in_nomine-digest Monday, September 24 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2389 In this digest: Re: IN> How "adult" should In Nomine be? Re: IN> Re:When I grow up - Djinn IN> Ozma's Ethereal opinions Re: IN> A funny idea I had for heaven Re: IN> Ozma's Ethereal opinions Re: IN> Ozma's Ethereal opinions IN> IN Fic - Aurelius, Pt 1 IN> IN Fic - Aurelius, Pt 2 IN> IN Fic - Aurelius, Pt 3 Re: IN> Songs for Lilim Re: IN> IN Fic - Aurelius IN> Fwd: A new God Re: IN> Ozma's Ethereal opinions Re: IN> I wish I'd grown up.... Re: IN> IN Fic - Aurelius, Pt 1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 10:34:46 -0400 From: "Jason F. McBrayer" Subject: Re: IN> How "adult" should In Nomine be? On Mon, Sep 24, 2001 at 10:07:42AM +0100, Omentide wrote: > I do not run, write or play In Nomine as a satirical game and have > never come across a game played this way. * raises hand * My game back in New Orleans was definitely satirical, though it wasn't primarily religious satire. It was a demonic game with the PCs being a Shedite of Nightmares gunning for the Word of Urban Legends, an Impudite of Nightmares high-school guidance counsellor, a Balseraph of Gluttony that worked at Pier One, and a Balseraph of the Game attorney modeled after Steve Dallas from Bloom County. The first session had the PCs serving as observers in a competition for the Word of School Shootings. The tone of the game could generally be described as low contrast, darkly humorous. - -- +----------------------------------------------------------------+ | Jason F. McBrayer jmcbray@carcosa.net | | The scalloped tatters of the King in Yellow must hide Yhtill | | forever. R.W. Chambers _The King in Yellow_ | ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 10:50:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Re:When I grow up - Djinn - --- james walker wrote: > > I'm not fond of the variant Songs, > Any particular reason? Mainly because it opens doors that I would prefer remain shut. I read the Munchkin's Guide to Power Gaming, after all. Not that any of those Songs play into that, but allowing them into a campaign sets a precedent. ===== 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: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 13:52:18 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Ozma's Ethereal opinions [So is Alice the blessed soul of Alice Pleasance Liddle, the real and historical friend to whom Charles Dodgson told the first version of the story? Or is she an Ethereal? (I gather Ethereals don't typically copy real people of other species, but you included the Elvii, and the fictional Alice is rather far removed from the historical one.)] The way I figure it is that real people can be etherealized as soon as they take on attributes of a person that is not particularly prevalent in real life. For instance it is possible for a young man to have a ethereal best friend who just happens to be Chuck Norris (the Movie Side Kicks for instance I think shows a healthy ethereal relationship). I'm hesitant to cosign Miss Pleasance Liddle to a state of Dream-shade dom when the Alice story writer is mostly likely chilling back in Blandine's realm....though oddly enough I've wondered how often authors become residents of their own realm upon death. L. Frank Baum's last words according to family tradition were "And now we cross the Shifting Sands" Which was a reference to the Eastern Desert outside Oz. My guess is like the real life Alice is not currently queen of Wonderland unless Princess Uriel-Ozma the First is deciding to do some saint-governorship installment. Which actually makes for some very interesting plotlines. [In a similar vein, any action concerning Christopher Robin Milne and the denizens of the Hundred Aker Wood?] Well since he only died relatively recently I can imagine how that would go. Pooh: Oh bother, I haven't seen Christopher Robin in ages. Does anyone know where he might be? Piglet: probably on Earth with a wife and kids. Pooh: Let's go grab him and his kids. I do miss him so. Tiger: Woo hoo! *** Gaurdians of the Marches: Gentlemen we have a class 5 Ethereal breach. The bear is at it again! Christopher: Hurt him and DIE. Gaurdians of the Marches: Laurence this kid is giving me the willies. Laurence: Well he does me too but there's not much I can do about it. *Ozma and Christopher play Blind man's bluff with Blandine* Laurence: Ugh. I imagine ethereal christophers probably handles most of the work there though again I've always wondered how ethereals react to their associations (a wonderful article way back in the In Nomine Digest was about a Malakim Santa Clause with a good relationship to the