in_nomine-digest Tuesday, December 17 2002 Volume 01 : Number 2906 In this digest: Re: IN> He Asked for It (was Superior-level Relic (non-canon Superior)) Re: IN> You know what I like about this list? Re: IN> Zimbabwe IN> Plot seed in and of itself... IN> "Never trust someone.... Re: IN> Hush Puppies Re: IN> Hush Puppies IN> Resonances and Fetuses Re: IN> "Never trust someone.... Re: IN> Hush Puppies IN> Human Instinct Re: IN> Hush Puppies IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... Re: IN> Plot seed in and of itself... Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... Re: IN> "Never trust someone.... Re: IN> Human Instinct IN> CP awards Re: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... Re: IN> Human Instinct Re: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... Re: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... RE: IN> Human Instinct Re: IN> Hush Puppies Re: IN> The Song of Songs Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... Re: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... IN> Say what? IN> The Song of Songs IN> Zimbabwe IN> CP awards IN> Song of Songs entry - That which sets things right ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 16:10:22 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> He Asked for It (was Superior-level Relic (non-canon Superior)) - --- Whistling in the Dark wrote: > Thank God. I mean, you realize there are only about > three other people > on this list who have any idea of what we're talking > about, don't you? Lucky them. > > (Next comes a Structuralist attunement, and the Song > of Post-Modernism, > and Eli's New Critic Distinction....) Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo(inhale)ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... ===== 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Licentiae Moeticae: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Last updated 09/18/02 (this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 20:30:36 -0500 (EST) From: "Christopher Anthony" Subject: Re: IN> You know what I like about this list? Michael Walton said: > This is a way powerful ability -- I'd make PC's work > really hard to earn this (of course, becoming a trusted > Servitor of the Game should be hard). It was originally a Higher Distinction, but I figured that it might be useful for Asmodeus to occasionally assign Playtester status to lower-ranking, highly-loyal (or highly-Shackled) demons. Besides, as I think I pointed out elsewhere, PCs can't just "buy" Distinctions - especially demons. Distinctions *have* to be earned. > One quibble (which I > know some of you dread and others love): PC's can't begin > play with Distinctions in canon. If this were an > Attunement, however... That's a starting PC, though. If a player joins a campaign partway through, a lot of GMs will allow him to power-balance his character to the rest of the party - and if the rest of the party already has Distinctions, then the new PC will want one too. :D - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 20:44:17 -0500 From: Rolland Therrien Subject: Re: IN> Zimbabwe >Mmm..... lacks the subtlety of Kobal. I'd say it actually sounds a bit like >Saminga. > >Josh Nah, he's a Haagentite. "Destructive" Jokes are the forte of Gluttony, and Idi Amin was a known cannibal, as well. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 20:51:11 -0500 (EST) From: "Rev. Pee Kitty" Subject: IN> Plot seed in and of itself... Just go here and see... http://www.afterlifetelegrams.com Yes, you're reading that right. - -- Rev. Pee Kitty, of the order Malkavian-Dobbsian, Q4B4L! Meow! "Yes, yes, yes, I'm the one that's been killing all those people, but I'm also the creative force behind Happy Noodle Boy, so forgive me and shut up." -- Johnny the Homicidal Maniac ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 13:16:41 +1100 From: "james walker" Subject: IN> "Never trust someone.... ...until you've caught them telling a few lies." A very strange quote I came across in a book on Etruscan magic - the author claiming this attitude is prevalent in the seamier parts of society. Whether it does exist in the real world or not, it would exist in IN Hell - if you've caught someone in a lie, then either they're not a Balseraph, or you've just resisted the Liar's resonance and so will be immune for a few hours. Either way, they are somewhat more trustworthy than someone you haven't caught in a lie. This is going to affect how demons react to angels: redemption teams are going to be continually frustrated by the demonic assumption that by refusing to lie the angels show that they cannot be trusted. Has anyone come across this belief, either real world or in fiction? Either would be useful to aid portraying the attitude convincingly. Cheers, James. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 21:23:04 -0500 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Hush Puppies > > You know, the worst part about these is that he's > > going to *give* them to us. > > Only if you screw up. :) Which happens, oh, every few game sessions. Chagag Karbela (a rough translation of "Party Hat" in bastardized Hebrew & Aramaic [a more literal rendering would be "staggering mantle", which brings up all kinds of nifty symoblism], the name of our team in Moe's game -- it goes back to our first adventure, in which we were caught in a temporal loop, and the only items which reverted back with us were these awful party hats we got from a New York street vendor on New Years' Eve 2000 {I still suspect Eli's involvement, thank you very much, and could this sentence become any more nested?