From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Tue Nov 28 15:07:12 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 PAA13721 for ; Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:07:11 -0600 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id PAA26872 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:08:16 -0600 Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:08:16 -0600 Message-Id: <200011282108.PAA26872@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 #1946 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 28 2000 Volume 01 : Number 1946 In this digest: Re: IN> The Daleks and Hell *Who-mur* (was Dr. Who) IN> Need a Kronos Tether IN> Inspirational Reading: "The Folk of the Air" Re: IN> Cellphones Re: IN> Lilith: Queen of Hell (A Background Variant) Re: IN> Lilith: Queen of Hell (A Background Variant) IN> Montreal Info Re: IN> Lilith: Queen of Hell (A Background Variant) Re: IN> The Daleks and Hell *Who-mur* (was Dr. Who) Re: IN> A Challenge to Y'all Re: IN> A Challenge to Y'all IN> LIL: The Consolidation of the Queen's Power (or, the first Seven Major Princes) Re: IN> Lilith: Queen of Hell (A Background Variant) IN> A Question about Hell's Hierarchy IN> Dr. Who IN> Re: Heretical Taste Re: IN> Need a Kronos Tether IN> Lilith Queen of Hell Re: IN> The Daleks and Hell *Who-mur* (was Dr. Who) IN> Superiors 5 Re: IN> I figured that a taste won't hurt (heretical taste, no less) Re: IN> Cellphones Re: IN> How Do Word Forces Work? Re: IN> A Question about Hell's Hierarchy Re: IN> Abel (was Cain) IN> LIL: Hell Mechanics and Adventure Seeds (for the Consolidation of the Queen's Power) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 10:20:54 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> The Daleks and Hell *Who-mur* (was Dr. Who) So where do Daleks *usually* go when they die (which they do with great facility)? I'd guess that they are soulless -- which would match their personalities -- and are just gone. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:33:23 -0000 From: "Laurent" Subject: IN> Need a Kronos Tether Hi everybody, I need a Kronos Tether in New-York. Even if it's not a major Tether, anything just descent will do. I was thinking about the Museum of Natural History, but I'm not sure. All I could find on the web was the Rose Center Planetarium (which looks great, btw). I'd also need Tethers of Judgement and Creation, but not so badly. And yes, I do have the Liber Castellorum, but not at work. Thanks, Laurent. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 10:32:52 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: IN> Inspirational Reading: "The Folk of the Air" I just finished re-reading "The Folk of the Air" by Peter S. Beagle, the author of "The Last Unicorn" and "A Fine and Private Place." I recommend it to you not only because it is a very good fantasy written with enviable style, but because it could give you good ideas for an IN game. The novel is set in a small, fictitious California city, in the present day (or recent past, by now), and heavily involves the "League of Archaic Pleasures," a clear portrait and semi-satire of the Society for Creative Anachronism. It also centers around two supernaturals -- Nicholas Bonner and Sia -- who are good role models for celestials. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 10:36:54 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> Cellphones At 9:13 AM -0600 11/28/00, Charles Glasgow wrote: > > >> So once again -- I wouldn't personally allow the Song of Tongues to >> translate an encrypted transmission. > >But *I* would... > >... it lets the players have *so* much fun... > >... and the DM, too. *g* And vive le differance. Enjoy! - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 10:39:08 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> Lilith: Queen of Hell (A Background Variant) At 10:12 AM -0500 11/28/00, Earl Wajenberg wrote: >One tiny quibble: Lilith would not announce herself as >"Daughter of Man." She is no one's daughter, unless it be >God's, a relationship she might or might not want to acknowledge. Agreed. (Oh great, so now I need an Errata coordinator....) When I work up some net.home for this thing, I'll shift that accordingly. Then again, in Helltongue she may have said "I am a female creature who has strands of nucleaic acid derived from the species Homo Sapian," but the translator decided to take artistic license. - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 11:08:02 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> Lilith: Queen of Hell (A Background Variant) Instead of "Daughter of Man," she might announce herself by any of several other grand titles, including: "Daughter of God" (just because He's an enemy doesn't mean dropping the Name doesn't give one some cachet) "Queen of the Night" (a possible meaning or origin of her name) "The First Woman" (ignoring those pre-Adamite rabble) "The Human Princess" (no argument there) "Mother of Demons" (well, *some* demons, but blurring this starts to bring the rest of Hell under her umbrella) "The Devil's Widow" (a lie, but probably tying in to a persistent Hellish rumor, and giving a gloss of rightful succession to her claim on the Granite Throne) By the way, when and why did Lucifer's throne become the "Granite Throne"? I first recall seeing this in Redneck Gaijin's "Dark