in_nomine-digest Wednesday, December 26 2001 Volume 01 : Number 2494 In this digest: IN> Re: a disturbing idea IN> Micah Tanhumeth, the Angel of Innocent Blood IN> Re: Micah Tanhumeth, the Angel of Innocent Blood Re: IN> Micah Tanhumeth, the Angel of Innocent Blood Re: IN> A selfless act IN> Re: The Star (seed) Re: IN> Latin phrases for your PC's Re: IN> Latin phrases for your PC's Re: IN> A disturbing idea... Re: IN> Micah Tanhumeth, the Angel of Innocent Blood Re: IN> A disturbing idea... Re: IN> A disturbing idea... IN> AH! My Godess In Nomine IN> Not really a Christmas concept... IN> An overdue court action ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 16:39:55 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Re: a disturbing idea > Just a disturbing thought of mine... And you wondered why Khalid was an > Elohite... > > - -Exit the LoneWolf Very disturbing. The other option, of course, was to have Bin Laden accept a diabolical rite (even assuming that he only has 5 Forces, a Worship Rite is an option: one of Mammon's? It shouldn't be difficult to persuade Mammon that 9/11 was just an attempt to manipulate the stock market, and become richer) or attunement, and then enter Hell as a knowing spy. Cheers, James. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 13:44:21 +0800 From: Manny Nepomuceno Subject: IN> Micah Tanhumeth, the Angel of Innocent Blood Hey, Yes, this is quite early...the Feast of the Holy Innocents isn't until Dec. 28. Still, Merry Christmas...;) ;) Manny Neps http://www.geocities.com/angeloffools "With right are the sufferings of the Holy Innocents attended with less festivity than the celebration of other saints, for, though they were crowned with martyrdom, they went at once, not into Paradise, but into Limbo." -- Micrologus It's a bleak Christmas. It always is. Snow outside. Cold inside. But when I close my eyes...blood. Blood everywhere. And the voices, calling out to me. I can hear them with perfect clarity, remember the sound of their shrill tears. Sometimes I can even remember what wielding the sword was like. Their blood was warm and sticky. I remember that. Some days I can almost forgive myself. When I open my eyes there is blood on my hands...that's nothing new, that's been there for the past two millennia. It seeps through the gauze bandages and stains the side of my mug. Damn, my coffee is cold already. And so I wait, and every year around this time I feel them out there, somewhere, calling to me. For just one day I'm certain that they're still waiting for me to bring them home. It's the only day my wounds hurt, and the only day they refuse to stop bleeding, until everything is covered in blood: my hands, the bandages, the sink, everything I touch. Bloody. Like my hands have been for two thousand years. And I wait still. I have not yet earned my place in Heaven. Micah Tanhumeth "the Repentant" The Angel of Innocent Blood Malakite Master of Destiny Corporeal Forces 5: Strength 10, Agility 10 Ethereal Forces 6: Intelligence 12, Perception 12 Celestial Forces 5: Will 9, Perception 11 Suggested Word-Forces: 2-3 Vessel: Human male (Caucasian male)/6, Charisma +1 Role: "Philip Rochester", Private Investigator/4, Status 3 Attunements: Malakite of Destiny, Seraph of Destiny, Malakite of Judgment (from Dominic), Divine Destiny, Vassal of Destiny, Friend of the Sages, Master of Divine Knowledge (Elohite), The Angel of Innocent Blood* Songs: Entropy (Celestial/4), Light (Celestial/4), Form (Corporeal/3) Skills: Ranged Weapon (Pistol)/4, Move Silently/3, Tracking/3, Fighting (Brawling)/3 Discord: Stigmata/2 Malakite Oaths: i. Yield not, nor allow myself to be captured by the legions of the Fallen. ii. Suffer not an evil to live when the choice is mine to make. iii. Permit no murder brought to my attention to remain unsolved. iv. Shed no innocent blood, whether knowingly or unknowingly. v. Conduct the Holy Innocents into Heaven's graces. vi. Permit no Superior to remove my Discord until my sin is atoned for. *The Angel of Innocent Blood: While his Word is trivial, it grants him a number of abilities. First, upon viewing a corpse, he can, on a successful Perception roll, determine whether or not the person died through foul play. A failure on this roll gives him false information -- he should not be aware that he has failed his roll! Second, like Yves's Synchronicity attunement, he is drawn to wherever in the Symphony he will be needed, but through subtler, mundane methods. If, for example, one of the Holy Innocents is about to surface in Las Vegas, Micah will be called in on a murder in Las Vegas. Third, he is immediately aware, on looking at someone, whether or not that person is one of the Holy Innocents reincarnated. Fourth, he is aware of how many of the Holy Innocents have achieved their Destinies or Fates. So far, only four of the Holy Innocents have achieved their Destinies, but none have succumbed to their Fates. Micah works hard to keep them from the Pit. Rites: - - All of Yves's basic rites. - - Correctly identify a murderer and bring him to justice. - - Spend two hours defending an innocent in court. (from Dominic) He was just another Malakite, living the demands of his simple but unfulfilling Role in Bethlehem two thousand years ago. As