in_nomine-digest Tuesday, April 2 2002 Volume 01 : Number 2587 In this digest: RE: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question IN> T minus 2 days Re: IN> Limits on Remote Control Lightning Attunement... Re: IN> The Rest Re: IN> Forces Question IN> Dogs and Tracking (Re: Forces Question) Re: IN> Forces question Re: IN> New Contest Re: IN> Re in a very good/humour/steroetypes Re: IN> Seraphim Humor RE: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question RE: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent Re: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question Re: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question Re: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent Re: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent IN> Can a place have a Destiny IN> the URL RE: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent RE: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent Re: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question IN> PC's? PC's for the Poor? Re: IN> PC's? PC's for the Poor? IN> Contest Entry: Consider the Word ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 14:41:32 -0500 From: "Adams, David" Subject: RE: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question From: Bergeron, Robert F., DS1(SW) Rob (Who also wonders, Who is the Angel of Surface to Air Missiles?) Don't know, why don't you tell us? Dave So what happens when a malakite of Stone ends up with Thor's belt and direct orders from David to kill the mid-gard(sp?) serpent? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:05:43 -0500 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: IN> T minus 2 days Members of the Order of St. Lazarus have reported that all known Coffins of Undeath -- including those rendered inoperable by the Order -- disappeared at 3:30 am Vancouver time, leaving only a single note of Disturbance to announce their departure. While this is a short term gain for Heaven, the Order fears the worst, suspecting the 'recall' a preliminary move in the creation of a new form of undead. In two days, IT will come. - -- 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: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:00:58 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Limits on Remote Control Lightning Attunement... At 12:34 AM -0500 3/24/02, William J. Keith wrote: >How's this for a reasonable guideline I would/will probably use in a game: > >Pretend the device has suddenly grown "muscles" that can move its various >parts around, with the angel's Strength. You can change its shape relative >to itself, and if this allows you to move the entire object, great. For >example, walking is just changing the angles of your legs -- it so happens >that your legs hit the pavement and propel you forward. [...] >-the handle of a two-handed sword that controls the motion of the blade >towards your enemy > >No; this is moving the sword with respect to the ground, not moving some >part of the sword with respect to another part. This is a very good way to explain what I was intuiting. O:> At 3:51 AM -0600 3/31/02, Wade Lahoda wrote: > A couple more questions... =) > >-Something I wasn't quite clear on the response - if something is missing >part of it's controls, can you still make that object do what it's controls >would have it do? I'm mainly refering to locks - I know you could use the >attunement to make a key turn that's already in a lock. But what if the >control to the lock(the key) was not there? You can move the tumblers, independant of the lock, I'd say. This might require a Lockpicking roll, if you're feeling abused -- a Kyriotate of Lightning, possessing the lock, can feel where "its" tumblers are. Someone using Remote Control, instead, has to do it by knowing what to do. Now, if they can _see_ the lock in the sense of a car-door's lock, which tends to push up or pull outwards, that's easier. I'd say they could pop one of those, no problem. One they can't see, they'd be operating mostly by "feel" and visualization. >[...]But this could also apply to things like a computer with a missing >keyboard, or a radio with a missing dial. Actually, in those cases, we get to William Keith's example -- a doorlock with "muscles" doesn't require a key. A computer without a keyboard... just sits there. If you're a Kyriotate of Lightning, you can possess it and make it do stuff, but otherwise it's just going to sit there. Same with the radio, unless you can see where the radio-dial-post is (i.e., if you could turn it with a pair of needlenose pliers). If it has the keyboard, though, you can lean back and "type" away to your heart's content. (Man, I wish I could do that...) The keys will still click a bit. O:> >-There's a range limit on the power - but does it require line of sight? You have to be able to touch some part of the mechanism if it's out of sight, I'd say. Yes, if you're