in_nomine-digest Friday, November 1 2002 Volume 01 : Number 2841 In this digest: IN> The Ghost Trade Re: IN> Song skills Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... Re: IN> Nomenclature and Name Change Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... IN> A Halloween Offering RE: IN> Dark Humor Productions Presents: Fate, Lies, and the Bals eraphic Way Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... IN> You will never look at socks the same way... Re: IN> A Halloween Offering Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... IN> Vampire Malakim! IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy (part 6) Re: IN> Dark Humor Productions Presents: Fate, Lies, and the Balseraphic Way Re: IN> Nomenclature and Name Change Re: IN> A Halloween Offering Re: IN> Vampire Malakim! Re: IN> A Halloween Offering Re: IN> A Halloween Offering IN> The Fall of Kobal? Re: IN> Vampire Malakim! Re: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy (part 6) IN> The Angel of College Football IN> effects of songs IN> The Demon of College Football IN> Empty Cathedrals... Re: IN> The Angel of College Football RE: IN> Empty Cathedrals... IN> The Ghost Trade ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 12:29:53 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: IN> The Ghost Trade Happy Halloween! In honor of the occasion, I present this small extension of the In Nomine setting, based on "Fault Lines," the modern horror-fantasy novel by Tim Powers, combining his two other novels, "Expiration Date" and "Earthquake Weather." In canon, there is a fairly random lapse of time between a mortal's death and their appearance at the gates of either Heaven or Hell. In canon, there are also descriptions of the place-bound and mutilated souls that are ghosts. But those are just one kind of ghost. There is another (okay, non-canonical) population of free-range ghosts, consisting of souls rattling around between their physical deaths and their ascensions to the Celestial Plane. Lots of people wind up in this transient state, more than you might realize -- though there is an excellent chance that someday you *will*... GHOSTS When you die, you're *supposed* to be met by some angels of Death (those famous Beings of Life spotted in Near-Death Experienced), who escort you to the Celestial Plane (if you don't disband). But the Archangel of Death has a chronic staffing problem and a lot of souls get missed. The result is a disembodied soul wandering the Corporeal Plane, usually in a state describable as "walking Trauma." They are punch-drunk, scatter-witted, and occasionally missing some Forces, which are generally waiting for them somewhere in limbo (or Limbo), to re-join when they finally ascend. Spkeaing of Limbo, these spirits have something like the power of a celestial in Limbo to generate their own vessels. They have a smidgen of corporeal manifestation. The Symphonically aware, or the "lucky," can see them as little wisps of vapor, usually about hand-sized. These wisps are solid enough to trap in any water-tight container. They can also be destroyed by, say, fire, which causes the soul to ascend immediately. Ghosts also manifest as images, drawn from the ghost's life. Like the wisps, these are always visible to the Symphonically aware and sometimes visible to mundanes. Different observers may see the same ghost at the same time as different images -- say, a young girl and an old woman. Finally, ghosts have an electromagnetic aspect that is perfectly detectable by mundane equipment. They cause wild magnetic fluctuations that can be detected with ordinary compasses. They cause little cold spots that any skin or thermometer can detect. They cause power fluctuations and radio static, with characteristics that the cognoscenti can recognize as ghostly. SOLID GHOSTS If a ghost hangs around the Corporeal for months or years, it may become even more material, instinctively cobbling together a make-shift "vessel." This is an animated heap of dirt, dead leaves, litter, what-have-you, pushed into the shape of a human body with more or less skill, clothed in castoff clothing, and somewhat disguised with ghostly glamour. To casual inspection (and most of the inspection they get is VERY casual), they look just like living street-people. They mumble and rant like them, too. These creatures have their distinctive appetites. Liquor and candy are favorites, though they can't digest anything, so the stuff passes through inertly or leaks out of orifices. They also eat the stuff they use to cobble their bodies together, i.e. dirt, etc. Some kind souls in the know go so far as to put out plates of smooth pebbles and clean sand for them, the way other folk put out milk and kibble for stray cats. ANIMATIONS Sometimes, Sorcerors will get hold of a