in_nomine-digest Thursday, September 6 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2359 In this digest: IN> Name that Demon, Season 2 IN> Outclassed Re: IN> Shedite and Divine Intervention Re: IN> The Matropater Faithful IN> Sorcerer's World - Lilith IN> Story - Saying Good-Bye Re: IN> Wow. IN> NNN Special Bullitin: The death of... IN> Redneck Angel Re: IN> The Matropater Faithful Re: IN> Redneck Angel Re: IN> NNN Special Bullitin: The death of... kinda OT Re: IN> NNN Special FW: Re: IN> NNN Special Bullitin: The death of... Re: IN> IN [Successors] Serendipity, Mercurian Archangel of Light-part 1 IN> Peter - Part 1 Re: IN> [Successors] Beldine Re: IN> I plead mild delirium... Re: IN> Peter - Part 1 Re: IN> Story - Saying Good-Bye Re: IN> Peter - Part 1 Re: IN> Peter - Part 1 Re: IN> Peter - Part 1 IN> A Question of Legality ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 21:59:59 -0700 From: Vaughn Romero Subject: IN> Name that Demon, Season 2 Back by popular demand, Nybbas Network is proud to present the return of... NAME! THAT! DEMON! The game show where two lucky renegades square off in a test of demonic knowledge to see who joins the Horde and who is disjoined by them. I'm your host Lewis Cipher, and this week the Devil went down to West Virginia to reward the lucky demon who brought us an expert Witness. It seems Mr. Zain swore to tell the whole truth, but all he gave was nothing but. You can find out more about our newest recruit by pointing your Internet bruiser to: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/05/national/05LAB.html?ex=1000748561&ei=1&en= 7445a47b720385d6 Don't let the monkeys know it's you, login as fnord, and use the password fnord. But let's not dwell on the damned when we have the soon-to-be-double-damned right here. Megatron*, if I'm not mistaken, we have returning guests? "That's right Lew, Mariah and Trebus are back to square off for the grand prize. Whoever stole the vessel of last season's first entry has yet to be found..." ....and suitably rewarded, yes. Well, welcome back, you two. You know the rules, our audience will present you with a list of demons that could be responsible for story of damnation you have heard. Your job is to decide which demon has really done the deed. If you choose correctly, you have an opportunity to prove your continued usefulness to Hell's cause. If you choose incorrectly, you have proven your lack of usefulness to our cause and will be rewarded appropriately. Your choices begin with this one, which I am assured has a vessel, correct, Megatron? "Yes, most definitely." Good. ===== Kaira, Lilim of Dark Humor Corporeal 2 : Strength 2 Agility 6 Ethereal 4 : Intelligence 10 Precision 6 Celestial 3 : Will 9 Perception 3 Vessel: Human/2 with +1 Charisma, role: Paralegal/2 (Status/2) Skills: Computer Operation/4, Dodge/1, Fast-Talk/2, Knowledge (Law)/2, Lying/3, Medicine/3 Songs: Charm (Celestial)/2, Form (Ethereal and Celestial)/2, Light (Ethereal)/5 Attunements: Lilim of Dark Humor Throughout Mr. Zain's 16 year-long career, Kaira has been a shadow capitalizing on his pride to torment innocent defendants. Working as a paralegal for various prosecutors, Kaira has made it a point to pick out special cases that demanded Mr. Zain expertise. By fulfilling Mr. Zain's constant need to be right, she has Geased him to do more and more outrageous acts of cruelty to the innocent. While Kaira has enjoyed the essence derived from Mr. Zain's mockery of the "lying wretches" he testified against, she is ready to cash in big when the expert is exposed as the fraud he is by the very courts in which he believes so strongly. ===== Hmmm, that's an interesting possibility, Megatron, a tempter with the patience to wait for the big payoff. Kobal would be proud, if indeed she is the demon of which we speak. Before our contestants go making any hasty decisions, however, let's consider the entries submitted by our studio audience... *Intentionally to be confused with Metatron of Heavenly fame. - - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - Vaughn Romero "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." Mark Twain ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Sep 2001 22:39:25 -0700 From: Vaughn Romero Subject: IN> Outclassed OK, who rolled a divine intervention for Creation? To wit, in one digest post, we have: IN> How Beleth took the Veil IN> The Matropater Faithful IN> IN [Successors] Serendipity, Mercurian Archangel of Light-part 1 IN> [Successors] Beldine I'm searching for adequate words of praise and admiration, but the only thing that comes to mind is a little scene from Wayne's World. "We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" Great work everyone. I'll see if I can come up with something for an Iron Rev entry that is half as good as any one of these posts and consider myself content. - - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - Vaughn