blinded, blindfolded, or in the dark, you're stuck with what you can touch. >Again, I ask because it seems unbalancing if it's so easy for >Lightning, yet Wind's attunment is a lot more restricted. Balance in IN is, er, a state of mind. O:> Look at various Choir Attunements of Dreams, versus, say, Kyriotate of Lightning. >-So, a computer monitor has a few easily accessable controls - on, off, >contrast, brightnees, etc. But it's also controled through a cable >connecting it to the computer. Can Remote Control subvert *that* control - >ie: make a monitor(or any other machine that is controlled by other >machines) display whatever he wants? No -- you can't do it with muscles. You can do it with Kyriotate of Lightning, but you have to be a Kyrio. O:> > To what degree can Remote Control 'take over' a computer? To the degree that it has "muscles" available to move itself relative to itself, I'd say. - --- At 6:52 AM -0500 3/30/02, Bergeron, Robert F., DS1(SW) wrote: >-----Original Message----- >From: Elizabeth McCoy [mailto:emccoy@nh.ultranet.com] >Sent: Friday, March 29, 2002 7:42 PM > > Answered questions from... > >At 4:31 AM -0600 3/29/02, Wade Lahoda wrote: >>>Push-bars, you mean? Hm. Those are held closed, and require more effort >>>than the usual door. I might require a Strength roll. > > ***Okay, what about the hinges then? You're saying it could unlock a >door, but not open it? Strength of some amount would technically be >required, but it's the crux of what the door is for, opening and closing. Push-bar doors have a "default" state of closed. There is something actively pushing them closed. Regular doors are much easier to open -- there's no resistance. I _MIGHT_ require a Strength roll to get something open against a force -- e.g., if it's a stiff enough door that normally you have to really put your weight behind it. (I remember a few push-bar doors where I really had to lean on 'em.) >>>-a winch that opens and closes a drawbridge - it controls the drawbridge, >>>but normally takes two large men heaving on it to move it > >>Maybe require a Strength roll. > > **Again, isn't this the sole purpose of the winch? To wind and unwind? >I could easily agree you can't make it's chain wrap around someone, but the >winch is designed to open and shut the drawbridge. Yes, and? If someone feels that's abusive, a Strength roll might be required to make it move. (If you don't feel it's abusive, then hey, run with it.) Note the word MAYBE. It means POSSIBLY. PERHAPS. IF YOU FEEL LIKE IT. It does not mean, "This is the way the attunement MUST work." Though it might well mean, "It's what I'd probably do as a GM." O:> - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:07:59 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> The Rest At 12:57 AM -0500 3/22/02, William J. Keith wrote: >Make an object more useful (for its *intended* purpose) by removing >unnecessary parts. +1 Jean'd probably like that one, too. O:> - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:20:50 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Forces Question At 6:13 PM -0500 3/28/02, Josh Moger wrote: [...] >> Yes, by definition, Remnants have no souls... >> Wait. Have we established in Canon, if Celestials have souls? Celestials, in a certain terminology, ARE souls. They exist with a much more teneous connection to vessels than humans do... >> As i recall, all of creation is made from the same >>components, but how they are put together is relevant. Mortals, who >>have souls, cannot become remnants. They can become undead, though... >>huh... Metaphysical CDAU? > >And would the transformation to undead mean the loss of the soul, and thus >the destruction of the body means they're lost forever? > >Josh The soul is bound into the Corporeal Forces, so when the corporeal body is destroyed -- pfft. Remnants are as close to 'soulless' as makes no nevermind. They are to celestials as zombies are to humans. (A nice thing to tell a Kyriotate who's just possessed one, all unknowing. He didn't stay in residence long after he figured out why his Kyriotate of Destiny attunement wasn't picking up ANYTHING. (House rule.)) You can call this "soulless," or you can call it "the only thing left of the soul is the physical representation, so when that goes, pfft." There are, mind, rumors (this is all Hitherby's fault, she thought of it first) that since the Symphony contains _everything_, and since God is (at least theoretically) able to access all the Symphony, all the soul-dead who did not deserve it will be ressurected at some future date. Or else they're already in the Higher Heavens. So even celestials can believe in an afterlife... O:> - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:23:34 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: IN> Dogs and Tracking (Re: Forces Question) At 3:48 AM -0800 3/29/02, Maurice Lane wrote: >--- Perry Lloyd wrote: > >> I bet that makes Tracking hard for dogs in the