ghost and, using a variation on a Song of Possession, force it to animate some object, so they can drag it around and use it as a servant. ("Fault Lines" includes an animated burlap sack wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, used by a witch-gang as a supernatural bloodhound.) WALKING DEAD Sometimes, a ghost retains a lot of lucidity when it dies (though it may not realize it is dead), and sometimes such a ghost decides to stick around and animate its corpse. The result is a sort of natural undead, probably the inspiration for Saminga's artificial ones. The result also looks a lot like a zombie from GURPS Discworld -- someone who walks and talks, but is, nevertheless, dead and decaying. The whole effect lasts until the first time the Walking Dead falls asleep and has a nightmare. (The chances of its having a nightmare are excellent, considering its probable history.) Then the body flares up in a case of Spontaneous Human Combustion and the soul is released, to become a "normal" ghost or to ascend. GHOST-EATERS There is a market for ghosts. It has spawned its own sub-culture, like the drug culture, only even more secretive. All ghost-eaters are Symphonically aware. Recipe: Coax a ghostly wisp into a jar, test-tube, or similar container. Make sure it is at least partly transparent; in a light-tight container, the ghost quickly "rots" into a psychically "poisonous" muddle of forces. Mix in a dash of laughing gas, ether, or your favorite incense for flavor, if desired. Snort it up your nose. (Solid ghosts, animations, and walking dead are useless for this.) The ghost-eater then gets a drug-like rush lasting 5 times the ghost's total Forces, in minutes. If the ghost has any Ethereal Forces left at all, the ghost-eater also has someone else's life pass before their eyes, which some find entertaining or useful (though only high points and general impressions are retained after the rush is over). If the ghost carried any Essence at all, the ghost-eater acquires it. Finally, the ghost-eater does not need to eat or drink for 1 to 3 days (roll a d6 and divide by 2; round up) after a "meal." As a result of this last feature, frequent ghost-eaters may become reluctant to eat normally and develop eating disorders. Ghost-eaters must also beware of "rotted" ghosts, caused by light deprivation. These give convulsions instead of a rush, and make it impossible to eat any more ghosts until they have been dislodged from the spiritual esophagus. Also, all the ghosts they have already eaten start to become restless and rebellious, resulting in mental confusion. When ghost-eaters die, all their ghosts explode out of them, unless they are eaten very quickly by someone else. Then it is *their* turn to be the prey, of other ghost-eaters and, eventually, of Angels of Death. GHOST-HUNTERS These are the folk who supply ghost-eaters. They are usually ghost-eaters themselves, and they are always Symphonically aware. See Lures and Traps. More tomorrow. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 10:39:58 -0700 From: "Rampaging Crypto-Man" Subject: Re: IN> Song skills This is very nice. My players love coming up with clever uses for songs and are friends with the future Archangel of Song. I'm definately printing this one for the game. Thanks! Ben ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 11:42:31 -0600 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... Footsoldiers of Secrets, as it were? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 10:42:34 -0700 From: "Rampaging Crypto-Man" Subject: Re: IN> Nomenclature and Name Change > > But "-im" is just a plural ending in Hebrew, like "-s" in English. It > > isn't any more or less "collective" than "-s." > > To me, at least, Balseraphim sounds more like a collective group, while > Balseraphs sounds more like a bunch of individuals. It's a personal taste > thing. I hear the same thing. One Malakite. Another Malakite. Malakite is an individual, so Malakites is a bunch of individual Malakites, whereas Malakim is a group of Malakites. (*winces from dissonance of saying the plurals improperly*) I think the Balseraphs are the same way. Everyone here is a Balseraph. There is no we, so there is no Balseraphim. The Seraphim lose themselves in the mindless collective, but we are each and every one of us an individual Balseraph. Ben ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 01:43:16 +0800 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... > To this day, being put on laundry duty is a sure sign that a demon > has offended the Prince of Secrets. And humanity dismisses the idea > that socks disappear from the dryer as merely amusing. > Too...Much...Laughter...ROTFLOL!!! That was fantastic! Of course, missing socks, it HAD to be of Hell. LOL Jeff =) Part of my insanity