From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Tue Nov 21 23:14:59 2000 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id XAA30229 for ; Tue, 21 Nov 2000 23:14:59 -0600 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id XAA27806 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Tue, 21 Nov 2000 23:15:44 -0600 Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 23:15:44 -0600 Message-Id: <200011220515.XAA27806@lists.io.com> From: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com (in_nomine-digest) To: in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Subject: in_nomine-digest V1 #1934 Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Sender: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Errors-To: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Precedence: bulk in_nomine-digest Tuesday, November 21 2000 Volume 01 : Number 1934 In this digest: Re: IN> Magic Re: IN> Magic IN> Angel of Non-Sequiturs Re: Abracadabra (was Re: IN> Selflessness vs. Selfishness) Re: IN> "Do me a favor?" Re: IN> Balseraph of Fate Questions Re: IN> Abel (was Cain) IN> A wee Admin comment Re: IN> A wee Admin comment Re: IN> Historical Magic Re: IN> The Angel of Communism Re: IN> Zadkiel Seed Re: IN> Abel (was Cain) Re: IN> A little Something for the Holidays... Re: IN> "Do me a favor?" Re: IN> Magic Re: IN> "Do me a favor?" Re: IN> The Gremlin of Misplaced Car Keys Re: IN> David's female Guise IN> Novalis, servitor of David IN> They Shall Not Be Forgotten! Re: IN> The Gremlin of Misplaced Car Keys Re: IN> Novalis, servitor of David Re: IN> Abel (was Cain) IN> New Songs... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 08:56:06 +1300 From: "Alex Liddell" Subject: Re: IN> Magic >Actually, if reality-altering magic was introduced into In Nomine, it >probably would produce something like paradox. After all the Symphony is >sentient, and it probably would not want someone screwing with it. Not that >I'd introduce that, mind. By making sorcerers slightly less malevolent, I >have magic to my taste in In Nomine, and I wouldn't screw around with more. >I prefer to tweak pre-existing rules rather than cause huge paradigm >shifts. I guess it all depends on where your focus is. If you run a campaign about Angels and Demons, then humanity become subsidery. If the humans are your main focus, then I guess you can very well go developing ways for them to confuse, bamboozle and generally outdo the Celestials. I play enough D&D for humanity to become really dull, really fast. I love the fact that you are an outsider with REAL (perceived or otherwise) influence on the mortal world. IN rules are so cool in that they are configurable. People with enough ingenuity can create wonders within the system without looking outside it. That's my 2 cents Alex _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 20:19:28 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> Magic >From: "Alex Liddell" >Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com >To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com >Subject: Re: IN> Magic >Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 08:50:30 +1300 >It's evil when you meet the people who can't see past their own character >sheet. Oh boy do I know them - don't even try to talk to them about >another system. I personally don't care. I think that a flat crossover >would be such a great idea. Although I can't seem to get past the fact >that Vampires n IN are so pathetic compared to those in WOD! All hail >Dwight Mulgrew! For those of you who are Pyramid subscribers, they had an article re: converting In Nomine celestials over to World Of Darkness mechanics. It was in the October 22nd, 1999 issue. http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.cgi?1164 - -- Chuckg _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 20:26:55 GMT From: darkness@i-manila.com.ph Subject: IN> Angel of Non-Sequiturs Hey all, Thanks to everyone who responded. This one's for you. Jiminy Ofanite Servitor of the Wind Angel of Non-Sequiturs Corporeal Forces: 4 Strength: 8 Agility: 8 Ethereal Forces: 5 Intelligence: 12* Precision: 8 Celestial Forces: 5 Will: 10 Perception: 10 * Jiminy has a frightening intelligence…it just doesn’t work the way everyone else’s does. Suggested Word-forces: 12 Vessels: 0ld man/2, Young man/4 Role: "Professor Phineas McGee"/2, Status/2 Skills: Knowledge (Philosophy/5, History/4, Archeology/3), Languages (English/4*, Latin/4, Ancient Greek/4, Mandarin Chinese/2, Japanese/2, German/2, French/2) Songs: Motion (Celestial/4), Healing (Ethereal/2, Corporeal/2), Dreams/1, Numinous Corpus (Wings/1), Thunder/1 Attunements: Ofanite of