In >> Nomine universe, seeing >> how Tracking is paired with Perception. [...] [...] >have up to three points in Characteristics without it >registering as a Force. I would assign a Will/1 and >Perception/2 to a dog:[...] With, mind you, a racial bonus to Perception (Smell), since their noses are built better. - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:27:36 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Forces question At 12:43 AM -0500 3/30/02, Eric Eves wrote: >> *really worried look* I don't think I'm going to pronounce canon on that >> one till I see what horrible abuses can be dreamed up for it... O:> > >You mean more horrible than some random superior force-stripping >thousands of inanimate objects, using the forces to build/augment his >servitors to the point of easily doubling the total number of forces >invested in the angels/demons serving him overnight, knocking a big hole >in the planet to boot? The way I'd quash _THAT_ one, would be to explain that Force-stripping a ROCK is a heck of a lot harder than Force-stripping things which get Forces grown on and hacked off every now and then, and the Essence required would be prohibitive. Might as well just sing the Forces out of the Symphony, the way most Superiors manage to do it; less Essence. >I mean, that's pretty obvious at least to me, and I can think of few >things more horrible than suddenly being knee-deep in Demons of Infernal >Fire, and, oh, the moon appears to be missing. *snicker* But that's funny. Havva cookie. O:> - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:32:55 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> New Contest At 9:22 PM -0800 3/30/02, Kish wrote: >Josh Moger wrote: >> >> >...and three other people throughout history have had fifteen forces >> >naturally. Several more have had nine or more Forces. >> > >> Actually, I am curious about this post, who were the three other people >> (Abel, Cain, Seth)? > >It doesn't say, just, "Six people throughout history have achieved the >maximum of human potential--fifteen Forces. Of those six, three were >Adam, Eve, and Lilith." (Paraphrased.) Page reference?? - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 14:39:50 -0600 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> Re in a very good/humour/steroetypes From: "Michael Walton" > > Now, now, Cas, we must have IN content. 0:> That should > read; "Two Malakim walk into a bar. The Mercurian ducks." So are they all serving Jordi, or just the Intercessionist? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 14:40:54 -0600 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> Seraphim Humor From: "Bergeron, Robert F., DS1(SW)" > > "You don't really want to do that, do you?" > > Is it a question if the Seraph think it knows the answer already? No, so the correct way to phrase it would be "Do you =really= want to do that?" instead. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Apr 2002 15:52:19 -0500 From: EDG Subject: RE: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question At 02:41 PM 4/2/02 -0500, you wrote: >So what happens when a malakite of Stone ends up with Thor's belt and direct >orders from David to kill the mid-gard(sp?) serpent? It still has to wait for Jormungandr (the Midgard Serpent) to attack first. ;) - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 16:59:25 -0600 From: "Bergeron, Robert F., DS1(SW)" Subject: RE: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question - -----Original Message----- From: Adams, David [mailto:david.adams@t-t.com] So what happens when a malakite of Stone ends up with Thor's belt and direct orders from David to kill the mid-gard(sp?) serpent? He wonders why David requires him to use a belt that is useless without the gloves and the hammer, but questioning orders doesn't slow him from following them through. Thor once found the midguard serpent before Ragnarok by going fishing. He pulled on the oars three times and brought the boat further out from shore than his giant host (long story involving a broken mead caldron and Loki, don't ask, read Norse Myths) had ever been in his life. Thor brought an ox. Killed it and put it on an anchor with a really long chain. In the time it took the giant to catch three whales, Thor finally got a "bite". He pulled up Jormagundar (Not the correct spelling but I can't make those little dots over the "o" anyways) up and proceeded to wallop him on the head with his hammer. The giant freaked out, cut the chain and conceded that Thor was a better fisherman. So if your Malakim wants to catch the World Serpent, I suggest he take up fishing. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 16:25:01 -0500 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent > >So what happens when a malakite of Stone ends up with Thor's belt and direct > >orders from David to kill the mid-gard(sp?) serpent? > > It still has to wait for Jormungandr (the Midgard Serpent) to attack first. ;) There's FAR more to it than that. Briefly, it entails a Balseraph of Technology, a stolen scale from the slain Jormundgandr, and a plot to genetically engineer an Ethereal-Celestial hybrid. David has declared that this is an attack upon his Word (Midgard serpent causes earthquakes, yes? Sounds like an attempt to engender an evil perception of Stone...) and that, having been struck first, all his servants may attack with impunity. - -- 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: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 16:30:35 -0500 From: "Josh Moger" Subject: Re: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question > >So if your Malakim wants to catch the World Serpent, I suggest he take up >fishing. > Snip Forgive me. "And on today's installment of 'Bass Fishing in the Far Marches' we've got Thor, and boy does it look like he caught a doozy!" Josh ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 16:40:24 -0500 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question > >So if your Malakim wants to catch the World Serpent, I suggest he take up > >fishing. > > > Snip > > Forgive me. > > > "And on today's installment of 'Bass Fishing in the Far Marches' we've got > Thor, and boy does it look like he caught a doozy!" In my current high-weirdness campaign, I ad-libbed an entire(!) episode of "Thor: The Heroic Journeys" wherein Thor (played by Fabio) went fishing for said serpent, and baited his hook with his long-suffering dwarf sidekick Snorri (played by.... that guy from Bordello of Blood.) And I didn't even know about that myth, either. - -- Casca "Snorri, what lives in fjords and bites huge pieces ouf of longboats?" "My ex-wife?" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 16:43:16 -0600 From: "JamesStein" Subject: Re: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent > > There's FAR more to it than that. Briefly, it entails a Balseraph of > Technology, a stolen scale from the slain Jormundgandr, and a plot to > genetically engineer an Ethereal-Celestial hybrid. David has declared that > this is an attack upon his Word (Midgard serpent causes earthquakes, yes? > Sounds like an attempt to engender an evil perception of Stone...) and that, > having been struck first, all his servants may attack with impunity. > > -- Casca > IIRC, Earthquakes are caused by Loki's pained shudderings, as venom is dripped on him by ...well, I forget the name of the snake. None the less, as best I recall, Loki is trapped to the roots of Yggdrasil ( The World Tree / Tree of Odin ), and a snake is there, dripping venom on him. His faithful wife has a bucket, and does her best to stop the venom, but when her bucket fills, and she must empty it, then some of the venom strikes Loki, and his shudderings at the base of Yggdrasil strike us as earthquakes. Jormungand's biggest role is a) to demonstrate 'strength'; there are several tales in which a god proves his strength relative to Jormungand, such as when Thor is bidden to lift a kitten, and just barely gets a paw off the ground, though it proves to be Jormungand that he has lifted, and b) To play a role in the tale of Ragnarok. Other'n that... no, I don't *think* that the Midgard Serpent has any other roles. Especially not with earthquakes. Though that's just Norse Mythology /Asatrue. In /your/ game... *shrug* well, its /your/ game. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 17:03:22 -0500 From: "Josh Moger" Subject: Re: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent None the less, as >best I recall, Loki is trapped to the roots of Yggdrasil ( The World Tree / >Tree of Odin ), and a snake is there, dripping venom on him. His faithful >wife has a bucket, and does her best to stop the venom, but when her bucket >fills, and she must empty it, then some of the venom strikes Loki, and his >shudderings at the base of Yggdrasil strike us as earthquakes. I understood that Loki is bound with the intestine of his dead son. Josh (Though, I admit that I got this tidbit from Neil Gaiman) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 14:04:24 -0800 From: Daiv Subject: IN> Can a place have a Destiny THe Library at Alexandria is being rebuilt. Yay. (wonder what Keneth Hite is going to make of /that/?) -Daiv, Tech writer in service to Coffee (ps, should a Seraph of Coffee get a bonus to his Fast Talk skill?) - -- hurricane winds blow tempest that has no eye damn those butterflies ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 14:05:05 -0800 From: Daiv Subject: IN> the URL http://www.unesco.org/webworld/alexandria_new/aswan.html - -- hurricane winds blow tempest that has no eye damn those butterflies ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 18:48:30 -0600 From: "Bergeron, Robert F., DS1(SW)" Subject: RE: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent Loki twisting on the rock he's chained to as a serpent (not the midguard but