manifest at JCT, where In Nomine meets science fiction in the far future http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jctrinityRPG - -- _______________________________________________ Get your free email from http://mymail.operamail.com Powered by Outblaze ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 13:04:12 -0500 From: EDG Subject: IN> A Halloween Offering These guys have been on my mind for a while; it's only appropriate that they chose today to pop out. Ghouls in In Nomine: http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?journal=etherjammer&itemid=3313#cutid1 - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 10:31:38 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: RE: IN> Dark Humor Productions Presents: Fate, Lies, and the Bals eraphic Way - --- "Wajenberg, Earl" wrote: > I assume duck tape adheres to celestials better than duct > tape would? Viaduct? Via no chicken? Surely Kobal has access to chicken tape. };> =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 10:34:13 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... Oh, my... I SO wish I'd written this! =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 10:35:13 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... - --- Prodigal wrote: > Footsoldiers of Secrets, as it were? Your sole will burn in Hell for that pun. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 13:54:30 -0500 From: Cameron McCurry Subject: Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... > Is this why they turn up missing so often? The Prince of Secrets isn't saying anything. However, the dryer would be the right appliance to interrogate. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 17:24:06 -0500 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... > Take Forces from a Demonling or human > and bind them into the Vessel of a sock. Ohmigawd! A sock that heals holes! (It'll heal it's own heel! 8*) I don't care if it spys on me, I want to know is if I can teach it to do itself with the rest of the laundry! (Bad sock! Hot water for whites ONLY! No pink-ee sock-ee!) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 14:52:53 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> A Halloween Offering I like the inclusion of the original Middle Eastern lore. I believe that the original term is "ghola," but I'll defer to somebody who knows more Arabic than I do. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 14:53:56 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> You will never look at socks the same way... - --- BC Petery wrote: > Ohmigawd! A sock that heals holes! > > (It'll heal it's own heel! 8*) Ah, but time wounds all heels. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 23:13:24 -0000 From: "Genevieve Cogman" Subject: IN> Vampire Malakim! A little something for Halloween. - --- "Most high lord of darkness," the spy hastily mumbled into the phone, "I know that I've been instructed not to attempt direct contact short of a alpha-level emergency . . ." "And?" the voice on the other end of the phone whispered. "We have an alpha-level emergency." "Continue." "The Prince of Death's pet sorcerers were attempting a new ritual tonight. They wanted to create a vampire Malakite." There was a pause. "A what?" "Er." The spy sounded more ashamed than anything. "Well, they caught a Malakite, and they ritually drained his vessel of blood, and then at the last moment they sorcerously bound a Shedite into it. It is Halloween tonight, most dread lord of darkness, he who may not be named, and the resulting Words are empowered . . ." "Yes, yes. But what did they actually _get_?" "Well, it has fangs, and dark wings, and -- and --" "And?" The spy sighed. One could almost hear him resigning himself to horrible torture and commending his soul to agonising dissolution. "And it got away, most mighty master of spies and Prince of the Game." "It _what_?" "A couple of Laurencians showed up at precisely the wrong moment. I took advantage of the distraction to question the head sorcerer. He said that it might be infectious, if it could get hold of other Malakim." The pause drew out into a painful silence, reminiscent of the removal of fingernails. "So -- correct me if I am wrong -- we now have a vampire Malakite possessed by a Shedite running around and looking for other Malakim to vampirise and have possessed by Shedim." "Your summation is precisely accurate, my Prince." "Very well." A riffle of paper. "A team will be joining you very shortly. You know what to do." "Yes, my Prince," the spy answered, and hoped like hell that it involved a bazooka and a safe distance. - --- Non-canon. Distinctly non-canon. The Samingan Shedite in the Malakite's vessel (now dead, of course) has the Malakite's Corporeal stats, and his own Ethereal and