Romero "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." Mark Twain ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 03:06:24 -0400 (EDT) From: "Rev. Pee Kitty" Subject: Re: IN> Shedite and Divine Intervention On Tue, 4 Sep 2001, Michael Walton wrote: > --- Eric Bertish wrote: > > Am I the only person to think the reasonable course of > > action would have > > been to shoot the mother-in-law instead? > > Nah... Mom-in-law's a Balseraph. How else would even a > Shedite get a mother to shoot her own kids? Are you kidding? Shedites are uber powerful. Take a CelForce monger with a Will of 10 (plenty of those floating around any demon game). If he makes his initial roll to enter the mom with a CD of 4 (again, reasonable), that adds +4 to all Will rolls to get her to do what he wants. That means he's going to succeed automatically at +2 to the CD, for an autosuccess of CD 3-8. Now, even if the mom has two CelForces with a Will of 4, *and* the GM gives her double her Will to resist such a horrible suggestion... it would barely even be luck for the Shedite to roll a CD of 6 or more, which means the mom can NOT win the contest and will shoot her son, no questions asked. Even if the Shedite rolls a "low" CD of 3, the mom still has (by my quick estimation) less than a 1-in-3 chance of beating it. Shedites are scary. - -- Rev. Pee Kitty, of the order Malkavian-Dobbsian, Q4B4L! Meow! STEP 21. Frost the nuts. Big bag of nut in grocery store, why are they there? There for buying, and then to frost. Much like cake frosting, nut frosting sweet and smooth. Spread much like butter, but without grease and bubble. Allow nut to dry, then place on very best noodle tray. While allow for nuts to dry, think about new form of punishment. No frost for nut go bad, so take away and replace. ("How To Become A Famous Rock Star", LMNOP) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 10:18:01 +0000 From: "cassandra benner" Subject: Re: IN> The Matropater Faithful Veryyyyyyyy niiiiice ms cogman, but i shall bite my tongue as the prostitute image given to the magdelene was don so deliberatly by the patriacal church. This all ties in to the templar beliefs and myths. I wont ramble as i'll go wildly offtopic, as i fear i am already. Hmm, im gonna have to write about the templars and the nybbas slur campiegn now darn you... When was nybbas made prince and when was he created anybody? You've been put on to my nice person list :o) Toodles Cass *where you come from is gone, where you're going was never there, and where you are aint no good unless you can get away from it* http://communities.msn.co.uk/ADD http://www.drunkendwarfinn.co.uk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ADandD_Stuff _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 21:56:22 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Sorcerer's World - Lilith A zombified human Demon Princess, a mockery of a mockery of the Fallen Angels, Lilith is the only canon Superior to still visit the Sorcerer's world. Lilith's zombi still holds the Word of Freedom. Her short stint without Celestial Forces and her zombi nature have changed how she interprets her Word. Once her only desires were her Needs, fulfilling them seemed to be Freedom; now that she has been rebuilt she still believes this and rejects more abstract conceptions of her Word. Freedom is now the freedom to follows ones impulses, desires and addictions; the Freedom of a human to take drugs, a zombi to fulfill it's Needs, for a demon to obey it's Discords. Lilith may still place a geas on a volunteer, but has lost the more potent effects of the Lilim resonance. Still, Lilith is (un)living proof that it's not what you know but who you've got by the short and curlies that counts. Her extensive Geas network has grown with the Banishment of the demons - she is the only reliable contact between Hell & earth. Lilith rarely handles negotiations herself; the months of being bossed around as a zombi have left their mark. She acquired the following habits during that period - at all times she is being watched over by a sniper with orders to shoot anyone who tries to bully, browbeat or order her about; a skilled negotiator (often a Saint of Marc!) will haggle for her; and she is usually absent or invisible while negotiations are taking place. She can no longer be Invoked, but her negotiators' telephone numbers are common knowledge. What does Lilith want? To fulfill her Discords, mostly. She is known to have the following Discords: Gluttony, Greed, Lustful, Need(babies), and is rumoured to have Berserk. As always, geases are good value, as are new rites, Attunements and Songs. She is far less curious than she was while alive, and has little interest in either the Marches or Hell; people there owe her Geases which she'll use if needed. Nothing else matters. Talking about Heaven is one of the things that really irritates