Ethereal Santa Clauses and Saint Nicolas.) - -Charlemagne _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 10:58:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> A funny idea I had for heaven - --- Charles Phipps wrote: > Sal is so bloody arrogant.... That one line was worth the effort! ===== 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: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 14:03:05 -0400 From: Cameron McCurry Subject: Re: IN> Ozma's Ethereal opinions Amanda touched on the idea about what happened to Pooh and Co. It only lasted about three emails, but the end result was an opinion that the original A.A. Milne creations were living in the Marches as weakened Ethereals and the Disney versions were servitors of Nybbas. I liked the thought of AA Christopher using the line "Touch the bear and DIE!" ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 14:54:57 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> Ozma's Ethereal opinions Great continuation of the Ozma series. After reading this last set I can imagine that the one Ethereal in the Servitor book (a samurai whose name escapes me) would be interested in the new Uriel. You also confirmed what I thought the reaction to the Lovecraftian Etherials would be, which works great since I am using them in the game as well. Question: have you determined what her reaction (and theirs) would be to the greys or the benevilent brothers, the two (or more) UFO Ethereals? Mmm...I wonder if they can classify as a pantheon on their own... Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 19:21:04 From: "Michael Cleveland" Subject: IN> IN Fic - Aurelius, Pt 1 Most people pay very little attention to a group of four people walking down the street in a major city, but heads were starting to turn towards Aurelius's little gaggle of angels. He sighed as he resigned himself to the fact that kids were never easy to deal with, especially when it was their first time on Earth. The fact that all of them had beautiful teenage vessels might have had something to do with it, in drastic comparison with his own priestly robe. More likely it was the way the three of them were arguing with each other over what one of the startled onlookers who was hurrying away and looking back over his shoulder had said to them. "It is not a nice day, Sylviel. That should be obvious." "Maybe it was just his opinion. Humans are strange, Mandiela." "Maybe he was colorblind and saw the gray clouds as white..." "Be silent, Amendia. He had no Discord staining his soul." Shaking his head ruefully, he said a quiet prayer that his partner would show up soon and turned to face the three teenagers, clearing his throat to get their attention. "Students, become silent and pay attention to what I am about to say." The three girls walked over to a nearby bench and sat down quietly. 'If only that worked so well on human teenagers.' he thought to himself. "Now, this is a good example of one of the idiosyncrasies of 'being human'. What you just witnessed was something commonly referred to as 'casual conversation'. It was not intended to be a statement of fact..." Sylviel's eyes grew wider. "Then he was lying to us?" Aurelius smiled a bit. "Not precisely. Humans often say certain things as a matter of habit, in an attempt to portray themselves as friendly. The statement may or may not be true, but they aren't thinking about that. It's not meant as a willful deception. Tell me something - are all of your heads feeling a slight buzzing sensation?" The three of them looked at each other, and then nodded in unison. "Thought so. That sensation is called a headache, and many young Seraphim experience it the first time that they come to the corporeal plane..." Mandiela piped up. "Why only Seraphim? Or is this place baneful to other choirs?" The priest chuckled a bit. "No, it affects everyone to a certain degree, but it hits Seraphim the hardest. Let me guess - the three of you have been using your resonances almost constantly, haven't you?" He didn't wait for an answer. "The main difference between Heaven and Earth is that there is a great deal of willful deception or unintended misstatements here. For a Seraph, that means that you may find a great many lies in the things that you see and hear." The three of them sat a little straighter, their eyes taking the mirrored sheen of a mortal deer caught in a human's headlights. Aurelius snapped his fingers several times quickly. "Snap out of it. You'll get used to it. The trick is really simple - instead of using your resonance constantly, only use it when you have reason to question what someone is going to say to you. It..." Amendia looked up at