Victory" write-ups. Did he invent it? Earl ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 10:14:54 -0600 From: "Bradley Paranial" Subject: IN> Montreal Info Planning on Running an IN game set in Montreal, and would like some info, on the city esp. which Superiors would be active there, and potential Tethers (Only thing I can think of Malphas being active in the Parti Quebecois, and that alone makes me more knowledgeable than most Americans about Canada). I know anything in "You Are Here" will have to be sent through personal E-mail but some input form any locals would be nice. Bradley Paranial, Elohite Friend of the Sword _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 11:46:45 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> Lilith: Queen of Hell (A Background Variant) At 11:08 AM -0500 11/28/00, Earl Wajenberg wrote: > >By the way, when and why did Lucifer's throne become the "Granite >Throne"? I first recall seeing this in Redneck Gaijin's "Dark >Victory" write-ups. Did he invent it? He did. I just love the imagry, so I stole it for this. - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 17:11:55 -0000 From: "I. Inayat" Subject: Re: IN> The Daleks and Hell *Who-mur* (was Dr. Who) - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Earl Wajenberg" To: Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 3:20 PM Subject: Re: IN> The Daleks and Hell *Who-mur* (was Dr. Who) > So where do Daleks *usually* go when they die (which they do > with great facility)? I'd guess that they are soulless -- > which would match their personalities -- and are just gone. > > Earl Hmm. Not sure about this... The Cybermen, yeah, I can see _them_ being soulless, but the Daleks are a bit of a problem... ...because they're alive and sentient. And, originally, _were_ a humanoid species. I _think_ that, effectively, they hand themselves over to their Fate from the point they're placed in the Dalek shell... They may have a choice otherwise. But it isn't an option to them - any Dalek who thought 'differently' would be exterminated as quickly as possible. I think I see them like living undead, really - not soulless, but binding the soul so _tightly_ to their body that it disperses when they die... (and there is a tiny _hint_ that a Dalek could be redeemed in the TV series... although, in their case, it'd be like making a Celestial from a Remnant...) Imran ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:17:59 -0800 (PST) From: "O. S. Kerr" Subject: Re: IN> A Challenge to Y'all Bradley, et. al. I'm seeing an Ofanim of Wind... (shaking the status quo) or a Mercurian of Destiny... (living up to big bright ideals) or... hmmm. O. - --- Bradley Paranial wrote: > Create a Celestial (Angel or Demon doesn't matter really) > with the Following > Word: > > Chutzpah (or However it's spelled) > > Bradley Paranial, Elohite of the Sword. > _____________________________________________________________________________________ > Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : > http://explorer.msn.com > ===== "...An' then... then I'm gonna get *medieval* on his arse." "How, exactly?" "I thought maybe a maypole," said Mr. Tulip reflectively, "An' then a display of country dancing, land tillage under the three-field system, several plagues, and if my --ing hand ain't too tired, the invention of the --ing horse collar." -- Terry Pratchett, The Truth __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:18:51 -0800 (PST) From: "O. S. Kerr" Subject: Re: IN> A Challenge to Y'all Of course, the (Celestial) of Moxie couldn't be too far behind... O. > Create a Celestial (Angel or Demon doesn't matter really) > with the Following > Word: > > Chutzpah (or However it's spelled) > > Bradley Paranial, Elohite of the Sword. > _____________________________________________________________________________________ > Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : > http://explorer.msn.com > ===== "...An' then... then I'm gonna get *medieval* on his arse." "How, exactly?" "I thought maybe a maypole," said Mr. Tulip reflectively, "An' then a display of country dancing, land tillage under the three-field system, several plagues, and if my --ing hand ain't too tired, the invention of the --ing horse collar." -- Terry Pratchett, The Truth __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products. http://shopping.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 12:18:21 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: IN> LIL: The Consolidation of the Queen's Power (or, the first Seven Major Princes) Here's the next part of Lilith: Queen of Hell. I'll tag these posts with "LIL" to keep them seperate. A note -- in both background materials and mechanics, I'll refer to "Luciferian" Words. These are original Infernal Words, degrading at 1 Word Force per day at sunrise. Note that barring promotion of one's Word enough to gain Forces, the most powerful of non-Superiors (defined as having 18 Forces and 21+ Word Forces) will fall into soul death after 39 days plus however many more Word forces they have. Superiors, having huge numbers of nebulous Forces and power, generally will last longer than this. Also, while Lilith (in this system) can both grant Words (and stable ones at that) and Princedoms, she can't strip Luciferian Words and Princedoms unless she grants new Words at the same time. But, that problem is self