From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Tue Aug 1 19:57:07 2000 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id TAA13691 for ; Tue, 1 Aug 2000 19:57:06 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id TAA12415 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Tue, 1 Aug 2000 19:51:48 -0500 Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 19:51:48 -0500 Message-Id: <200008020051.TAA12415@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 #1751 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, August 1 2000 Volume 01 : Number 1751 In this digest: Nybbas and the Internet (was Re: IN> A thesis on the In Nomine list) Re: IN> What's up? Re: IN> What's up? Re: IN> Hi Re: IN> What's up? IN> Re: What's up with Eli? Re: IN> [DARK VICTORY] Colonel Maria Tzetke Re: IN> Anti-Malakim Re: IN> What's up? IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun Re: IN> Colonel Maria Tzetke (also going a wee bit OT, so forgiveness) Re: IN> Hi IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version Re: IN> What's up? Re: IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version Re: IN> Celestial Poisons Re:IN> Licence to Smite Re: IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version Re: IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun Re: IN> IN Romance -- Opposites Attract Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun IN> A Tether to Lust (intro) IN> A Tether to Lust ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 04:36:26 -0400 From: Tim Groth Subject: Nybbas and the Internet (was Re: IN> A thesis on the In Nomine list) This reminds me of the Civil Gamers Union (or something like that) on the Aberrant (WW game) forum about a year ago (probably on 8 months, my concept of time is warped). The internet has a tendancy to make people a little more snappy with eachother. Divorced from body language, voice tone and other aspects of face to face conversation words are over interpretted. I'm sure everoyne on the list knows someone who plays games of logistics and semantics with what you say. Its irritating, and a good way to start a drawn out argument. Now to start tying back into IN, I think this is proof possitive that Nybbas is starting to grab the Internet. See he realized he can't control it the same way that he controls other media, too free form. So instead just seed the place with spammers, flamers, people who insist on using l33t, kiddie porn and other stuff and you turn what could have been a perfect channel of communication between people into the giant ceasepool that Jack T. Chick keeps claiming that sinners live in (of course he's a habbalite of the media). However this is a sort of sore looser tactic, and what keeps any demon from getting the Internet as a media word. They need to take control of it, and that's bloody difficult. Especially because other parts of Nybbas's organisation are against them (witness Napster's legal problems). Nybbas rewards adding junk to the Internet, infact its an easy way to fufill his dissonance condition. Eventually he's hopping to replace it with something he can control, and that by this time everyone is going to think, "The internet? Only a sicko logs on." Of course again Nybbas's convuluted organisation is going to turn on itself. Because the 'Angel' of Censorship is going to try and prevent the smut and keep everyone safe from their own sick desires. If Censorship wins out the Internet becomes a bleached out place, essentially a new phone service with more propaganda and less human contact. Eitherway Nybbas wins and has the world ready for something new and exciting. Which of course is going to the Nybbas TV, which will be ready well before then and merely be premiered at that time. As the final step in Media experience it'll combine all the previous media advantages together, discarding the negatives. The only way to stop it from taking the world by storm is to reverse the 'natural' cycle of the media. To revitalize Internet, TV, Film, Radio and Print. As long as Nybbas controls, or at least ruins, every form of communication humanity will be longing for the next thing. Timothy, Angel of Rambling Ofanite of Creation ArchRival of Mathus ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 02:28:06 -0700 (PDT) From: Bruce Dykes Subject: Re: IN> What's up? > In a message dated 7/31/00 1:06:59 PM, > BillionSix@aol.com writes: > > >Here's something I'm curious about. What the hell > has Eli been up to? Does > >he have a secret plan? Or is he just out having > fun? > > I'd like to hear all your suggestions and ideas. > Even the SJ people (I > >won't mistake your ideas for canon, don't worry.) > > > >Reverend Brian A. Rogers In my campaign, he's working with Kobal to establish a divine tether in hell...Kobal can't wait to see the fits of apoplexy that grip all the other DPs, and Eli sees this as the ultimate challenge. Plus, bringing any bit of Heaven down to Hell has to be a Good Thing. This will have two immediate results: Dominic will Fall due to prejudging Eli, and Kobal will Redeem after seeing the amount of joy that the damned involved will find at seeing at least a little bit of Heaven. I haven't worked out the extended results yet... Bruce __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 