her. Lilith has Soldiers & Undead; some Servitors of Sorcery also are assigned to her. they can earn Knight of Freedom or Captain of the Third Choice as attunements, and/or the following rites: - - Decline to resist any of your Discords [+2 if you do not resist any for the entire day, and possess at least one]; - - kill someone trying to wean you off an addiction [+3 essence]; - - sleep undisturbed through a speech or sermon [+2 if your snoring disrupts the event]. - - break someone out of a rehabilitation centre [+2 essence] James. P.S. Archangels in the Sorcerers' World now only cameo through earth (treating it as National Service) so people designing Archangels are welcome to write them during their stint on Earth duty. All they need is a concept that would attract 100 blessed Souls and the ability to wreak havoc. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 22:42:28 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Story - Saying Good-Bye Graveyards are depressing places. Sure they try to make them look nice - ornate stonework, lots of trees and flowers, that sort of thing. I guess it helps some people. For me, having trees and flowers in a graveyard is just a reminder that death turns you into compost. I trudged up to Matt "Whispers" Marlin's grave in a foul mood. I hadn't even known his name until after he died. We all had nicknames which we used; using our real names made it too easy for a demon to trace us, and having one turn up on your doorstep with a warrant, an axe or worse.... Not that it had helped Whispers. The others never understood why I felt like this. It's not as if I spend more than a couple of hours a day in my body anyway - Dream Soldiers rarely do. Why would I? I patrol The Marches with muscles as mighty as my imagination, and tough as my mind; this puny, runty body of mine doesn't compare. Dying will just mean I can spend more time living, mean I can abandon this walking corpse, roam The Marches as will, until some officious angel orders me to go to Heaven. Beats being the wimpy Dreamer patronised by Soldiers of Stone - morons, the lot of them, but tough morons. But it still hurts when a friend dies. The official 'party line' we get from Laurencians is that of course it hurts, wouldn't it hurt if someone moved overseas and you knew you wouldn't see them for the rest of your life? We should grieve for the slain (so they say), honouring their sacrifice, and comfort one another with the knowledge that we will be able to spend eternity with them in Heaven. Bollocks. It might be true - it almost certainly is, given that Seraphim will say it - but that's no reason to be so flippant about death. It was a nice grave, I suppose. That struck me as fairly pointless, given that he wasn't expected to ever see it. It's not as if his wishes really mattered at this point. Okay, probably there was some angel looking after his soul in Heaven (although, given how clueless angels are, that's not necessarily a good thing). But down here what did it matter? Even if Whispers was standing in front of his grave, looking at it. Watching from behind a bush, I wondered what was going on. Let's see - the angels knew I had decided to visit his grave; if his death had been faked, or he'd decided to come back as a Saint, this would be a good place to let me know. Alternatively, this could be a set-up - with him being sent down from Heaven for a few minutes to 'cheer me up' in the syrupy B-grade movie style that so many Flower-angels loved. In which case, I was supposed to go out there, hear him spout cliques about how everything was okay, and leave feeling happy-happy joy-joy. I'd rather drink poison. Or - and this was the most likely - he was undead. A disturbing thought. He was standing in the sunshine, so he wasn't a vampire - I hoped. I don't really know much about the Undead; they can't dream, so service in The Marches doesn't include any training about them. Because they didn't dream, I couldn't threaten them. A Soldier of Hell who irritated me knew that I'd be in his dreams that night, and would either beat him into insanity or Soul-Kill him. And killing me wouldn't prevent that. But undead.... I strode out, and walked up beside him. There was no need to warn anyone about this; even if he killed me I could relay back the information later, via a dreaming ally. It wasn't the first time I'd risked death, and I was curious as to what was going on. He ignored me, so I spoke: "Whispers." He jumped slightly, before turning to face me. His face was an ashen grey, his eyes lifeless. Not good. ~Fish.~ He answered, using my nickname; nodded, and then turned back to the grave. We stood there together for a few minutes, until he broke the silence. ~We'd better get to work. You been keeping okay?~ "Pretty good. Yourself?" ~Don't ask.