over-dramatic writing. Lots of the Immortals are the type who would do it just because of the huge disaster, after all.

                                I have a theory that Kell, who WAS going to be a priest, I think, found after he became Immortal that nothing he did would consecrate land. He could not create Holy Ground. That seems like the sort of thing that would, along with what his "father" said, increase his madness. I remember someone saying part of his backstory was supposed to be that when he wasn't stalking Connor he was building churches.

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  No reproducing among immortals, Immortals can't have children
                                  May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

                                  Comment


                                • #18
                                  This might sound a little weird, but I think we might want to clarify what we mean when we say "rules". I don't think everything that Immortals do are done for the same reasons.

                                  - I don't think 3 is a rule, it's just something that some Immortals will do for other Immortals for one reason or another. Some may do it out of kindness and/or a sense of fair play, some may want to take advantage of the student, but I don't think there's anything that says they have to do it.

                                  It's like Immortals becoming friends and lovers. Considering that "in the end there can be only one" it doesn't really make sense for Immortals to become so intimate with each other, but they do it anyway.

                                  - I don't think 5 is a rule either. I don't think Duncan really stopped mentoring Richie after he took his first head, and he certainly didn't stop trying to look out for him either. Duncan may have come to the conclusion at some point that Richie knew enough to take care of himself, and thus didn't need to have his hand held anymore, but I don't think he ever cast him out.

                                  - I wouldn't call the fact that Immortals can't have children a rule. It feels like more of a natural give and take. Immortals can potentially live forever, so they don't have the ability to create new life. On one hand, it makes sense because how would the world contain a race that can live and reproduce but never die? Such a thing could be catastrophic. And, on the other hand, since part of the purpose of having offspring is to continue your genetic heritage alive, an Immortal's bloodline will live on forever within them.

                                  - dubiousbystander's idea that Immortals might be instinctively compelled not to kill each other on Holy Ground is interesting. That's certainly one way to insure that a rule is followed. Although it might diminish the idea that Jacob Kell wasn't afraid to throw the rules out the window.

                                  Comment


                                  • #19
                                    Originally posted by Darth Reaper View Post

                                    - dubiousbystander's idea that Immortals might be instinctively compelled not to kill each other on Holy Ground is interesting. That's certainly one way to insure that a rule is followed. Although it might diminish the idea that Jacob Kell wasn't afraid to throw the rules out the window.
                                    Hi, Darth! Well I can stretch that one around Kell pretty easily. As far as we know, the only heads he took on Holy Ground were those of the Immortals in Sanctuary. I think that was a passionless slaughter. It took no effort, contained no threat. Might even have been regarded as mercy killings. The lack of any fight could have meant there was no compulsion NOT to fight.

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                                    • #20
                                      Here are the rules as stated on the watcher Chronicles CD-rom:



                                      Last edited by Nicholas Ward; 04-16-2020, 08:14 AM.
                                      May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

                                      Comment


                                      • #21
                                        Gad does this need to be posted in the groups EVERY friggin' time someone asks one of THOSE questions.

                                        Thank you for posting it, Nicholas!

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                                        • #22
                                          Click image for larger version

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                                          Last edited by Nicholas Ward; 01-11-2021, 08:27 AM.
                                          May flights of Demons guide you to your final rest...

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                                          • dubiousbystander
                                            dubiousbystander commented
                                            Editing a comment
                                            On The Source showing that taking the Guardian's head transfers the curse and the currently mortal becomes Immortal AGAIN, this doesn't suggest if you were born mortal...

                                        • #23
                                          Mortals on Holy Ground are also protected by this Immortal... compulsion.

                                          Ernst Daimler in Mortal Sins would not try to attack Father Bernard on Holy Ground. He just terrified the poor man into running off of it.

                                          William Culbraith, in The Messenger, had thought his family would be safe on Holy Ground. He hadn't anticipated the dangers mortal enemies represented.

                                          Kalas was definitely the type who would have taken heads on Holy Ground if he could.

                                          About Alec Hill, though. He actually manifested first with his wife, getting her to go to Duncan MacLeod. If his ghost is a "real" thing, I think he just transferred from her to Richie once they met.

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