06:11:05 -0400 From: "Aaron Medwin" Subject: Re: IN> What's up? From: Bruce Dykes > In my campaign, he's working with Kobal to establish a > divine tether in hell...Kobal can't wait to see the > fits of apoplexy that grip all the other DPs, and Eli > sees this as the ultimate challenge. Plus, bringing > any bit of Heaven down to Hell has to be a Good Thing. That's a pretty good Big Laugh. If Kobal supports Eli's Word enough in Hell... maybe allowing some damned souls to find love with each other, since human activity needs to happen to establish a Tether. Though I shudder to think about the effects of some of the Light of Heaven in Shal-Mari. > This will have two immediate results: Dominic will > Fall due to prejudging Eli, and Kobal will Redeem > after seeing the amount of joy that the damned > involved will find at seeing at least a little bit of > Heaven. I haven't worked out the extended results > yet... IMO, I can't see Dominic Falling over the Eli issue, at least now without heavily breaking from canon. Dominic wants to bring him in for a trial, in which he would have a chance to prove himself. Granted, the evidence is pretty damning, and how do you really censor an Archangel? Still, Eli may yet prevail through the trial, and if he does, Dominic would probably accept it. If the Judgment is "Innocent", then there's nothing wrong with that. > Bruce - -Aaron Medwin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 06:59:04 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: Re: IN> Hi Kevin P Meares wrote: > The trick also is picking the other 3 > although Azrael would be another thought any suggestions? http://www.amadan.org/Innomine/Azrael.htm - -David ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 08:51:45 -0400 From: "John J. Maurer, Esq." Subject: Re: IN> What's up? - -----Original Message----- From: Bruce Dykes To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Tuesday, August 01, 2000 5:28 AM Subject: Re: IN> What's up? >> In a message dated 7/31/00 1:06:59 PM, >> BillionSix@aol.com writes: >> >In my campaign, he's working with Kobal to establish a >divine tether in hell...Kobal can't wait to see the >fits of apoplexy that grip all the other DPs, and Eli >sees this as the ultimate challenge. Plus, bringing >any bit of Heaven down to Hell has to be a Good Thing. An intriguing idea. But wouldn't the light of heaven blast the demons and damned souls that enter it? >This will have two immediate results: Dominic will >Fall due to prejudging Eli, and Kobal will Redeem >after seeing the amount of joy that the damned >involved will find at seeing at least a little bit of >Heaven. I haven't worked out the extended results >yet... A redeemed Kobal might be fun. IMHO Dominic has NOT prejudged Eli, he wants to bring Eli in FOR judgment. He is watching Eli servitors because they are the ones most likely to be able to find the AA. In my PBEM campaign (hi all) we have several creationers so I should probably decide why, but I guess I don't have to worry about it unless it becomes integral to my campaign as it unfolds, or if someone actually gets to TALK to Eli. I just sort of leave it at "yeah, he's gone all right." unless someone hounds down more specific information. Kinda cool how the players shape the plot, ain't it. Speaks ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 10:55:46 -0400 (EDT) From: Diane J Donaldson Subject: IN> Re: What's up with Eli? Charles Phipps wrote: >However they'res also good cause to note that Eli might just be on >vacation and that he's really bored as all get out with Heaven and it's >Rules (Snake Blisken anybody?). This Eli looks like he could end up >tripping and serving the word of Sloth for Hell. Thinking basically that >Creation (himself) has gotton way out of hand and it's time that he stop >doing anything for a few billion years, let the demons tear down a bit, >and quit shoving you bloody IMC, Eli left Heaven in order to spend more time with his family. His consort is Freya, the Norse goddess of love and war. Eli has always thought Uriel's persecution of Ethereals to be misguided. They are part of God's creation, and if some of them are evil, that is simply the way of the world. There is much beauty in them too. Odin knows that Eli is Oth, though he has kept the secret. Eli warned the Norse pantheon that Uriel was coming for them, which allowed many of them to escape to the Far Marches. In rare circumstances, Odin and Eli consult together. Having an Archangel on your side, even one suspected by Dominic, is a definite advantage. But their best-laid plans will not help them if Loki finds out. [In Norse mythology Freya had a husband named Oth (meaning (among other things) "passed through"). She somehow lost him, and spent much of her time weeping golden tears for him. This would correspond to the many years that Eli was unable to visit her in case Uriel (or anybody else) might suspect. They have a daughter, Hnoss, who "Is so beautiful that whatever is valuable and lovely is named treasure after her." Try to imagine a cross between an Archangel and an Ethereal goddess without the top of your head coming off.] Being an absentee Archangel helps keep Eli's liasons with Freya somewhat safer, but there is still a large element of risk. If Heaven or Hell got