correcting, isn't it? Technically, the new Words are Lilithian Words, but generally they will just be referred to as Words. +++ THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE QUEEN'S POWER (or, the First Seven Major Princes) There was turmoil in Hell following the Ascension of the Queen. Many demons had passionately believed in Lucifer and his cause, and had no reason to believe in Lilith and her right to power. Others had repented of their rebellion and gone to embrace Heaven and Redemption. The Luciferian Princes, still desperately fighting for survival, had little time to consider Lilith's Ascension -- no doubt they decided Lilith could be dealt with after they achieved stability once more. But Lilith was no fool. Since long before the Fall she had known that all things came with a price, and true power lay in what one could provide. Her strength had been undiminished following Lucifer's death. Her ascension to the Granite Throne had made her vastly more powerful. The support of Kronos meant she was strong and difficult to assail. But to *rule* Hell she first had to give Hell a reason to follow her. That reason came from a Demon of the War -- a Habbalite named Voizia, who was the Luciferian Demon of Tormenting Prisoners of War. Lilith selected her as a powerful Demon who had suffered greatly, her Word not strong enough to protect her from the erosion. She was not yet a Remnant, but it was close... so close.... And Lilith spoke to Voizia, and asked if she were strong enough to step into a new world, without Lucifer or even her Word. And Voizia said yes, and Lilith drew her close and impressed upon her the Word of Pain. And Voizia, Habbalite Demon of Pain, rose in strength quickly. And the Luciferian Demon of Pain felt his Word being held by another and felt a momentary flare of strength. The moment was fleeting, however, and within three days he was Soul dead. The Horde knew then that Lilith had the strength to save them. Andrealphus was the first to yield himself to Lilith. She reached her beautiful, cruel hand out and collected the Luciferian Prince of Lust. She pulled him tight and whispered to him, demanding his utter and total fealty now and forevermore, tightening a Geas that made a simple Year's Geas look petty. Lilith was no longer concerned with Equity, it seemed. And Andrealphus *wanted* the beautiful, powerful, domineering woman and threw himself to his knees before her, and Lilith renamed him Prince of Lust -- his Word once again stable. And he knew that she could take that Word from him if she willed, and kneeled at her feet, the slave of the woman who had been the Princess of Freedom. And so Lilith built her earliest foundation on Fate's free support and Lust's submission. Lilith then knew she needed to weaken the old order, and form a new Hellish Alliance that was devoted to her, not to old dreams and viewpoints of the War. And so she let Asmodeus degrade on, but instead drew young Alaemon to her breast, feeding his paranoia, ambition and Impudite's pride with bitterness and hunger, and forging him into her Prince of Intelligence. Secrets fell beneath his Word now, and she gave to him the spies, the whispers, the hidden things, and made him her agent in Hell and on Earth. And so Lilith accepted Intelligence into her power base, before violence or War. And so the nature of the very War itself changed, with Heaven none the wiser. For Lilith intended to win, and her goals were specific indeed. The weakest potential beachhead in Hell came from the Marches, of course. Since the Death of Lucifer, the forces of Blandine and Laurence had been hounding Beleth's gates. Laurence had believed Beleth vulnerable with her Word failing slowly within her. Blandine hoped and prayed that with Lucifer destroyed, her lover could be reclaimed from the ashes of Hell itself. But Lilith did not intend to lose just yet, and she summoned the Luciferian Princess of Nightmares. And whatever bargain the two struck is not know, but Beleth pledged herself and her support both to Lilith and Lilith's plan, and Lilith made the Djinn the Princess of Horror -- a broader Word, with more potential. And Beleth threw her forces into defense, and had them bolstered with Andrealphus -- whom she disliked, but Lilith wanted dreams of lust corrupting humanity alongside nightmares that terrified them -- and demons in the dreams of humanity on both sides of the Marches. With renewed angles of attack on Blandine's side of the Marches, the assault was lightened and Hell was not taken. So was Lilith's strategy shown to be wise. With Fate, Lust, Intelligence and Horror, Lilith was clearly establishing a beachhead in the War -- not of violence or military strategy, but within the hearts, minds, fears and desires of mankind. Lilith knew that the world and human race that had existed when the Fall was as dead as Lucifer. It was a modern world now, and Hell needed a new agenda. One not dedicated to Armageddon but Humanity. The Luciferian Princes could see this, and they were sorely displeased. Baal, the Luciferian Prince of the War, spoke out against this plan and Lilith's rule, and in this was supported by his associates, Asmodeus, Belial, Vapula and Saminga. But they were no longer strong enough to openly attack healthy Princes. Still, Lilith could not afford to leave the power bloc untouched. She seized upon the one Prince that