him. "But if we do that, we could -" "Miss the truth? Yes, you could. But the other thing to consider is that if your ears are ringing constantly from using your resonance too casually, you might not have it available to you for the times when you really need it. Believe me, if I used my resonance on every single person that I saw, I would go insane quickly with the need to punish the dishonorable here. So I have to pick and choose who I check." Amendia cocked her head to the side slightly. "Aurelius, is it easier here on Earth for Malakim than it is for us?" Aurelius rubbed his chin for a moment. "Yes and no. There is more evil to fight here than there is in Heaven, I can tell you that. It's hard for everyone at first, but you do grow accustomed to it over time. As a Malakite, I've learned that it can be a frustrating experience, but then again I've seen a bit of everything. Sometimes you come across people that can be just as dishonorable as the Infernals, but on the other hand I've met people on the street that were so honorable and charitable that it makes one proud to serve them." Sylviel blinked several times. "That was odd. Something you said just rang a false note, but I couldn't..." Aurelius put his hand on her shoulder. "It's all right. As I said, this place is foreign to you. Your resonance may need some time to adjust. Come on, let's be on our way back to the Tether. Omar should be meeting us a few streets down." The three Seraphim stood up, looking confused. "But I thought he said..." Aurelius looked at them a little more seriously. "Omar is a few streets down." Sylviel started to say something, then all three of the Seraphim stepped back a little shaking their heads. After a second, she recovered her composure. "You are right. I remember now. I apologize for doubting you, sir..." The priest clapped her on the back good-naturedly. "Nothing to it, kid. Nothing to it." _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 19:22:09 From: "Michael Cleveland" Subject: IN> IN Fic - Aurelius, Pt 2 In the library of Heaven, Yves sat back in an overstuffed chair reading a report that one of his seneschals had forwarded to him. He already knew what it had to say, of course, but it was polite to read it anyway. In truth, he was simply passing the time. Dominic had entered the library looking for him, and it would be a few more moments before the place allowed the Archangel of Judgment to find him. Besides, the chair was comfortable, and where he was going to be going in a few moments would be unsettling at best, even for him. Several minutes later, the cloaked Seraph stepped around a bookshelf and entered the alcove. He looked around for a moment, apparently satisfied that no one else was nearby to hear them before speaking. "Yves. I received a message that you wished to see me as soon as I became available." He cocked his head slightly. "The tone of urgency in your voice was apparent to my servitor, but you chose not to summon me personally. Which means..." Yves smiled as he rose from his chair. "Which means that I thought it was important enough to call you, but I didn't think that it was a major emergency. Besides, I know your busy schedule. Were you able to find a solution for the problem with Jamal?" Dominic shook his head. "Michael outcast him before the trial could take place, which is unfortunate because from the evidence presented so far, I think I could have let it go with his corporeal forces being removed from him for a few centuries." He chuckled ruefully. "By trying to save him from Judgment, he inadvertently punished him much more forcefully than I would have. Still, I have a Cherub attuned to him, and although Novalis and I do not always agree, I have already made arrangements for her to pick him up and bring Jamal into her service. It is for the best, in all truth." Yves shook his head. "Some days it's difficult to win for losing, isn't it? Still, I have someone that I want you to meet. Follow me to the corporeal plane, if you would." The two Superiors quickly translated themselves onto Earth, coming to rest in the Locus of a Tether of Destiny. As they arrived, Dominic turned to Yves with a troubled expression on his face. "Yves, what is that noise that I keep hearing?" The Archangel of Destiny looked back at him with a slightly pained look. "That, my friend, is the sound of the internal alerts that go off when my Tethers detect an infernal intrusion inside of them. You'll understand better in a moment." Yves nodded to a Cherub who had come into the room, and then started walking down a hallway, continuing to speak. "You remember a few years back how we got to talking about how the Symphony