the Wind, Mercurian of the Wind, Passage, Ofanite of Knowledge*, Vassal of Knowledge*, Angel of Non-Sequiturs * Yes, I know these haven’t been defined yet. Someday someone will define them. I hope. Special Rites: As the Angel of Non-Sequiturs, Jiminy earns 1 Essence for each time he leads someone else to making an important discovery or realization about his or her life or the universe through flawed logic (or no logic at all). He may share this Rite with others, but has not done so in the past 500 years. Background: Professor Phineas "Finny" McGee has an astounding reputation as a person who will come into town for a few days, deliver a few strange but enlightening lectures, and then scoot off to some far-away country such as Timbuktu or Zimbabwe. Through his agent, a reliable Soldier of the Wind, universities throughout the world try to book him for a lecture or two, but he’s hardly what one can call easy to understand. He’s just so damned interesting. Few people know or suspect that Finny McGee, and the young man who claims to be his errand boy, are actually a front for the angel known to his friends as Jiminy. Once a faithful Servitor of Knowledge, Jiminy jumped from Superior to Superior in an effort to find a place where he could just be himself. No one is really sure what Raphael had in mind when she sponsored Jiminy for the word of Non-Sequiturs. Yves probably knows, but he’s not talking…and when he does, it’s usually to promote his own Servitor, Eilliwilleh, the Angel of Serendipity (to be written up). All that’s really known about Jiminy is that he’s served under four Superiors so far – Knowledge, Judgment, Destiny, and now the Wind – and it looks as though he’s still not settled in. Not to say that he isn’t well liked in Heaven. Well, actually, he isn’t – barring those among the ranks of Janus’s followers who like him well enough. He has a reputation for dragging angels into trouble on the flimsiest of excuses ("Six murders in London? It sounds like the work of Chandri. Last I heard, he was in Madagascar. Let’s go!") and while Windies rather adore the wild and wacky goose chases he sends them on, his manner grates on angels serving other Words. Even among Servitors of the Wind, those freedom-loving anarchists of Heaven, Jiminy stands apart – he prefers his own company, although he’s desperately lonely and rather disappointed in the way things have turned out. Lately, he’s discovered that demons of the Game are among those who most strongly support his Word. This was a rather shocking discovery for the old Ofanite to make, and it made him really think about his role in the War. Some quiet research showed him the Truth: Dominic, Archangel of Judgment, wasn’t doing very much to stop the Game. Rumor was, he was even collaborating with Asmodeus. If he really wanted the Game out of the picture, it would have to be up to him. Thus, in a rather spectacular display of his Word, he’s discovered his true calling…he wants to be an Archangel. Which is easier said than done, he’s discovered. No one among the Superior’s he’s worked for are interested in sponsoring him for Superiorship. Dominic despises him, Raphael is dead, and even Janus looks at him askance. Yves, it’s rumored, doesn’t really like him…but he tolerates him anyway. Eli, with whom he had a few decent conversations, has gone AWOL, and he has no idea how to locate him…and, he realizes, Eli isn’t likely to support his bid for Archangeldom anytime soon either. The Sword, War, and Fire all claim never to have heard of him. The most powerful Word-bound he could rely on is his close friend and rival Eilliwilleh, who hasn’t got the clout to get him the nomination and votes he needs to become a full Superior. That doesn’t mean he’s given up hope, though. After all, if Khalid could do it, why can’t he? Instead, he’s started looking for ways to contact the one Superior who might be able to help him get onto the Seraphim Council as an Archangel, the one Superior who just might have the clout and connections to give him what he most sorely Needs…Lilith. (Did I mention that his mind doesn’t work in the same way as ours? Oh, good.) Lilith, of course, would most likely be interested in hearing him out. Depending on the GM, she just might have the necessary connections to give him what he Needs…and yes, he Needs Superiorship. He Needs it very badly. PCs encountering Jiminy are likely to be pressed into service in hunting down Lilith…after all, he is a rather important Word-bound, and he’s damned difficult to say no to…although, Heaven knows, he sure doesn’t make much sense. Of course, those in service to other Words might just find themselves ordered