in_nomine-digest Tuesday, May 14 2002 Volume 01 : Number 2636 In this digest: Re: IN> Something that came in a dream - ST1341 Re: IN> Desperate Measures Re: IN> a meeting Re: IN> A Matter of Faith Re: IN> Wallpaper: Novalis Re: IN> little query Re: IN> little query Re: IN> GURPS Goblins Re: IN> little query IN> Wallpaper: Beleth, Gabriel (1024 x 728) Re: IN> A Matter of Faith IN> Bad ideas... getting worse... Re: IN> Bad ideas... getting worse... Re: IN> Living Fossils IN> Seekers 1341 - Part 1 IN> Seeker 1341 Pt 2 Re: IN> Something that came in a dream - ST1341 RE: IN> A Meeting & ST1341 Re: IN> Bad ideas... getting worse... Re: IN> Seekers 1341 - Part 1 IN> A Matter of Faith Part II ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 14:58:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Something that came in a dream - ST1341 Interesting... ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 If your principles don't inconvenience you from time to time, you don't really have any. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 15:09:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Desperate Measures - --- Eric Hallstrom wrote: > A broad spectrum of techniques for assuring that a > Human soul, upon discarnation, > can _only_ Reincarnate or Dissolve into the Symphony [snip] > A broad spectrum of techniques for assuring that a > living Human, for a strategically > significant span of time, can achieve _neither_ its > Fate, _nor_ its Destiny. You wasted no time activating the "No Canon" light on this one; the GMG specifically states that even Superiors can't manipulate souls like this. That said, the ability to do so would drastically alter the balance of power in the War; I can't see Hell _not_ using this ability, and there are certainly parties in Heaven who would be equally quick to do so. > A set of combat Artifacts and Songs that destroy > discarnate Human Souls on a wide scale. I can't see any AA's being willing to do this, not even to deny Essence to Hell. > A set of combat Artifacts and Songs that send discarnate > Human Souls into Limbo on a narrow or individual scale Again, Humans (canonically) can't go to Limbo. Of course, IYC, YMMV. Assuming that one bends canon enough to let all this stuff happen, I really can't see Jean going to Michael for ideas on field-testing these techniques (considering that Michael is my top candidate for wanting to implement it...). Far more likely that Jean would bury the information and never give the rest of the Council the slightest inkling of what he'd found. To say nothing of having any demon who got too close to the discovery terminated with extreme prejudice. ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 If your principles don't inconvenience you from time to time, you don't really have any. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 15:17:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> a meeting Heh. Did I mention what a fan I am of good closing lines? ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 If your principles don't inconvenience you from time to time, you don't really have any. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 15:23:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> A Matter of Faith [shudder] Israfane makes me _really_ glad that IN is fiction. Nicely done, Ryan. ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 If your principles don't inconvenience you from time to time, you don't really have any. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 18:39:52 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Wallpaper: Novalis At 9:08 PM -0400 5/12/02, Mike Bruner wrote: >Dunno if Novalis works as >Cordelia though; she'd have never pulled Cordelia's little "shopping trip", On the contrary -- Novalis is peaceful first, but has thorns... Cordelia doesn't have the flowery imagry associated with her, but the shopping trip is not out of the question. But yeah, her psychology thing is much more Elohitey. - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 18:51:38 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> little query At 9:51 AM -0500 5/13/02, Cthulhu wrote: >Little question here, for something I'm trying to set up in a game. > >Can a Superior inflict discord on a servitor of another Superior? Given long enough to fold, spindle, and bendify the Forces of the Servitor in question, probably. It is not, however, a trivial or quick process. I seem to recall that this is in the GMG? If the Servitor in question can be... persuaded to acquiese to the alterations, it goes much more quickly. Asmodeus: And so, my dear captive Virtue, here is a little pet to keep you company. [Enter Balseraph. Exit Prince.] Balseraph: Oh, hi. Malakite: What are _you_ in for? Balseraph: Didn't run fast enough to the nearest Heaven-Tether when I got a clue. [Later. Enter Prince.] Asmodeus: I see you two are getting on well. So, let us make a bargain. Malakite: Funny, you don't look like Lilith. Asmodeus: If I deliver this Balseraph traitor into the hands of Heaven, you will wear this Will Shackle. Are we agreed? If not, then I will simply return the traitor to the queue for execution. You can watch. Malakite: "..." - --Beth, typing w/a uncoopertive baby (iolanthe) causing typos. arcangel is nursing a trout with ARMS! ARMS that reach out and try to pound the keyboard! You say "And teeth. Ow." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 22:56:08 +0000 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> little query >Asmodeus: If I deliver this Balseraph traitor into the hands of Heaven, >you will wear this Will Shackle. Are we agreed? And the Malakite believes Asmodeus why? (Other than the Balseraph Resonance, I mean, and if he's going to go that route ...) Janet Anderson _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 17:56:26 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> GURPS Goblins From: "Jennifer Shih" > > Obligatory IN content: How would you model the Death > of Rats as in IN character? Definitely an Ethereal. Anything beyond that will require discussion on the Pyramid boards, given the playtest currently in progress... ;:;) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 18:10:47 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> little query From: "Janet Anderson" > >Asmodeus: If I deliver this Balseraph traitor into the hands of Heaven, > >you will wear this Will Shackle. Are we agreed? > > And the Malakite believes Asmodeus why? It still flies in the face of the malakite's second oath, though... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 20:56:09 -0400 From: "S.D." Subject: IN> Wallpaper: Beleth, Gabriel (1024 x 728) These are generally the same as the 800x600 versions, but there are some changes - fonts and size, visible image, etc. Mostly because I can't just blow the images up without losing quality. Still, these should do. ^_^; (Novalis 1024x728 should be here soon, ditto Blandine 1024x728; Lilith 1024x728 might take longer. This is because 'Orb' and 'Delirium's Mistress' were both big enough that I shouldn't have to edit much, and I did for 'Broken Chain' in *small* size. Lilith 1024x728 might just get a frame.) A note of warning: I don't have *that* much space on my Angelfire account, so I may later have to delete files to make room for new ones. The 1024x728 wallpapers will likely be the first to go. So you might want to save these to your hard drive soon. That said, here're the files. http://www.angelfire.com/rebellion/in_nomine/images/beleth_dreamland_1024x728.jpg http://www.angelfire.com/rebellion/in_nomine/images/gabriel_dies-irae_1024x728.jpg ~S.D. Ryukage ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "What though the field be lost? All is not lost--the unconquerable will, and study of revenge, immortal hate, and courage never to submit or yield: And what is else not to be overcome? That glory never shall his wrath or might exhort from me." Lucifer, 'Paradise Lost' (Milton) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 18:12:39 -0700 From: WonderGecko Subject: Re: IN> A Matter of Faith [snip] > > Israphane turned back to look at his master and smiled a long, > sinister smile. "Sometimes." > > ************************************************************ > > [His write-up will be coming tomorrow morning, folks.] > > Ryan Roth *grabs her head and screams* AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! @_@ Great, now I'm paranoid. But good show, anyhow. :D - --Kim, Angel of Random Enthusiasm PS: Israphane sounds like the opposite number of Lysimachus, Angel of Psychopomps. I need to write him up, come to think. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 19:18:13 -0700 (PDT) From: W S Subject: IN> Bad ideas... getting worse... Here's a conspiratoral thought for ya... Eden existed. It was, certainly, a Place on Earth. There is, even today, an ever-vigilant Cherub guarding the gates with a Big Flaming Sword. People don't disagree with this. What they do disagree with is the current whereabouts of said Garden. See, Eden isn't on any maps. Nor any globes. It's marked with a big old Question Mark, and even the Wheels can't seem to find it. Quite possibly because Where isn't as simple an idea as it should be. Eden is, according to some schools of thought, just east of the dawn, or north of the north pole. In a way, their right- Eden no longer exists on Earth properly, but is offset ever so slightly from where it used to be. A similiar trick is used elsewhere, such as for the vanishing Valley of Shangra-lai, the Island of Atlantis, and the Bermuda Triangle's vanished ships. Not quite in the Ethereal, but not on Earth either. They just go... somewhere else, even while remaining firmly anchored to a physical point. Humanity has also created situations that never naturally existed in the Symphony before they created them- lowering temperatures below the background heat of the universe and the like. Such activities can undo, even temporarily, such offsets. This has happened at least twice. Once, in what was called the Philidelphia Experiment, or Project Rainbow. The results of that are well known, admist the trash and nonsense that float about. The other? In Tunguska, Siberia, 1907, Eden momentarily re-entered Earth. Specifically, the Gates appeared directly next to the cottage of a small woodcutter, shocked at what he saw suddenly appear just outside his doorway. And then he saw the Cherub's sword bearing down on him. The cottage had appeared /inside/ the Garden, only a few feet from the Fabled Tree. And then the rest of Tunguska happened, as the terrified Cherub did his /damndest/ to ensure that nothing else was nearby enough to slip in. In only a few moments, the disturbance would rock Siberia, and a moment after that, Eden slipped away again. What's really disturbing? Tesla didn't mean for the free energy beam to reach Siberia at all... Wonder what the government did with all those toys they classified... __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 21:46:53 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> Bad ideas... getting worse... From: "W S" > > Eden existed. Interesting. Which reminds me - the current storyline of Prince Valiant has him as part of an expedition to find the Garden. If they are collected anywhere, it'd be worth reading, if only to mine for ideas... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 06:12:17 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Living Fossils - --- BC Petery wrote: > It was suggested in an earlier post that a Celestial who > held (or served?) > the Word of Dinosaurs hid in Limbo, then returned with > the body of a Tyranosaur. I believe it was a Velociraptor, but we get the idea. > Perhaps something similar to this, or a > Remnant, with the > Celestial Song of Fruition is responsible for the > Celocanths. No need for that. There are plenty of places in the ocean for a relict population of Coelacanths to hide in. > And why stop there? The oceans are said to be 90% > unexplored. What was the > name of that giant shark? Megalo-whatchamacallit? Carcharodon megalodon (sayeth the science geek). ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 If your principles don't inconvenience you from time to time, you don't really have any. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 03:29:12 +0000 From: "Michael Cleveland" Subject: IN> Seekers 1341 - Part 1 Sikaldiel laid on the bed in the cheap hotel room, looking at the camera mounted on the television set and watching the timer above it count down the seconds until the appointed contact time. Looking over at the two other in the room, she took a draw from the beer in her hand and shook her head. "You know, it strikes me that we should be attempting to do this job ourselves, not hiring it out to a group of unknown assassins and thugs. We should have sufficient strength to take him you this time." >From one of the chairs at the table, a thin black woman shook her head in the negative. "You're crazy, Most Holy. How many Triads have been lost trying to take out Cibarak? Eight? Nine? Myself, I don't care to be the tenth." Across from the young lady at the table, a trio of kittens picked the fleas off of each other. From one of them, a very high pitched voice emerged. "We've lost five bodies to him, and we've been in two other Triads that tried to take him. We've taken our chances - give it to a group of professionals." The woman on the bed stretched and nodded. "Especially ones that accept payment after the job is completed, so long as a Seraph negotiates. I have heard all this, Kazzah. It makes it uncomfortable nonetheless, but I accept that I have been overridden. Just tell me Sirva - you are sure these people can pull this off? The black woman shrugged. "Probably. I've hired them twice before - once about ten years ago and the other time about three centuries back. They've gotten much easier to contact in this day and age, let me tell you..." One of the kittens looked up. "And their performance?" The lady shook her head as she doodled in her notepad. "Good enough that I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of their contracts. Honorable enough. High priced and secretive, but worth their price in my opinion. They're either former Gamesters or Judges - they know exactly where to stop pressing a person in order to keep a confession viable, and as far as their hunting abilities... well, let's just not worry about it since the clock's almost gone." The blonde on the bed sat up and straightened her suit jacket. "Right. Everyone go silent. Eyes open, and remember that these may be infernals, so be careful what you say." After a few moments of empty silence, the screen flickered to life and shifted to a scene of a similar hotel room, with a translucent bluish curtain and two figures standing behind it. The male figure on the right made a motion like he was nodding to someone off camera, then apparently turned to face the camera. "I'm glad to see that you found the directions at the drop point, Sirva. Friends of yours?" The Malakite nodded, gesturing towards the suit-wearing blonde and the group of kittens who were now lined up on the bed. "Yes, I'm sorry I didn't put it in the note, but my plans to meet you privately were overruled. These are Judges Sikaldiel and Kazzah." The male figure nodded. "Nature of a Triad - irritating, but acceptable." The voice changed somewhat, hardening. "Acceptable in this one particular case only, Sirva. Don't let it happen again, or the meeting's off and there won't be another." Sirva nodded. "Understood. Again, my apologies." The Malakite looked at her companions, then looked back at the screen. "We have a Calabite that we want gone, who goes by the name of Cibarak. He's a -" The female silhouette moved slightly, typing something into a computer. "Gamester. Somewhat high ranking if my intel is current. Typically stays in Dis, however. That makes things more difficult, you know. What precisely is it that you want to happen to him?" The Seraph stepped forward. "Preferably, we would like him captured and bound for trial. He is a former