fit *her* agenda -- Vapula -- and drew him in. The world was scientific now, not superstitious, she told the Habbalite, and war was fought by missiles and computers instead of swords and charges. And Vapula was turned, and accepted Lilith's rule. And in her name Vapula became the Habbalite Prince of Science, his scope expanded and his research affirmed. And Vapula left behind his Luciferian comrades and clients, and threw himself into researching the world Lilith wanted to bring about. At the same time, he publically abandoned his research into stabilizing Luciferian Words -- though rumors persisted of black research, naturally. Lilith, in assuming the scepter of Hell itself, had renounced Freedom. In accepting the promise of power and whim, she had renounced Equity. No longer was she interested in the trading of Lilim for promises, or services for services. Those who wanted her services could bring their gifts up front, now. But Lilith could recognize the need both for Lilim in Hell, and for the kind of dealmaking that once she had excelled at. Further, with her ascension and Mammon's Word degradation, Marc was poised to seize the financial structures of Earth and restore Selflessness in most arenas. To combat this, Lilith raised her first entirely New Princess to power. This was Rebekah, a powerful but hereto un-Word-bound Free Lilim, and a former aide de camp to the former Princess of Freedom. Rebekah agreed to the unthinkable -- eternal servitude -- in exchange for both unimaginable power and the unique abilities (aside from Lilith herself) to provide Lilim to other Princes, trade and reassign Geases, and otherwise broker power throughout Hell. It seemed Rebekah could actually *create* Lilim, but the white gold bracers and neck-choker Rebekah always worth from that day forward may have actually provided the ability. Lilith herself stopped providing Lilim on that day as well, so as not to undercut her so-loyal, so important Lilim Princess of the Deal. Rebekah swiftly proved her worth by gathering up the weakest, most desperate of the Luciferian Princes, Furfur, Calabite Prince of Luciferian Hardcore, and bringing him to Lilith. Lilith watched as the Calabite courted death. It is said she let her Demon of Pain -- the very symbol given to Hell of her power -- torture him during this time, increasing the pain and his horror. And the Queen of Hell offered the suffering Prince a lure -- as beautiful as she was. A Word and Principality among her highest. The role of Furfur's old Superior and enemy, Belial. The expression of violence among humanity. And Furfur broke under the strain -- the Hardcore ultimate rebel against authority betraying all his followers and proported beliefs, swearing eternal bondage in Geas to Lilith and her will. And in turn, the Queen lifted Furfur back up in power and knowledge, granting him the Word and Principality of Destruction. And Furfur embraced Destruction in the name of the Queen with fiery pleasure. Fate. Lust. Intelligence. Horror. Science. The Deal. Destruction. With these seven Princes serving her will -- a 'Balseraph' (in name at least), two Impudites, a Djinn, a Habbalite, a Lilim and a Calabite -- Lilith felt secure in her power, and began to work her designs upon the Earth, promoting new Word-Bound in service to her Seven Princes. And she let the forces of Hell know that other Words and even Principalities could still be had... for a price. And the Luciferian Princes -- Asmodeus, Baal, Belial, Haagenti, Kobal, Malphas, Nybbas and Saminga -- gather their flagging power and try to hold a unified line, but begin to fragment and fall upon one another... or seek to survive by any means necessary. Of them, Baal's vision was the broadest -- knowing Hell's mission for thousands of years, and distrusting the Lilithian Agenda, but increasingly helpless to fight it. And no one knew where Valefor was. - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 08:36:31 -0800 From: Charles E Smith Subject: Re: IN> Lilith: Queen of Hell (A Background Variant) Bravo! Encore, encore! :D Though I wonder why Hell's Heir Apparent would quietly step down for Lilith. Interesting things to think on. :) ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:01:50 -0800 From: Charles E Smith Subject: IN> A Question about Hell's Hierarchy Hell's power base rests on a noble structure, right? You have knights, captains, barons, dukes, and ultimately Princes and Princesses holding court over the lesser demons. My question is: how does a Distincted member of one Prince's hierarchy address a different Prince? For example, if a Baron of Greed were to encounter the Prince of the Media, would any obesiances or demands be placed on the Baron, despite the fact that he/she/it serves Greed and not the Media? I ask this because I'm arranging such a scenario for my next installment of the Defense of the Library. Thank you. :) ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 12:39:07 -0500 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Dr. Who Dash it all! I forgot the Sonic Screwdriver! Anyway I prefer the 12 vessels and trauma to the Song of Regeneration truly but you did an excellent job with both aspects of Dr. Who's character. As for the Doctor having a Song of Fruitation, I wanted to acknowledge he had a granddaughter but that may just be the old fashioned "Superior helping two young