to stop him…and it goes without saying that celestials serving Hell have other plans for Jiminy. Comments? Manny N This message was sent using I-Mail ( http://www.i-mail.com.ph ) Internet Manila's Web-Based E-Mail interface ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:50:38 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: Abracadabra (was Re: IN> Selflessness vs. Selfishness) At 10:18 AM -0500 11/21/00, Walter Milliken wrote: >At 9:27 -0500 11/21/00, Earl Wajenberg wrote: >>Elizabeth McCoy wrote: >> >>> "If I create too much mass, the >>> universe will *implode* in twenty million years!!" [...] >>But it ought to take a LOT longer than 20 million years. >>Say, 20 billion. Maybe Eli mumbles. > >When you've lived that long, what're a few orders of magnitude...? Or >maybe Eli loses a *lot* of socks. *** From upstairs, there was a *thud*. Then another one. Then a sock came plummeting through the ceiling. I walked over and scowled up at my Archangel, peering bemusedly through the hole. "ELI!" I shouted. "Stop making them out of neutronium!" Plaintively, he replied, "But they don't get holes in them when I do that." "That's because you never manage to _wear_ them! Now fix the ceiling before the landlord sees it, huh?" As I stalked back to the kitchen to finish breakfast, I reflected once again that there were certain _drawbacks_ to having a nutcase for an Archangel, and Dominican triads hassling one were the _least_ of them. *** (No, I don't know where that came from either.) emccoy@nh.ultranet.com, Uppity Wynch http://brie.bmsc.washington.edu/people/merritt/books/Eye_of_Argon.html "rumoured to contain hoards of plunder, and many young wenches" Mike [falsetto]: "We're tired of these degrading patriachical slurs! From now on we demand to be called 'wynchys.'" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:44:58 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> "Do me a favor?" At 9:49 AM -0500 11/21/00, Whistling in the Dark wrote: >At 11:43 AM +0000 11/21/00, -=|horsefly|=- wrote: >>My fiancee and I were talking the other night, discussing Lilim, and the >>idea came up that if someone *asks for help* from a Lilim, [...] Hm. Okay, near as I can tell, I haven't dimension-skipped again.* This sounds a lot like the Promises or Specific Needs stuff that's on pp. 50-51 of the IPG, only without the requirement that the geasee be able to consciously spend Essence. (Added in to keep Lilim from going hog wild with this, but you all know what canon is for, right?**) 'S got variations, of course, and is interesting. O:> * No, seriously, I did this. I had a cousin (since deceased. O:< ) and both he and my mom remember when I met him the first time. I don't. It's very strange. ** What, you don't know what it's for? It's for you to MANGLE, of course! Let loose your inner Rules Calabite! - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:52:51 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Balseraph of Fate Questions At 4:13 PM -0600 11/20/00, Santiago wrote: > Actually, I've been meaning to ask a mechanics question for a >while. If a Balseraph of Fate has the Kyriotate resonance, how many >forces does his main vessel use up when manifested? All of them. (Why? Because when possessing a vessel, the Forces required are equal to those of the owner. The BalKyrio should be grateful that having Kyrionature grafted onto him lets him use his vessel at all.) - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:52:53 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Abel (was Cain) At 5:41 PM -0500 11/20/00, Charles Phipps wrote: >Well now that we know what Caine's been up to...let's check on old Abel dear >boy. [...] >Cor-3 Str-6 Agi-6 >Eth-5 Int-8 Pre-12 >Cel-5 Will-8 Per-12 See CPG errata -- humans _still_ max out at 10, not 12. http://www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/errata/corporeal.html (Why? Because they're still humans, not angels without a resonance.) - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:57:54 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: IN> A wee Admin comment For all of you who are cutting and pasting -- please, set your emailers to 7bit, _not_ 8bit. 8bit includes strange non-ascii characters (or, perhaps, "ascii" characters that are defined differently depending on the program). If you don't, then a lot of people are seeing your "--" or "..." symbols as greek omegas (I think), and your smartquotes (aka curly quotes, aka things that look like `` when in front of words) are little empty boxes or other garbage. It's not as ugly at HTML, but it is pretty distracting. - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 