} and a common line uttered by us -- well, me at least, was "Hello, Archangel,. how do you like my hat?" Things rapidly became very silly after that) has a tendency to screw up in unusual and amusing ways, sometimes in rapid succession. My own PC, in the span of moments, was able to find all the entries on "Dirty words never said in Lightning Tethers" and then proceeded to add a few more. This, is course, quite different from the manner in which the PCs screw up in the game I GM on Sundays. That group -- Team Sicarii, and the primogenitor of "Take a Latin word and use it like a SEAL Team designation" -- prefers to bide its time, proceeding with extreme prudence and professionalism for weeks until the stakes are highest, and then, at the moment of truth... ... fight amongst themselves over which Word's ideologies are most applicable to the situation. I love them, though. They make me laugh a lot, and the current party leader is showing lots of promise. - -- Casca ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 21:46:03 -0500 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Hush Puppies From: "Eric Bertish" Replying to myself. Avant-garde, no? > I love them, though. They make me laugh a lot, and the current party leader > is showing lots of promise. They also frequently surprise the heck out of me. My favorite story is the one where the Mercurian of Flowers managed to blow up a (actually, the ONLY) Harcore Tether moments after its inception... ... with a tree.* Needless to say, this attracted quite a bit of attention in Heaven. Micheal quizzed (Well, politely interrogated) her on the Effectiveness of Conifers Against Demon Installations, as she was (and still is) Heaven's only expert on Blowing Up Hardcore Tethers. He gave her his Vassal distinction. Kariel, petitioner for the Word of Redemption, Mercurian of Flowers.... Vassal of War. With a *tree*. It is so sublime, I weep. - -- Casca * No, it would take too long to explain. Ask my girlfriend Ruthie (kariflower@msn.com) and I'm sure she'd be happy to fill you in. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 22:09:19 -0400 (EDT) From: Randy Finder Subject: IN> Resonances and Fetuses Is there any canon on this? While some resonances (Seraphim, Elohim, Malakite) would not be of any use in regards to Fetuses, the other Choirs would seem to have at least some use for being able to use their resonanaces on Fetuses. A Cherub may want to protect a baby but doesn't want to have to stay with the mother 24/7 until the baby is born. A Kyriotate may want to experience Birth from the inside out... A Mercurian might be able to read who the father is from resonance on the baby even if the mother doesn't know/remember A Ofanite might be able to help a baby find the fastest way to come out of the body... (weaker than the others) Randolph Finder - -- Leadership, Friendship and Service - Alpha Phi Omega ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 19:19:56 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> "Never trust someone.... - --- james walker wrote: > ...until you've caught them telling a few lies." [snip] > Has anyone come across this belief, either real world or > in fiction? I've heard of an honesty test administered by some corporations where one of the questions is, "Have you ever stolen anything from your place of work?" The answer key lists the correct answer as, "yes." If true this presupposes that everyone steals from work (at least minor stuff like office supplies) and so the honest person admits it. As to personal experience, I used to date a woman who assumed that all men cheated on their women. She gave me a hard time because she couldn't catch me sneaking around (because I wasn't). So she rectified the situation by cheating on me instead. The game -- and Game -- applications of such thinking should be obvious. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

Corrollary to Clarke's Third Law: "Any technology that is distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 22:36:22 -0500 From: "William J. Keith" Subject: Re: IN> Hush Puppies >* No, it would take too long to explain. Ask my girlfriend Ruthie >(kariflower@msn.com) and I'm sure she'd be happy to fill you in. Is there a log? A game diary? Anything? I want the story! Put it up on the Web, or privately email me if you'd (or she'd) rather. I can give you a Geas/2 for it.... William ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 23:04:02 -0500 From: Rolland Therrien Subject: IN> Human Instinct This new series on TLC is focused on "explaining" human behavior as being based upon primordial instinctive behaviors built into the human genome ever since we developped at primates. It goes really in-depth: Why are men and women attracted to beautiful members of the opposite sex? Because nice looks means healthy bodies, and thus healthy genes, which are necessary