wind of it, things could go very wrong for Eli. djd ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 09:51:59 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> [DARK VICTORY] Colonel Maria Tzetke - ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2000 23:13:10 -0700 From: "David Rodemaker" Subject: Re: IN> [DARK VICTORY] Colonel Maria Tzetke > Two months had passed since the day the world ended for Maria Tzetke. >> COLONEL MARIA TZETKE >> aka ZADKIEL, ANGEL OF PROTECTION >Oh yeeeaaahhhh! > >I love Dark Victory. > >Keep it coming. > >The Other David Hoo, yeah. Feed the Need. :) Does one dare hope that a bit on the surviving Ethereals will come down the pike soon? :) Morgan (FAW) Kyriotate of Destiny Petitioner for the Word of Of Course, If You'd Like A _Suggestion_ or Two Along Those Lines... ;) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 10:39:53 -0700 (PDT) From: Jennifer Campbell Subject: Re: IN> Anti-Malakim Whoo hoo! I have SHIVERS! Jenni (who has been bein' real real quiet because boys stink. IN List boys excluded.) ===== "The dumber people think you are, the more surprised they're going to be when you kill them." - -William Clayton ICQ UIN: 14514495 AIM: Pepper2540 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 10:42:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Jennifer Campbell Subject: Re: IN> What's up? If you ask me - and yes you did and it's way too late - - Eli's worn slap out and gone on vacation. Poof. Simple as that. He's given Jean some of his job (since most of the new inventions/creations are technical) made sure that the laws of his Creation worked, and has slapped on the sunscreen and gone to Earth to putz around. But for nearly a century? you say. . . He's been doing the Creation bit for a nice long time. He deserves a break. Poor Eli. Jenni ===== "The dumber people think you are, the more surprised they're going to be when you kill them." - -William Clayton ICQ UIN: 14514495 AIM: Pepper2540 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Kick off your party with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 13:04:42 -0500 (CDT) From: Benjamin Acosta Subject: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun It began as a project of Vapula's. He wanted to design a weapon to use against renegades that could soul kill a celestial even in a vessel, and could be used without generating any disturbance. It wasn't a major project, but every occasion he had some spare time he worked on it, and eventually he had something ready to try out. The end result of the project was device which looked like a Buck Rogers ray gun which he dubbed the Total Symphonic Perspective Projector. It worked by the principle of Ambient Symphonic Amplification, increasing the "volume" of the Symphony in a localized area corresponding to the target and nullifying the barriers which insulate the celestial's personal symphony from the Symphony at large. The result is Soul Death, as the Symphony clashes and overwhelms the demon's personal symphony, scattering his Forces to creation. Because the Symphony itself was utilized, theoretically the device would generate no Symphonic Disturbance. Unfortunately, the TSPP didn't work as well as Vapula thought it would when tested. While it did result in the Soul Deaths of the renegades it failed to do so in a disturbance free way. While the device itself created no disturbance itself when used, the target's personal symphony generated a disturbance directly proportionate to the amount of Forces it was composed. Which meant the gun was quiet until you hit what you were aiming. Disappointed with the results of the test, Vapula scrapped the project and went on to other things. The lone prototype was regulated to use as a paperweight, and was soon forgotten by the Prince. That would have been end of the story right there had it not been for a renegade Technology Demon who came across the gun while he was shattering his Heart. Thinking it would be useful, he took it before he left. Eventually a group of Gamesters caught up with him and he was forced to use the gun. The first two demons instantly Soul Died, their vessels falling to the ground as lifeless husks. The third, however, looked completely shocked, but remained totally unarmed. Taking advantage of the Gamesters suprise, the renegade beat a hasty retreat, not bothering to figure out why his gun didn't work. What the renegade didn't know was that the Gamester in question had been feeling guilty about how he lived, and had seriously contemplating going renegade and seeking Redemption. When exposed to the true glory and majesty that was the Symphony, he accepted and welcomed it into himself, and thus redeemed. After quickly realizing what happened, the former demon got in touch with some Judgement servitors he knew and told him all he knew. Meanwhile, all the Game had left of its operatives was three shattered Hearts. They quickly labelled the renegade extremely dangerous and made catching him a top priority. The renegade, wisely, has decided to maintain a very low profile, as the two sides race to catch him first. And that's where the PC's can come in. Game Info: The Total Symphonic Perspective Projector is a unique and extremely powerful artifact which can not be purchased by