20:55:50 GMT From: "Manny Nepomuceno" Subject: Re: IN> A wee Admin comment Hmm, this is probably me. Apologies to everyone. I'm on a new computer (a Macintosh) and I'm used to using a PC. I got this system just last week and I'm still learning to use it. Sorry again for the inconvenience, will fix asap. Thanks, Manny N >For all of you who are cutting and pasting -- please, set your emailers >to 7bit, _not_ 8bit. 8bit includes strange non-ascii characters (or, perhaps, >"ascii" characters that are defined differently depending on the program). > >If you don't, then a lot of people are seeing your "--" or "..." symbols >as greek omegas (I think), and your smartquotes (aka curly quotes, aka >things that look like `` when in front of words) are little empty boxes or >other garbage. > >It's not as ugly at HTML, but it is pretty distracting. > > >--emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor >RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ > > > ============================================================= This message was sent using I-Mail ( http://www.i-mail.com.ph ) Internet Manila's Web-Based E-Mail interface ============================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 17:14:01 -0500 From: "Krishnaswami, Neel" Subject: Re: IN> Historical Magic Earl wrote: [a great deal] Very nice! When I run IN again I'll probably use this. > [For IN, angels are never compelled, only alerted, by the ceremony. > A demon is compelled only if it has the Summonable Discord, which > basically means the magician can not only teleport the demon to his > presence, but can put a Lilim-style geas on it.] You might want to also throw in another pseudo-discord: Famous Name: The demon's true name is written down in occult texts, and will thus be summoned more frequently than usual. At level 1, its name is written in only the most obscure and esoteric texts, while at level 6, its true name is found even in cheap paperback editions of occult works. The quality of summoner varies with level, too. At level 1 the demon is occasionally called on by a knowledgeable and cynical sorcerer who won't won't waste either party's time (and might even be a valuable contact in his own right). At level 6, the demon gets frequently paged by pimply-faced Crowley-quoting outcast teenagers who want the demon to, like, perform rilly kewl tantric sex rituals on them. Note that a high level of Famous Name combined with the Summonable discord can make a demon's life utterly unbearable. For roleplaying goodness the GM can require the player to have a genuinely famous demonic name (eg, Vasago, Belphegor, etc). - -- Neel Krishnaswami neelk@cswcasa.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 14:27:44 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> The Angel of Communism - --- Earl Wajenberg wrote: > I would expect the Angel of Communism got its start back in > Classical antiquity, with the first formations of religious > communities. If Worded, it probably got its Word during the > Middle Ages, when monasteries -- each a communist community > embedded in a larger feudalist/capitalist community -- were > a powerful movement. A form of communism was practiced by the 1st century Christian church. I refer you to Acts 4:32 for an example. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 14:32:53 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Zadkiel Seed - --- damienw@juno.com wrote: > Big Wings, Small Mouth? Ooooo... you're gonna pay for that one, Damien. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 14:44:00 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Abel (was Cain) - --- Charles Phipps wrote: > Well now that we know what Caine's been up to...let's check on old > Abel dear > boy. > > Abel > Saint of Protection in the service to Stone Hmmm... combining this with the Cain writeup opens the door to some interesting possibilities. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 14:46:34 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> A little Something for the Holidays... - --- Santiago wrote: > Actually, I'm running an Ethereal campaign, and one of my > players took a Star-bellied Sneetch. (The others are The Spirit of > Sluggy Freelance (with Kiki and Bun-bun vessels), a spirit of bad 70s > > detective shows (complete with Jack Lord's Hair, a minor artifact), a > > traditional (and thus fictional) ninja, and the incredibly > self-referential spirit of In Nomine, who alternately thinks he's an > over-the-top angel or demon.) Your players need serious help. Jack Lord's Hair an Artifact? At leas tell me that it has the Indestructible feature... ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: 21 Nov 2000 23:06:16 -0000 From: "-=|horsefly|=-" Subject: Re: IN> "Do me a favor?" On Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:44:58 -0500 Elizabeth McCoy wrote: [snip] okay, since we weren't consulting canon at the time, it was something we came up with that we weren't sure canon mentioned or excluded. neat overlap, then :) -=|horsefly|=- God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:11:25 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Magic - --- Santiago wrote: > All this talk of Magic has inspired me... You ain't kiddin' -- this is really wacked-out stuff. I know I can use it. On the technical front, three things: 1) These guys are technically Sorcerers; they've just developed a new branch. Maybe I'll work up a list of Technomancy rituals now. 2) What they're doing in their experimental areas reads like a Corporeal version of personal Symphonies. Hell would be all over this (imagine Soldiers of Hell with a human-specific Resonance -- whether or not it could actually be done is a GM call), while Heaven would regard the technology as inherently demonic on that basis alone. 3) If memory serves, the term "Reality Engineers" is (or is at least similar to) one of the sub-branches of the Virtual Adept Tradition from White Wolf's Mage: the Ascension. Doesn't effect your game if no money changes hands, but it's good information to have. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:19:28 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> "Do me a favor?" - --- -=|horsefly|=- wrote: > if someone *asks for help* from a Lilim, and she > does as she's asked to, this would count as not only a Geas, but the > level of the Geas would reduce the victim's Will-roll to resist when > the > Tempter calls in her favor. Eye-contact is not required to find a > Need, > since the person is proclaiming the need, asking the Lilim to fulfill > it. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:37:04 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> The Gremlin of Misplaced Car Keys - --- Alex Liddell wrote: > Larson > Gremlin of Dark Humour > The Gremlin of Misplaced Car Keys This is just too much! A Word-bound Gremlin? Now that's a kick in the canon if ever I saw one. I MUST use this one. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 15:58:38 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> David's female Guise - --- Jo Hart wrote: > > >Astute readers will remember the story of Deborah in which a > prophetess and > >wife of a good man drove a tent peg into the skull of a attacker of > the > >Children of God. > > That was Jael. After whom one of my nieces is named (*shameless family plug*). But the story is from the chapter on Deborah in the book of Judges, so it's close. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 19:06:50 -0500 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Novalis, servitor of David Novalis the Cherub of Flowers flew wistfully through the air as her form of butterfly travelled gently through the fields of Heaven as she settled down over each of the places where an angel had perished during the Fall and planted a flower of the appropriate type. Novalis had attempted to fill the cathedrals of Andrephalus, Kobal, Lucifer, and Baal with flowers in hope of inspiring them to return but she had been forbidden by her superior and countless others who were on the verge of violence to doing so. Novalis sighed and caused the daisy to grow in the place where her friend Ussiel had fallen by whispering for it to grow....she supposed she could be grateful that Michael had forbidden the most angry of Heaven from desicrating them, after all they were created by God not evil. 'Evil...' Novalis thought of the absolutely horrible word that Yves had named at the Fall of her brethren. In heaven the word carried it's absolute truth and it was terribly frightening, even moreso than the change that had come over her Superior. David the Cherub Archangel of Stone had been her creator and she remembered well his form before; that of a majestic Lion, a beutiful Bear, and many other creatures which made their dwellings in Stone. Now he had taken instead the form of a naked human mortal with those horrid black wings.....Novalis shook her head at the thought of thinking anything God had made horrid but so many of her friends had gained them and most of them had changed dramatically from their normal passive selves to something full of wrath against Lucifer and those who followed them. 