for good species propagation. Why are Women so choosy with their men while men are likely to fool around? Because procreation, while a simple process for the men, is a huge investment for the women, hence the pickiness. Why do men hate asking for directions? Because they're naturally adapted for spacial orientation, and thus don't feel the need very often. The series seems to carry a message that sounds a lot like what Jordi is trying to teach. Humanity isn't above the animal kingdom after all; every human action can be broken down into instinctive reactions to given stimuli, such as hunger, incomfort or a challenge to one's territorial dominance. I believe this kind of message would appeal to Jordi. It would also be somewhat offensive to the Shal-Mari Princes, since it implies there's nothing wrong about Human Lust, Gluttony or other "Sins": It's all just instincts. Still makes me think Jordi would back something like this.. Any opinions on this? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 23:18:56 -0500 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Hush Puppies > Is there a log? A game diary? Anything? I want the story! Put it up on > the Web, or privately email me if you'd (or she'd) rather. I can give you > a Geas/2 for it.... That particular story, no. Not yet. Ruthie is currently working on a "For those who came in late" summary of the past three years of the campaign. However, she has in the past demonstrated pleasure in describing what happened to those who are interested, so I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you. I'll just take a Geas/1 as my own cut for facilitating this, and a Geas/1 from her for letting her know there's someone who's interested.... ;) The game has its own webpage at http://www.the8thvirtue.org:81/in-nomine/inwod/index.html but it is rarely updated. I suggest you mail the webmaster, rkidd@thehorribleknuckles.org , and pester him to update it in his copius free time. Meanwhile, avail yourself of the amusing logs and anecdotes in the campaign section. - -- Casca, who doesn't have time to write interesting articles for the list anymore because both Moe and EDG are in his game and keeping them guessing is a full-time job. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 20:21:44 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... (Captain, art thou sleeping there below?) Err, right. Some blind fool gave me a CD of sea shanties (no, wait, sorry, _I_ was said blind fool): this was one of the results. BTW, I'm aware that Drake was probably not really like this: I can only say, well, Bah. :) Moe "Slung atween the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay / And dreaming all the while of Plymouth Hoe..." Lane Drake Ghost (former Soldier of War) Corporeal Forces: 1 Strength: 1 Agility: 3 Ethereal Forces: 2 Intelligence: 4 Precision: 4 Celestial Forces: 3 Will: 8 Perception: 4 Skills: Dodge/6, Driving/3 (ship), Fighting/3, Large Weapon/4 (cutlass), Ranged Weapon/4 (pistol), Tactics/6 Songs: Motion (Ethereal/6), Nightmares (Corporeal/3), Shields (Corporeal/2, Ethereal/4, Celestial/3), Storms (All/6), Tongues (Ethereal/6), Water (Celestial/3) Attunements: Howl Focus: Drake's Drum. The best enchanters that the Sisterhood of the Waves could find have extensively reworked this item over the centuries. It is by now a corporeal relic/6 and reliquary/6 with the Unbreakable feature and one unique ability: any ghost that uses it as a focus doubles its Celestial Forces for determining how far it may stray from it. Can a man love his country more than Heaven itself? Can a man so love his country, his land, his home so that death is no more than an inconvenience? Can he so fear for his people and his Queen that he can hold on past the roaring silence of his last heartbeat? Can he 'calmly accept the bursting of his brain' to reach out and hook his soul onto a convenient focus? Can he accept the eternal pain as a piece of him is left behind? Can a man make a promise and keep it, though Heaven and Hell themselves bar the way? Can he accept the consequences of choosing his own path over that of Heaven? Can he pledge his future existence to a lonely and endless vigil, dedicated to nothing less than the protection of a land where he could never walk again as a living man? Can he stand watch after eternal watch, eternally vigilant for signs of the foe, with only an endless succession of quiet mortal guardians for company? Can he bear to watch them grow old, be translated to their reward and be replaced by their daughters? Can he stand the agony of loving those he can never touch? And, when war comes, can a man ride the storms? Can he battle for over two decades, forever pushing here, pulling there, gathering up the wisps of clouds and forging them into a shield through pure will? Can he dance the winds, constantly interposing that shield to confound the foe, holding them away from the land he protects for just one more day? Can he help save his folk? Can a man do it -again-, generations later? Can he defend both the sea and the air, battering strange new ships of the sky, lashing them with rain, confounding them with fog, savagely fighting against an evil almost incomprehensible to his old-fashioned ways? Can he do all of this, unheralded, u n s een, almost unaided? Can he do all of this without rest or surcease, save for the wild laughter still at call after so many centuries? Can he help save his folk again? Can a man do all of this and still be prepared to fight at need? Can he accept the necessity to do this until the Last Trump? And, most importantly, can he do all of this and stay sane? Can he do all of this and still stay worthy of the Reward that he has deferred? Yes. ===== 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!