displayed a sense of humor at times, correct?" Dominic nodded. "Yes, and how Kobal's loss was so tragic since God had personally created him as an expression of that sense of humor. I remember, but I fail to see the relevance as yet..." "Well, one of the things that Kobal has always found funny is that you could create an angel that could not fall, but you couldn't make a demon that couldn't redeem. It's been one of his personal projects since as long as I can remember. Of course, God's mercy being infinite, there are very few that he wouldn't accept with open arms." Dominic nodded again as they turned a corner. "Yes, of course. The only ones that he would not accept back are those that would not come to him, but as we know there is always a chance that one can ask for forgiveness..." He began to grow disturbed as he saw a look of anger appear of the usually serene face of the Oldest Soul. "Yves, what is the problem?" Yves stopped in front of a one-way mirror, and pointed inside at a priest who was busy writing in a notebook in a study room. "This is Aurelius. He's one of my most recent additions to this Tether's staff. Right now, he's busy writing up a sermon for tonight's mass at the church down the street. We'll speak to him in a moment, but I thought you should see him at rest first." The Archangel of Judgment looked in the room at the priest for a moment before looking back at Yves with a surprised expression. "This is the source of that disturbance?" A voice from behind him answered. "Yes, Most Just. My Tether has not been quite the same since Aurelius showed up here a few months back." He turned around to see a Seraph in Celestial form floating up to look into the window. Yves spoke again. "This is Aron, the Seneschal of this Tether, and the first person that met Aurelius. Apparently he called the Tether four months ago claiming to be from our Tether in Denver and wanting to be put to work, which Aron arranged. Everything was fine until there was a party here celebrating his success in bringing a demon in for redemption. That was when he first came to my attention. Aron told me about the new Malakite from Denver who had facilitated the redemption, but that struck me as odd." Dominic looked back through the window. "Really? Why is that?" "I don't have a Tether in Denver." Dominic whipped his head around to face Yves. "What?" He turned back to face the priest again, his eyes glowing slightly brighter within the hood of his cloak. After a few seconds, his voice changed slightly. "That is no Malakite. That is a Balseraph in that room." Yves moved closer to the window. "Yes, I know. He's a renegade Balseraph of Fate, to be precise. One with the resonance of a Malakite. And one whose mind has been so shattered that he has absolutely no understanding of the fact that he isn't an angel. He wandered in here during the party, and when the actual redemption took place he took his celestial form just like everybody else. Surprised everybody, myself included. He looks in the mirror and sees black wings and his mind fills in what he expects to see." Dominic looked through the glass for a moment longer. "So, what do you intend to do with him? He is quite obviously dissonant, and he must be a severe disruption to this Tether's operations. I'm surprised you didn't destroy him..." He stopped as he felt his Word leaping into his throat, burning at his mind. He started shaking his head at the thoughts bombarding his mind. "That's the trick. He truly believes that he's one of mine. All of the dissonance you see on him is from him going against the Word of Fate. He has redeemed one of Belial's already, and I've got high hopes for two others that he's been working on. You see, he holds attunements from both Kronos and Asmodeus, which allow him to mimic several of our attunements, such as your Malakite attunement. Incidentally, he thinks you gave it to him, so be forewarned if you ever speak to him about it." Dominic's eyes softened slightly. "I think I will do that presently. Excuse me." _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 19:23:00 From: "Michael Cleveland" Subject: IN> IN Fic - Aurelius, Pt 3 Aurelius sat in his regular study room, pondering what he had learned from the three young Seraphim that he had tutored today. Kids always gave him trouble - although their naivety was refreshing and amusing at times, the fact that they came straight from Heaven always bothered him slightly. He hadn't been there in quite some time, and a vacation would be nice. Still, Destiny's work was best done here on Earth, and he could tell he was making a real difference. He could see it on the faces of his co-workers when he walked down the hall and spoke to the Seneschal on a weekly basis. 