a soldier in the pay of King Herod, he tried his best to stamp out the wickedness he saw in the King's court, and for a while he was successful at it. Until he was ordered to slay the children. History does not record the actual number of baby boys slain, and only one Gospel writer (Matthew) takes note of their deaths. But Micah remembers; he wielded the sword that ran red with their blood. He did his job with ruthless efficiency, and to this day he wonders why the Symphony did not ring with each successive death. Historians estimate that between six and twenty-five boys were slain that day in Bethlehem. Micah knows. He knows their names and remembers the manner of their deaths. After all, he was their executioner. When he had finished his bloody work, he returned to Heaven, broken and distraught. Yves, ineffable as ever, was no comfort, and instead directed Micah to Dominic. The Archangel of Judgment heard his confession and found no sin in the Malakite. But Micah looked down at his hands (still bloody, even in Heaven) and knew that this was a matter beyond his Archangels. He walked to the Marches, obtaining permission from Blandine to walk to the ruins of her abandoned Tower. In the shadow of love that had failed, he wept bloody tears. And felt God's presence all around him. When he arose it was with a divine Word, and he swore new Oaths to atone for his sins. His hands were still bloody; he knew that they would remain that way until he had atoned for slaying the infants. When he returned to Heaven it was to find Yves waiting. They talked quietly for many hours before he was allowed to return to Earth. He is there still. Shunned by other Malakim for his Discord, for all intents and purposes an Outcast from Heaven, Micah is, nevertheless, one of Heaven's most brilliant and effective investigators. In spite of his Discord, which he has refused to have removed, Dominic himself has tried on a number of occasions to recruit the Angel of Innocent Blood. Micah always refuses; he has work to do. When he slew the infants, he prevented them from achieving either their fates or destinies. His acceptance of his Word and mission has forever bound him to them; to this day he waits for them to all reincarnate so that he can shepherd them safely to Heaven. He cannot directly influence them to achieve their Destiny; that would go beyond the strictures Yves himself set on his Servitors. But he does what he can to make sure that they are given every opportunity in this life to achieve what they could not in their past existence. In spite of the fact that he works for Destiny, Micah is sometimes assigned triad work with Dominicans. Micah doesn't mind; he is also an effective trainer and has a number of proteges in Dominic's organization. As long as it does not interfere with his divinely ordained mission or with any of Yves's orders, he is willing to help out Judgmenters in need. Oddly enough, this has earned him little but scorn. Overzealous Seraphim and Malakim in particular are quick to bring the discordant angel to trial, only to find themselves slapped down by higher-ranking Dominicans. This has done little to improve Micah's image among other angels. PCs encountering Micah will find him a powerful ally and a disturbing companion. Remorseful without immediate cause, serious even for a Malakite, Micah works with the subtlety of a Master of Destiny and with great (most would say, too much) faith in the workings of the Symphony. Dominic and Yves have taken note. They use him to rub the rough edges off Servitors who tend to be too direct-minded for their organizations. After all, if a Judgmenter can't stand one brooding Malakite of Destiny, what makes him think he can take on one of Gabriel's or Michael's angels? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 14:40:02 +0800 From: " Cameron McCurry" Subject: IN> Re: Micah Tanhumeth, the Angel of Innocent Blood Nice write up, but I only have one quibble. I have a tough time believing that a Word would be granted to someone with Discord. And I bet that Christopher would not be happy with his existence either. - -- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 01:04:42 -0600 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> Micah Tanhumeth, the Angel of Innocent Blood From: "Manny Nepomuceno" > > Yes, this is quite early...the Feast of the Holy Innocents isn't until Dec. 28. > > Still, Merry Christmas...;) And goodwill toward men. Nice work. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 01:05:38 -0600 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> A selfless act From: "Genevieve Cogman" > There is a rumor which is suppressed in Hell. > > There is a hope which is held in Heaven. Thank you for this most intriguing gift to the list. :) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 18:09:55 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> Re: The Star (seed) > "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. According to Mt Stromlo, the star is called HR8418. (It is not bright enough to have an official name, although it's currently named after my ex-fiancee in their machine). Starry Night Pro will find it, if you search from Jerusalem, on February 13, BC 7, in the early afternoon (IIRC, the exact 'time' depends on the computing power available to your machine), hanging over Bethlehem. The reason it's so bright is that it's in conjunction with Venus & Jupiter. Cheers, James. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 02:33:55 EST From: StoyboI@aol.com Subject: Re: IN> Latin phrases for your PC's And remember, latin isn't so much the ord order as the conjugation of the verb. "I read the book," is just as valid as, "the book I read," though in english are two seperate phrases, in latin they are the same. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 02:32:21 EST From: StoyboI@aol.com Subject: Re: IN> Latin phrases for your PC's Sis, noli volvivoluptatum comprimere (Roughly means, please, don't squeeze teh charmin) Iucunde Sapit, Minime implet (Tastes great, less filling) Ubi est bubula (where's the beef) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 15:05:36 -0500 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: Re: IN> A disturbing idea... I've been silent a good deal recognizing that different people deal with issues in different ways and that there is very few things more trite than someone shooting down an original or controversial idea however this... This smacks of revenge fiction. The sort of mindless "God is on my side" use of fictional characters to improve one's feelings on oneself and give one a decent feeling of bloody revenge. It's like Sailor Moon jumping down on Sadamn Hussein and burning him to ashes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer being used to preach Christianity in the offensive to one's intelligence skits created by Jack Chick wannabees appealing to the heathen ("Why do crosses work on Vampires Giles?" "Because Jesus died for our sins." "Whose Jesus?") and quite a few others. Also frankly while I think the disrespect shown the issue shouldn't be addressed (we can use Nazis in our game to fight or commies so why not Al-Quaid?) the very idea this man is a blip on Khalid's radar or any other being is rather insulting to the game and his character. Where is Khalid attacking the sluaghter, murder, and monstrocities that were done by the Taliban? Where is Khalid destroying the Palestinian Suicide bombers? What about laurence popping in to kill Harry Truman for dropping the atomic bomb? In a low constrast/reversed game I can see the appeal in fact of murdering people's souls who are "faithful" to God because he cares nothing for destiny only worship in order to keep heaven's image clean but really the saying that there is positive effects more comming out of the attack on the World Trade Center was rather like Marc's appeal to Laurence earlier....it rings false and bites on the throat like a wild dog. Sure Afghanistan is losing an "evil regime" and likely wouldn't have unless this had occured but it's like saying WW2 was good because we got the UN or more to the point Pearl Habor was good because it removed Japan's military regime. Sorry I'm not one to usually make e-mails like this but this work really burns me. It was well written, free of grammar, and interesting to read but I didn't like it or what I percieved as the message. - -Charlemagne _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 20:34:11 +0000 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> Micah Tanhumeth, the Angel of Innocent Blood Ooo. That's all I can say. Janet Anderson * * * * And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities ... Isaiah 61:4 _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 15:34:46 -0600 From: David Edelstein Subject: Re: IN> A disturbing idea... Charles Phipps wrote: > the very idea this man is a blip on Khalid's radar or any other > being is rather insulting to the game and his character. Oh, I'm sure bin Laden is more than a blip on Khalid's radar. Like it or not, he's raised major issues vis-a-vis Islam. > Where is Khalid attacking the sluaghter, murder, and monstrocities that were > done by the Taliban? Initially he (like the Afghan people) probably thought the Taliban were a welcome relief after the chaos and lawlessness that reigned when the Northern Alliance was in charge, pre-Taliban. After the Taliban turned Afghanistan into a theocratic police state, Khalid probably tried to work within them, moderating their outlook, rather than overthrowing them (since overthrowing them left no prospects of a better replacement). > Where is Khalid destroying the Palestinian Suicide > bombers? Pre-FT, he more or less approved of them (or at least, didn't discourage them). Now, he probably tries to discourage them, but again, by changing attitudes, not by pulling out a fiery sword and saying "This is wrong!" > What about laurence popping in to kill Harry Truman for dropping > the atomic bomb? Like Khalid and the suicide bombers, whether this act was justified or not depends on your POV. Laurence probably felt it was a sound strategic choice, though perhaps not the best moral one. And in general, Archangels don't descend to smite mortals for doing really bad things. (I agree with you that the general tone of the story was insufferably moralistic and simplistic.) > Sure Afghanistan is losing an "evil regime" and likely wouldn't have unless > this had occured but it's like saying WW2 was good because we got the UN or > more to the point Pearl Habor was good because it removed Japan's military > regime. I think Archangels tend to view all such events over the long term. While they may regret the loss of life on Sept. 11, I doubt they debate whether it was a good thing or a bad thing -- it's just something that happened, another human tragedy, and now they need to consider the ramifications. On a historical scale, 9/11 is no worse than the wars, floods, famines, plagues, etc., that Archangels have been working around for eons. This event is obviously of major importance to _us_, probably the defining event of this generation, but to an Archangel, it's just one more corporeal blip. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 21:51:17 +0000 From: "cassandra benner" Subject: Re: IN> A disturbing idea... >This event is obviously of major importance to _us_, probably >the defining event of this generation, but to an Archangel, it's just >one more corporeal blip. Indeed, because it is a major thing to us, it would have serious impact on a number of angelic and demonic Words and Word Forces. From what i remember of the game, the angels are in it for us, as are the demons. On one hand we are the thing their were appointed to tend to and to giude, and on the other hand we are the sport, the hunt and chase and so one. Either way we define the actions of the Celestials as they have words that relate to us. How many Celestials do you see wandering around with a word that relates to just heaven? None that i recall. War, the thing that drives us on, not just bloody conflict, but a continuing struggle. Flowers, peace and love, joy and happyness. and so on. Oh yeah the demons have words like The War, which is all about heaen and hell, but even then the humans are at the very core of it all. The Game, well thats a -im better than you are neener- kind of Word, its court rooms and barristers, rules and so forth, not a Hellish word. Lust, well thats as corporeal as you get really. From the way i have played and run the game, heaven uses abstract words and hell uses humanistic words. IE: heaven has the elemental fire, where as hell has the destructive fire, ot the whole War vs The War affair. D'ya see what im getting at? Anyways, hope you all had a cool yule, and a good Xmas. Til another time, Cas In Nomine @ http://www.angelfire.com/goth/psyber/i-n.html In Nomine yahoo @ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inveritas ADnD forum @ http://www.drunkendwarfinn.co.uk ADnD stuff @ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ADandD_Stuff _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 18:37:04 -0500 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> AH! My Godess In Nomine So anyone have any ideas for this rather literal translation of the game? My family is visiting. I have my copy of the DVD and am in the mood for alittle light hearted interpretation of the game. How about you all? - -Charlie _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 25 Dec 2001 21:18:59 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> Not really a Christmas concept... ....except that I got the idea while reading a book that my dear, wonderful girlfriend got me for Christmas: The History of Hell. Turner, Alice K. Harvest Books, 1993. ISBN 0-15-600137-3, It's available in bookstores for about $21.00 American, Well worth reading: clear writing style and I'll be mining it for ideas for /months/. Anyhow, this -could- be considered a Hopeful sort of thing, but (as usual) Maya's offering beats mine all hollow. I ain't bitter, though. ;) Moe The Order of St. Origen Don't bother with looking for him on the official registry of Catholic saints: the Church anathematized his teachings more than a millennium ago. They excommunicated him, too - several times, actually - but it had no effect on the blessed soul, Matthew 16:19 notwithstanding. Origen's 'heresy', essentially, was his rejection of the concept of eternal damnation. While he did not deny the existence of Hell, the theologian believed that eventually all sins would be expiated, all lessons learned and that all sinners would earnestly seek to be reunited with God - Who, being an infinitely compassionate being, would welcome them back. This would not just apply to mortals, either. Even the fallen angels would one day all repent. Even the Devil himself would come back home. One can see just how badly this would sit with a Church busily making the transition from persecuted underground faith to agent of temporal power - and using both carrot and stick to do so. Origen's beliefs never stood a chance of being accepted as correct doctrine: even today it's a rare theological position to take. The Bodhisattva was understandably annoyed at the resulting blackening of his name and teachings (the more so because Heaven readily admitted at least the theoretical Truth of his position). Origen therefore delayed his ascension up the Ladder until he could prove to those idi ... 