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 20:31:33 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> Plot seed in and of itself... - --- "Rev. Pee Kitty" wrote: > > Just go here and see... > > http://www.afterlifetelegrams.com > > Yes, you're reading that right. And so the world proves yet again that, no matter what oddities I may come up with, there's something odder just a link away. The funny part is, as long as you accept the basic premise* (that there's life after death), the entire thing makes perfect sense... :) Moe *The -really- funny part is that I happen /to/ so believe - although I'm pretty much betting the farm that there aren't any actual angels or demons running around, huh?... ;) ===== 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!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 00:53:49 -0500 From: Michael Nutt Subject: Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... > It's very tempting to want to pick at some things from an > "effeciency" point of view. > From such a standpoint -- i.e., if all involved had been > Elohim -- the whole tragedy would never have happened > without a _lot_ of daftness in the air. And it's a balancing > act to write Superior history with them as, well, potentially > faliable (if very intelligent/clever and experienced) beings. The way that I get a grip on it is to think about the nature of Yves -- he embodies Destiny, in much the same way that the other Archangels embody their own words. Remember that excessive celestial interference in the corporeal can prevent mortals from acheving their Destinies. What if he fears that giving information to Dominic about what actually happened would be undue interference with many Destinies, as the ultimate effects of his testimony work their way through the angelic hierarchy down to the corporeal world? I see Yves as in a very similar situation to time-travelers in some stories -- if they make critical changes to their universe, they twist it beyond any hope of getting it back to their original point of departure. This gives Yves a reason to say, "Sorry, can't tell you; it's classified", and have Dominic accept it, as Yves believes it. If he resonates deeply enough, perhaps he'll even find out that Yves is *right*, and that pressing him on the matter at hand will do untold damage to the Symphony, so he's learned to drop a subject when Yves tells him to do so. Then again, maybe he won't find that out... or, for that matter, neither will Michael, the other major Seraph Archangel. Perhaps Dominic is willing to take Yves at his word when Yves says, "That matter may not be discussed", and Michael isn't. Perhaps Dominic sees that Yves believes it, and trusts him. Perhaps Michael sees Yves believing it, but also sees Yves' past mistakes, and believes that Yves may indeed be mistaken again. After all, doesn't Michael believe in letting the Truth win out? Surely, if God *meant* for a thing to happen, it wouldn't harm the Symphony's Destiny to confirm it... would it? I like this explanation, because it lets Michael be a Quester For Truth, Dominic be Judgmental Yet Trusting, and Yves be Mysterious, Loving, And Profound. It makes for good drama, and good tragedy -- everyone has their flaws, and sometimes things just play out in a way that turns out less-than-optimal. You can incorporate any number of ideas about what God Was Really Up To, ranging from trying to create a new religion to divine non-intervention. (I like the idea of God as a cosmic art student, who has created the Symphony and is seeing how it works itself out as a grand art project. God interferes -- or doesn't -- for reasons that do not make sense within the constraints of the universe, but when seen from his viewpoint, lend a sense of rightness to the aesthetic whole. Not particularly *comforting*, but it does fit neatly with the canon setting...) - -- Michael ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 07:16:51 -0500 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> "Never trust someone.... At 01:16 PM 12/17/2002 +1100, james walker wrote: >...until you've caught them telling a few lies." This reminds me of a line from the very beginning of _Ender's Game_. (If you haven't read it, I suggest you do so at your earliest convenience. It's by Orson Scott Card.) I don't remember the quotation exactly, but it describes Ender getting medical treatment and being told that "it won't hurt a bit"; he knows that the nurse is lying to him, but also knows that since he knows that the nurse is lying to him, the lie is therefore extremely reliable information (i.e., that it *will* hurt). - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 07:29:55 -0500 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> Human