'For a Holier than thou, not a bad person.' he thought to himself. Besides, the fact that both Kronos and Asmodeus had personally targeted him for destruction meant that he was really getting things done, and he wore that as a badge of honor. A somewhat tarnished one admittedly, but... He stopped his train of thought as he felt a presence behind him. He turned to look over his shoulder to see who had come in, only to see the folds of a very familiar cloak. He instantly dropped out of the chair to bow on one knee, his head down. "Good afternoon, Most Just. You honor me by your presence." Dominic put a wingtip on his shoulder. "Hush. Please, rise." Aurelius did so, still not looking directly at the Archangel of Judgment. "Aurelius... how long has it been since you and I last spoke? Yves tells me that you have been doing great things in his service." Aurelius raised his head to look into Dominic's cowl. "Thirty years, sir. Give or take a few months, I'd say. As for Yves' compliments, they are welcomed but completely undeserved. I do the duty of any Malakite in the Lord's service - if praise is due anyone, it should go to him for having allowed me the good fortune to find souls in need of healing." "You are modest, and that is commendable, but remember to take credit when credit is due. So, tell me - what does Yves have you doing around here?" The priest paused for a moment. "A lot of things, really. Most of the time, I keep an eye out for infernals that might be potential redemption candidates. My role as a priest brings me into contact with them on occasion. It's a wonderful assignment, as when I'm not working with infernals, I have the privilege of helping bring humans directly closer to God. With my resonance, I'm able to find what sorts of sins people have committed and can minister more directly to their needs. But Aron finds other things for me to do as well from time to time. For example, a little earlier today, I was taking a group of new Seraphim through the city, showing them some of the intricacies of human behavior." A chair faded into existence, which Dominic lowered himself into heavily. "Really? How did that go? Not many Malakim enjoy such duties, playing nursemaid to new angels on their first time to Earth." Aurelius shook his head as he smiled. "In spite of their tendency to ask some of the silliest questions in known creation, I actually enjoy it. I find their perspective refreshing - they haven't had the chance to become bitter or jaded to the current stalemate we find ourselves in. Everything is new to them, and it's fun to watch that little spark of wonder and curiosity in them." Dominic nodded, trying to force the image of a Malakite with six glowing red eyes and fangs out of his mind. "You enjoy your work, do you not?" The 'Malakite' nodded. "Oh, most definitely, Most Just. I'll admit, there are times where it can be trying. And it's difficult sometimes - when you have someone who is just Fated to burn in Hell, it's hard to not let some of them go where they deserve. But I've found that most people can honestly be saved. It..." He paused for a second before continuing, "It takes a lot out of me sometimes, but when you can pull someone away from the brink and you know that they're going to make it, it's worth it. Some days, I feel like I'm getting gut punched for doing it, but that doesn't matter. I don't care how much it hurts - if even a single soul makes it to Heaven that wouldn't have..." 'He's horribly dissonant. He's burning himself up to save these people - at some level he has to know this is killing him...' thought Dominic. "Do you ever think about turning over a new leaf, putting all of the past behind you?" He sat up slightly as he saw the Balseraph's eyes flare with an almost holy devotion as he responded. "HELL, NO! Never! I may not be the best of angels, but I know my place, sir. I may lie like a rug. I may not have acted at times when I should have. I sure as hell am not objective, and I'm more than willing to hurt humans when they need it. But it doesn't matter - I am a Malakite. I am an embodiment of God's justice and God's love. No matter what happens to me, I cannot Fall. I could no more turn my back on Destiny and dishonor my Archangel and my God any more than you could turn your back on what is True and what is Just, sir! Tell me what you want me to do to prove it, and I'll -" Dominic stood up quickly and reached out for Aurelius. "Enough. Calm down. I did not tell you that you should stop. I... I simply needed to ask you. You have proven yourself to Yves and I..." He paused for a moment. "I think, young Aurelius, that