in_nomine-digest Monday, December 24 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2493 In this digest: Re: IN> A disturbing idea... Re: IN> A disturbing idea... IN> The Star (seed) -- my Christmas offering Re: IN> A disturbing idea... Re: IN> A disturbing idea..thanx. Re: IN> LOTR/In Nomine write-up. Warning- Contains spoilers IN> Adventure Seed: "Damned Washbyrne" Re: IN> Latin phrases for your PC's IN> A selfless act Re: IN> Alternate Rules for Choirs and Bands IN> Re:Lord of the Rings ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 12:04:52 +0800 From: Manny Nepomuceno Subject: Re: IN> A disturbing idea... Hey, Great stuff, but just one quibble: >Osama leapt up at the sound of that voice and turned to look at a figure >stepping out of the hallway's shadows and into his own inner sanctum. A >figure clad in the traditional robes of an Islamic Scholar, with a pair of >white, flowing wings serving as a cape. The figure pushed back it's cowl to >reveal it's face, which resembled that of a short-beared man, of unprecise, >yet unmistakingly arabic origins. Osama instantly recognized his face and >fell to his knees again. > >"Lord Khalid... At last... Praise Allah, you've returned to aid me... " Doesn't this violate Khalid's dissonance conditions? ;) Manny Neps http://www.geocities.com/angeloffools ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2001 22:14:28 -0600 From: David Edelstein Subject: Re: IN> A disturbing idea... Rolland Therrien wrote: > Even> now, the remainder of his Al Quaeda forces were fighting a losing battle, > and he knew his days were numbered. The only thing Osama Bin Ladin had left > was to pray for a miracle, and wonder how he could've so underestimated > America's resolve. Well, this may be how Westerners like to think Osama is reacting, but in reality, (a) he has made it clear that he fully expects to die and is not too worried about becoming a martyr for the cause, and (b) I don't think he underestimated America's resolve at all. > Khalid stepped closer, looking the now stunned man in the face, and > continued: "It's regrettable that so many innocent people had to die, but > their sacrifice has not been in vein. America is now more open to God's > forces then ever, as men and women all over the land have turned ever more > to their priests, rabbis and mullahs for guidance and comfort." Hmm. The pre-FT Khalid was ruthless enough to do that to advance his Word, but he probably wouldn't have objected to bin Laden's methods or turned on him afterwards. The "reformed" Khalid would not likely condone 9/11. > Khalid looked at him and smiled again, this time with the smile of a teacher > reassuring a pupil. "The People of Afghanistan are celebrating their > newfound freedom from the Taliban, Osama. The Taliban were tyrants who > oppressed their nation and harmed anyone not upholding their extremist > views. Sadly, they were a necessary evil, for this region to begin > welcoming a more liberal and open regime..." Even the reformed Khalid would probably prefer the more moderate elements of the Taliban (yes, they exist) to the Northern Alliance and/or a takeover by the West. > Khalid simply nodded. "Yes... As I've learned from the angels of Destiny, > Your Dark Fate was to plunge the earth into World War three, which would've > spread ruination throughout the Middle East as it raged. As you know, > however, your Destiny was to spark the end of the misery of the people of > Islam... And I suspect that things will will change for the better for Islam > in the decades to come..." That's a pretty optimistic prediction... > Khalid looked him in the eyes. "Heaven is not only for the followers of > Islam, Osama. It is for all those who have achieved the Destiny Allah > intended for them. But nevertheless, there are some appearances that need > to be maintained... And having a Terrorist Leader in heaven would cause > much controversy..." Which wouldn't bother Khalid at all, if bin Laden had truly earned his Destiny. Given the way Fate and Destiny works, there are probably quite a few people in Heaven who'd raise some eyebrows. > Osama now looked fearful of what was next to come, as Khalid took a large > dagger from his robe, and grabbed him by the neck, holding him tightly as he > held up the blade. "This Dagger was specially made to cleave the human soul > apart, scattering it's forces throughout the Symphony, bringing about final > Soul Death... I'm sorry, Osama, but this is for the greater good..." No, sorry. There is NO way Khalid (or any Archangel, but especially the Archangel of Faith) would soul-kill a human to prevent him from going to Heaven. I can't imagine a greater blasphemy, from Heaven's point of view. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 13:07:06 +0800 From: Manny Nepomuceno Subject: IN> The Star (seed) -- my Christmas offering Hey, Well, this was *supposed* to go out after Gendu, but since he's not tasty enough yet I'll post this now and Gendu later. Merry Christmas, everyone. ;) Manny Neps http://www.geocities.com/angeloffools The Star There was a general hush as the Archangel of the Heavens took the podium. Although Leilani speaking before the Council was nothing out of the ordinary, the angels flanking her bore the sigils of Fire, Revelations and the Sword, indicating that she had something of extraordinary importance to say. Even the normally disruptive Ofanim stilled themselves. "I have come before the Seraphim Council this day, by leave of my Lord of the Sword and the Archangels of Fire and Revelations, to speak of a matter which has, to date, concerned only angels of the Heavens. This is the matter of Gendu, my most bitter rival, whose minions scatter among the stars as weeds among the grass. I wish to set the truth of the matter before this Council." Leilani spoke in dulcet, measured tones, struggling to speak a complex Truth plainly. "It is generally known that one night close to two millennia ago, a child was born in Bethlehem, who would grow to become the Christ. The Archangel of Fire, divinely inspired, led a chorus of his angels in glorious song over Bethlehem; this produced a Tether, one which has since been lost to time and memory. The "Bethlehem Quest" to recover this Tether is quite popular among Servitors of Fire and the Sword, and I understand that even a few angels of War have attempted it. "But what is not generally known is that a second Tether was formed that night. A star, blazing in the night sky, led a party of travelers to the child. They paid homage, leaving gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Their faith was strong and their intentions pure, and for that the star itself became a Tether to Fire." A few of the angels present took advantage of Leilani's pause to glance at Soldekai, sitting quietly in his mistress's seat. His face was impassive, his gaze fixed on the Archangel of the Heavens. "Gabriel appeared at the Tether and stabilized it," Leilani continued, "and returned to Heaven, leaving behind a Cherub named Gendu who had distinguished himself in his master's service. There are angels of Fire who still remember this Cherub, and testify that he was one of our greatest warriors." A general murmur of agreement broke out among the Servitors of Fire present. Soldekai remained silent. "Alas, the Archangel of Fire never returned, and the matter of the Cherub's binding was never brought before this Council." Leilani glanced briefly at Dominic, unreadable in the folds of his dark cloak. "I dare say that it was the immediate summons of Gabriel to this Council that prevented him from returning to the star. What follows is speculation, I must tell you, for no one knows the truth of this but Gendu himself. "I believe that Gendu Fell at some point, unable to punish cruelty among the stars as his master had bade him do, and that he eventually found his way back to Earth. Even celestial forms do not travel the void of space instantaneously, and the journey drove him mad. The Prince of the Stars is a formidable opponent, I dare say, but he is also quite insane. The object of his existence to this point has merely been to find that one star, for even he does not know which star it is among the untold billions in the cosmos. "I have spoken to Gabriel of this matter, and she has been most forthright about it. We do not know which star it is. For that matter we turned to the Archangel of Revelations, who has set a team of his ablest Servitors to assist us in finding that one star." She nodded to Litheroy, who beamed at her from his seat on the Council. "You will ask why it is essential for us to find this star. Two factors are most important to take note of at this point: first, we do not know why this one star blazed so brightly that night over Bethlehem. I have spoken with the Archangel of Destiny about this, and he assures me that the rediscovery of the star is an essential component in the collective destiny of mankind. I have my own speculations as to why the star is so important. "Second, and this is of greater gravity, my rival is close to discovering the star. We have intercepted communications that indicate this, and consultation with several of my fellow Archangels has led me to believe that the information is valid. Gendu may, in one stroke, damn humanity to the pit. I confess that I do not know what his plans are, but one thing is clear: we must reach that star before he does. Or humanity shall fall, and all of Heaven with it." .... This is an adventure for angels of all Words, as motivations can be found for practically every Archangel to have Servitors assigned to this mission. Take note that without the use of special Songs (such as the Song of Motion), artifacts (Jean probably has a celestial-artifact starship docked somewhere in the Halls) or attunements (such as Leilani's Mysterious Ways attunement or Gendu's Stellar Winds attunement), travel in space is problematic even for angels. Why is the star so important? GM's call, really. Perhaps the one planet which humanity can colonize easily orbits that star. Or perhaps a sentient species which will become humanity's partner in exploring the heavens. Gendu wants the star for reasons of his own; he couldn't have it as a Cherub of Fire and now he wants it as the Prince of the Heavens (hey, he _is_ a Djinn). Of course, this seed can be altered for play without Leilani or Gendu. Alaemon or Vapula, perhaps, may find the star of interest, and of course Kronos wants to know its secrets. Yves or Laurence could just as easily have addressed the Council as Leilani; for extra kicks this seed can be played as a Revelations-only adventure. Lather, rinse, repeat. Oh, and have fun while you're doing it. ;) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 01:39:01 -0500 From: "Brian R. Boyko" Subject: Re: IN> A disturbing idea... >No, sorry. There is NO way Khalid (or any Archangel, but especially the >Archangel of Faith) would soul-kill a human to prevent him from going to >Heaven. I can't imagine a greater blasphemy, from Heaven's point of >view. > >-David Then again, in a REALLY low contrast game, Heaven does this all the time. Brian. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 02:16:41 EST From: furiaemercury@aol.com Subject: Re: IN> A disturbing idea..thanx. - --part1_134.6b5f17a.29583059_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I've been reading all of the posts for weeks and I'm wiriting just to thank the rest of you for putting things into this that totally didn't occur to me.. mainly for bringing me out of my half asleep state at 2:14 am to the point of thinking I could use that in my next game. (hmm Brian,David and Exit the LoneWolf) wow Lady Crow - --part1_134.6b5f17a.29583059_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I've been reading all of the posts for weeks and I'm wiriting just to thank the rest of you for putting things into this that totally didn't occur to me.. mainly for bringing me out of my half asleep state at 2:14 am to the point of thinking I could use that in my next game.  (hmm Brian,David and Exit the LoneWolf)
wow
Lady Crow - --part1_134.6b5f17a.29583059_boundary-- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 14:00:27 -0500 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> LOTR/In Nomine write-up. Warning- Contains spoilers > >P.S.: Anyone want to take on writing up a bit on the > >Ring itself? > > Already been done- but you _don't_ want to go down > that road. Trust me on this. The flamewar from the > last time wasn't pretty... But highly entertaining to watch, if you weren't also one of the participants. I do believe I have most of it archived on my hard drive.... Anyone who's interested, please email me privately. - -- Casca "Many people hear voices when no-one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing." --Margaret Chittenden, writer ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 14:33:31 -0500 From: David Wood Subject: IN> Adventure Seed: "Damned Washbyrne" It's been a personal thorn in Laurence's side for a few centuries. Michael doesn't want anything to do with it because even when he destroys it, someone else claims it sooner or later and it springs up all over again. Jean wants to study it and understand what freakish Symphonic convolution allows it to exist, but it's never really safe to do so. Mention it to Novalis and she just sighs and changes the subject. The small New England town of Washbyrne has seen it all. Fires, floods, lightningstrikes, plagues of frogs, plagues of grasshoppers, an air disaster or two, and even threats from some nebulous sea-borne horror from the waters of the nearby Atlantic (and did the Seraphim of Jordi have a time explaining *that* one away). And yet, it keeps getting built up again, time after time after time. It's little more than a large building surrounded by the shacks and houses of the people who work and live in the tiny community, and can't afford to move elsewhere. It's not a historically significant city; it was too far away from the action to be in any American war, and nothing notable in the span of human events makes it memorable. Travel guides usually don't mention it because it's such a dreary place to visit that nobody ever wants to go there. But Washbyrne has its own peculiar significance that neither Heaven nor Hell can lose sight of. It's called, simply, "The Stubborn Tether" or "The Washbyrne Tether," and it has been the site of a tether to Hell since the town's founding in the late 1600s. It began with a typical conflict between angel and demon, and blossomed into a slaughter of local townsfolk and as a result a tether to Baal. Shortly after that, more angels came in to close up the new infernal beachhead, and did so -- or so they thought. Burning it down merely allowed it to become a tether for Belial instead. The fact is that *every* time angels come into Washbyrne to smash up the tether, it reforms. Usually, it's some superior other than the one who held it last who claims it. It's been in the hands of everyone from Andrealphus to Vapula and everyone in between at least once, easily twice -- *except* Lilith. Hell is overjoyed with it, except that it's a hot potato that nobody ever holds onto for very long, one way or another. Heaven is nonplussed with it to say the least. Archangels usually leave it alone, but once in a while, some subordinate gets hopeful. And besides, it doesn't hurt to screw with Hell's supply lines once in a while. More than once, the Washbyrne Tether has changed hands because *other demons* attacked it. Needless to say, this presents an unhealthy environment for pretty much *anyone* that passes through. Normal humans rarely like to come to the town unless they have relatives trapped there, and then usually to try to rescue them. The travel guides are right; the town is a dreary place which no tourist would want to pass through, much less visit. The residents are, in a word, defeated. Demons not of the current "Prince of Washbyrne" will usually get a hostile reception, since it's assumed that any concentration of 'foreigners' is a sign of an impending