'Oh my poor father....' Novalis sighed thinking of David as she saw him tear through his former servitors and crush their skulls and bones the most primal substance that they had been formed from. Novalis could remember how he had emerged soaked in angelic blood and how she had looked at him....and had been actually terrified of her once gentle father. Stone was the most passive of things, patient, and gentle....now it was so hard and destructive...she could feel it in her bones. All flowers sprang from the soil of the Earth, now what would happen to them? Novalis wept on the ground by her flowers as her tears formed lilies all about her in mourning for the lost brethren and the change that had overcame the host. "Why?" "Novalis!" the voice echoed about her as she looked up to see her superior stand like over her, his shadow covering her and her entire flower garden in it's thick and all encompassing might. She once took joy in David's slow but pondeous tone but now she felt it's chipped and broken growl and it tore at her. "Yes Ancient One, what may I do for you?" The tiny cherub fluttered up to her Superiors face. "We hold a meeting now of the Seraphim Council to choose which among us shall rise to take up the banner of lost words. The gaurdianship of things like Laughter, Love, and Enlightment." David's tone was filled with finality but it was no controlled and Novalis seemed to see something akin to sorrow in her once great love's eyes. Did David regret what he had done not long ago? No, there was no regret but he had seen something that had shaken him....the very composition of the Earth itself. "I understand Steady Master." Novalis replied. A part of Novalis wondered if David's name was still appropriate. Despite her sorrow, Novalis recognized someone indeed had to take up the mantle that the fallen Archangels once possesed. "I have chosen to nominate you for the position of Archangel of said things." David looked at her as he blinked and crossed his arms. "MASTER?" Novalis's eyes widened in sheer shock at the pronouncement. "I...I..cannot be an Archangel of such things? Flowers is my dominion, the small plants of beuty...not such...concepts...I..I..." Novalis was silenced by David's look and words. "Stone has been irrepairably changed by the Fall and my nature with it. Though patience, order, and stability I still embody I am now strength and crushing...so shall I teach humanity to make use of me to such ends. Many of my servitors are frightened now of such a change and I recognize I cannot give them the healing love where I now see that pain and suffering are necessary to make a better man." Novalis shuddered at that pronouncement. "Yet I recognize that the rage I showed...what many showed on the battlefield not so long ago would destroy us all if left unchecked. It is burned in my memory the love I felt and still feel for my servitors and though I disagree with them, I will leave not without an Archangel....thus Novalis I ask of you, the gentlest, most compassionate, and loving of my kind to take up their mantle and serve as a balance in Heaven against such. I will control those who choose to take my path by forbidding them to strike first, to remember it is Hell that is waging this war against God not us against them. We only defend but for every blow they strike against God...it will shatter what they strike with....such is the way." David's words were dark and powerful. "I pray not milord." Novalis said realizing that someone had to stand for those who desired peace, surely the creatures they had become could be returned to the way they were...surely redemption...yes that is a word she knew now as well....could be found. "I accept your nomination." "Then let us go and face those who do not see as I." David whispered, heading for the Eternal City, slowy but deliberately. - -Charlemagne Donate to the Sudanese refugee "Bridge of Hope fund" 1800-424-8644 The Hunger Site: http://www.thehungersite.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 16:08:53 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Walton Subject: IN> They Shall Not Be Forgotten! Greetings from the Dark Side... Despite the untimely death of the Minor Choir/Band contest, there are those who refuse to let it go gently into that good night. Read this and remember! O8> Teraphim "The Obscenities" "Please," I said, "Stay with me." The young man shook as if chilled at the sound of my voice. "I can't stay," he said, "I shouldn't even be here now." He turned to leave, but I knew his heart wasn't in it. I opened my mouth and put my soul into the words. "Please stay. I need you," I breathed. I pulled out the velvet-lined handcuffs that I'd been hiding behind my back, "And I know you need me." I locked one loop around my wrist and held out my arms, wrists