in_nomine-digest Sunday, March 24 2002 Volume 01 : Number 2578 In this digest: IN> Archaic Attunements for Gabriel Re: IN> Archaic Attunements for Gabriel IN> New Servitor of Drugs IN> Proto-Superior: Mathematics ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Mar 2002 02:29:24 -0500 From: "William J. Keith" Subject: IN> Archaic Attunements for Gabriel These Attunements are intended to be used in a game set either pre-Fall or at least somewhat before Gabriel's self-imposed exile from Heaven and concomitant descent into apparent madness. (The parts in parentheses are meant to reflect how the Archangel of Fire and the Messenger of God might have used his Servitors when fully focused.) Seraphim: By touching fire or live coal to a willing subject's flesh, a Seraph of Fire could for a number of hours equal to the Essence spent grant the subject a bonus equal to the Seraph's Ethereal Forces, for Detect Lies, resistance to a Balseraphic resonance, or any roll to see through deception. (The Seraphim were rarely tasked with message delivery, but when they were, their special task often was to bear messages to prophets from Heaven -- and back!) Cherubim: A Cherub of Fire could attune to a message, whether recorded, or simply spoken in his presence. For a number of days thereafter equal to his Celestial Forces, the Cherub could tell at a glance who knew this information. If everyone, including the Cherub, lost or forgot the message, the Cherub would take Dissonance. (Cherubs did not bear messages, but instead protected messages and messengers.) Ofanim: Using his resonance for area knowledge, an Ofanite serving Fire could also detect flows of energy in that area -- heat sources, power lines, sunlight, a rushing river -- with a resolution indicated by the check digit. Only larger sources are noted; body heat is too dim to sense with this ability. (Ofanim bore messages of the utmost urgency, using their resonance to speed their information across the Earth.) Elohim: On a successful resonance roll, Gabriel's Powers would know the one circumstance or object that would provoke the most intense passion in the subject, and what emotion that would be. (Elohim were best able to bring messages of great tragedy or sadness -- both in the delivery, and in withstanding their burden.) Malakim: This Attunement has not changed. (Gabriel's Malakim brought messages of fire into the darkness. They came to sinners demanding repentance, and to demons bearing hot warnings.) Bright Lilim: A Bright Lilim could see what a subject needed (not necessarily punishment) to bring them to feel repentance and absolution for what the subject felt was their greatest sin. (There were too few Bright Lilim of Fire to establish a pattern in their use. There was a slight tendency to use them to bring messages of mercy.) Kyriotates: A reflection of the Cherub of Fire ability, Fire's Kyriotates could hear information and roll against Perception to know the path -- physical route and identity of messengers -- that message had taken for the past (Celestial Forces) days. (Kyriotates most often bore messages -- sometimes simultaneously -- to diverse groups of people, such as the leaders of two warring tribes.) Mercurians: The Friends of Man serving Fire were superb teachers. In front of a class or a single student, they could resonate to find a close relation between the subject of study, and the student's lives. In game terms, in addition to occasionally being a useful personality insight, halve the time to learn any skill the angel teaches. (Gabriel's Mercurians were often sent to bear joyous news.) Grigori: The Grigori who so briefly worked for Fire could use flame to focus their senses -- concentrating on the flicker a fire at least the size of their palm, they could deduce the last Disturbance made in an area, and possibly information about it as well. In game terms, they would automatically detect the last Disturbance they could have heard at that spot; roll anyway for CD (GURPS, degree of success). (Grigori bore messages in Role, working when it was deemed necessary to conceal the information's Divine provenance.) William ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 11:04:39 -0500 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Archaic Attunements for Gabriel Sweet! You captured the mood and essence wonderfully. - -- 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: Sat, 23 Mar 2002 08:29:29 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> New Servitor of Drugs A balanced starting PC, BTW - well, for a 7-Force demon, anyway. Moe Ertrael Balseraph of Drugs Corporeal Forces: 1 Strength: 2 Agility: 2 Ethereal Forces: 3 Intelligence: 6 Precision: 6 Celestial Forces: 3 Will: 6 Perception: 6 Vessel: skinny male child/1, +1 Charisma Skills: Chemistry/3, Detect Lies/1, Dodge/3, Emote/1, Fighting/1, Ranged Weapon/1 (pistol), Running/1, Savoir-Faire/2, Seduction/1, Small Weapon/2 (knife), Survival/1 (Urban) Songs: Attraction (Ethereal/1), Entropy (Corporeal/1), Healing (Corporeal/1), Shields (Corporeal/2) Role: "Joe" (hanger-on to drug dealers/2, Status/1) Attunements: Balseraph of Drugs Ertrael isn't an idiot. He may be at the bottom of the