Instinct At 11:04 PM 12/16/2002 -0500, Rolland Therrien wrote: >Still makes me think Jordi would back something like this.. Any opinions on >this? Oh, Andrealphus could still easily use this to his advantage. What was the song that came out a few years ago... "You and me, baby, we're nothing but mammals so let's do it like they do on the Discovery Channel" The thing is, sin is based on morals and ethics, not necessarily on rationality. It might be absolutely necessary - even from an Elohite's point of view - to disobey your parents to the point of breaking all ties with them, but it's still a violation of the Fifth Commandment. Anyone who disavows morals and ethics in favor of living by his instincts helps the Shal-Mari Gang kind of by default; he's encouraging lust, gluttony, et cetera simply by doing what he does and letting other people see him. YMMV, of course. As an interesting side note, I'm not sure if it's been mentioned before, and I don't have the book in front of me to check, but it occurs to me that the Dr. Destiny (I think that's his name) segment of the Sandman comics might represent the work of a (highly Discordant) Shal-Mari native... - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 07:32:01 -0500 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> CP awards > how to handle players > who keep trying to boost skills to > superhuman levels The characters _are_ super human. (That's in addition to being supernatural.) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 07:40:55 -0500 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... At 08:21 PM 12/16/2002 -0800, Maurice Lane wrote: >Drake >Ghost (former Soldier of War) This was cool. :) Of course, while in actual meatspace I have paralyzing, heart-stopping necrophobia (as well as a deathly fear of spiders and falling), I love ghost stories, and ghosts in In Nomine hold a special fascination for me. (It may be why Carol's writeup ended up being so long. :) It's also nice to see a major historical figure turned into something other than a Saint or a Bodhisattva. ;) I was particularly reminded of Molly Malone here, for some reason; perhaps because while Drake protects all of England but has an extremely limited range, Molly Malone's range (and Focus) is *all of Ireland*. (I don't know if Molly appears in the CPG; she was written up by Kris Overstreet for the original Lost Souls article on Pyramid, which can be found here: http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.cgi?1061 If you're not a Pyramid subscriber, I heartily recommend it. If nothing else, you can take a gander at the In Nomine articles - of which there are quite a few, including one that appeared not three weeks ago.) - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 07:42:41 -0500 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... At 12:53 AM 12/17/2002 -0500, Michael Nutt wrote: >I like this explanation, because it lets Michael be a Quester For Truth, >Dominic be Judgmental Yet Trusting, and Yves be Mysterious, Loving, And >Profound. It makes for good drama, and good tragedy -- everyone has >their flaws, and sometimes things just play out in a way that turns out >less-than-optimal. It also makes for a Litheroy caught in a recursive conflict between his Word and his devotion to Yves. "But... revelation! But Dad said no... but revelation! But Dad said no... but..." ;) - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 14:17:38 +0100 (CET) From: Unni Solaas Subject: Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... On Tue, 17 Dec 2002, EDG wrote: > It also makes for a Litheroy caught in a recursive conflict between his > Word and his devotion to Yves. > > "But... revelation! But Dad said no... but revelation! But Dad said no... > but..." > Oh yay! My silly-bone went all *twang* reading this one! :D Now I'm envisioning Litheroy as an adolescent. He gets more and more testy as his celestial hormones start poppin', Dad just gets stupider and stupider, doesn't have a clue about what it's like to be young, has all these stupid rules and he won't even let me do my JOB! *sulk* And then young Roy inadvertedly goes off to do some serious Revealing that can have any number of consequences: - -he gets picked up by the celestial cops and Dominic charges him with indecent exposure, Daddy has to bail him out - -he end up in a fight with a celestial biker gang for revealing their plans of mayhem, Janus thumps him Real Good - -Michael thumps him Real Good for revealing that he saw Mike and Israfel snogging behind the Cathedral of Light (no-one goes there, so it should be safe, right?) - -he gets grounded by Dad for revealing Gabriel's honkers, I mean trumpets - -Gabriel starts trumpeting because Roy reveals stuff that trigger The Big Hoolabaloo IN Anime, here we come! :) - -- language, n; an intangible artificial construct for obscuring one's meanings and intentions to others. -ppint. Unni Solaas ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:37:44 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Human Instinct - --- Rolland Therrien wrote: > This new series on TLC is focused on "explaining" human > behavior as being > based upon primordial instinctive behaviors built into > the human genome ever since we developed at primates. [major snippage] > It would also be somewhat offensive to the Shal-Mari > Princes, since it > implies there's nothing wrong about Human Lust, Gluttony > or other "Sins": It's all just instincts. Or they might back it; if there's nothing wrong about such behavior, some people who resisted it before might be more willing to indulge. > Still makes me think Jordi would back something like > this. As might Jean -- this casts a lot of human behavior that has been regarded as mysterious in the cold light of reason. An Elohite has got to appreciate that. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