a different one, the midguard is Loki's son) drips poison on his face causes earthquakes. Jormagundar causes floods and tidal waves. - -----Original Message----- From: Eric Bertish [mailto:ebertish@hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 3:25 PM To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Subject: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent > >So what happens when a malakite of Stone ends up with Thor's belt and direct > >orders from David to kill the mid-gard(sp?) serpent? > > It still has to wait for Jormungandr (the Midgard Serpent) to attack first. ;) There's FAR more to it than that. Briefly, it entails a Balseraph of Technology, a stolen scale from the slain Jormundgandr, and a plot to genetically engineer an Ethereal-Celestial hybrid. David has declared that this is an attack upon his Word (Midgard serpent causes earthquakes, yes? Sounds like an attempt to engender an evil perception of Stone...) and that, having been struck first, all his servants may attack with impunity. - -- 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: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 18:53:58 -0600 From: "Bergeron, Robert F., DS1(SW)" Subject: RE: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent Loki's sons are Jormagundar and Fenris (the wolf that swallows Odin whole at the end of time. Until then it has to be satisfied with Tyr's right hand) Hela is his daughter. As an aside with all this, I love the Norse gods, everything is a party. Thor's fishing trip? The story starts with all the gods at a party thrown by the Giant king of the Sea and someone breaks the mead pot. Thor's hammer gets stolen? He and Loki get it back by pretending to be Freya and a bridesmaid and go to a party. The story about the kitten being Jormagundar (Jordi??) lifted by Thor? Well, Thor heard that this one giant throws really good parties so Loki and Thor go to check things out. The Norse knew how to party. - -----Original Message----- From: Josh Moger [mailto:jamoge@wm.edu] Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 4:03 PM To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Subject: Re: IN> Malakim, Stone, and Midgard Serpent None the less, as >best I recall, Loki is trapped to the roots of Yggdrasil ( The World Tree / >Tree of Odin ), and a snake is there, dripping venom on him. His faithful >wife has a bucket, and does her best to stop the venom, but when her bucket >fills, and she must empty it, then some of the venom strikes Loki, and his >shudderings at the base of Yggdrasil strike us as earthquakes. I understood that Loki is bound with the intestine of his dead son. Josh (Though, I admit that I got this tidbit from Neil Gaiman) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:06:45 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> IN : New Person - Hopefully with a new question - --- Josh Moger wrote: > "And on today's installment of 'Bass Fishing in the Far > Marches' we've got > Thor, and boy does it look like he caught a doozy!" There is a short story -- I forget which anthology I read it in -- called "God's Hooks" in which the protoganist actually does manage to hook the Midgard Serpent or something very like it. Apparently the articles of the title were Artifacts. ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 "In film, the director is God. In documentaries, God is the director." - -- Alfred Hitchcock __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 15:13:32 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: IN> PC's? PC's for the Poor? Greetings from the Dark Side... For the first time in way too long, we have a gaming convention in San Antonio. I'm already committed to running two other demos, but I plan to run an IN game if time permits. Here's what I need help with; pregen PC's. I don't have any made up, and there's no time to make them with all the other prepping I have to do. I'd like to have one angel of each major Choir, preferably all of different Words. Brother, can you spare an angel? ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 "In film, the director is God. In documentaries, God is the director." - -- Alfred Hitchcock __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 17:37:51 -0600 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> PC's? PC's for the Poor? - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Walton" To: Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 5:13 PM Subject: IN> PC's? PC's for the Poor? [snip] > Brother, can you spare an angel? Gladly shall I contribute a Seraph to the cause. Admittedly, I already posted him to the list oh, a couple years ago, but hey, any angel in a storm. *g* ======================== Zedekiah, Seraph of Judgement Corporeal Forces: 2 Strength -- 4 Agility -- 4 Ethereal Forces: 3 Intelligence -- 7 Precision -- 5 Celestial Forces: 4 Perception -- 6 Will -- 10 Vessel: Human Male/2 Role: None Songs: Charm(Celestial/3), Tongues(Celestial/3) Skills: Fast-Talk/4, Detect Lies/3, Emote/4, Savoir-Faire/2, Ranged Weapon (pistol)/2, Dodge/3, Knowledge(Psychology)/3, Knowledge(Accounting)/2, Knowledge(The Game)/2, Knowledge(Hell)/3, Driving/1, Lockpicking/1, Attunements: Seraph of Judgement Discord: Fear/3 (Falling) HISTORY: Zedekiah is a bit unusual for one of Dominic's Servitors. He doesn't walk around like a humorless IRS agent wannabe all day. He doesn't immediately cry "Heresy!" upon discovering that an angel actually dares to have even a bit of a social life, or says 'Great, here comes another hyena' as a form of greeting, or greets the arrival of Judgement servitor by waving a beer mug in one hand and going "Whazzuuuuuup!". (Indeed, in the last instance he left the half-drunk Servitor of Wind who'd tried that on him sitting there surprised as Hell when 'Zed' grabbed him by the shoulders and went "Whazzuuuup!" right back at him, with a genuine smile on his face.) So why is Zed such an outgoing type of guy, when he works for a Superior notorious for his lack of humor and rigorous expectations? Because compared to his old job, his new boss and new organization are pure Heaven. Zedekiah was fledged over 700 years ago... as Aranthaxus, a Balseraph of the Game. He had a successful if not overwhelmingly distinguished career in Asmodeus' service, rigorously hunting down and targeting his fellow demons for execution. His particular specialty was counter-intelligence and undercover work. He made a specialty of infiltrating other groups of demons by pretending to be a servitor of another Prince entirely, and gaining their trust while they told him everything (well, "everything" by demonic standards, at least)... in his day, he'd posed as Servitors of Kobal, Valefor, and Mammon, among others. And then after he'd gathered the evidence necessary to hang another bunch of demons as traitors, Asmodeus would pull him out, send in the Calabim, and give him his next assignment. Backstabbing, report-altering, double-dealing... you name it, he'd done it. He'd even done a tour of Earth duty, scouting out angels who were likely Falling candidates and helping give them that last little push. Aranthaxus was playing the Game exactly as it was supposed to be played. Then they assigned him to infiltrate Alaemon's Conspiracy... who, naturally enough, found out his secrets and blackmailed him with them. Before long, Aranthaxus was having to lie to both sides, and then all sides, just to keep his skin intact from hour to hour, until his personal vision of reality simply couldn't keep consistent with all the new twists and turns of the actual ongoing situation. Failing resonance rolls added up, the dissonance built up, and the Discord showed up, until his only hope of survival was to go Renegade. And as an experienced Gamester, he was fortunate enough and knowledgable to make it. But after spending several very miserable and paranoid years on Earth, starting at every shadow and jumping at every loud noise, Aranthaxus had finally had enough. He was sick of lying, sick of being afraid, sick of having to betray and deceive everyone he talked to just to keep breathing from minute to minute. Survival was worthless without something to survive for, and more than he'd wanted anything else in his entire life he Just Wanted It All To *Stop*. So when he walked straight into a tether of Dominic and introduced himself as a Renegade Balseraph of the Game, the only thing he was hoping for was that they would kill him *quickly*. And in all the millennia he'd been alive, Dominic didn't think he'd ever seen a demon who was happier about being Redeemed, even though a couple of his Ethereal Forces had to be burned away in the process. (Zedekiah was quite messed-up when he first approached Dominic...) Wanting to leave his old life as far behind him as it could possibly be managed, Aranthaxus took a new name -- Zedekiah. meaning "The justice of the Lord", which he credits as why he was Redeemed rather than destroyed. After all, his *old* boss would have just... While Dominic could sense the Truth at this newest angel's vast relief to finally be out of the clutches of Hell, that didn't mean that he would cut him any slack. Zedekiah served the typical probationary and observation period required of Redeemed in Dominic's service, working diligently at the various routine tasks he was assigned in Heaven and rigorously following the ideals of Judgement and avoiding every opportunity to backslide... even if he did have problems with that irreverent streak. After a slightly longer than average period of probation (due to that Discord), in due time Zedekiah was invested with his Servitor Attunement and inducted into Dominic's service as a full-fledged angel... ... and then Dominic had to figure out where to assign him. Triad duty was right out -- he simply couldn't project the 'stern, humorless, diligent' image that Triads are