Judge, and he must be brought to justice with all due speed. We understand that he has recently been spotted in the Houston area. Triad 314 mentioned that he seems to have taken a permanent posting there, but their information was spotty. He was not their concern." The male nodded. "Of course. Do you have a particular timeframe for his capture?" Sikaldiel shook her head. "No. Of course, we wish him dealt with quickly, but the important thing is the results. Now, we are willing to pay you -" The female silhouette moved closer to the screen. "Fifteen million dollars." The kittens sat up as a unit, the fur on their backs rising. "FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS?! What are you, nuts? We're not asking you to assassinate a Prince, for God's sake!" The female figure nodded perceptibly. "That's right. You're not asking us to shoot some cheap punk Habbalite from a rooftop. That takes two snipers and a five dollar box of ammunition. You're asking us to capture, hold and transport a rather powerful, well trained and well motivated Calabite who is rather unlikely to come willingly. You want him kept on the Corporeal Plane and not dropping to Hell the moment he realizes he's in trouble. You want him in one piece, which limits our options and greatly enhances his. If you want it done right, it's not going to be cheap." The kittens slowly lowered themselves down, while the two ladies looked at each other, making motions with their hands. After a moment, the Seraph turned back to the camera, looking uncomfortable. "Sirva tells me that you might be willing to lower the cash payment in exchange for certain other services. Is this correct?" The two figures turned to look at each other, then turned back to the camera. "Actually, there are some things we can use that Judges could provide... you are aware of the Tether of Judgment in Cincinatti, yes?" The two women looked at each other quizzically, while one of the kittens turned its head slightly. "I know the place, yeah. The seneschal and I worked together a few times years back. But I don't know what I can -" The female silhouette spoke up, her voice taking an odd tone. "You'll give us a note to give to the seneschal. No names on it, no questions asked. Good for a three week stay to remove dissonance. Person will do whatever work is required, but won't be forced to give a name or affiliation. That'll knock three million off the bill." Kazzah looked at itself for a moment, then turned to the women, its tails swishing and twisting into approximations of hand signals. The Malakite nodded her head, gesturing quietly. After a moment of consideration, the Seraph nodded. Turning back to the camera, the Seraph nodded. "This can be arranged. There are four other Tethers who would make similar deals, provided the users prove they are angels. Is this offer satisfactory?" The male figure shook his head no. "We'll take four of them, but a minimum of three million dollars will be required to take this job. How much did you bring with you?" The Malakite reached over to a briefcase and opened it, pointing it towards the camera. "Half a million dollars in twenties and fifties. No marks, no traces. Non sequential. I figured that was how much you wanted for operating funds last time we did business together. Will that do?" The two figures nodded. "All right. If you three will simply write out the terms of the agreement and sign it with your names and sigils, we'll be along to pick up our payment once you've left the building. Once the job is done, we'll let you know where to make the pickup for the prisoner andwhere to drop off the rest of our fee." After a few moments of writing, the Judges nodded to the camera, and walked out the door. As the got into the elevator, one of the kittens jumped into a young woman's arms, who then turned to the others beside her. "So, you really think they'll nail the guy?" Sirva turned to look at the others in the elevator. "Did I ever tell you who told me about this group of people?" After seeing their heads shake, she closed her eyes and smiled wickedly. "Dominic." - ------------------------------------------------- Later that night in a nondescript car speeding down a highway, a man named Sergei was on a cellphone while his partner was taking her turn driving. "Look, tell Melissa to hold on for a few more weeks. I've managed to get an entry pass to the Judgment Tether in her town - it's going to take some doing, but I've got it set so they won't ask any questions. No, I doubt that they'll even know she's one of us. It's set with a no questions asked other than 'Are you an Angel?', so she should be fine. I'm working on getting ones for George and Larry as well. They'll probably have to get in a car and drive, but it'll be something. Look, we've got to get running. Once we get to Houston, we'll link up with the local chapter there. I've got some friends in the local Creation Tether who'll set us up for the op. Gotcha. Stay righteous, Nicole. Yeah. Give my love to Kim, too. Bye." Turning to the woman beside him, he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Nicole says there's a couple of us in Houston who'll help out. We'll want to be the ones that do the real job, but we do at least have family there. It'll be all right, Kari." Kari smiled for a moment, then went back to concentrating on the road. "Good. I just wish