~ He led me to the gardener's toolshed, and handed me a shovel. Taking one himself, he walked across the cemetery to a new grave - not his own, which relieved me somehow - and started to dig. "Why are you doing this?" ~The reason that WE are doing this, is that the Samingans will be breaking into the cemetery tonight and digging up this grave for a body to zombify. Our job is to dig it up now, and cremate it.~ We got to work. We could both pass as workmen - a habit you acquire as a Soldier is to dress to blend in - and once we'd got started it looked as if we were digging the grave out ready for use. I was soon exhausted - I really puny in the Corporeal world, and I know it - but Whispers worked away tirelessly. That was kind of surprising. He'd always preferred to talk his way out of problems rather than work or fight, and wasn't much stronger than me. I had to take a break. Sitting by the grave, I watched him work. "Whispers, what are you?" He paused. ~Lonely, hungry, in pain...oh yes, and doing all the work.~ He looked pointedly at my shovel. Sighing, I started digging again. But kept questioning: "Okay then, WHO are you?" He thought about that for a minute. ~Have you heard the term Ghost in The Machine?~ "Yes - Descartes, wasn't it?" ~Yeah, that sounds right.~ He kept shovelling. ~I'm the machine. While flitterby spirits like you roam creation, dodging through dreams and waiting for Heaven - or Hell - you forget who you really are. Or more accurately, who is really you. Who has to do the bleeding, the dying; who gets to be dumped in a hole in the ground, after being butchered by morticians, or just left for the maggots.~ His voice was cold and flat, lacking emotion, somehow wrong for the words he spoke. Finally I saw a stir of emotion, or maybe just a copy of the emotions Whispers would have shown if he was still alive. ~They were there when I woke up...ready to eat me..I brushed them off but I can still feel them - why have you stopped digging!~ I got back to work, digging hastily wondering what to say next. I needn't have bothered; Whispers was always fond of the sound of his own voice. ~It must be easy to sacrifice a life that isn't really yours, to know that you'll be fine after the poor chump you've possessed has been killed. And the chump doesn't know how he's been conned, does he? After all, he has the same memories, because you've been using his brain, so he thinks the decisions that you made were made by him. He doesn't realise what's going on - - unless he remembers being possessed by a Shedite, as I do.~ I remembered that incident. "But didn't the Sword manage to kill that Shedite?" I asked, afraid that they hadn't. ~Yes. But I remember. I know what it's like to make the decisions that someone else wants you to. So when I awoke from death, I realised what life had been - abject slavery to a self centred soul that treated me as a disposable object, no more valuable than his car. I'm free now, free to be me.~ He looked at me. ~One day soon you'll be free too.~ "I'm not sure that I..." ~I wasn't talking to you.~ His shovel struck the coffin lid. We cleared away the remaining soil, and wrenched of the lid, before removing the body - an old man. There was something disturbing about the way Whispers looked at him; a look way too hungry. Whispers shook his head. ~Poor man - never to awake; never to know. To just fade away in flame, because I need his tongue.~ He dragged the body out of the hole - and impressive achievement. I was shaking, too tired to run, not sure how to deal with an old friend who wanted to talk to my Inner Zombi. ~Get into the coffin.~ "What!" He backhanded me into the grave. And threw the lid down. I heard a thump as he landed on the lid, and the soft drumming sound of earth being pulled down on the lid. ~Relax my friend, it's only for a few hours. Then you'll be free. The Samingans want a zombi; after they exorcise that wretched Dream-Shade they'll wake you up and you'll be free. And we'll be friends again..~ His voice faded as the grave was filled in; as I drove myself into a deep sleep. Time to report to Dreams, and beg an angel to dig me up again! James. And no, I don't know why I've been writing about zombis so much recently. Because they're the ultimate underdog, perhaps? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 05:54:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Wow. - --- Whistling in the Dark wrote: > "Smurfin' away in Smurfaritaville... trying to Smurf my > last container of Smurf...." Aaaaaaaaah! [head explodes] ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The next time someones says "Talk is cheap," remind them of how much Oprah Winfrey makes. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 12:55:38 +0000 From: "cassandra benner" Subject: IN> NNN Special Bullitin: The death of... ((ok this is based on something i just saw on the UK lunchtime news...)) ===================== NNN is proud to bring you this breaking news headline. Christianity is dying. Yes you heard that right folks, its on its way out, the war is half won. Already it it rumoured that dominic and laurence are in conference with the rest of the seraphim council and our spies have informed us that they are talking of leaving, heading to the far marches and staying there. It is believed that many of thier servants will folow them as well, especially the malakim who have all pledged to the christian mythos. We all know what that means for the war effort folks, make sure you know where to hit when you go earth side, hit them where it hurts, in the trinity!!! We now return you to the scheduled djinnish speciality movie :Die my darling Die 3: ====================================== Toodles Cass *where you come from is gone, where you're going was never there, and where you are aint no good unless you can get away from it* http://communities.msn.co.uk/ADD http://www.drunkendwarfinn.co.uk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ADandD_Stuff _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 06:06:37 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: IN> Redneck Angel - --- Maurice Lane wrote: > Just be glad that I > haven't provided the batch of "You might be a redneck > Servitor if" jokes that were spawned over a veritable > ocean of Baltimore beer last Saturday. OK, you can officially blame Moe for this. If you like country music 'cause you Resonate to the essential truth of sad love songs, you might be a redneck Seraph. If you've ever Attuned to a six-pack, you might be a redneck Cherub. If you use your Resonance to find the fastest way to the best fishin', you might be a redneck Ofanite. If you can think of logical, objective reasons why the South will rise again, you might be a redneck Elohite. If one of your Oaths is, "I will never drink the last beer," you might be a redneck Malakite. If you get no Dissonance for leaving a Host in worse shape than you found it -- as long as it's a Yankee -- you might be a redneck Kyriotate. I'll admit I'm stumped on Mercurian. Anyone? ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The next time someones says "Talk is cheap," remind them of how much Oprah Winfrey makes. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 06:11:38 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> The Matropater Faithful - --- cassandra benner wrote: > When was nybbas made prince and when was he created > anybody? Don't recall when he was created, but he became Prince in the late 1800's after he invented of television. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 The next time someones says "Talk is cheap," remind them of how much Oprah Winfrey makes. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 09:12:52 -0400 From: Cameron McCurry Subject: Re: IN> Redneck Angel > I'll admit I'm stumped on Mercurian. Anyone? If you've ever Resonated someone to find the best drinking buddies, you might be a Redneck Mercurian. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 09:48:18 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> NNN Special Bullitin: The death of... cassandra benner wrote: > ((ok this is based on something i just saw on the UK lunchtime > news...)) What was that, pray tell? Earl ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 14:00:18 +0000 From: "cassandra benner" Subject: kinda OT Re: IN> NNN Special >What was that, pray tell? > >Earl There was an article on BBC 1 lunchtime news about where some bishop with a long irish name (he was a catholic) was adressing a large meeting of other Xtian leaders and priests, in the adress he said that money, new ageism, paganism has is more special to people now than God was. He claimed that Xtianity was nearly defeated and was toppling. The arch bishop of canterbury also agreed and gave a similar press conferance and confirmed what the other guy had said. Perhaps a couple of shedites of media/mis-information (or balseraphs) managed to possess them or have vessals that look the same... (just to keep it on topic) Toodles Cass *where you come from is gone, where you're going was never there, and where you are aint no good unless you can get away from it* http://communities.msn.co.uk/ADD http://www.drunkendwarfinn.co.uk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ADandD_Stuff _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: 06 Sep 2001 16:06:41 +0100 From: "Richard C Hanton-Rutherford" Subject: FW: Re: IN> NNN Special Bullitin: The death of... >>cassandra benner wrote: >> >>> ((ok this is based on something i just saw on the UK lunchtime >>> news...)) >> >>What was that, pray tell? Oh no. I sense another conversation about British television. Resist! Richie H-R - -- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 12:23:49 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> IN [Successors] Serendipity, Mercurian Archangel of Light-part 1 Wow. That was great. A very riveting story that is a marvelous transition to this month's theme. Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: 06 Sep 2001 17:33:24 +0100 From: "Richard C Hanton-Rutherford" Subject: IN> Peter - Part 1 I was a little unsure about this when the idea first came into my head, but if Hell can have a human superior, so can Heaven. (Again, if anyone's already done something like this, I apologise). ______________________________________________________________ PETER, ARCHSAINT OF APOSTLES "The world is made up of Servants and Masters. The Servants duties are obvious - sometimes the Masters need reminding that they too have duties". Before Jesus' resurrected form ascended to the Celestial Realm, he appointed Peter, the Rock upon which the early Christian community rested, as the first Pope. The word Pope wasn't used then, of course, but bestowed later, when the Catholic church built itself around the skeleton of the Roman Empire, and sought a foundation for its authority. Peter, once the Rock of a small group of heretical Jews, was now the foundation stone for a Church which would straddle the world, while keeping one eye fixed firmly on the past. From the halls of the Eternal City, the first Pope, Rock of faith, watched the development of the Church at whose painful birth he was present, and smiled. After Peter's death, his soul had ascended to the Celestial as a bodhisattve, though it did not take him long to return to the Corporeal realm as a Saint, serving a variety of Archangels, before entering the exclusive service of Laurence. In a variety of vessels, Peter watched the development of the Catholic church, and helped steer it past various "teething troubles". He petitioned heaven to remove Rodrigo Borgia, the corrupt Alexander VI, and it is whispered in certain circles that he may have played a role in Borgia's death. After centuries of service to Heaven, and prayers directed to his name everyday by Catholics around the world, it was suggested that Peter should be honoured as more than a simple Saint. It was implied in certain quarters that the Archangels, especially those who favoured the Catholic Church, were a little _unfamiliar_ with the way the world worked. It was also observed that the Saints were beginning to feel a little underrepresented in Heaven; that they were being used as ground troops, but not being involved in the higher decision making process. It was therefore suggested, and eventually decided upon, that a Saint be appointed as a Superior, in name at least. With his years of service, and the position of adoration he was given by many humans, Pet er was a natural choice, and was soon appointed ArchSaint of Apostles. Though his Word means the most to the Catholic church, which will always be Peter's priority, in heaven it refers to all non-Angels who serve Heaven. Peter is the go-between of Soldiers and Saints to the divine Council, and represents their concerns as well as he can (though he stll tends to favour the requests of Catholics). Interestingly, though technically a minor Superior, Laurence has a tendency to defer to him on matters of Catholicism, and has always treated the First Pope with total respect. Originally, Peter did not have Servitors of his own, but merely coordinated the Soldiers and Saints of other Superiors. Over the years, however, many of his charges asked to be transferred to his service, and in the modern age, Peter even has many Angels in his charge. In a War which increasingly relies on humanity, a Superior who was born a human, and spent two millenia walking amongst them, is an invaluable tool. ______________________________________________________________ I'll write some attunements and stats and things for him when I've got the time. Richie H-R - -- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 12:36:57 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> [Successors] Beldine Well done! The descriptions were my favorite parts, very imaginative and in a sense poetic. A great setting the mood story. Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 11:43:13 -0500 (CDT) From: Benjamin Acosta Subject: Re: IN> I plead mild delirium... Quoting in_nomine-digest : > From: Michael Walton > Subject: Re: IN> I plead mild delirium... > > - --- Maurice Lane wrote: > > Smurfs > > Moe... do you have any idea how badly you can be hurt for > this? > > > > > > Brace yourself, he may not be done yet. He can still write up Gargamel as a sorceror, and his cat Azrael as his infernal familiar. Ben, Elohite of Eli Angel of Neat Ideas ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 12:49:47 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> Peter - Part 1 Nice. An appropriate choice for "ArchSaint." One thing -- binding a Word to a non-celestial seems to be essentially impossible, except that Lucifer did it to Lilith. So it seems to be impossible for "mere" Superiors. So it would seem the Seraphim Council couldn't give Peter a Word by themselves. Did they petition God to do it? A while back (17 Aug 2000), I proposed "the College of Saints" as a collective Superior. If there's interest, I can re-post that. It might suggest some attunements and the like for Peter... Earl ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 13:01:01 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> Story - Saying Good-Bye Whoa. Nice horror story. This month has really brought out the creative writing on the list....and its only the beginning of the month! Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 13:06:12 -0400 From: "Robb Kidd" Subject: Re: IN> Peter - Part 1 Earl Wajenberg wrote: > A while back (17 Aug 2000), I proposed "the College of Saints" as > a collective Superior. If there's interest, I can re-post that. > It might suggest some attunements and the like for Peter... Did anyone suggest calling it "the Communion of Saints"? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 13:14:29 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> Peter - Part 1 Robb Kidd wrote: >> A while back (17 Aug 2000), I proposed "the College of Saints" >> as a collective Superior. > Did anyone suggest calling it "the Communion of Saints"? No, but I wish I'd thought of it. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2001 13:18:55 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> Peter - Part 1 What a great concept! I look forward to your expansion of it. A human representative could also remind the council what the war is all about in the first place to the Archangels and angels who get too caught up with winning and not minding the damage they do. Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 13:21:05 -0400 (EDT) From: Emily Dresner Subject: IN> A Question of Legality The Game specializes in a certain type of Lilim. Occasionally, Balseraphs and Habbalah also get the training, but for the most part, the role lies with the Lilim. On Earth, these demons use different names and titles, but in the United States, they're called Congressional Lobbyists. They're the grease in the Game, the invisible engine that keeps politics in motion. They hold the ears of the important humans (and AIs disguised as humans) who make the laws and spend the money. It's amazing what they can get after they sleep with a Senator or three. They smile. They smarm. They're farmed out to almost every Principality in Hell to burrow into other Prince's confidences, because after all, they have the ear of humans who can "make things happen." They're indespensible for getting things done. They're a necessary evil -- no pun intended. And paired with a Malphasean Balseraph lawyer, they're deadly. Sometimes they win. Sometimes they lose. And sometimes, Judgment guns a few down in anonymous warehouses with submachine guns. ***** One of the great victories in the last ten years for the Game was the passing of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act in 1998 in the United States. Pressured by Game-controlled lobbyists both inside the USA and out, it was adopted to move copyright law into a new millenium. It's outward appearance was benign. It looked like it was bringing the United States law in compliance with the treaty mandated by the World Intellectual Property Organization. It seems like a good idea. Protect the rights of creators online. It made it right past Trade, and the Dominican lawyers. The lobbyists won, and Asmodeus scored a point. Who knew? ***** Vapulans occasionally see the light and "go good." No one is entirely clear why they spontaniously decide, as a team, that they no longer want to build devices of mass destruction and would rather grow herb gardens instead. Possibly, it is because someone explains to them that they could be doing the exact same research for Heaven, and this argument sounds good enough to just do it. It's amazing how convincing this argument sounds when it's being explained by a Malakite with a pointy object. By and large, these Vapulans join Lightning. Jean is of two minds about splitting the teams. If there is a hole that fits for one of the redeemed Vapulans, he'll place them there. However, the redeemed Vapulans are more "avant garde" than their Heaven-born counterparts, and their contraversial research interests don't always match up with those of the angels. Sometimes, the most objective thing to do is to give these new angels some pure Jeanite management to reign them in, give them their equipment, and let them go. It's amazing what these guys come up with -- in the bounds of helping the cause for Heaven. Creation loves these teams because they come up with the "wiggiest stuff." War loves these teams because they come up with new and interesting ways to kill demons. However, this practice, started back in the time of Tesla, annoys the Game to no end. **** One of the main focuses these days of the ex-Vapulan researchers is Internet