you are one of the most honorable of your kind that I have seen in your Archangel's service. You do both Yves and Heaven credit by your work." He started moving towards the door, and then turned to look back at the priest. "I need to leave now. I wish you well, and if you should ever need anything, please feel free to ask." The priest looked down at his feet for a moment, and then looked up. "Actually, sir..." "Yes, Aurelius? What is it?" The Balseraph looked at the Archangel of Judgment for a moment before speaking, "Sir, if it's not too much trouble, could you ask Yves to give me a vacation? I know that Destiny's work is best served here on Earth, but..." He paused for a moment longer. "I'd really like to go back to Heaven for a little while. I know that he needs me here, but I really just want to go home, even if it was for an hour or two." After a moment, Dominic nodded. "I will speak to him about it." He glided through the door, pausing on the other side before turning to Yves. "He does not understand. And since he has no idea that he has committed any sins, he cannot repent them. This is..." Dominic's voice hardened. "This is an abomination. This cannot be allowed to continue. There has to be a way to free him from this, Yves, and I want you to find it. Do whatever it takes with the knowledge that I will back you up on it. I will have two of my Cherubim attune to him to help you keep track of him until a solution can be found." Yves nodded. "What do you want to do, Dominic?" Dominic faded from view, leaving his disembodied voice in Yves' head. "What I want to do and what I can do are two different things, old friend. For now, we keep him alive long enough for us to figure out how to give him the halo he seems intent on earning for himself." _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 15:11:19 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Songs for Lilim At 11:07 AM +1100 9/22/01, james walker wrote: >> From: Elizabeth McCoy >> At 11:53 AM +1100 9/21/01, james walker wrote: >> >>>The idea of 6 level/1 Songs is fairly bizarre. [...] >> 3: _FIRST_ character ever. O:> >Oh, all is forgiven then - having had a new player try to give her Seraph >the Lying skill :-) Oops. [...] >> Hey, she was a newborn Lilim. She didn't know how to design her >> character optimally... O;> ) >> >That's a good point actually. Newbie Lilim give real meaning to the term >'steep learning curve'. I generally depict newbie Lilim as being very quiet and observant (if they have any Ethereal Forces to speak of); this is so they can overhear important things and not owe people for telling them how life works. >Describing what they face is a nice follow on to the >"When I grow up" series; (besides I've already started with my GuildHall >write-up) so I'll play with that as my next project. Hee. Have fun... - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 17:22:36 -0400 (EDT) From: "Rev. Pee Kitty" Subject: Re: IN> IN Fic - Aurelius Wow. I really, *really* liked this. What a great story/character/seed... I may have my party run across Aurelius some time soon... given that they have no Seraphim, it may be months until they realize the Truth... if they ever do. - -- Rev. Pee Kitty, of the order Malkavian-Dobbsian, Q4B4L! Meow! When you're having a bad day, remember: It takes 42 muscles to frown, but only 4 to pull the trigger of a decent sniper rifle. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 16:20:06 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: IN> Fwd: A new God >From: owner-in_nomine-l@lists.io.com >Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 00:15:28 -0500 >Subject: BOUNCE in_nomine-l@lists.io.com: Non-member submission from ["Alex Liddell" ] [Remember, everyone, check www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/lists.html to find out how to get permission to post. Also remember to read www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/listrules.html -- especially the bit about 10K PER DAY. And about using 7bit ascii, not 8bit ascii. --Beth] >From: "Alex Liddell" >Subject: A new God >Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 17:10:15 +1200 > >In a place where existence and non-existence collide, a man sat on a glowing >throne of gold. His long white beard and flowing robes giving him the aura >of a cliched deity. Beside him, flanked on either side stood two angels. >Majestic, beautiful beings with expansive white wings, radiant halos and >brilliant sunswords clasped in their perfectly manicured hands. Their >bodies carved from reality itself. Around him flitted spirits of pure >energy, beings of love, light, hope, fear, hate, sorrow and vengeance. Worn >on their necks were crystals that reflected their energies out into the >universe. They resonated with their clear, melodious voices until they >shattered, taking the effervescent being with them. > >The deity looked into the sky and marvelled at its changes. The ceiling of >the universe merging with itself, reds clashing with blues and whites and >yellows, frantically splashing into newly formed colours and patterns like a >crazed painter pouring his soul onto canvas. Lightning shot through the >palette of the sky, tearing through the painters works with electric >passion. Flinging sparks and terrible thunder across the deities realm. He >looked quizzically at the changes and shrugged, a glare coming to his eyes >as they erupted into blazing fire. The realm halted for a moment, frozen in >time and space as if anticipating a dramatic event. The universe held its >breath. Then the Symphony screamed for mercy as it twisted and ripped under >the deity's control, the blinding fire spewing out of his eyes tore into >reality, moulding and shaping it to his will. His realm's borders expanded >and flooded into the surrounding areas of the Deep Marches, the ethereals >there yelping in pain as their bodies muted and twisted into angelic forms. >Their homes devoured by the hungry fires of creation. When it was all over, >God surveyed his newly expanded territory and stared malevolently into the >planes of existence themselves, greedily eyeing the celestial plane. His >eyes once again flared up and on Earth a woman screamed as the skin on her >palms and feet burst, free flowing blood onto the kitchen floor, a tourist >in the Louvre held his breath in shock as the statue he was observing >started to bleed from the eyes, hands and feet. In Mecca the sky darkened >and thousands of people witnessed a spark of pure light strike a blind >Muslim Cleric right in the chest, to see him then get up and look upon the >Earth for the first time in his life. > >In the Higher Heavens Uriel shot up beside the hand of God and stared open >mouthed at the events unfolding on Earth. He looked to God and spoke in a >harsh whisper. "I was right, Father. All this time and I was right." > >God looked back at Uriel from every angle imaginable and then a few that >weren't; Uriel stared into God's form and instead of seeing the calm >knowledge of an omniscient entity, saw the fear and frustration of a small >child. Uriel felt his Word screech in the Symphony and he felt the pull to >return to the corporeal plane once again. Before, when he felt his Word >compel him to return, he always staved it off, knowing that God removed him >from duty for a reason, a purpose. Uriel looked to God again and saw that >his time had come, he saw God cry. His Word tore into his being, cutting >him deep, each tear of God ripped through Purity like lightning through >water. Uriel screamed in pain and horror and jumped into the air, furiously >beating his black wings against the Higher Heavens sky. He carried himself >through the Universe to the point where he ascended, his own tears mixing >with the burning rage of his Word and dropping into reality to create his >new followers. Upon reaching the glowing locus of the Seraphim Council, >Uriel was surrounded by 1000 warriors of all Choirs, each one crying the >rage and fury of Purity damaged. Uriel held up his sword and with a >thousand warriors all bathed in the radiance of his Word, descended to the >Council. > >The Adventure > >The world is in turmoil. Not just the western world, but the eastern as >well. Everyone knows the backstory. Terror has hit the heart of what we >thought was the most impenetrable fortress in the world. The result has >been a reaction of fear and hatred from both sides. On the one hand America >is outraged at the assault and vows vengeance in the name of God, on the >other, the Arab nation of Afghanistan is fearing a reaction from the US and >is swearing vengeance in the name of God. People the world over flood to >churches, cathedrals, mosques and temples to pray for the dead and for a >swift resolution to the conflict which is threatening to engulf the world in >chaos. Every Word in the Symphony is being served, from War to Flowers, The >Game to Gluttony someone stands to benefit and someone stands to lose. What >the Celestials' don't know is that someone is benefiting much more than they >could imagine, and much more than they are. > >God is an enigma to celestials in general; to a human the real God is >unimaginable...... but the God that they create in their own heads is very >real and they understand Him perfectly. His will is ultimate, His goals >defined by the humans who "worship" Him