Celestial ones. He also automatically gets Fangs/6, and Wings/6 (black feathery). (The sorcerers claimed this was an unfortunate byproduct of the spellcasting process. Everyone else figures they just look cool.) If a Vampire Malakite manages to drain another Malakite's blood, and has at least 3 rounds uninterrupted with the resultant corpse, then he can summon another Shedite to animate the body as another Vampire Malakite. Vampire Malakim are not stupid. They're Shedim, they're evil, but they're also capable of faking normal Malakiteness in order to get close to victims. Oh, and any Malakite who loses a Vessel in this way can move to another Vessel (if he has one), but will have to cope with seeing his old Vessel wandering around and sucking blood. This does not tend to make Malakim happy. - --- Happy Halloween! Genevieve ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 18:34:52 -0500 From: Archangel Beth Subject: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy (part 6) > "I'm here to help you." "Oh, my," Timon said, in that mild voice. "Help me do what, may I ask?" She blew a leaf away from her nose with a quick *pfft* of air. "What's your total, regicide?" He chuckled, sounding genuinely amused. "It's a bit hard to tell, really. Multiple vessels and all." Betharan smiled back, as if she were just having a nice relaxing lie-down in the leaves. "Tell me about it." The Song wore off, behind her somewhere, with a whispery Symphonic chime. "What a fascinating invitation," Timon replied cheerfully. "Hm." She decided to take the opportunity to direct the conversation a little, and asked, "Mind if I roll over? It's comfy enough after trekking all over kingdom come, but the leaves are tickling my nose." Again, that innocuous chuckle. "By all means, do make yourself comfortable." Slowly, she pushed up, and then rolled over and put her hands behind her head and crossed her legs one over the other, thinking about hillsides on warm summer days and good views. Very good views, really. She'd apparently caught Timon back from washing off all that blood and gore (and never mind the Discordant part of her that sulked at the loss of a chance to lick it all off). He was wearing boots (wouldn't want to get a sharp twig through the foot), tight jeans, dappled shadows, and wet black hair. And the manacle, its chain wrapped around one arm. He still had Red-head's katana, too, lazily dripping from one long-fingered, pale hand. His vessel was definitely in the classic Balseraph mode, long and lean and a little bit angular -- much as hers was, really -- but more muscled, as befitted someone who wanted to look toned-but-not-bulky. The lack of body-hair showed off the clean lines well, too. He didn't carry himself quite the way most Bals did, either; his pose held very little Look At Me in it, and was a lot closer to the way true Virtues simply _were_ gorgeous and yummy without having a clue about why you were ogling them. It wasn't a perfect imitation, but it was definitely easy on the eyes. She relaxed into the leaves a bit more, swinging her foot lazily and admiring the scenery. He cocked his head at her, apparently taken in enough by her performance (not that the admiration for the landscape in front of her was particularly feigned; she liked eye candy well enough) not to slay her on the spot. The incongruous standoff continued for a nice relaxing interval. Cicadas buzzed, birds twittered, a cooling breeze hummed through, stirring the grass and their hair. After a while, Betharan reminded herself that she was pretending to be Destiny, and therefore patient. Approximately one minute later, she remembered that Timon was Fate, and likewise patient. The "standoff" was broken about twenty-seven seconds later, because she couldn't keep a straight face. He arched his thin, well-sculpted eyebrows higher, which had her biting her lip to keep from howling. "Excuse me," Timon said mildly, "but why are you laughing, and what are you really doing here?" The laughing part was too hard to explain, so she simply said, "I told you. I'm here to help you. You need more sacrifices, don't you? Not just the same old ones with new vessels?" His eyes -- a totally normal shade of light brown -- narrowed. "That's an interesting... interpretation," he said, with his light voice gone rather serious. "Most people don't see it that way." "Most people aren't me," she replied. *Understatement of the century.