Stefan was here to meet them as well. I know he'll be out soon, but I still miss him." Sergei looked out the window for amoment, then turned back to his partner. "Look, Buddha owes me a favor or two, and... I think he knows who and what we are. If he can pull some essence off of his Tether, I'm sure he will. Eli's pretty understanding of us and all." He frowned slightly, then continued. "No matter what, we're not going to leave him in there any longer than we have to. As soon as the relinquaries are prepped, we'll send him some more juice." The teenaged girl nodded as she took a sharp turn. "Right. You know, you'd think that after all this time, it would get easier." She drove for a while longer, an awkward silence between them until she spoke again. "Do you think he even remembers that we're out here, Sergei?" Sergei quietly reached out and put his hand on her arm. "It's an injustice, Kari. And it may take ten days, ten years, maybe even ten thousand years, but he'll see it through. And so will we." He smiled wryly. "And besides, you've got to admit - for a choir whose note has been all but silenced, it's funny how often what used to be our solos has found its way into the background noise that nobody notices... Michael Cleveland Gulf Coast Geotech _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 03:47:55 +0000 From: "Michael Cleveland" Subject: IN> Seeker 1341 Pt 2 Budarial lounged back in his favorite chair, watching the denizens of his coffee shop go by while they chatted with their friends about the appalling number of yuppies that had moved into the neighborhood. Although he was known to occasionally throw in a comment or two, the Seraph had found that by sitting back and nodding in all the right places, he was able to cultivate the proper image of someone who knew much but let people come to their own conclusions. Today had gone much like most days around the Tether - - brew coffee, talk with people about their problems, listen to people gripe about the coffee shop down the way, and most importantly - watch for people who needed that last little bit of pep to get off their hindquarters and do the right thing. That was the day - the night was going to be different. The large black man slowly walked over to his expresso machine and reached for the 'special blend' that he kept for certain specific customers that had a tendency to come in after hours. Brewing himself a cup, he took a moment to relax, and then turned to face the young couple that walked through the door. "Welcome to Cafe Avino - can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Supernatural powers?" The young lady lowered a pair of rose-tinted glasses, and then came around the counter and wrapped the man in her arms. "Buddha - it's been too long. How have you been?" The caretaker smiled and pointed them to a table. "Doing all right, actually. Had a few problems with Judges in here looking for the owner of the establishment, and the Novalisians from down the way have been visiting this place more than their own Tether in town, but that is not such a bad thing. And what about you all? Where is Stefan?" The tall, slavic man that had come in at the same time shook his head. "He's in Limbo. We were on a job running against the Game, and somebody managed to get the call off before we could drop them." He chuckled slightly. "Stefan was true to form, though - not just a man of substance, but of style. He was sniping from a rooftop across the way, and took Asmodeus's vessel in the back of the head with a God Gun." He frowned for a second, then smiled again. "Of course a trick like that only works once on a Prince, and since he got Asmodeus's undivided attention with that stunt, he didn't have many options except to blow his own head off and pray the vessel's matrix collapsed before Asmodeus reached him, but it worked. We're working on getting him out, though." The Seraph shuddered slightly, his resonance filling in too many of the details of the encounter for him to be comfortable with. "Man, that is a tough break. Ow. Still, popping Azzie is not an inherently bad thing. Not wise, mind you, but still good. Is there anything I can do to help you all with getting him out? I really can not afford to divert too much energy from Tether operations at the moment, but if things relax even the slightest bit, you know I will." Sergei nodded. "We didn't come all this way to try and sap you for energy, although if you can send him a couple of drops, I'm sure he'll appreciate it. But actually, we're in town for a job. Can't say who or what, you know. But we need to find a good place to stay, and we need a few maps of the area. Basics - places to go to in a bind, places to avoid like the plague - that sort of thing." Buddha nodded. "I can do that." His brow furrowed slightly before continuing. "Now, I have to warn you - I can not get too involved. There have been some very serious problems that have been coming out of the local Gamester Tether, and I can not risk some of the humans that come around here getting inadvertently pulled into anything. They have a good number of heavy hitters in there, and as sad as I am to say it, most of the Divive Tethers are trying to lay low." At seeing Kari's look of irritation, the Seraph shook his head. "You do not get these people, Kari. The bodies of the last group of angels that tried to cross them were