any amount of points. It appears a toy ray gun in all three realms, and was designed by Vapula to be completely indestructible. All one needs to use it is pull the trigger, and it uses the gun skill to aim. There has yet been no armor or defense discovered which is effective against this device. The TSPP generates no disturbance when used. Effects on Demons: If a demon is hit then it must make a Will roll with a penalty equal to that of the shooter's CD. If the Will roll is successful the demon is merely stunned for a round as it is confronted with entirety of the Symphony. If it fails its Will roll then the demon Soul Dies as its personal symphony is snuffed out, unless in the GM's opinion has some tendency or proclivity toward Redemption, in which case it redeems. Habbalah who are under the effects of emptiness are likely to redeem in this manner, and those with the Selfless Discord are automatically considered Redemption material. Demon PC's always have the choice to redeem when hit by this effect. The clash of symphonies as a demon is destroyed generates disturbance equal to its Forces. Superiors are automatically succesful in their Will Roll except in the case of a Divine Intervention, in which case they Redeem. Effects on Angels: An angel hit by the TSPP must make a Will roll with a penalty equal to the shooter's CD. If the Will roll succeeds then there is no effect, though the angel is aware something happened. If the Will roll fails then the angel acts as though under the effects of the Ethereal Song of Faith for the CD of its roll in rounds, but on the plus side loses CD points of dissonance. This generates disturbance equal to the dissonance burned off. Effects on Ethereals: If in the Marches it merely stuns the Ethereal for CD rounds unless it makes a successful Will roll with a penalty equal to the shooters CD. If hit while on the Corporeal Plane the Ethereal must make a successful Will roll with a penalty equal to the shooter's CD or be ejected back to its Symphonically rightful place in the Marches. Either way it is stunned for CD rounds. Effects on Humans: A human hit by the TSPP will become Symphonically Aware as they are exposed to the full glory of the Symphony. If a human has 5 Forces or less then the Awareness will fade after a number of hours equal to the human's perception, unless that human had the potential for a 6th Force. In that case the 6th Force is gained. Humans who had 6 or more Forces but who weren't Symphonically Aware become so permenently. There is no common effect on those humans who were already Symphonically Aware, though they are aware something happened. At the GM's option he may assign new attunement or songs to NPC humans and allow PC humans to purchase new songs or attunements as their experience has given them new insights into the Symphony. In this fashion, Sorcerors may advance or gain new skill due to such an experience. Ben, Elohite of Eli Angel of Neat Ideas ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 14:15:24 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun Very good. The ratinale, mechanics, and effects on different species seem very well thought-out. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 11:26:04 -0700 From: "Sean McCarthy" Subject: Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun Beautiful. I would tweak the effects on Superiors a bit (maybe, maybe) but perhaps not if it suited my campaign. I really like it and think that would be a great adventure. Sean ____________NetZero Free Internet Access and Email_________ Download Now http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html Request a CDROM 1-800-333-3633 ___________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 13:55:26 -0500 From: "Greg" Subject: Re: IN> Colonel Maria Tzetke (also going a wee bit OT, so forgiveness) - ----- Original Message ----- From: Kris Overstreet To: Sent: Monday, July 31, 2000 10:59 PM Subject: IN> [DARK VICTORY] Colonel Maria Tzetke > > Two months had passed since the day the world ended for Maria Tzetke. This is one of many reasons why I joined the list--DARK VICTORY! Some of the other reasons why I *stay* is the sharp bluntness of Edlestein, the Admin power of McCoy, the sageness of Walter Miliken, and without EDG, there might not be a Gaming Guardians online comic. The final reason of why I love this list is for the members--sometimes we may go a little crazy, but overall it's a good list, and I'm going to stay. EDG, I need you to email me privately--I had a little mishap when I wen tswimming, and want to update you on my Horrible Week. Anyone else who knows me and wants to be filled in, go ahead and email me at graveyardgreg@netzero.net Graveyard Greg ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 19:51:22 +0100 From: Omentide Subject: Re: IN> Hi >The main basic things I'm thinking about >are brinking back Raphael and Uriel(some thing I'd really like help >with) as superiors bringing and creating an over seeing organization >with the four of them and 3 more as its heads and Michael the de facto >leader and prince of heaven. The trick also is picking the other 3 >although Azrael would be another thought any suggestions? Cool. There are immense problems reconciling In Nomine with traditional material. Personally I