together, my face and body imploring him to imprison me with his love. The poor fool looked at me and shuddered with remembered pleasure. Silently he came over to me - his body walking but his spirit crawling - - and locked the second cuff around my other wrist. It was several hours later before I decided that I'd had enough and let my victim cry himself to sleep. Somebody was going to be really tired in his seminary classes tomorrow - but he would still be back here tomorrow night. Teraphim are what happens to Uthri when they Fall. They violate their victims not with force but with persuasion. The Prince of Lust uses them when he finds a real hardcase who desperately needs to be seduced. Even though Andrealphus could make more Obscenities, their rarity is a matter of supply and demand. The smaller the supply of Teraphim, the more Lust can demand for their services. Teraphim give good value, and Andre wants to make sure that he gets top Essence for that service. Andrealphus is happy to loan them to other Princes -- for jobs or just for fun - but none have ever permanently left him. Resonance The Obscenities are consummate seducers. Their Resonance allows them to make a sexual suggestion -- but not a demand -- and have it accepted. On a successful Resonance roll, the victim will be willing to participate in whatever the demon suggests up to the limits imposed by the Check Digit (consult the chart below). The target can make a Will roll to resist; angels and Ethereals add their Celestial Forces, but anyone with the Lustful Discord or Disadvantage subtracts its level from their Will. Note that the CD of a failed attempt determines how disgusted the subject is. Teraphim Check Digit Results 1: The subject will do anything that doesn't violate his or her morals. 2: The subject will do anything that (s)he has done and enjoyed before. 3: The subject will do something that (s)he has fantasized about doing. 4: The subject will do anything that (s)he has done before. 5: The subject will do anything that (s)he has seen or heard about. 6: The subject will do anything that the demon suggests. Teraphim with Andrealphus' Baron of Eternal Ecstasy Distinction can use their Resonance to devastating effect; their CD of a successful roll is always considered to be a 6. The Teraphic Resonance works through the demon's voice. It can only effect one target at a time, but it works just fine over telephone lines and broadcast media. Obscenities often have Roles as phone sex workers. Dissonance Why take when you can get them to give it to you? Teraphim know that those who appear submissive are actually in control. They acquire Dissonance whenever they take the dominant role during social interactions or make demands before trying persuasion. Manner and Appearance The Obscenities always look good - whatever that needs to be. In eveningwear, swimsuits or blue jeans and t-shirts, they are always inhumanly sexy. They prefer subtle attraction to overt sleaziness, but they'll use whatever works. Teraphim have no gender preference for their Vessels. In fact, most have at least two (one of each sex). The only common denominator is that an Obscenity's Vessel will exhibit whatever body type is considered most attractive to humans in the area that the demon is assigned to. A Teraphite's Vessel always has at least one level of Charisma in the form of sex appeal. It is in celestial form that the Obscenities live up to the name. They appear as obese or gaunt humanoids with small, blunt horns and forked tails. Their purple skin is marred with warts and open sores. A Teraphite is asymmetrical; its arms and/or legs are different lengths and paired features (i.e. eyes, ears or nostrils) are misaligned or of different sizes. Teraphim have analogs to human sexual anatomy (hermaphroditic, of course), but those parts are always mutilated and/or of exaggerated size. Teraphim see themselves as the ultimate seducers. They have nothing but contempt for Lilim, but the nature of their Prince gives them a grudging respect for Impudites. The Obscenities best friends in Hell are Shedim -- these two Bands are the only beings who would find each other's celestial forms attractive. The Obscenities are fond of atonal music and the weird instruments that create it. Band Attunement Sex with Teraphim is so good that it's addictive. Every time an Obscenity successfully seduces someone, it gains a +1 bonus on future attempts to seduce that person. This bonus is cumulative up to a maximum of +6. What's worse is that anyone who has sex with a Teraphite at least twice a week for a month must succeed on a Will roll or become Lustful. Losing a Teraphite addiction