security. After all, they were busy breaking into Heaven's computers no more than five or six years ago, and most of the old tricks apply. It's a big field -- billions of dollars in intellectual property are lost every year to some malicious little Impudite with a connection, a subscription to 2600, and a copy of smurf.c. These researchers put a stop to this activity quickly. Worse, they tend to track down the perpetrator, call the nearest tether, and have it taken care of permenantly. Trade finds this fine and good. Judgment sees justice being done. War and Fire get to go smite a few demons. Everyone is happy. Except for Hell. **** Section 1201 of the DMCA makes it clear that hacking is quite illegal, and subject to all kinds of nasty things, the least of which will be the FBI banging down the door. However, it makes almost all private cryptography illegal, all security research illegal, and worst of all, the sharing of possible exploits with peers illegal. The Game can shut down the ex-Vapulans and get into your email, too. **** No one noticed that a few ex-Vapulan turncoats were being picked off in secret by Game controlled FBI agents under the power of the DMCA. They're kind of weaselly, secretive guys. It wasn't big news, not even in Heaven. However, you can't just pick off agents of Heaven, even if they are ex-demons, and kill them without getting noticed eventually. Sure, using the human organization of the FBI as cover kept the angels off their tail for quite a long time, but after a while, too many little researchers disappeared. *** And finally, with all the setup, an adventure: An entire team of Jeanite researchers disappeared. One night, they were chatting away with human researchers on their mailing lists, submitting papers for review, and talking about holding a hacking conference in Heaven. The next minute, they were pulling their papers from their web sites and shutting down their network. One day, the lead researcher, a Jeanite by birth and a Jeanite by nature, returns back to Heaven, battered, beaten, and telling a tale of the raid on his laboratory. A bit of inquiry turns up a few salient facts: - -- The researchers were all ex-Vapulans who had all redeemed sometime during the 90's. - -- The research was into cracking SSL (secure socket layer) using a few arcane timing methods. This is a very popular secure method of communications used by corporations - -- Under the DMCA, the FBI raided their lab, took their computers, and locked up the researchers. The researchers are held in a Game-run FBI facility in Arizona, pending arraignment, trial, and the highly-likely possibility of deportation to Hell. This seems like a straight forward "rescue the hostages" situation, except for a few snags. - -- The researchers are being held in a facility that is owned and populated by human beings. Although the heads of the facility may be Game (and possibly the War and Factions), this does not mean that going in their guns blazing isn't going to have major reprocussions. - -- The Dominicans want to put a hold on rescue missions until they deliberate some of the points. Cracking SSL and publishing the results in a journal, or worse, on the net, basically gives everyone the information. This includes Hell based Vapulan hackers who are more than interesting to break into the computers used by Heaven, causing a security risk. - -- Trade wants to put a hold on rescue missions until they discuss some of the points. Cracking SSL and publishing the results may allow Hell to cause billions of dollars in property damage to law-abiding corporations, both human and Heaven held. - -- This arrest has had the unfortunately reprocussions of being noticed by part of the human computing community, and there is a movement to "Free the SSL Hackers." Any active movement on this front may cause humans to learn exactly what is going on with the War between Heaven and Hell if caution is not taken. However, War is very gung-ho about freeing captives of Hell, Jean is uninterested in leaving his recent redemption cases to rot, and any Creationers hanging around fear that this is the beginning of a way for the Game to get at them as well. PCs must navigate some of the choppy political waters, gain the support of, at least, Trade or Judgment, put together a team, and rescue the researchers before they are shipped off to Hell. **** I don't have any books, so there are no NPCs. I'm at work, man! Emily K. Dresner-Thornber Senior Software Engineer NFR Security, Inc. NOTE: my political position on the "Free Dmitri" thing is, if you're going to crack Adobe Readers, no matter how lame the encryption, it might not be wise to do it in front of 60,000 people at DefCon, because you never know when someone is going to call the Feds. However, a fine? Yes. But 25 years imprisonment? No. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2359 ********************************