stopped worrying about it. I guess it's no more problem for me than the whole game is for people with more 'conventional' religious beliefs. IN Canon is never going to 'mesh' with any real life belief system and there are pretty good reasons why it shouldn't try to do so. Ultimately it's a game and most people are going to adapt it to their own uses. That's what I've always taken published RPG material to be FOR. Canon doesn't matter unless you want stuff to be published 'officially' or, arguably, if you're demo-ing stuff under the SJ banner. We've done a lot of work on Ethereal stuff (developing pagan entities in a non-canonical manner) which we're hoping to share with people at some point in time. To get back to the points you were making. One of the things that seriously bugs me in Canon is Gabriel being associated with Fire. That's something I just have to live with when I'm running canon. The canonical absence of Uriel and Raphael also bugs me. You can't really bring them back without violating canon. But, like I said, canon isn't something that bugs me a great deal... Maybe you could substitute Aurial for Uriel (same concept, different spelling). In which case, your big shots could be Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Auriel. That's nice and elemental (though you've still got the Gabriel=Fire connotations to deal with). Janus (canonical Wind) could substitute for Raphael, or be one of your three back ups. The Earth-mother aspect of Novalis (if I may be so bold as to mention Novalis on list) could also be used elementally. Jean (canonically lightening) is pretty Airy, which is another possibility. This feels somewhat disjointed. I'm throwing out ideas here. However, if you want to get back (on or off list) with a slightly more detailed idea of what you're trying to do, we might well be able to help. Ashley and Hilary omentide.omentide@virgin.net http://freespace.virgin.net/omentide.omentide ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 15:17:17 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version >From: owner-in_nomine-l@lists.io.com >Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 04:25:02 -0500 >To: owner-in_nomine-l@lists.io.com >Subject: BOUNCE in_nomine-l@lists.io.com: Non-member submission from [Sharglin@aol.com] >From: Sharglin@aol.com >Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 05:24:27 EDT >Subject: Bifrons Kampflied engl version > >Hello >I tried to find the english version of "Bifrons Kampflied", which can be >found on page 41 of the german InNomine Sourcebook, We have much fun playing >a group of demons and some of them have Bifrons as their demonprince. As one >of us is member of a band, we thought about putting this into a real song >that we could listen to while playing. Of course we¥d prefer the english >lyrics to the german and since I was not able to find them in the web and we >don¥t really want to order the whole english sourcebook for that issue, I¥d >like to ask You to help us out. So if You¥re able and willing, please send me >the english lyrics of that song, I put a copy of the german text at the end >of this mail to help you identifying it. >Thanx for Your time and (hopefully) Your help > > > >Kampflied von Bifrons, D”monenprinz der Toten: >Die Kriegshunde bereiten sich zum Kampf >an diesem schwarzen Sabbat, >Diese M”nner aus Eisen und Stahl >Ziehen aus, alles Lebende zu t–ten. >Sie brechen aus den Krypten des Todes hervor, >Sie kommen, um zu morden und zu schlachten. >Sie, die Diener des Herrn der Finsterniss, >Sie sind die Legionen der H–lle. >Die wilden S–hne des dunklen Herrschers >Recken ihre Waffen gen Himmel >Dies sind die Legionen des Satans >Die unsterblichen Krieger > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 17:00:59 -0400 (EDT) From: Emily Dresner-Thornber Subject: Re: IN> What's up? > A redeemed Kobal might be fun. I had a redeemed Kobal. He was always kind of confused how he ended up that way, though. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emily K. Dresner-Thornber -- http://www.nodonut.com/zenith Jo says "If God wants me to do something, or not do something, He can come and tell me in person! I am a free Shedite! I demand to be treated as .. err.. a person." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 17:20:10 -0400 (EDT) From: Emily Dresner-Thornber Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version > >Kampflied von Bifrons, D”monenprinz der Toten: > >Die Kriegshunde bereiten sich zum Kampf > >an diesem schwarzen Sabbat, > >Diese M”nner aus Eisen und Stahl > >Ziehen aus, alles Lebende zu t–ten. > >Sie brechen aus den Krypten des Todes hervor, > >Sie kommen, um zu morden und zu schlachten. > >Sie, die Diener des Herrn der Finsterniss, > >Sie sind die Legionen der H–lle. > >Die wilden S–hne des dunklen Herrschers > >Recken ihre Waffen gen Himmel > >Dies sind die Legionen des Satans > >Die unsterblichen Krieger My translation may be a bit on the sucky side, as I haven't translated German in years. Combat song of Bifrons, Demon Prince of the Dead: The Dogs of War prepare for a fight at these dark Sabbaths, These weapons (?) of iron and steel Pulling forth, all the tableux of death. They breech forth from the Crypt of the Dead, They come to murder you and slaughter you. They, with