found in a heap across the street from the Flowers Tether. And the Soldiers... the soldiers were unlucky enough to be found alive. Let us leave it at that, all right?" Sergei and Kari nodded solemnly. "We'll try to keep you out of it, Budarial. But seriously, if you need us to take out the local Gamesters, we'd be happy to significantly lower our prices for -" "You just do not get it, do you?" - ----------------------------------- The two Grigori stood in the middle of the courtyard, a standing wall of water splashing behind them as they looked up at the towering skyscraper before them. The nighttime lights reflected and glinted from the forty-something stories of gleaming marble and glass. Overhead, a spotlight rotated slowly, its beam shining down upon the city like an omnipresent eye, further adding to the tower's impressiveness. Their escort, a Soldier of Creation known to them as Bob, stepped between them and put his hands on each of the Grigori's shoulders. "This, my friends, is Transco Tower. It's actually Williams tower now, but everyone still calls it by its old name. Inside, on any given day, there are about ten thousand or so people working inside. There are several energy companies, a few printing businesses, a small but well established marketing and advertising firm, and most importantly, there are two separate ISP's that have offices inside, complete with technical support staff twenty-four hours a day." Bob looked at his watch, then continued. "Now, with it being about eleven O'clock at night, you have about four to five hundred people inside. That's in addition to any of the Tether's people that we don't know about. There are security patrols that canvas not only the building itself, but this park here and the waterwall behind us." Sergei looked up at the building, then turned to his partner. "Blow up the Tether. Destroy the affect it can have on the population. Minimize the likelihood that the Gamesters can receive backup. We've done it before. How hard can it be?" Kari shook her head slowly, still looking up at the structure. "Maybe I was just a little bit hasty this time. It's... it's very..." Sergei looked back at the building. "Big." Bob chuckled. "Yeah, that it is. And it's pretty well staffed - somebody was saying something about there being fifteen or so demons being stationed here permanently, with others rotating through here. I personally don't know about that, but this is, by all accounts, the most powerful Infernal Tether around here. Lightning's people over at the Johnson Space Center might be able to match up to it, but still..." He shook his head ruefully. "You don't mess with these people." Kari turned away from the Tether to look at the Creationer. "I can imagine. Still, are you sure they said fifteen people on permanent assignment here? Most Tethers are lucky to get three or four permanents. Maybe more like five or six, maybe?" Bob shook his head. "No, ma'am. Fifteen. It's something on account of this place being some sort of weird Tether. Something... I don't know, its a... Cathedra Tether? Capacita Tether? Something like that, I can't -" The two angels slowly looked at each other and then looked at the human before them. "You don't mean Capitol Tether, do you?" Bob snapped his fingers and smiled. "Capitol, that's it! It's a Capitol Tether." He scratched his head for a moment as his two charges traded worried expressions. "You know, Buddha never did explain to me what that meant. What is a Capitol Tether, anyway?" Sergei tooked to look back at the building as he began speaking. "A Capitol Tether is a very massive and very powerful link to either Heaven or Hell. It's a place that either has personal significance to the Prince or Archangel that it belongs to, or it's a major strategic base of operations. Most Capitol Tethers oversee operations for their Prince's Word for several hundred miles around them, sometimes even commanding Seneschals of lesser Tethers in the area. They are invariably well staffed, well guarded, and in the case of Gamester Capitol Tethers, usually have a Seneschal that's ranked highly enough that they directly report to the Prince themselves. If you're right, then this area is a rather dangerous place for us to be. We should be on our way." The three of them walked back towards where they had parked their car. Allowing the somewhat dazed human to lead, the two angels quietly motioned to each other, trying to keep the Creationer from noting their actions. Sergei shook his head ruefully as he continued. Kari shrugged, pausing for a moment to point toward the car in a restaurant parking lot. Sergei shook his head as he looked back at the building looming behind them. Kari lowered her head slightly, then snapped up. Sergei shook his head negatively. Kari smiled slyly, looking at the Tether and tossing her head coyly. Sergei rolled his eyes, then glared at his partner. Kari frowned, then spoke up. "Excuse me, Bob? Aside from the Gamesters and the Creationers, who all is here in town? Buddha mentioned something about Flowers, and you mentioned something about Lightning having a base around here." Bob turned around, color returning to his face. "Well, there are a couple of Angels of Flowers in the Heights area, and there's the really small Sword Tether down at Ellington Air Force Base. There's the Johnson Space Center, but they keep to themselves unless