Corrollary to Clarke's Third Law: "Any technology that is distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:41:19 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... Once again, I am humbled. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

Corrollary to Clarke's Third Law: "Any technology that is distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 05:46:13 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... - --- EDG wrote: > It also makes for a Litheroy caught in a recursive > conflict between his Word and his devotion to Yves. > > "But... revelation! But Dad said no... but revelation! > But Dad said no... but..." ROACLMWO! =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

Corrollary to Clarke's Third Law: "Any technology that is distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 22:43:50 +0800 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... That's incredible. Janet Anderson ************************************************* Seraph: What do we want to do if he turns out to be an infernal? Malakite: I'm kinda hoping we don't find that out definitively. Leaving a long string of bodies behind us isn't a really good idea. - -- _______________________________________________ Get your free email from http://www.graffiti.net Powered by Outblaze ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 09:48:47 -0500 From: "Wajenberg, Earl" Subject: RE: IN> Human Instinct In one of his general discussions on the nature of morality, C. S. Lewis talked about its relation to instinct. He said, in effect, that the instincts are the keys on a piano; no one note is "right" or "wrong" except in relation to the tune you're trying to play. Thus, in a battle, for the sake of courage and loyalty, you may have to stimulate your aggressive instinct, while, in domestic situations, you more often need to restrain it and keep your temper. In both situations, you can be acting morally. Jordi would probably be happy to have humans remember that they are animals and have instincts. As an Archangel, he also ought to want humans to use their instincts properly, not make idols of them. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 09:57:58 -0500 From: Robb Kidd Subject: Re: IN> Hush Puppies Eric Bertish wrote: > That group prefers to bide its time, proceeding with extreme prudence > and professionalism for weeks until the stakes are highest, and then, at the > moment of truth ... fight amongst themselves over which Word's ideologies > are most applicable to the situation. All is Dream. Dream is all. Prepare to have Hope. > I love them, though. They make me laugh a lot, and the current party leader > is showing lots of promise. Losing more hair, though. And has shown up at the game site for the past two weeks and wondered where everyone was because he's got Swiss cheese holes in his brain. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 10:14:02 -0600 From: Gregg Forge Subject: Re: IN> The Song of Songs > > > The Song of Songs is half-mythical, half-theoretical. Demons might >not even believe in it. It can be sung only by humans(even those without >Essence Control or Symphonic Awareness), and only at some height of passion >or achievement in their lives (perhaps only at *one* peak). And it does >something that surprises even celestials... > It allows a human to transcend the very limitations that God himself supposedly imposed on his creations. On a successful performance of the Song of Songs, so long as all prerequisites have been met, the human will increase their POTENTIAL Forces(!), so that a human who once had a maximum potential of 7 Forces might increase to a maximum potential of 12. No Superior has ever figured out how, exactly, this little strange bit of reality-alteration occurs, but the sheer beauty of a truly selfless human performing the song has proven enough to move even the most distant from humanity to fall to their knees, weeping at the splendor and perfection of the song; ever after, the beholder will understand, and will be unable to explain to anyone regardless of effort, this particular portion of the Divine Plan. This does not automatically fill the gulf that may occur if a Symphonically aware human is already at his current limit of forcesl it merely increases potential, not actual Forces. However, the song has not been heard in many millenia, believed to be lost. For determining extent of success, the check digit represents the number of Forces the maximum potential is increased by. In the event of an Intervention, SIX Forces are added, plus another roll is made; if the second roll results