requires at least three months of total celibacy followed by a successful Will roll. ===== Michael Walton, #9805-068 "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2000 15:38:40 +1300 From: "Alex Liddell" Subject: Re: IN> The Gremlin of Misplaced Car Keys >--- Alex Liddell wrote: > > Larson > > Gremlin of Dark Humour > > The Gremlin of Misplaced Car Keys > > This is just too much! A Word-bound Gremlin? Now that's a kick in >the canon if ever I saw one. I MUST use this one. Well the Lightbringer is a funny one. Hmmmm, the toilet looks like a nice place... bye, bye keys! _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 21:34:24 -0600 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> Novalis, servitor of David - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Phipps" To: Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2000 6:06 PM Subject: IN> Novalis, servitor of David [snip] Dude... you ROCK. - -- Chuckg ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 22:32:22 -0600 From: David Edelstein Subject: Re: IN> Abel (was Cain) Earl Wajenberg wrote: > One interesting point to remember is that Abel was the > first man dead. So he may have originally been in service > to the Archangel of Death (whom I'm calling Azrael, since > that's a traditional name), but have since shifted, perhaps > because Azrael has become so reclusive in recent ages, for > whatever reason. One further note; per the Liber Castellorum, the site where Cain slew Abel was (allegedly) the first act of the War, and is Baal's oldest Tether. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2000 21:42:37 -0800 (PST) From: Maurice Lane Subject: IN> New Songs... ...and enjoy them, everyone, because I've just scraped the bottom of my creative barrel for this week. I'm tired, weary, zonked, wiped out, burned out, you name it, I'm feeling it. I have every intention of spending every second from Thursday afternoon to Sunday evening in bed. Sorry. Moe Stiffening (Common) Rude jokes aside, these Songs do not originate with Andrealphus. Corporeal - This Song permits the user to take any soft nonliving material and make it temporarily as stiff as tempered steel. The most common use is to make improvised blunt weaponry. The type of weapon depends on the original material: for example, a Stiffened banana would do the same type of damage as a small club, while a six-foot submarine sandwich would make... well, a large club. For double base cost, the item can be made Sharp: a Sharpened, Stiffened banana gains the same statistics as a dagger, while the sub would make a slightly unwieldy Long Sword. For _quadruple_ base cost, the item can be made Infinitely Sharp (an edge one molecule thick): this doubles Power, and effectively ignores all normal armor or Toughness. Base Cost: 2 Essence per five pounds. Ethereal - Use of this Song permits the boost of either Intelligence, Precision or both (must be chosen before performance). For every 2 Essence put into the Song, one characteristic may be increased by 2, or both may be increased by 1. Characteristics may not be raised past 12. Also, the target receives a +1 to resist Balseraph, Habbalite or Impudite resonance attacks for each 4 Essence spent. Cost: 2 per level (maximum 8). Celestial - Use of this Song can remove Discord … for a price. The performer can temporarily see Discord in himself or others, and with a sharp knife actually cut it away. Unfortunately, this does both corporeal damage (as per a normal attack with a knife) and Soul Hits (1d6-2 per attack). It takes 12 Soul Hits to remove a level of Discord: note that this could very well remove a Force … and, even if it doesn't, the celestial will be in a very weakened state. It also happens to be quite painful: celestials volunteering for the procedure must make a Will Roll at -4 each turn to sit still for it. If he fails, the target moves around enough that the cutting will merely do 1-4 Soul Hits, which will not count towards the total needed to remove any Discord. This problem can be avoided by fully immobilizing the celestial. Normal sleep or drug-induced unconsciousness won't work: the subject must be physically restrained. Cost: 3 Essence. Duration for all three Songs: 1 minute. Cost to maintain is the same. Degree of Disturbance: 1. ===== In Nomine stuff: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Everything else (not that there is, right now): http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/main.html Last updated 9/5/00 (this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1934 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2000 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.