you beg for help. And then there's us. On the bad side, you've got a small Tether of Lust in one of the local strip clubs, there's a Tether to Vapula at Compaq's main production facility on Highway two-ninety, and there's a new Tether of Theft in downtown at the Enron building. And, of course, there's that place behind us." Kari chewed on her lip for a moment, then spoke again. "So, you'd say there are a bunch of people here in the area, but they don't talk too much except for the Flower and Creation Tethers?" At Bob's nod, Kari smiled and unlocked the door for her partner as they reached the car. "Don't worry. I have a plan." Sergei raised an eyebrow as he got into the car. "Ok, good. Tell me about it after we drop him off." As he buckled his seat belt, he reached over and tapped the lady in the driver's seat. Kari smiled and motioned as she put her keys in the ignition. Sergei blinked several times, then laughed as he simultaneously made the same symbol as his partner. Michael Cleveland Gulf Coast Geotech _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 14:58:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Something that came in a dream - ST1341 Interesting... ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 If your principles don't inconvenience you from time to time, you don't really have any. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 08:13:14 -0400 From: "Bergeron, Robert F., DS1(SW)" Subject: RE: IN> A Meeting & ST1341 Cthulhu, Michael, all I can say is wow. I think I'm looking forward to the next installment almost as much as "Episode Two", maybe even more, because I have duty on Thursday, and won't get to see that on opening night anyways. DS1 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 05:34:14 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Bad ideas... getting worse... - --- W S wrote: > Eden no longer > exists on Earth properly, but is offset ever so > slightly from where it used to be. A similiar trick > is used elsewhere, such as for the vanishing Valley of > Shangra-lai, the Island of Atlantis, and the Bermuda > Triangle's vanished ships. You forgot Brigadoon. };> > What's really disturbing? Tesla didn't mean for the > free energy beam to reach Siberia at all... Wonder > what the government did with all those toys they > classified... OHMYG...! Ahem, I mean, interesting thought. ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 If your principles don't inconvenience you from time to time, you don't really have any. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 05:41:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Seekers 1341 - Part 1 Wow. I am really enjoying this series, especially the characterizations. ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 If your principles don't inconvenience you from time to time, you don't really have any. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 09:40:18 -0400 (EDT) From: Ryan M Roth Subject: IN> A Matter of Faith Part II [This guy is set up to be a major villian in any campaign. Any group of PCs who try to confront him directly will almost certainly lose.] Israphane Calabite Demon of Broken Faith Corporeal: 6 Strength 12 Agility 12 Ethereal : 6 Intelligence 12 Precision 12 Celestial: 6 Will 12 Perception 12 Word-Forces: Lots -- Israphane is almost a Prince himself Vessels: Middle-aged Human male/6, Old Human female/6, Sparrow/3, Young girl/5, potentially many more Roles: All of Israphane's Human vessels carry a Role/1. Occasionally he will be given a temporarily higher Role if his assignment calls for it. Discord: None (see Calabim of Fate Attunement) Skills: Computer Operation/3, Detect Lies/6, Dodge/6, Driving/3, Emote/6, Fast-talk/6, Fighting/5, Knowledge(Religions)/6, Knowledge(Angelic Lore)/6, Knowledge(Demonic Lore)/6, Knowledge(Psychology)/6, Large Weapon/3, Lying/6, Saviour-Faire/6, Seduction/4, Tactics/6 Songs: Attraction(all)/4, Charm(all)/6, Entropy(all)/5, Light(all)/6, Motion(all)/6, Shields(all)/6, Tongues(all)/6, Thunder/6. Israphane has been known to use many songs of Numinous Corpus as well. Special Rites: Destroy a belief (+1, usable 3 times a day) Destroy every major belief a person has about something (+3) Get another to attack someone's beliefs Vessel or soul-kill an angel of Faith (+3) Destory the faith of any angel (+5) Note: These are only the Songs, Vessels, and Skills Israphane has be observed to use -- potentially he has many more tricks up his sleeve. Given his status in Hell, he could also very easily call for the use of any common artifact available in Hell -- he usually has at least one Reliquary on him as an Essence reserve. Attunements & Distinctions: Knight of Judgement(from Asmodeus), Calabim of Factions(from Malphas), Balseraph of Fate(Mercurian), Calabim of Fate, Impudite of Fate, Fated Future, Baron of the Book of Days( Israphane has been granted this distinction many times -- he is knowledgable of every century where a major religon was founded or had major changes. Kronos has modified the Distinctions to allow Israphane knowledge that is more than two thousand years old.), Demon of Broken Faith. Demon of Broken Faith: Israphane has learned to use his resonance to attack faith itself. It is very similar to the way Calabim of Factions can attack relationships, except that in this case the relationship is with God. The damage is also