attack. Demons of that Prince are, of course, welcome ...but sometimes when the Washbyrne Tether changes hands, agents in the field aren't immediately notified and get an awful surprise when they go there. And angels? Hoo BOY! Word that Heaven has forces there spreads like wildfire, attracting demons from all over, like sharks who know a bloody morsel of meat is about to drop into the water. A few will want to defend the tether, naturally. Most will want to be on hand when it falls to try to be the first ones in to take it over and rebuild it in the image of their Prince's word... And through all of this, nobody has ever thought of the *correct* way to destroy the site... (SPOILER) Every time Celestials act to destroy the Tether, they do so personally, spending Essence, slinging songs and atunements around, and generally causing all manner of Disturbance. It's the power thrown around by the attackers that lets the Washbyrne Tether hold its power. If Angels attack the Washbyrne Tether, they can't spend Essence or cause Disturbance. Humans attacking the Tether can spend Essence, and don't cause Disturbance. However, the only groups of humans available en masse are the townsfolk. The easiest way to beat the Washbyrne Tether, then, is to arm the residents of Washbyrne and motivate them to over throw it themselves. It won't be easy, though, because not only have Washbyrne's people been beaten down by the demons for generations, but the demons will be watching for any rabblerousing, and may get extreme on some of the rabble as an example. So yeah, it's *not* easy. The Washbyrne Tether may well survive its first few encounters with a group of angels, and change hands repeatedly. Washbyrne, for all its smallness and dreariness, could make its own campaign... - --David http://skipjack.bluecrab.org/~dwood "Never mind working on your own computer, or the PlayStation in the other room. The biggest advantage to working at home is the ability to apply hydrocortisone cream WHERE you want WHEN you want." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 22:58:25 +0100 From: "Robin Gilijamse" Subject: Re: IN> Latin phrases for your PC's Some more improvements on the Latin phrases: > >Semper Paratus Pro Justitia (always prepared for justice) > make that last word "iustitia." Otherwise, nice. I'd change the word order. 'Pro Iustitia semper paratus' has a better sound, though I am unsure about the correctness of my Latin (has been a long time ago) > there's already a verb for "to pass sentence"; this should be > Diligenter judicabo. except no J ofcourse :) 'Diligenter iudicabo' > Deus est mihi fortitudo. Again the word order. If memory serves, 'Deus mihi fortitudo est' should be better. Robin (whose Latin has become decidedly rusty over not even that many years) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 21:31:21 -0000 From: "Genevieve Cogman" Subject: IN> A selfless act There is a rumor which is suppressed in Hell. There is a hope which is held in Heaven. For every soul that goes to Hell has surely met his or her fate, but never touched destiny. And in Hell they must languish for ever, or until God overturn the order of the settled universe and bring the darkest places imaginable to the light. But some say that a man's destiny may change even as he changes, and that those who suffer in Hell may yet escape it. If only a man can repent -- truly repent, they say, without hope of release or desire for surcease of pain -- and know that he sinned, and wish that it had been otherwise, and perform one selfless act . . . Why, then, he is no longer bound by Hell. Some say that such souls are reincarnated, having reached both Fate and Destiny, and gain a new chance to achieve Heaven. Others say that for their suffering in that most dire of places, they are released to the Higher Heavens, beyond the tales of angels whom we know, for they have purged themselves with a drink more bitter than wormwood, and still sought for something better. For such a thing cannot be done for hope of salvation, nor tallied up as if a dozen good deeds will earn the way to paradise. It must be done from the heart's true desire, an act of selflessness, a thought of repentance. But in any case, such souls are not seen again. In Hell they deny such rumors -- no, they do not even mention them, and the Game scours them from the tongues of traitors. In Heaven, they believe and hope in them. And where the angels gather to sing, they praise the name of He who is merciful. - --- A merry Christmas to you all. Genevieve Cogman ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2001 15:06:03 -0800 From: "Phillip Des Jardins" Subject: Re: IN> Alternate Rules for Choirs and Bands I think I like this. One of the things this would help with is Superiors, since it would explain how they manage to ue all resonances. It allows this feat to be duplicatable by their servitors, albeit not as well. Phillip, the Happy Shiny Mercurian ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 16:31:42 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Re:Lord of the Rings > > P.S.: Anyone want to take on writing up a bit on the > Ring itself? I did write-up for the Rings of Power back during Fantasy Month...they should still be in the archives somewhere. Cheers, James. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2493 ********************************