organization of a minor Prince of a revolving door Word, but he's not an idiot. Ertrael knows that he's Fated for bigger and worse things - provided that he keeps his mouth shut and his eyes open for opportunities. A smart demon that keeps his mouth shut and his eyes open can always work through things. The first, most obvious thing is, don't sample the merchandise. That's so obvious that it shouldn't have to be said - but most of Fleurity's people won't or can't figure that simple fact out. That's fine with the Balseraph, actually: the fewer effective competitors that he has, the better. It's a good idea to act stoned or drunk or wasted when advisable, of course - but some of the stuff that Drugs peddles is seriously bad news. Better by far to save it for the humans. That's what they're there for. The second thing is not to be a damned fool about who you sell to. Screw this crap about 'getting them while they're young': that might have been true for stuff like weed or booze, but crack cocaine doesn't care how old you are when you start smoking it. More importantly, selling to kids makes it much more likely that you'll eventually run into a Servitor of Christopher's - and what they'll do to you once they catch you would gag a Shedite. Luckily, there's no Archangel of Adults, which really should be enough of a hint to anybody whose brain isn't quite extra-crispy yet. However, the most important thing to remember is that when you work for a minor Prince, you're screwed right from the start. So, you set things up so that you don't work for a minor Prince anymore. You have to network, figure out who's going to be going up the greasy pole and make sure that they think that you're useful. It's OK for them to think of you as a useful idiot: the adjective's more important than the noun. Don't try to get a taste of whatever clever scam's going on, though: that just means that you get to share the blame when it blows up. Nobody except you is going to care much about maintaining the cleanliness of your nose, so act accordingly. Needless to say, you also keep your back to a wall at all times, never trust anyone as far as you can throw them and keep at least three eyes peeled for a legitimate chance to get off the leaky ship that is Fleurity's organization - but that goes without saying. It also goes without saying that you'll probably have to carefully backstab everybody who gave you a leg up out of their own self-interest - well, it's not as if they wouldn't do the same to you if said self-interest dictated it. Just make sure that the betrayals are dictated by your own timetable, or at least won't set it back. In other words, it's OK to be a flunky, as long as that status isn't common knowledge: plenty of time to eliminate the evidence later. As the above suggests, Ertrael has plans. He's ambitious enough to fuel a ferocious power drive and clever enough not to show it. Right now, the Balseraph is too busy trying to navigate through the minefield that is corporeal duty to worry much about empire-building - but once he's achieved a reasonably safe equilibrium, watch out. Even now, he's got his eyes on the prize. They tell stories about Haagenti's rise to power: someday, they'll tell the same sort of stories about Ertrael, if he plays it smart and gets lucky. Hah. Winners make their own luck. ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 02/24/02(this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards® http://movies.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2002 03:03:06 -0500 From: "William J. Keith" Subject: IN> Proto-Superior: Mathematics Writing up an Angel of one's own profession seems to have some considerable difficulties attached, not to mention that it also seems to lead to some interesting questions about that profession. I could have taken Numeros in a *completely* different direction -- the Seraph Angel of Mathematics, seer of pure eternal Truths that could ultimately lead Man to God. This, instead, is more human-focused -- the Mercurian who leads Man to find God in the orderly structure of the Universe through his own efforts to perceive these truths. - ----------------- Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty - -- a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show. --Bertrand Russell - ----------------- Numeros Mercurian of Creation IST Lightning Angel of Mathematics People often wonder: why a Mercurian? Surely an Elohite makes more sense. Or, if they think about it for a bit more, a Seraph. After all, mathematics is about eternal truths. Of course, the same people are shocked to their toes when they find out Numeros' real Superior. But Numeros knows why. He'll tell you -- or he would, if he had time -- about the Axiom of Commensurability, or the Universal Set, and how what seems logical, even in mathematics, in one generation, sometimes gives way in the next to something higher and truer. He'll show you four different proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem and talk about how humans seem driven to produce more simply for the sake of doing something old in a new way. He'll try to get across a point that can be ineffably difficult to make: mathematics is as much an art as a science, and in particular, it is a human art. His post didn't go to a Watcher solely because they weren't around when mathematics was born. Oh, to be sure, there are eternal truths. And indeed, the whole art appeals to the purely rational mind. Define your terms, accept axioms as true, and rationality says you must accept all their consequences. But therein lies the catch: you must define the terms and accept the axioms first, and it is a question of experience which terms to define and how, and a decision of free will which axioms to accept. Eternal truth, in mathematics, to some extent depends on where you begin. As an angel of Creation, it is Numeros' job to see that Mankind picks the right beginning point, and as an angel of Lightning, to guide them along the path of optimal usefulness. - --------------- The main duty of the historian of mathematics, as well as his fondest privilege, is to explain the humanity of mathematics, to illustrate its greatness, beauty and dignity, and to describe how the incessant efforts and accumulated genius of many generations have built up that magnificent monument, the object of our most legitimate pride as men, and of our wonder, humility and thankfulness, as individuals. The study of the history of mathematics will not make better mathematicians but gentler ones, it will enrich their minds, mellow their hearts, and bring out their finer qualities. ---G. Sarton - --------------- History It is a matter of much debate exactly where mathematics came from. A popular question among Elohim is whether God could have made a universe with a different value of pi. Modern neurologists wonder whether certain concepts of number and space are hardwired into the human brain. What is certain in the In Nomine universe is that a body of mathematical knowlege existed in Heaven for the purposes of daily life, and had captured the attention of some thinkers for its own sake. However, Heaven is a vastly different realm than the Corporeal, and human mathematics developed along much different lines. Eli's creation of an angel purely for the purposes of receiving the Word of Mathematics, and his presentation of this angel as one of the first to receive a Word from the Seraphim Council in the dark time just following the Rebellion, were both considered odd. Naturally, everyone respected the ancient and powerful Archangel of Creation, and Numeros himself was a fine work, worthy of the Word after a bare few centuries of proving himself as an angel. No, the question was rather: why? What do nomads and hunter-gatherers need with mathematics? Explaining his answer would be akin to explaining how a toddler learns. Number sense and spatial figuring were so fundamental to the process of learning required for human advancement that any attempt at education without a firm grasp on these notions would be futile. Later, more established human living groups would require fundamental mathematical knowledge as part of the basic skills required for existence in the community. One wonders whether he knew how right he would turn out to be. Numeros was given his Word and began the process of educating the humans wandering the wilderness. In this he acted much like a front-line scout -- it was soon noticed that where he passed, the ground was much more fertile for those notions that Lighting, or Fire, or Knowledge, would plant later. A few millenia later, the angels of Stone were the first to notice that any time more than ten human beings settled down and tried to create a community, somebody had to be able to figure if the group was going to be anything more than nomads who had stopped for a long time. And Heaven help you if there were a hundred; if every hundred humans needed an angel to stick around and figure out how long the supply of stored grain could last, the species would never get anywhere. So Numeros got his first underlings. Now there was a group to coordinate. Numeros began spending less time on the Corporeal Plane, and more time teaching angels the things they needed to know about humans, how they learned, and how they thought, and the mathematics they needed to teach. Let a few thousand years pass. - ----------- "God created the integers and the rest is the work of man." -- Kronecker - ----------- Numeros began his first serious work in Asia Minor, teaching humans the concepts of number and space that they would need to organize and direct themselves. Here, too, developed one of the earliest examples of humans surpassing the commonly-known angelic learning: the early Babylonians understood, though without specific proof, such things as Pythagorean triples, and certain trigonometric identities. More suprisingly, they were investigating questions that would seemingly be of no practical use; the fact that a triangle with sides of 7, 24, and 25 units is right was not an issue that practical-minded angels had ever bothered to consider. Some angels were already mindful of these facts; Jean, Raphael and Yves were among those who found the new researches no surprise, and Eli accepted the news with a certain satisfaction. Education programs for angels heading to Earth duty