permanent. By engaging a target in conversation about any particular belief that person has, Israphane can attempt to destory that belief. The demon must first convince the person that there is room for doubt -- this can be a Lying, Fast-talk or Emote roll, depending on his tactics. If the victim fails to resist this opening roll, Israphane can attack the belief. Each round of conversation thereafter, Israphane makes a resonance roll, adding up the damage. If the victim can resist the resonance roll, the damage to the belief under attack is negated and Israphane takes a note of Dissonance. This Dissonace will disappear if Israphane can later destroy any belief that person has. When the damage Israphane does to a person's faith exceeds the number of Soul hits the person has, that belief is destroyed. If Israphane does this a number of times equal to the victim's total Celestial Forces, that person's entire belief system collapses. Note that the beliefs do not have to concern God -- Israphane can attack a person's belief in their friends, for example. In addition to attacking faiths, this attunement also extends Israphane's Balseraph Attunement, allowing him to use the Mercurian resonance to determine a person's relationship (faith) with God. There has never been a case where a belief destroyed by Israphane has ever been rebuilt -- it may be impossible. There are some demons who aren't really that bad. They don't embrace the cause Hell entirely. They wonder about Heaven, and sometimes seek Redemption. And then there are some demons who are completely and totally evil down to their very core. Sometimes these demons catch Lucifer's notice, and, if they are skilled enough at spreading that evil, Lucifer will gather them up to be his _personal_ Servitors. Israphane is one such demon. Israphane began as a Calabite of Fate. His early career was marked by two traits: an odd ability to work well with demons of other Words, and a considerable hatred of God and Heaven. Kronos would often sent Israphane to coordinate with other Princes, and when the job was over, those Princes would always be pleased with Israphane's performance. The Calabite frequently recieved rewards from the Princes he worked with, and Kronos was satisfied enough to allow him to keep those rewards. The key to his success in these situations was an understanding of the Princes involved; Israphane had a considerable knack for knowing not only what the Princes wanted, but how they wanted it done. Israphane was rewarded many times over and many times other Princes attempted to gain his service, but Israphane always remained loyal to Fate. To date, Israphane has never failed an assignment. Five centuries ago, Israphane was noticed by Lucifer. Israphane had just recieved his Calabim of Factions attunement, and was attempting to extend its use. He could attack relationships, he realized, but faith is just a relationship someone has with God. So he could attack that as well. Israphane's first success was observed by Lucifer, who prompty congratulated the Calabite, granted him his word, and offered him a position as one of Lucifer's own. Kronos was displeased to lose such a valued Servitor, but, naturally, did not object. Since then, Israphane has expanded his word to include things such as Broken Promises and Betrayal. In fact, Israphane befriended the Demon of Betrayal, only (of course) to stab him in the back. And Lucifer has kept him busy, sending him out to destroy those with dangerously strong beliefs. Over time, Israphane has gained enough power to very nearly qualify him as a Prince himself. Israphane loves his job -- so much so that he is unlikely to accept a Princedom should Lucifer offer him one (Lucifer, of course, knows this). The Calabite feels that being a Prince would mean having to delegate too much responsibility, and never having the time to really enjoy spreading his Word. As it stands, he is perfectly happy to act as one of Lucifer's top troubleshooters -- the benefits he gains from Lucifer's favor are enormous, and to this day he still gets a giddy thrill at the sound of someone's faith cracking under his Will. He has come to distain physical destruction entirely -- his joy now comes only from the destruction of intagibles. You might think that a demon like Israphane would be at the top of Khalid's hit-list. Well, you'd be half-right. Every angel of Faith has heard about Israphane, because Khalid has issued standing orders not to engage the demon. Any angel who has positively located Israphane is to retreat immediately and summon Khalid at the first available opportunity. Being in the presence of Israphane should be considered a +5 invocation modifier for Khalid. Khalid was forced to issue these orders because of Israphane's track record. In the past century alone, the Calabite has soul-killed over a dozen angels of Faith, and has lead five of Khalid's Servitors to Fall. Four of those five were Word-bound, and Khalid has been unable to replace them. Khalid feels that the Words those angels held will not be available until Israphane is destroyed. Khalid himself has never had the opportunity to confront Israphane, but considering how strong the Calabite is and how favored he is with Lucifer, it is an open question who would win such a conflict. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2636 ********************************