lovebirds", the Doctor adopting some poor child who had a child (maybe a time lord herself), or simply the GrandDaughter aspect being the adoption work of it better to be socially less noticible than daughter when your in your 70s in appearence (and your without a wife). Also given the fact at some point he MIGHT HAVE a romance with a female and a child then send her back you never know. AHHHHH BRAIN HURTS! In any case I just rule it was a cool thing to put in the Doctor's song background (I met these nice Grigori today...) and in any game where you adapt something to another existing mythology. You have to take everything with a grain of salt as it is highly unlikely Galifrey is populated entirely by outcast celestials. "The TV show took some liberties." - -The Doctor For instance :-) - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 12:44:35 -0500 From: Jonathan Walton Subject: IN> Re: Heretical Taste Moe-fucius says: > but I'm not entirely certain that the bit > below would fit. Opinions cheerfully accepted. Beautiful. You could even make The Engine like the Library/Archives in that it's labyrithine and has a habit of rearranging itself, so that it's different for every researcher. Also, it could also have the habit of coughing up bits of really obscure formerly-forgotten knowledge at oppertune times. Bits of information, of couse, that would get the characters involved in hunting down more obsure knowledge. You could get mountains of seeds just from that alone. In fact, if you wanted to do something that would be funny in a dark sorta way, you could even have a "dungeon-crawling" senario where the players travel into the secret workings of the machine to find Urania. Also, there's probably an Angel of the Engine, someone who's Word-bound to protect and maintain the machine as it's guardian and chief mechanic. However, since, in my original concept, Vapula was formerly the Demon of the Engine (before he was promoted to Prince of Technology), said angel would be getting massive Word-interferance from Vapula. Can you say "massive mental problems"? Ooooooh. I probably shouldn't say anymore, since some of my players-to-be are on this list. This is going to be great, I can tell. If me and Moe keep feeding off each others ideas, this is going to get, well, bizarre, but in a good way. I've got 5 tenative players now, but I'm still looking. If anyone else wants to get in on this, yell at me. Later. Jonathan ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 12:58:04 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: Re: IN> Need a Kronos Tether Does it have to be an actual NYC location? If not, I have a writeup of a generic Fate-Tether (Weird Wally's Game Dungeon) that could be inserted pretty much anywhere. Doug M. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2000 22:36:55 -0800 From: "Glenn Brown" Subject: IN> Lilith Queen of Hell This is a very interesting idea. I suspect if Lilith did become Queen, she would probably execute Saminga, and promote Hatiphas to Demon Princess of Sorcery. The biggest uncertainty I have about how she'd govern would involve how far she'd be prepared to go in creating greater opportunities for advancement for damned human souls in Hell. Also, according to Superiors 4, Kronos may have created Vapula by using the ethereal forces left over in Raphael's Remnant. I wonder what sort of Seraph Yves could create if he found Lucifer's Remnant? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 13:56:05 -0500 (EST) From: Richard Gant Subject: Re: IN> The Daleks and Hell *Who-mur* (was Dr. Who) On Tue, 28 Nov 2000, Earl Wajenberg wrote: > So where do Daleks *usually* go when they die (which they do > with great facility)? I'd guess that they are soulless -- > which would match their personalities -- and are just gone. Daleks, being just genetically-engineered Kaleds (one of the many human-like races in the Dr. Who setting, these ones from Skaro), have a Fate and Destiny. Where they go when they die depends on which (if any) they have achieved. Richard Gant - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Gant's Gaming Ghetto: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/4656/ The Returners Final Fantasy Role-Playing Game Site: http://returners.simplenet.com/ The Turning Point: http://home.dencity.com/RichardGant/ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 14:00:13 -0600 From: "Bradley Paranial" Subject: IN> Superiors 5 When will it be out, how will be in it? Been away for awhile just curious. Brad _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:18:32 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> I figured that a taste won't hurt (heretical taste, no less) At 12:19 AM -0600 11/28/00, Charles Glasgow wrote: >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Santiago" >> Now, have you ever read The Difference Engine, by William >> Gibson and Bruce Sterling? It's great Steampunk, where Babbage was [...] >And for those who wish somebody to have already done the work for them... >GURPS Steampunk came out a couple weeks ago. Whip out your GURPS:IN >conversion guides and work backwards? *g* You don't have to work backwards, actually. G:IN has conversion notes _both_ways_! (You should have seen how many dots I got, trying to make a WoD Werewolf with GURPS W:TA... Hee.) - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:22:55 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Cellphones On phones and codes... It is _entirely_ up to the GM to decide if an encoded message, passed by a Seraph of Judgment, would be sufficient to get THE TRUTH from. (Why a Seraph of Judgment? Because Seraphim of Revelation just get to choose their CD. A Seraph of Judgment adds his CelForces to his Perception. Think about it. Now think about the little CryptoAnalyseraphim sitting around with their 6 Celestial Forces, taking the penalties for written material... And giggling to themselves.) - --Beth, typing w/a uncoopertive baby (iolanthe) causing typos. "She's either babbling, or summoning Elder Gods. I'm not sure which." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:37:57 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> How Do Word Forces Work? At 9:49 AM -0500 11/28/00, Earl Wajenberg wrote: >Word Forces are an optional (I think) Yes, optional. But _VERY_ handy, IMNSHO. (That's why S2-S4 have _Suggested_ Word Forces for their Word-bound sample Servitors; some people HATE Word Forces.) >The GM's Guide did not particularly want to give Word-Force >numbers for Superiors, but reluctantly recommended that a >brand-new, wet-behind-the-ears, Superior have a minimum of >20 (or 21, I forget) Word Forces. Actually, what it says is that a Word capable of becoming a Superior Word should have at least 20 Word Forces attached to it -- so you're VERY unlikely to have the Prince of Stale Bong Water, while an Angel of the Waters is going to be on the fast track to Oannes' job. If you're using Word-Forces. Which you don't have to. > But really, the book >recommends Superiors stay unquantified, except maybe for ranking >of relative power, on the grounds of the First Law of Munchkinism, >"If you give it stats, they will kill it." Amen. - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:48:03 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> A Question about Hell's Hierarchy At 9:01 AM -0800 11/28/00, Charles E Smith wrote: > My question is: how does a Distincted >member of one Prince's hierarchy address a different Prince? When addressing a Prince, if one is not a Prince oneself, the Miss Manners' Guide to Hell strongly suggests starting with at _least_, "Dread Lord" or "Fearsome Prince." Adding further adjectives is highly reccomended. O:> - --Beth, typing w/a uncoopertive baby (iolanthe) causing typos. "She's either babbling, or summoning Elder Gods. I'm not sure which." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:48:39 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Abel (was Cain) At 8:27 PM -0800 11/27/00, Maurice Lane wrote: >From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: >>Ethereal Superiors, undead Superiors, Saintly >>Superiors, sheep Superiors... >>They're all out there in Doubt and Uncertainty land, >>sure. But reeeeeeeeeeel unlikely to make it into >>_Canon_ Doubt and Uncertainty land, if ya know whatta >>mean. O;> > >What about the Hellsworn cows? Any way we can have >the Hellsworn cows? For a suitable cash donation, you can have Hellsworn cows. Heck, for a _SUITABLE_ cash donation, you can have a Hellsworn Cow Prince, I'd figure. I'm sure that SJ will be pleased enough with his new Hawaiian mansion not to worry about what we do with canon... - --Beth, emccoy@nh.ultranet.com, arcangel@io.com 1 MMorganLP. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 16:05:46 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: IN> LIL: Hell Mechanics and Adventure Seeds (for the Consolidation of the Queen's Power) MECHANICS AND ADVENTURE SEEDS Lilith stops being invokable as of this time. Those who wish to play events and scenes during this period of Lilith's early expansion should know the following. LUCIFERIAN WORDS The Luciferian Word-bound, Demon and Prince alike, continue to hemmorage Word-strength. Each day that passes, right at dawn when angels receive their Essence for the day, the Symphony reclaims some of what Lucifer imposed upon it, and *all* Luciferian Words lose a Word force. Demons (or Princes) with only one Word force lose one of their Forces instead, all as per the Game Master's Guide. Servitors of Luciferian Princes or Word-bound continue to have their master's attunements, which in turn continue to work. Rites also continue to work so long as the Luciferian Word continues to be actively supported. Note that Princes who are adapted to Lilithian Words no longer support their Luciferian Words, and their old rites stop working even if their old attunements do not disappear. This is even true of Demons of Lust (for example), whose Superior's Word did not change. Old Servitors would need to have Andrealphus's rites re-granted to them for them to work, as the Luciferian Word of Lust they are attuned to is no longer supported. Note that Kronos seems to be an exception. Either his Word was privately adapted by Lilith, or the Word of Fate is independent of Lucifer and Lilith alike. Note that while Valefor is missing, his rites *do* still work. During this time, the Luciferian Princes continue to bolster their failing Words. While most Luciferian Word-bound perish within a month of Lucifer's death, the Princes are vastly more powerful and have great reserves to work from. Servitors of Luciferian Princes are given more and more Earthbound assignments, trying to promote their Words wherever possible