underwent what would become the first of many expansions. Numeros himself became aware of whole new vistas of his Word - -- the Word-expansion he underwent is still spoken of as one of the most glorious ever to have taken place below Superior level. He went into retreat for several hundred years, and emerged with several new Attunements and Rites, as well as a vastly deeper view of the world. However, during this time, mathematics had advanced on Earth as well. While Numeros was ahead of human mathematics in several areas, he happily accepted the reality that humanity would be generating as much of a contribution to his Word as Heaven could. He will freely admit that, were it not for the fact that his Word grants him the ability to know the full current state of human knowledge regarding mathematics, he would be unable to keep up with this branch of human endeavor. At certain times in history, Numeros' Word has flourished more strongly than at others. Certainly the Hellenic Period was his classical Golden Age; as art, science, philosophy, and tool, mathematics was integrated into the intellectual culture of the era. Iindeed, so highly did the Greeks venerate mathematics -- the Pythagoreans went so far as to consider certain shapes sacred -- that Numeros came under suspicion of cultivating worship. Contemporaneous developments in India and China also laid the foundation for later achievements there... and these would become important after the fall of Greece. When the Roman writer Cicero declared proudly that the Romans had reduced mathematics to its only usefulness, that of measuring and counting, Numeros' Word in the Western world had reached its lowest point, and it remained there for a long time. Nevertheless, he persevered, helping to develop the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, a truly concise and useful numeration tool. After the Dark Ages, mathematics paralleled developments in art, science, and philosophy as the Renaissance progressed. Art would be vastly different without the geometry of perspective; science would be nowhere without its omnipresent mathematical tools; and Descartes' mathematically-inspired philosophy shaped the thought of a generation. Today, Numeros Word is more ubiquitous than it has ever been; he works closely with angels not only of Lightning, but of Trade, Destiny, and Creation, and his services are requested well beyond these boundaries. He oversees a large staff of angels of Lightning, assessing and influencing human mathematical advancement and the social perception of mathematics. It is in this latter area that he is under the most serious demonic attack. Hell has apparently decided not to counter Numeros by giving a demon the Word of Mathematics. Instead, Numeros faces challenges on many smaller fronts, such as Numerology, Statistics, and a Word whose closest English translation is a high-pitched voice claiming, "Math is Hard!" These demons work hard to promote the views that mathematics is a.) an arcanely difficult subject best left to the experts, b.) something those experts can use to say whatever they wish, and c.) when useable by "normal" people, a thing of luck, unluck, and superstition. Numeros longs for the days when the mathematician or the teacher of math was held in higher honor. But he is not without weapons in this area; the coming decades may see a resurgence in the public opinion of Numeros' Word and its human exponents, and (he hopes) with it a new Golden Age of rationality, Heaven's most potent weapon against Hell's myriad deceptions. Attunements Perebor The angel can, quite simply, perform any finite algorithmic calculations instantly. He can factor PGP keys, solve a travelling salesman problem, or catch a hidden statistical error. In game terms, this is more than Lightning Calculator, but less than Intuitive Mathematician (although Numeros himself possesses this latter ability). Measure An angel with this Attunement is never at a loss for a ruler, watch, or scale; he can focus on any precisely definable quantity in view, such as "the length of this room, in feet," or "the weight of this statue," and with a successful Perception roll will know the numerical amount of that quantity. Distinction The angel to whom this ability is granted bears a portion of Numeros' awareness of human mathematical achievement, typically limited to a particular branch; a broader equivalent of the post sometimes called "the Reader," whose job at an institution is simply to keep up with the literature on a subject, and make themself available to researchers. Naturally, a non-Superior cannot truly grant a Distinction; this is essentially an Attunement. However, it requires considerably more energy for Numeros to tune the angel's Heart to his Word in this fashion, and thus it is only granted for exceptional service, with a certain likelihood that the angel will continue to serve Numeros in the future. Rites +1 Spend two hours teaching mathematics to a willing student. +1 Force a disagreeing party to bow to a logical argument. +2 Prove a theorem worthy of publication. William ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2578 ********************************