and His mood is totally volatile. >The dreams of a billion humans channelling their thoughts, fears, hopes and >hates to Him as God, to Him as Allah.... makes him very, very powerful and >very, very dangerous. > >In other terms, in the Deep Marches where reality and emptiness collide a >new ethereal has been born. He didn't just come down in the last shower, he >has been brewing in the minds of the faithful for centuries, evolving and >changing, growing and learning. Given the current surge of prayer he has >burst out of his shell and has begun to create "Heaven" as his mind sees it, >influenced by the written (and corrupted) religions of the world. He is >shaping the Deep Marches into a pseudo Celestial Plane; the more and more he >changes The Marches the more he sets his section apart from the rest of the >Plane. In essence he is cutting himself off from his source of power, but >he doesn't know that and the celestials don't know that. However, what >happens when he totally creates his new plane is anyone's guess.... > >The world starts to experience Biblical events. Not all pointing to the >book of Revelations but some are related to it. A feeder river to the >Amazon starts to boil for an hour or so, people in quaint little Lithuanian >villages start experiencing stigmata, statues begin to bleed, Muslims >experience visions of Muhammad's ascension; nothing really Earth shaking >depending on how long it takes the celestials to figure out what is going >on and put a stop to it. If they take too long (depends on how long the GM >determines) then things like seas boil and the sky rains down brimstone (or >whatever). The cool part is that this adventure can be played from ANY >angle. As an angel trying to stop this ethereal God from becoming too >powerful and threatening the World. As a Demon trying to do the same thing >and find a way to screwing over Heaven at the same time, or as an ethereal >whose existence is in jeopardy. If you are really weird then you can run it >as an Angel of "God" flavoured with Islamic/Christian atonements and >attitudes. > >Clues lead the PCs to the Truth. Malakim of Yves report odd sounding >disturbances in the areas of the "divine" events. These disturbances are >"God" intruding on the corporeal plane. Sometimes an "Angel" will pop up >and give someone a message in a very Biblical manner leaving the person >stressed and possibly even damaged. A confrontation with one of these >"Angels" should be very climactic. They are infused with belief and can >manifest some strange powers. Once the PCs come up with the idea that >there is a "God" in the Marches who is doing all of this, Dominic spits the >dummy and throws his toys out of his pram. He screams heresy and calls a >council meeting to resolve the issue. What happens from here is up to the >GM to craft. Any number of outcomes is available including Uriel's return >from the Higher Heavens. The trick is not to let the PCs feel as though >they are being led around by the Archangels. > >Hell has varying views on the situation. PC investigations will lead them >to much the same conclusion as above. Then it depends on the Superiors. >Again, this is mutable to how the GM portrays various Superiors. Alliances >with Heaven, sneak attacks on unguarded Heavenly strongholds, the capture >and experimentation of an "Angel," even alliances with "God" Himself are >possible. > >If they invade the Marches then it really depended on how long it has taken >and how the GM is treating time. They could find a brand new plane with a >seriously weakened "God" at the centre and killing him should not be a >problem. They could find a brand new plane and a very very powerful entity >there that rivals their Archangels in power. They might show up as he is >forming the plane, just in time to help some ethereals escape the fires. >Who knows? > >Alex > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 17:38:53 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> Ozma's Ethereal opinions >Christopher: Hurt him and DIE LoL! I love this series! Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 15:00:41 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> I wish I'd grown up.... Dang, James. Whatever you're smoking, share with the rest of us! ===== 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: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 18:05:48 -0400 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> IN Fic - Aurelius, Pt 1 Very nice story. I like the Seraph-rookies' first time on Earth. It will be great to see where you take it from here. Jeffery _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2389 ********************************