and delay the inevitable. There is considerable unity between the Luciferian Princes during this time, at least until Vapula defects and becomes Prince of Science under Lilith. Baal has assumed a kind of Martial Law, with Asmodeus supporting him where possible. And, while Lilith has the heart of Hell (and the entire of the Lower Hells) under her sway, the Luciferian Princes still have the core of Hell's provinces under their control. In particular, Abaddon, Gehenna, and Perdition are wholly under control of the Luciferian Princes. Shal-Mari -- currently the Berlin of Hell -- is contested between Kobal and Haagenti on the Luciferian side and Andrealphus and Rebekah on the Lilithian side in a bitter cold war. Alaemon is rapidly gaining control of Stygia from Malphas, and perhaps is angling for Hades as well, though Asmodeus is keeping him at bay for now. Sheol is in open warfare between Belial and Furfur, and Tartarus and the Nightmare side of the Marches are firmly in Lilithian hands. NEW AND CHANGED SUPERIORS: Here are the effects of the changes to Lilith and the First Seven Major Princes. Note that while reference is made to realigning Servitors to the Princes' new Words to allow access to their Rites, the Princes *may* choose to give their Rites to anyone, including old but untouched Servitors. However, their *old* Rites will not work from the moment of their conversion, and as a rule the Princes will require an old Servitor to be remade in the image of their Superior's new Word before granting Rites or privileges. Alaemon: Luciferian Secrets to Lilithian Intelligence. Old members of the Conspiracy continue to have their Attunements, their Secret Society Places and their ranks, but need realignment by Alaemon from the Luciferian Word of Secrets to the Word of Intelligence before gaining Alaemon's new rites. An Alaemon writeup will follow. Andrealphus: Luciferian Lust to Lilithian Lust. His writeup doesn't change, though his Luciferian Servitors will need to be realigned before they can use his rites again. Beleth: Luciferian Nightmares to Lilithian Horror. She uses her old Servitors almost immediately to defend the Marches, and converts them when she has opportunity. Writeup to follow. Furfur: Luciferian Hardcore to Lilithian Destruction. The Superior of choice for violent Luciferian demons of all stripes, Furfur swiftly gets converts from the War, Fire, Hardcore (naturally) and Death. The process of his conversion seems to have levened his impetuous nature and given him more of a brain. Writeup to follow. Kronos: There is no change in the Prince of Fate -- his Servitors do not even need realignment to a new Word. His writeup is unchanged. Lilith: Luciferian Freedom to Queen of Hell. Rites, Lilith's dissonance conditions and any distinctions she once may have given stop working. Lilith has more than stopped supporting the Word of Freedom -- she has completely abandoned it. Vapula: Luciferian Technology to Lilithian Science: Vapula's servitors need to be realigned to his new Word in order to have access to his Rites. Writeup to follow. Rebekah: The Princess of the Deal has her own attunements, Rites, distinctions and methods. She does *not* carry or support Lilith's old Rites or dissonance conditions. Writeup to follow. HELL UNDER LILITH: THE EARLY DAYS: The period described under "The Consolidation of the Queen's Power (or, the first Seven Major Princes)" is one of tremendous chaos for Hell. Increasingly desperate, the Luciferian Princes are willing to allow Lilith "her little demonstrations" while searching for a way to stabilize their Words and retake the Granite Throne. Her choice of Andrealphus as her first Prince after the dangerous Kronos is seen by many in Hell's War faction as a sign of sentimentality over strategy, and allows Lilith to make several more moves before opposition really begins to take shape. By the time her true strategy *does* begin to come clear -- that Lilith intends to fight the War very differently from the Hell of old, and is choosing her Princes accordingly, the Luciferians are already in a bad position -- especially with seven Princes, all stable and growing in strength, with at least four of them formerly major Luciferian princes with organizations to match, and the rest save Rebekah at least former Minor Princes. The speedy loss of the Luciferian Word-bound, made worse by Lilith's willingness to name new Word-bound of her own, without any consideration for prior claims on those Words, is also hard on the Luciferians, especially when their Word-bound begin "crossing the River Styx" as the phrase is bandied in Hell, petitioning the new Princes for service in exchange for new or stable Words. FREE LILIM: The Frees are enjoying a booming business, despite the loss of their Mother's Rites. They enjoy unprecidented freedom of travel and activity -- with their Mother the Queen of Hell, it's entirely possible the Free Lilim are now sacrosanct, and even the Luciferian Princes aren't about to test that premise. What *disturbs* the Free Lilim is how little contact their Mother has had with them. Most of the Frees are willing to step up and work with their Mother as independent contractors, working her will in a way she knows she can trust. However, it seems Lilith isn't buying -- and very few Free Lilim seem to be in line for Words, where some Lilim serving one of the seven