* He frowned thoughtfully at her -- and it was thoughtfully, not malevolently -- and took two fast paces to kneel next to her, one hand upon her upper knee. The intensity of his eyes was eerily familiar (*flash of green-hazel eyes, intent Seraph with high cheekbones*), and for a moment she simply blinked at him. Then, while the Essence of his effort whispered around them, she looked beyond those eyes into his heart. **Burning honor, burning striving, burning urge to prove himself better, stronger, more WORTHY** Meanwhile, Timon blinked at her in consternation. "Pardon me, miss," he commented, "but what _are_ you?" She smiled up at him, breathing a sigh of relief that he'd seen what she wanted him to see -- not the trivia, not the deepest understanding that would make it hard for her to convince him she was really an angel. He was confused, he'd seen the yo-yo. So she told him truth and lies. "I'm your mirror." (And that would once have been true, Bright Lilim and dark Balakite...) "I'm what you want to be." He was very still, very blank. "Excuse me?" he said, in that mild, civilized tone. "Did you think you were the only one to believe? The only one to try?" *C'mon, Balseraph yourself. You _want_ to believe this...* Timon's bare, unscarred chest (*thank you Song of Healing*) expanded slightly with his intake of air. Oh yes, he wanted to believe. Even without resonating him, Betharan could feel the Need to believe that he was not alone. It marked him as more traitor than perhaps even he understood, and her Discord edged her sight in red for a moment before she fought it back with reminders of her duty. The brief internal struggle had cost her the initiative, though. Timon nodded decisively, a small smile coming back to his elegant mouth, and stood. Then he extended his free hand to her. "I am honored to meet someone who has walked this path before." She considered those long, pale fingers -- and the dark metal manacle upon the wrist above them -- for a moment, debating whether to make some comment about being less useful if killed (as she only had one vessel, and couldn't bring more "kin" back for sacrifice). Then again, he was a clever Bal. He'd figure it out. Or else she'd wake up in front of her Heart and be in big trouble. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 18:54:41 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Dark Humor Productions Presents: Fate, Lies, and the Balseraphic Way At 4:59 PM -0700 10/30/02, sirea@softhome.net wrote: >Now we get to the lovely -Balakite-, a popular BalChoir in the ranks of >Fate, if only because half of them end up becoming bishounen, tenor-voiced >death machines with a nasty tendency to watch anime like X/1999, and taking >pointers. TAKE THE LAUGH POINT! *beth wanders off, weeping with hysterical chortles* (And there _is_ Duck Tape. Duck (brand duct) Tape. I've seen it. - --Beth, arcangel@io.com / archangel@sjgames.com In Nomine Line Editor http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 18:59:52 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Nomenclature and Name Change At 10:42 AM -0700 10/31/02, Rampaging Crypto-Man wrote: [...] >(*winces from dissonance of saying the plurals improperly*) Heh. There is a reason why I don't sweat when someone says something like "Balakites" -- clearly, the plural of a Balseraph of Fate with the Malakite resonance is Balakites. Don't ask me why... - --Beth, arcangel@io.com / archangel@sjgames.com In Nomine Line Editor http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 21:41:07 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> A Halloween Offering - --- EDG wrote: > These guys have been on my mind for a while; it's > only appropriate that > they chose today to pop out. > > Ghouls in In Nomine: > http://www.livejournal.com/talkread.bml?journal=etherjammer&itemid=3313#cutid1 > _Most_ interesting. I liked the Middle Eastern motiff, too: I always enjoy seeing a multicultural monster's list. :) BTW, does the ghoulization process cause the victim to involuntarily turn Undead? Moe ===== Liber Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 09/18/02 (this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 07:44:43 -0500 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> Vampire Malakim! At 11:13 PM 10/31/2002 +0000, Genevieve Cogman wrote: >"Yes, my Prince," the spy answered, and hoped like hell that it involved a >bazooka and a safe distance. "Is this another one of those questions where one of the answers goes 'blam'?" Very nice, Maya. :) - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 07:46:42 -0500 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> A Halloween Offering At 02:52 PM 10/31/2002 -0800, Michael Walton wrote: > I like the inclusion of the original Middle Eastern lore. > I believe that the original term is "ghola," but I'll >defer to somebody who knows more Arabic than I do. I've seen it "ghoul", "ghul", "ghol", "ghola", and "ghula". I chose "ghoul" because I thought it would be familiar to the most people. - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 07:47:08 -0500 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> A Halloween Offering At 