supposed to keep up in their dealings. Assignment to a Game-triad was most *definitely* out. Keeping him in Heaven was a possibility, but a servant with his experience in both the corporeal realm and significant familiarity with the ways of demons would be wasted on routine administration. And then Dominic thought of your PC's party, and how they could possibly use someone experienced and yet unconventional to keep an eye on their activities as a regular observer... PERSONALITY: As mentioned above, Zedekiah is the antithesis of 'uptight'. He'll laugh, he'll joke, he'll kick back and put his feet on the furniture, he'll be sympathetic to a friend's problems. Part of this is simply out of relief that he finally *can* do this -- the rigorous behavior required by his old supervisors in the Game would make the most uptight supervisor in Judgement look like the Archangel of the Wind. At long last, 'Zed' is finally in a place where he can relax, unwind, and say what's on his mind without having it to be a lie or an infiltration tactic. After centuries of having to continually 'live' either the 'Gestapo officer' role of a Gamester or the various undercover roles of his assignments, he's where he can finally be himself. And he's reveling in it. But there is another reason... Deep-down inside, Zedekiah is *scared*. You don't shake that many centuries of Balseraphic propaganda that easily, not even when you once helped to write it. Zedekiah can't quite shake the last vestiges of the gnawing fear that the Game wasn't lying, and that Heaven really is as repressive as Hell in its own way. Zedekiah's horror at the thought of his old life, and of ever having to go back to it, had become a full-blown Ethereal Discord during his Renegade years and even his Redemption hadn't purged him of it entirely. Every time he pushes the boundaries of convention (although not genuine misbehavior), every time he acts against the stereotype of 'stern, humorless Judgement', and every time he fails to get more than the most mild censure for it, that failure to have the Fist of God crashing down on him is what reassures him that he's not really working for the "Heavenly Asmodeus". Zedekiah cuts up because he's *allowed* to cut up, because it's how he reminds himself anew every day that he's no longer working for the Superior that would kill him for a single wrong remark. However, despite the fact that Zed is genuinely friendly and outgoing, that doesn't mean that he's in any way lax in his duties. As we mentioned before, Zed is terrified at the thought that he might ever become a demon again -- and that terror extends to the thought that any other angel might ever Fall. Zedekiah *knows* what it's like to live down there, what kind of pure Hell it is, and he'd quite cheerfully die rather than *ever* have to go back to the Bad Place. And he applies that to other angels as well. Dominic's own "It is more merciful to kill an angel than to allow him to Fall" philosophy is something that Zedekiah believes with all his heart and soul. He's a lot less uptight about the minor 'heresies' that aren't really Heresies that too many young Judgement servitors get all a-flutter over -- back when he was Aranthaxus, he had seen at least two angels who had let excessive fear of Judgement's servitors push them into Falling rather than into going and getting help before it was too late. But he still is constantly on the lookout for signs of genuine trouble in any other angel. Which he will, of course, report at the first opportunity. In triplicate. So while Zed doesn't act like the stereotypical Judgement servitor, he still cares about Judgement's mission at *least* as fervently as the Angel of the Inquisition does. It's just that he knows that sometimes it *helps* angels Fall if you make them too paranoid about facing Judgement. DESIGN NOTES: Zedekiah's Discord is something I came up with myself. Basically, it's there to provide motivation as to why he is the way he is. When it actually comes up in play is when Zedekiah has to face any situation where he will earn dissonance if he doesn't back off (Zedekiah is *terrified* at the thought of carrying any dissonance, because he knows where it leads), interact with demons in any extended setting (which freaks him out because that would be an opportunity for them to try and lure him back to the Dark Side -- and another reason why he's absolutely unfit for Game-triad duty even if his identity were totally obscured), or any other similar situation. Please note that the Zedekiah's Discord is about the possibility of his Falling again, not of any other angel's. He still worries greatly about other angels, but when it comes to their concerns he can at least mostly keep his fear at a rational level. Yes, it's a bit of a stretch, admitted -- he's only Fearful of things that most angels avoid on a regular basis anyway. But in his case, it is *compulsive*, so I figured it was still