'errant brethren' ... that they were dangerously wrong. He still hasn't made the trip. Organization The current Order of St. Origen is one of the many groups that populate Litheroy's Abbey. The members are usually former monastic types who either showed an interest in life in Origen's theories, or else just showed up bemusedly looking for the monk that the nice angel at the Gates had recommended as good at explaining what was really going on around here. As a result, the Order generally operates on a variant of the Benedictine Rule: nobody has to, mind, but the members usually find it familiar and relaxing. The Order generally acts as a clearinghouse, keeping dossiers on every demon and/or damned soul that they have any sort of hard evidence on. What they track are documented examples of selfless, ethical, moral or generally 'good' activities. Personality profiles are generated and updated whenever possible, with a special emphasis on demonstrated 'weaknesses' that might prove fruitful to a Redemption Squad. Many Redeemed demons have been relentlessly debriefed here, as part of their integration into Heaven: the experience is eerily evocative of an interrogation by the Game, except for the comfortable chairs and decent coffee. By now the Order has become an almost indispensable resource for anyone trying to Redeem a demon; at the very least, their general psychological personality assessments of the various Bands are the standard texts in a very specialized field. Most agents of the Game would love to get uninterrupted access to the Order's files: the resulting treason trials would take decades and rock Hell to the roots. Certain angels wouldn't mind providing said access, for precisely the same reason. As a result, security is tighter than one would expect around an organization under Litheoy's aegis. It wouldn't stop an Archangel, but they all have universal access anyway. Angels could get involved with the Order in several ways: the most obvious reason is, of course, to facilitate a Redemption attempt. The Order is willing to assist any legitimate inquiry: note that they will not be amused if the data that they provide is used to soul-kill a demon, and that they have powerful patrons to help give that lack of amusement teeth. On the other hand, using their data successfully, or providing them with useful intelligence, is a good way to get on the Order's good side; how useful that this would prove to be depends on the campaign, but as a general rule it never hurts to have friends. Even if said friends are apparently perennially optimistic to the point of actual insanity, and are prone to involving others in various harebrained Redemption schemes. Another interesting possibility is to feature the Order in a former demon's back story: they'll still have his, her or its file (placed in the 'Rescued' section of their archives), and are institutionally predisposed to give one of their 'clients' the benefit of the doubt. They'll also be a bit more willing to give a client somewhat more access to their complete files. Of course, clients are the first people called when the aforementioned harebrained scheme hits a snag... Adventure Seed: Putting Your Forces Where Your Mouth Is... The major problem facing the Order of St. Origen is that they have to act passively, rather than actively - - much to their frustration. Some (read, 'most') of the researchers are absolutely certain that, given a clean shot, he or she could pull off a particularly tricky salvage job. The fact that, in certain cases, they are undoubtedly right only makes things worse. You see, as a general rule Heaven does not particularly think that letting blessed souls voluntarily go to Hell as missionaries is such a good idea (to put it mildly). Indeed, formal membership in the Order makes it even harder than normal to become a Saint: the Host can easily imagine what kind of targets they would make, and acts accordingly. Unfortunately, Origen himself has managed to go missing, along with a couple of assistants and a few briefcases of files; the investigation of how he and his team managed to get vessels has not yet been satisfactorily resolved, either. Based on the state of his desk and prior investigations, it's clear that the AWOL Bodhisattvas have gone after big game: a Duke, perhaps, or a senior Word-bound, or... ....well, let's not think about who they could be going after, all right? Motivating the PCs should be easy (pick as the target someone that the party regularly interacts with), but resolution should be harder. The Brighter the campaign, the farther away from Hell Origen and Co. should be when the party catches up with them. This is where the headaches should really begin: Origen has 12 Forces, a keen sense of celestial psychology, a force of character that could stop bullets and the Divine Logic Attunement from Yves. In other words, he's blessed hard to argue with. Now, demons should have theoretically had a simpler set of options to choose from, except that apparently some of their Princes are playing the usual devious games and actually want Origen and Co. Downstairs, for the usual mutually contradictory reasons. After all, there's nothing more embarrassing than having one of your most powerful Servitors defect to the Other Side... and the Game usually finds tales of cover-ups to be most engrossing. Add a frantic reclamation team from Heaven, and one is good to go. Of course, perhaps the PCs won't actually know (or care) that anything's gone 'wrong' until Origen and his team shows up on the party's metaphorical doorstep, burned, battered, bloody and bruised ... but with a penitent Haagenti or Furfur in tow. They just need a little favor... Yes, this would work for demonic PCs as well: you tell even a Renegade Prince (or Named NPC) no. Bowing to the inevitable (even if only to work the angles and set up a quick betrayal) probably won't help you with the Game much, but then, what does? ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 11/13/01(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 00:03:30 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> An overdue court action They sat back and waited, as their companion dithered his way through the problem. Finally he spoke: "This is bizarre! I've spent my entire life denying the existence of the place!" One of his companions chucked. ~So? Does it really matter what they call themselves? We have evidence of wrongdoing within our borders. They are responsible. So we demand compensation...If it makes you feel better, you can always pretend that they're just humans, or aliens or something." A third man snorted. 'His foolishness would not be delaying us if he had been taught the truth. Our quarrel is not with God - quite the opposite. It is in His Name that we will be making our claims.' A younger man, who had been standing quietly by the wall, now spoke up: `There is precedent. It is worth remembering that Abraham swore a legal contract with God...if a contract can be made with God, then damages can be demanded from his servants.` The first man sighed. This was painful, but he didn't really have a choice...and he could always claim later that he was merely taking an opportunity to humiliate the religious nuts..."Very well, I agree. Let us continue." The second man nodded, and reading the document aloud, began "By unanimous agreement of the United Nations Security Council, the following statement will be handed to terminally ill diplomats and lawyers, to memorise before being present to the body known as.." - -------------------------------------------------------- "..Finally, the United Nations insists that in addition to compensating the governments of earth for the repeated dumping of your criminal elements in their nations, you will cease inserting your agents within human nations without gaining the consent of the governments of those nations." The speaker, a young hostage negotiator who had died of cancer, paused. "We have been authorised to begin preliminary negotiations, and can assure you that any representatives you send to the United Nations will be granted diplomatic status, once they have presented their credentials..." His voice trailed off. The imposing structure the angels called 'The Spires of Judgement' was filled with ranks of glittering beings, shining with glory, and showing emotions ranging from fury to hysterical amusement. He returned his gaze to the one sitting in the judges' chair - and remembered the embarrassment of confessing to childhood pranks when the robed figure had first turned it's gaze on him. You'll pay for that, he silently promised. He jumped as another of the beings - winged, haloed, but seemingly made out of ebony night - spoke in a passionate voice: 'Our "Spies" as you call them, are the only things standing between you and conquest by Hell!' Another of the humans spoke:~Yes, the CIA used to go on about how they were defending us from Communism...and sometimes they were. If they can learn to obey International Law, so can you.~ He grinned. ~No government on Earth wants Hell to take over..we're quite happy to make arrangements for angels to hunt demons. But you'll play by the rules from now on. It's in your best interests, as well as ours - or don't you like the idea of your warrior angels being able to call for backup from the police and military? Being able to trade information with our intelligence agencies will make your jobs so much easier..~ Finally, the cloaked one spoke: `So, your claims to be aggrieved is merely a bargaining ploy, a trick to try and wheedle diplomatic concessions out of..` "NO!" The hostage negotiator snapped. "Every human culture has suffered from your actions. Through out the world, exiled angels wander: killing, thieving, ravaging...and, apparently, as often as not they become demons, and wreak even more evil! *That* is what this about! To keep your own backyard clean, you've turned our world into a hellhole, preyed on by your criminals." His voice grew quieter. "Perhaps you don't believe me? You can refuse to make amends. You can face the wrath of the entire planet. It's too late to play the 'holier than thou' card - you've proven to be as irresponsible as the worst of human governments. If you refuse to make amends, your agents will be hunted down and destroyed, as befits spies and provocateurs." ~Or, you can admit you made a mistake, we can resolve the matter peacefully and we can be friends - and allies~. As the second human spoke, another of the shining beings moved, and began to speak. This one was a winged, haloed human - who looked smart in his business suit: `Please, the Good Cop, Bad Cop routine grows old after the first few centuries of it's use, and I've been dealing with it since Lucifer & Baal developed it, over