09:41 PM 10/31/2002 -0800, Maurice Lane wrote: >BTW, does the ghoulization process cause the victim to >involuntarily turn Undead? Yup. - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 14:08:55 +0100 (CET) From: Unni Solaas Subject: IN> The Fall of Kobal? http://www.matazone.co.uk/halloween_special_2002.html This is disturbing and requires Flash. :) - -- language, n; an intangible artificial construct for obscuring one's meanings and intentions to others. -ppint. Unni Solaas ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 05:20:01 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Vampire Malakim! OK... but they're technically not Undead. So what would you call 'em? Unangels? Uncelestials? =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 05:24:17 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy (part 6) Whoa, kudos on the sexual tension. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 08:47:36 -0500 From: Joe Reimers Subject: IN> The Angel of College Football (Disclaimer: like most college football fans, my view of the "ideal" college football world is somewhat tainted by my own personal loyalties. I'm _trying_ to be as neutral as possible, but if a hint of bias slips in, I'm probably guilty as charged, but not on purpose. At least I refrained from naming him "Tyrone" ) Seamus, Malakite of Destiny, Angel of College Football Stats and skills to be determined. Role: Football coach/6 The Word of College Football is very new, just over 100 years old. From its inception, Seamus has always had an affinity for college football. The idea of humans lining up to engage in physical sport according to a predetermined set of rules was very appealing to him. The possibility that participating in this sport could nudge a person toward his Destiny was icing on the cake. (Note that at this time, there was no professional football: Destiny involved getting a college education, learning to be disciplined and goal-oriented, reaching new heights, setting new and higher personal goals, that sort of thing.) Seamus approached Yves with his request for the Word, and Yves agreed that there was a definite correlation between the sport and the players' Destinies. The Seraphim Council granted the Word. Seamus was instrumental in the early development of College Football. It was he who came up with the notion of "rivalries" in which teams could test their mettle against other rival teams in friendly matches which would bring out the best in both teams. He inspired Knute Rockne-led Notre Dame to use the forward pass to upset Army. With a well-placed song, he put the idea in Gallaudet University's coach's mind to form a huddle to call plays. Seamus was one of the first tailgaters, rallying the masses to drink a libation to the troops about to do battle. And it was Seamus who brought marching bands and College Football together. To Seamus, College Football is all about honor, dignity, representing one's institution, playing well, playing hard and achieving personal and team greatness. Particularly near and dear to Seamus's heart are the underdog stories ("Rudy" being the most famous, if not particularly unique), stories of success in the face of adversity, walk-ons, local-boy-makes-good stories and stories of the triumph of the human spirit. In short, any time a football player can meet or get closer to his Destiny by playing the game, Seamus gains a bit of satisfaction (and a point of Essence!) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 08:59:49 EST From: TWISTEDKUB@aol.com Subject: IN> effects of songs Thanks to everyone who has responded to my questions. Am enjoying the balseraph discussion also. I took a look at the FAQ , thank you, it has most everything I might need! Another question: Regarding a character in celestial form on earth: which songs can he/she use to affect corporeal characters? I read something in the original rulebook about how certain Songs can be used by celestial forms to affect corporeal targets, but it's not specific. For example: If one of my PC's, in celestial form on earth, wants to use the Ethereal Song of Harmony on corporeal NPC's, will it work (assuming that he makes his die roll)? [And yes I am aware that if he does this, he will be automatically perceived by the targets of the Song, and will be vulnerable to celestial attack] Thanks once again! Scott, in Boston "Reliever of Stone" ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 09:16:10 -0500 From: Joe Reimers Subject: IN> The Demon of College Football The current Demon of College Football is Traianus, Djinn of Factions. Current Role: Linebacker/2 The first Demon of College Football was a servitor of Asmodeus's who had the misfortune of going up against Seamus very early in (and consequently at the end of) his career. Asmodeus's Servitor's