worth 2 points/level of discord, as strong temptations to earn Dissonance do occur fairly if not very often. Zedekiah is a balanced starting character. ======================== - -- Chuckg ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 02 Apr 2002 19:43:24 -0500 From: Matthew Gerber Subject: IN> Contest Entry: Consider the Word But I already told you. Oh, you picked up on that, huh? Okay, so maybe I didn't tell you everything. Maybe I left out a few tiny details-- Oh, quit looking at me like that. Besides, you're not Dominic. Go back up and get a few pointers. His "annoyed Seraph" looks are the *real* thing. You want to learn just how withering six eyes glaring can be, all you have to do is... this isn't distracting you, is it. Right. So you really want to know. You really do want to know why I'm down here. You could just ask Dominic, you know. Yeah, sure he knows. Please. You think that between him and Laurence, they actually couldn't find me? If they were really looking hard? Doesn't really make sense when you think about it, does it? Who else knows? Hey, let's not get into details. You had a question. Right. So I'll ask you *one* more time if you're sure. Right. Okay, then. It's story time. Let's hit the place across the street there, they've got good hot dogs. Stories always go better with hot dogs, for some reason. When I've got more time, I'm gonna check that out. What, you think I was lying to you before? Okay, okay, maybe about Dominic not knowing anything, but other than that, there's a lot of reasons I'm down here. I just didn't tell you the big secret scar--*Diet* Coke!? Good Lord, man, it's a *Vessel...* oh, forget it, you're hopeless. Let's get a table. At least put ketchup and mustard on the hot dog. Humor me. Okay. So, you know the prevailing theory about Vapula, right? The one about him being put together from Raphael's scattered Forces. I buy it, personally. Don't look at me like that, *think* about it. Think about how pathetic all the other Hellborn Princes are--heck, half of the ones who *aren't* Hellborn are better candidates for a comedy troupe than a proper rebel force. Which says something about how influential Kobal is, when you think about it, but let's not go there right now. Anyway, that's what I think about Vapula. But that isn't important. What's important, what's *really* important, is his kid. You've heard that Nybbas is cracking up, right? That something's getting to him. That he's starting to break under the strain. That he's starting to let too much of our side's stuff through the mill. Well, frankly, he hasn't been. Or wasn't, at first--he is now. But it started out as me. I've taken something of a personal interest in him and his little "machine" lately. Actually, I've had it almost since he got made; at least, since we knew about him. I dunno why, but he just caught my eye. I should say I didn't know why, actually, since I do now. We've known since shortly after he got his Word. He got to Prince status darned fast, don't you think? Yeah, me too. Hell's brightest rising star and all that. He was that way from the beginning, and it was.... weird. Just weird, somehow. Let's grab another hot dog. The story's not over yet. And I'm telling you, *try the mustard* this time. Live a little. Sheesh. The other guys didn't make everything down here, you know. In fact, they didn't *make* anything down here. Just twisted it. Right, yes, I'm ranting, sorry. Anyway, we figured it out. You see, I told you my theory on Vapula. Well, take it one step further, or at least one generation further. Think about it. A demon is created. He invents the most staggeringly efficient means of information transmission the Corporeal plane has ever seen or dreamed of. Helps transform the culture of the industrialized world in less than a century. Takes us completely flatfooted. *Advances* the humans, for all the fact that he's a demon, about as far as anyone has in the past few millenia. That's a little questionably demonic, isn't it? Yet he gets his Word, and his Principality, in pretty much record time. Unless you count Haagenti, and I don't think he counts that much. We're pretty sure of why, now. Nybbas was another assembly job. It was an experiment--a fantasticaly successful one, successful beyond their wildest dreams. They think. But I know better. That's why I'm down here. Because, like I said, he's cracking up. And I'm why. And when he starts cracking up really good, I mean *really* good, one of us has got to be there. Either there to take him down, or there for him. Or just there to keep all Hell from breaking loose in general. Because when what's left of the Voice of God starts talking louder than Nybbas can keep inside, God only knows what's going to happen. I sure don't. So, dessert? The milkshakes aren't as good here, but they've got a great key lime pie. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2587 ********************************