current Major Princes have successfully petitioned Lilith. Of course, one Free Lilim got the motherlode of prizes. Rebekah, Lilim Princess of the Deal, has not only been lifted to the ruling class of Hell but in many ways is Lilith's lieutenant and assistant. However, her being given the ability to create Lilim and reassign Geases disturbs many of the Frees, as does her aggressive recruiting techniques *among* the Frees. Rebekah isn't much interested in promoting the Free Lilim ideal, it seems... and to date, not one of the Lilim she has created has been a Free. Still, everything *seems* to be going well for them.... INFERNAL ADVENTURE SEEDS: Luciferian Seeds: On Earth, tremendous efforts are being waged by all of the Princes in the name of promoting their Words. GMs can easily run any number of increasingly desperate attempts to raise the profile of a given Superior's Word. EXAMPLE: The PCs, Servitors of Belial, are given a mission to start a rampaging fire in Sequoia National Forest -- the larger and more devastating, the better. They are to make it clearly an act of terrorism and arson, claiming responsibility for "The Cleansing Fire." Opposition will be stiff from Servitors of Animals, Flowers and the Sword. Also, a large number of Earth-duty Servitors, shaken by Lucifer's death and the Chaos in Hell, have begun to go Renegade or even seek Redemption. Given the distractions the Luciferian Princes are undergoing, many of these Renegades aren't even bothering to shatter their Hearts first. As a result, there are a certain number of retrieval or elimination missions being assigned to loyal Servitors. There are potential seeds on either side of this issue. Finally, Heaven -- while having some troubles of its own (see followup post) is keeping the post-Lucifer's demise pressure up high. Tethers -- many of which no longer have Seneschals as they follow their Words into death -- are being assaulted in cities all over the world, and Princes need extra hands on duty keeping their pathways and Essence sources vital. In Hell, Luciferian Seeds will center around the need for control of Hell proper and Hell's resources. Shal-Mari, as the most hotly contested city, will be laboring to continue with Sin as usual -- with similar battles going on in the other contested areas. Also, information gathering (especially by the Game and the War) is at a premium in all contested areas and Lilith-controlled areas. There are always agendas to be followed. Any number of plots and scenes can evolve out of the fight for Hell's population (and Essence.) In the Marches, Beleth's demons (both Demons of Luciferian Nightmares and Demons of Horror) do battle to protect the back door to Hell from invasion, bolstered (much to their chagrin) by Servitors of Lust. Lusties in turn have been granted both access and charged with the duty of infecting even dreamscapes on Blandine's side of the Marches with sinful Lust. Blandine (and Laurence, whose forces had been assaulting the Nightmares side of the Marches with Blandine's Angels) are both fighting to maintain the purity of good Dreams as well as looking for an opening in Beleth's defenses. Lilithian Seeds: (Note that some of these will have to wait for writeups of the new Superiors and their Words, though extrapolation can be developed.) On Earth, Lilith's Princes are quietly establishing their power (and Tethers, where appropriate.) While they let their Luciferian brothers make noise throughout the Corporeal Realm (and screen their activities in), the seven Major Princes known during this period are devoting their Corporeal activities to consolidation. PCs are likely going to be sent to unmanned Tethers for posting and awaiting stabilization (or rerouting -- Furfur has been poaching Fire's tethers with almost reckless abandon). The Alaemish will be stepping up infiltration of corporeal agencies and organizations -- all as part of Intelligence Gathering, of course. The Furfurites -- far from going out and wreaking havoc, as some might think, are instead moving to quietly secure *potential* areas of Destruction, while enjoying some of the ancilliary minor Tethers to Destruction the efforts of the Luciferians are making when they're not looking. Science is reaffirming their hold on Luciferian Technology Tethers and organizations, while moving more and more into theoretical areas. Lust is keeping a low profile, as one of the least changed of the new Major Principalities. However, they're carefully reinstating (or realigning, where possible) Seneschals to Lust to help protect Lust's tethers and reestablishing Lust's corporeal holdings. Servitors of Horror, finding themselves more concerned with the Corporeal Realm than Nightmares alone had ever been, are mostly trying to acclimate to their new duties without drawing undue attention. Rebekah's Demons of the Deal, entirely new to their duties, are already moving into the places of power -- guided by those former Servitors of the Luciferian Game and Luciferian Greed who have crossed the Styx to Rebekah's service to the places where deals happen and worlds shake. Most Dealers are finding themselves in national capitals, on national stock exchanges, or in organized crime. - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1946 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2000 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.