only feat worth mention was "arranging" for the crash of the plane carrying Knute Rockne. After the demon's destruction, the Word lay vacant for quite some time. One day during the 1950s, the sport of football (American-style) attracted Malphas's attention. By this time rivalries were becoming well established, and a definite hierarchy was falling into place. At such a gathering of people clearly cheering for opposite sides, there existed quite the possibility for...possibilities. Still, Malphas wasn't convinced there was much to this phenomenon, so he played it safe, gave a gremlin a vessel and sent him down to find out more about this "college football" business. Within 3 weeks, the gremlin was in Trauma from a particularly vicious tackle. Amazingly, he came out of it, and even more amazingly, he had the audacity to request to speak with Malphas about what he had experienced. No one knows exactly what kind of conversation took place, but witnesses saw the gremlin emerge from the meeting not only intact, but with a new, stronger vessel and a purpose. A short time later, Malphas received a message from the gremlin that "all was ready." Malphas bought a ticket to the Big Game between State and Tech and settled in to see what his gremlin had been up to. And what he saw pleased him. Newspapers called the game "the dirtiest ever played" (to that point.) Taunting was elevated to an art form. 6 players and 124 spectators were ejected. This was definitely a rivalry and definitely NOT friendly. The NCAA passed strict rules on unsportsmanlike conduct as a result of this game. As the players passed through the tunnel after the game, Malphas, who was standing in the tunnel, smirked at his gremlin and said to him, "you were a Demon out there today. I can see you going places." And suddenly, the gremlin was a Djinn, and was given the name Traianus. Traianus quickly settled in and began working to polarize College Football as best he could. before long, he had enlisted the help of some of Nybbas's servitors to hype up the sport as best he could. Traianus was on the fast track for a Word. Initially, Asmodeus opposed the idea, especially given that his beloved referees were becoming more and more reviled. With a little bit of diplomacy (and some high-profile controversial calls in big games: was it a fumble or a touchdown?) Asmodeus reluctantly dropped his objections and Lucifer saw fit to grant the Word to Malphas's Servitor. Unlike the early days in which Asmodeus's servitor dared go head-to-head with Seamus, Traianus has been content to keep his distance from his angelic counterpart, preferring to let Seamus do his work, then perverting it when Seamus's back was turned. Some of his best work to date includes the BCS system, the Big Ten officiating crew, getting several high-profile football programs in trouble with illegal recruiting and his personal favorite, bringing Bob Davie to South Bend. He *LOVES* the traditional powerhouses, because in addition to fighting each other, they seperate the haves from the have-nots. Contrary to popular belief, he does not get along with the Demon of Career-Ending Injuries (a Calabite of Fate.) After all, a football player who can't play can't do much to polarize the game, can he? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 10:41:31 -0400 (EDT) From: Randy Finder Subject: IN> Empty Cathedrals... How many Empty (in some way) Cathedrals are there in Heaven? Lucifer: I don't know if its completely canon, but I've seen a lot talking about it. Oannes: I've seen something about "the grotto", but I'm not sure there is anything official about a Cathedral within it. Eli: More or less abandonned, but still one of the wierder places in heaven. Uriel: His cathedral stayed as well, right? Cathedrals for the other original DPs? While Magog, Vephar & Baal were original DPs, they were not AA's reporting to David, Oannes and Michael respectively, I think. This leaves Andrealphus (Cathedral of Love?) Kobal (Cathedral of Laugher?) Beleth (the B/B tower) Mariel (Cathedral of Memory?) Ideas for any of these? Randolph Finder - -- Leadership, Friendship and Service - Alpha Phi Omega ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 10:46:15 -0500 From: Cameron McCurry Subject: Re: IN> The Angel of College Football I can also see David taking an interest in this angel as some of what you describe fall under Stone's ideologies. Nicely done write ups for both sides and a good explanation on how they further their Words. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 10:54:39 -0500 From: "Wajenberg, Earl" Subject: RE: IN> Empty Cathedrals... Randy Finder wrote: > This leaves > Andrealphus (Cathedral of Love?) > Kobal (Cathedral of Laugher?) > Beleth (the B/B tower) > Mariel (Cathedral of Memory?) I don't think any of them were ARCH-angels when they fell. I think they were merely the Angel of Love, of Laughter, etc. So, maybe they left a chapel or some such behind, but not a whole cathedral. (That's an idea: If AAs get Cathedrals, do lesser Wordbound get "chapels"?) As for Beleth, I think she used to live in the tower that is now Blandine's alone. (Picture an angry Blandine dropping Beleth's gym bag, CD collection, knick-knack cabinet, etc. into Hell after her old roomie moves out so precipitately.) Earl ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Nov 2002 10:59:07 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: IN> The Ghost Trade The Ghost Trade, concluded GHOST-BOUND Anyone can become ghost-bound, usually by strong social contact with the ghost, especially at the time of its death. Bring a ghost-bound near a ghost -- especially *their* ghost -- and the ghost starts to become "excited," manifesting as phantoms, electro-magnetic effects, and sometimes as poltergeistery. The ghost-bound is also affected. They see the ghost, or hear it. If they are in a place that was significant to the ghost, that place may briefly appear as it did in the significant period. During an excitation, ghost-bound often become somewhat dislocated in time, and may react to sudden events just before they happen. This can let them dodge blows and bullets, but it also puts them at -1 on Agility. Excitations always happen between a ghost-bound and their own ghost. If other ghosts are around, the ghost-bound makes an involuntary Perception roll; if they succeed, an excitation ensues. Ghost-bound need not be Symphonically aware, but usually become so after several closely-spaced excitations. If they are aware, they can see ghosts as wisps or as phantoms even without an excitation going on. In the absence of an excitiation, there are no temporal effects. Even when they are Symphonically aware, ghost-bound, along with ghost-eaters and ghost-hunters, may not be aware of the War. They are focused on ghosts. If they spot a celestial in celestial form, they often dismiss it as a bizarre ghost. Similarly, they dismiss far-off rumbles of Disturbance as distant ghostly events. LURES AND TRAPS Most roving ghosts are so muddled, they are easily attracted by various simple lures. Examples: . Jigsaw pieces -- The ghosts will try to fit them together, though they lack the concentration to do so. . Scattered coins -- The ghosts will sort and stack them, or try to. . Palindromes -- Ghosts will read them backward and forward for hours, even days. . Escher prints -- Many ghosts are fascinated by them. . Targets -- Particularly fuddled ghosts will accumulate in a bull's-eye pattern painted in an old back lot. The ghost-hunter can then make the rounds of their trap lines and bottle up the day's catch. LUCID GHOSTS Lucid ghosts can think just as clearly as when they were alive. Most Symphonically aware mortals become lucid ghosts, if they become ghosts when they die. Lucid ghosts are not subject to lures and traps unless they are very tired or inattentive. MASKS To avoid the effects of being ghost-bound, or to hide a ghost from ghost-hunters, use a "mask." This is some object or setting, designed on the principles of sympathic magic, that hide things from ghosts or hide ghosts from the Symphonically aware. Examples: . To stop a ghost from tracking you, throw live firecrackers at your feet to "blow up" the trail. . Change your name and move away, to break or suppress ghost-binding. . Bizarre architecture makes a very effective mask. . Uniquely personal effects of other ghost-bound act as masks. (In the novel, these were plaster casts of Houdini's hands and his actual mummified thumb.) GHOSTS AND CELESTIALS Egging on the ghost trade would be a natural activity for combined teams of Fleurity and Saminga demons. Ghosts are a natural way to bring the Archangel of Death into your game, if you wish to do so. Several good write-ups are available for this being. None of them would look kindly on the ghost trade. The ghost trade involves massive cruelty to ghosts, which would attract Gabriel's attention. Ex-ghosts and ex-ghost-bound in Heaven might well want to come back as Saints, to put a stop to the trade that afflicted them for so long. People in the ghost trade are a natural recruiting ground for Samgina. Ghosts means mortal characters are not necessarily out of the game when they die. If they are lucid ghosts (as Soliders and other aware mortals would be), they'll have much the same mental characteristics as before. Even if they are not lucid, they could still be interesting. (E.g., imagining an angel trying to interview a recently dead mortal servant, who is now muzzy with death-shock.) Earl ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2841 ********************************