twenty millennia ago. Why not try honestly dealing with us? You have grievances; you have desires. Both are reasonable. What is unreasonable is your hidden agenda. Removing the Outcasts from Earth strikes me as an excellent idea, benefiting both heaven and Earth. An apology for exiling them to Earth is also negotiable. Despite our war leaders protests,` he flashed an apologetic smile at the dark angel `working in tandem with your organisations would benefit all. However...that's not all that you want. Refugee status for angels and demons who wish to flee their Superiors? Don't jump, it's my job to know what you expect from a deal. And yes, I know the spiel about the rights of refugees - I helped draft it. Something that is the universal right of all humans is not necessarily the right of celestials - we are different beings, created to glorify God in a different way. Much as we like the idea of demons fleeing Hell, you simply don't have the resources to control them...although that could change, if we can spare the resources to help you...` `Equally as important, Heaven is not going to agree to paying punitive damages every time an angel misbehaves on Earth - not unless you agree to pay damages to us every time a human causes damage in Heaven, of course.` Dismay crossed the faces of every human in the delegation. They had been ready to argue the point, but the causal comment had cut the ground from under their feet. How many humans were in Heaven? Rounded to the nearest billion? Still, there was always the refugee issue... Marc sighed to himself, and realised that this would take times to sort out. In a room elsewhere in the Council Spires, the Archangels met, even though they also sat in the Hall of Judgement. Michael spoke: "This is your fault, Dominic. They have a legitimate complaint, and it is your responsibility to make amends - and without harming the War effort, either." Janus & Novalis grinned happily. The absurdity of the situation appealed to both of them. David & Yves remained quiet, calmly considering the situation. Marc shook his head: "It's not quite that simple. Somehow, the humans have acquired a very detailed understanding of what we can and cannot do - their desired objectives include the services of specific choirs of angels, with specified Songs and Attunements." He paused. "If they hadn't been able to deal with us, I think they'd have tried to contact Hell - they *really* want to have Renegades on staff - possibly more than they want angels." He drummed his fingers on the table. "I'm going down to the U.N. to negotiate - whether the council agrees or not. We have to know how they found out so much." He sighed. "I would *like* to be able to negotiate in good faith - and that requires your support." Jean snorted. "This is foolishness. Humans cannot be trusted with access to Heaven's secrets - that is not a condemnation of them, merely a simple fact - - just as a savage could not be trusted with a live electrical cord, and Da Vinci's plan to build an atomic bomb would have destroyed Europe during the religious wars. I will not support this absurdity!" Marc smiled. "I'll be quoting you repeatedly while dealing with them. So long as we have a veto on any Symphonic ability, we should be able to control the harm." Dominic finally spoke. "You must go - and so must I. The humans are right: so is Michael. Although I have always considered it my duty to protect Heaven from the corrupted, all of God's creatures have the right to Justice. I will apologise to the representatives of humanity - and no, I will not wait while you negotiate a value for it, Marc. I owe them, and I will pay it - - and begin collecting the Outcasts and returning them to Heaven, where I can watch them." Marc smiled. "I understand, Dominic." Laurence stirred, and spoke. "If our presence has been revealed to the humans, then we will need to arrange formal alliances. I will also join you. In addition to your apology, Dominic, you must decide how far we can go, in revealing ourselves to humanity...and how much we can meddle in their affairs. The military lawyer at the back, who wasn't saying anything - he really wants angels available for U.N. peacekeeping missions, and assaults. I have no objections - but I need to have your judgement on what is allowable under God's orders and what isn't." Dominic's voice was very soft, as if he'd been crying: "None of this is permissible. I have failed to keep the War secret. Marc is right: we must negotiate, so as find out how they discovered us. I have failed; and must fail again - Justice demands I apologise. And I suspect that exiling Outcasts to the Corporeal is what twigged the mortals to our existence. I've failed God." Dominic quietly followed Marc and Laurence to the Corporeal. Laurence watched him nervously....if no Outcast should ever have been exiled to earth, did that mean that Dominic had punished them all "excessively"? If so, how dissonant was he? Laurence sent a thought back to the Seraphim Council, asking that they check on Dominic's Heart. Just as a precaution, of course... ================================================================ Cheers, James. "If ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2494 ********************************