in an intervention, the human will experience Rapture, per the Song of Transfiguration, and will immediately be pulled/catapulted into the Higher Heavens, if a matching Divine, invoke the Archangel of Destiny or Demon Prince of Fate depending on the order of the opposed Interventions; or will immediately gain the full, undivided, FULLY FOCUSED attention of the Lightbringer, who cannot -stand- the Song, in any way, shape, or form, but who will be unable to immediately harm the Singer. GMs can opt to have the Morningstar make an offer on the spot, as per GMG p113, to help this one reach their full potential. Those foolish enough to say yes get to discover, firsthand, WHY humans aren't meant to have 16+ Forces...and Lucifer gets a fresh batch of Forces to play with. As for non-intervention totals that would put a human past the acceptable maximum total Forces allowed...well, they have until their Fifteenth Force to figure out what's going to happen to them. And that gives GMs plenty of times to happily turn off the Canon light and let whatever they want to happen unfurl...or for those who aren't so fond of playing Kick the Canon to allow a bright and shining hope for the ages to meet a most messy, undiginified death. While obviously applicable to all realms of creation, this Song is considered Corporeal for purposes of performance. Available: Humanity only Essence Requirement: All +1 (a loose point gained by completing a rite as the Song is begun is the actual catalyst for the song, representing the sudden surge of extra energy gained from the crucial moment/epiphany) Degree of Disturbance: Thrice the Check Digit, upon success; otherwise, 1. Kamika-Z ...and this is just version 1... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 11:48:28 -0800 From: Harukami Subject: Re: IN> It's not history, it's DRAMA... >-he gets grounded by Dad for revealing Gabriel's honkers, I mean trumpets > >-Gabriel starts trumpeting because Roy reveals stuff that trigger The Big >Hoolabaloo O_o [clapclap] ...well, I suppose it's called 'Revelations' for a reason.... Harukami - ---- "Why don't we stop, relax, and get something to eat? I'll give you all a Free Lunch." * Jesse eyes Ambrosius. http://haru_in.tripod.com/ Haru's IN page: Game logs, art, and fiction. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 12:54:48 -0700 From: sirea@softhome.net Subject: Re: IN> Drake he's in his hammock and a thousand miles away... Beautiful. --- Sirea, Free Cherub IST Destiny, Angel who Wanders, petitioner for the Word of Eternity (currently being ridden by Grapejuice, Renegade Shedite of the Game, and petitioner for the Word of Pranking Tightwads) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 17:04:12 -0500 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> Say what? >> I would assume it's you, Janet. You're one of the folks I read the instant >> the e-mail arrives. > > I myself am shocked I was on the list. I just like sharing my ideas, I'm no > "uber-mind" or whatever was being implied o_O Don't have to be clever, just "previously unconsidered." Or perhaps I should call it "inspirational." I've put reasoned arguments on the list and been ignored, asked questions about the rules to which only Beth responds... but an off the cuff remark about underwear or the recent "Superior Jury Duty (was: What's with Gabriel?)" keeps coming up for weeks. (I am not FUNNY! I'm amusingly absurd. ;) > Ah... highschool memories... *blargh* "The good thing about being one day closer to death is that you are one day farther from high school." -Source Unknown ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 17:04:13 -0500 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> The Song of Songs The Song of Songs a.k.a. The Song of "Kick Me!", a.k.a The Grigori's Alarmclock (Restricted - Humans only) Causes the target to emit a disturbance in the Symphony. The duration of this disturbance is equal to the Essence spent times the Song level in hours. The degree of disturbance is equal to the check digit. An Intervention causes a unique disturbance that may only be heard by those celestials who favor the side the Intervention favored, with duration being extended to a month. Note that Symphonic aware humans can always hear the disturbance regardless of alignment. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 17:04:13 -0500 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> Zimbabwe > But, yes, Malphas would try to drive wedges > between the two major native groups as well. In due time. First, get the Whites out. That will remove much of the impetus for the "european descended" nations to intervene. Then, when mismanagement brings famine, the Tribals will begin killing each other in ernest. Indeed, many "european descended" people will comment that the only thing holding Zimbabwe together were the Whites, that the strife is the fault of the Blacks own intolerance, and thereby reinforcing any prejudices they themselves may hold toward blacks. This, of course, will cause racial tensions in their own nations to escalate. Some days it's good to be Evil. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "Hey! You're mean!" -Squeakers, Reliever of Flowers "Yeah, but I'm _cute_ so I get away with it." -MacNorma (Free Lilim) Pete, Demon of Misinformation http://www15.brinkster.com/ugwump/rpgs/IN/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 17:04:14 -0500 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> CP awards And speaking of buying Forces: There is a direct relationship between Kyrio's resonance and their forces. More forces = more hosts and more powerful hosts, so of course they'll want to max-out. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 14:33:13 -0800 (PST) From: Vaughn Romero Subject: IN> Song of Songs entry - That which sets things right Submitted for your approval, here is my version of the Song of Songs. Call it the Song of Undo if you wish. Or perhaps the Song of "You're grounded!" Vaughn * * * There are a few mechanisms built into existence meant to remind Celestials that they are not supposed to interfere with the affairs of the Earth: * Disturbance: The Symphony calls out an alarm whenever celestial actions alter or damage those native to the Corporeal plane. * Vessels: While Jordi may have originally invented vessels to better understand life on the Corporeal plane, now they are a constant reminder that celestial forms are not welcome on Earth. Nature may abhor a vacuum, but she is down right hostile to celestial forms that overstay their welcome. * Roles: "When in Rome..." The more celestials act like the natives, the more that the Symphony forgives them their intrusion. If they break their roles (or have them broken by others), they get to start over as persona non grata. Normally, these three mechanisms are enough to keep celestials in check. Normally celestials of both sides accept and play by the rules given to them. Sometimes however, celestials gets out of hand and the Symphony has to forcibly remind them how things are supposed to be with the THE SONG OF SONGS. * * * THE SONG OF SONGS This Song is the Symphony's reaction to excessive abuse of the Corporeal plane. While any human can sing the Song, it is most often performed by humans with emergent Symphonic Awareness or naturally boosted forces. In the presence of direct celestial interference, these individual's shock and disbelief can trigger the Song of Songs. The Song has several effects: * All celestials within the area of effect temporarily lose their connection to the Symphony. Angels describe the sensation as a massive Disturbance that drowns out all other perceptions. Demons have their personal symphonies overwhelmed by the clamor of the one true (and now very angry) Symphony. * All other songs and attunements within the area of effect stop working for CD hours. Likewise, no Song or attunement originating from a *celestial* (nor ethereal) will function within the area of effect for the same amount of time. On an intervention, this dead zone can last for days or weeks. * Any celestial action that caused harm to a living corporeal being (not including undead) will be undone within the area of effect. Wounded humans will be healed by the Songs of Healing, and humans under the effects of celestial resonances will automatically resist. In some cases, damage to property will also be undone. Celestials in the area who are not deafened by the effects will notice that the Symphony performs whatever Song is needed to undo the damage done. None of these Songs generate Disturbance. * Woe to the celestial who has killed a corporeal being. Celestials within the area of effect who have killed a corporeal being (including undead) must immediately make a Dissonance roll to avoid having their hearts shatter. For this roll, each note of Disturbance still lingering in the area subtracts from the roll. For all but the strongest (or luckiest) celestials, this virtually ensures their hearts shatter. The Symphony is not without a sense of irony. Any celestial who is outcast by the Song of Songs automatically gains a Geas/6 to fix whatever damage he has wrought. Included in this geas is the condition that the celestial will not use any Resonance, Rite, Attunement, or Song until the Geas is completed. Exactly when the Geas is complete, however, is open to debate. Few celestials afflicted with this condition have ever survived long enough to complete it. All those who have survived the Geas now reside in Heaven and rarely, if ever, return to the Corporeal plane. There are rumors of a Demon Prince once affected by the Song of Songs, but whatever happened to him is a Secret. * * * GAME MECHANICS Area of Effect: Special. Since the Song of Songs is provoked by excessive Disturbance, GMs are encouraged to tie the area of affect of effect to the provoking Disturbance. An area of effect from 1 to 10 yards per point of Disturbance should be sufficently frightening. Disturbance: None. Essence: Special. Given that humans lacking Symphonic Awareness typically perform this Song, they usually expend all their available essence in the process. However, this Song does not require Essence to perform. Prerequisites: The performer must be a living human (no undead) in the presence of a great celestial interference on the Corporeal plane. GMs may also require the human have some form of Symphonic Awareness to respond to the Disturbance. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2906 ********************************