the slaves of the men of the dark, They are the Legions of Hell. The wild Sons of the Dark Rulers Draw forth their arms toward the sky They are the Legions of Satan, They are immortal warriors. Since I said it in German as I translated it, I assure you, the gentle reader, that it sounds better in its mother tongue. - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emily K. Dresner-Thornber -- http://www.nodonut.com/zenith Jo says "If God wants me to do something, or not do something, He can come and tell me in person! I am a free Shedite! I demand to be treated as .. err.. a person." ------------------------------ Date: 1 Aug 2000 21:16:32 -0000 From: "-=|horsefly|=-" Subject: Re: IN> Celestial Poisons On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 10:07:09 +0100 Liam Astley wrote: >From: >> Hey, it says in Night Music that there exists Ethereal and Celestial >>Poisons. Does anybody know what any of these are? >i remember seeing an early version of IN that featured some serpentine >spirits native to the ethereal plane, called the adderim. their poison could >affect creatures in celestial form, and do soul hits in damage (ouch). i was recently thinking of celestial combat, and it occurred to me that Seraphim, Balseraphs, Cherubs, and Djinn might all be capable of venomous bites like this, depending on the form of the Cherub or Djinn, or whether the Bal/Seraph wants to be a constrictor or a venomous snake. (similarly, Ofanim would be able to burn creatures in combat, but ordinarily their flaming wheels wouldn't cause damage. but that's neither here nor there in this thread.) -=|horsefly|=- God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. ------------------------------ Date: 1 Aug 2000 21:45:54 -0000 From: "-=|horsefly|=-" Subject: Re:IN> Licence to Smite On Sun, 30 Jul 2000 15:08:36 -0700 (PDT) Maurice Lane wrote: >You have to love long train rides. I came up with >this, coming back from DC, after asking myself, "But >there must be _something_ that those guys would be >doing to justify their Words!"* > >It's a little weird, I grant, and maybe even >non-canonical (I neglected to look up the Angel of >Spies' Superior: heck, I'm not even sure _he's_ >canonical), but I think that it _works_. If you >disagree, feel free to tell me so. :) i like this a lot. the Angel of Spies is a hugely powerful Mercurian of Michael detailed in Superiors I, but i could see him easily working with these folks :) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2000 23:17:10 +0100 From: Omentide Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version >Since I said it in German as I translated it, I assure you, the gentle >reader, that it sounds better in its mother tongue. Was it in INS/MV? Does anyone know? Just out of interest and because I find the concept of something translated from French to German to English somewhat amusing. Hilary Ashley and Hilary omentide.omentide@virgin.net http://freespace.virgin.net/omentide.omentide ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 23:36:53 +0100 From: "Genevieve Cogman" Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version - -----Original Message----- From: Omentide To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: 01 August 2000 23:33 Subject: Re: IN> Fwd: Bifrons Kampflied engl version >>Since I said it in German as I translated it, I assure you, the gentle >>reader, that it sounds better in its mother tongue. > >Was it in INS/MV? Does anyone know? Just out of interest and because I >find the concept of something translated from French to German to English >somewhat amusing. It definitely wasn't in the third edition of the French rulebook. I don't know about earlier ones. Genevieve ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 18:49:59 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun The problem with this is that it's too powerful. If Heaven gets it, the War is over. The angels can just zap every demon they meet, either Redeeming or killing them. (Yah, sure, there's only one in existence... but if I were Laurence, I'd tell Jean to put *all* his resources into reverse-engineering and mass-producing it. In a few years, every reliever has one. End of War.) Still, the basic idea is kinda keen. How about this: if the demon fails its Will roll, it will get afflicted with levels of Discord equal to the check digit of the zap-gun's roll. This Discord will always be of the sort that tends to nudge the demon towards Redemption. Selflessness will be the most common, but discords that hamper the demon's effectiveness (like Mercy or Cowardice for a Calabite, Stigmata or Obese for an Impudite, etc.) will pop up regularly. The exact Discord is at the GM's discretion, but basically should reflect the Symphony's effort to drag the demon back towards its original, unFallen nature. If you like, you can say that on a check digit of 6, it hits with full power and the target demon *must* Redeem or die on the spot. This could explain how the Renegade zapped the Gamesters -- he got all three of them with a lucky shot, and rolled a 6. I'd say a point of Disturbance for every level of Discord it inflicts, times the appropriate Forces of the demon. So, put 2 levels of Obesity on a 3-Corp-Force Impudite, 6 disturbance. On a divine intervention, it'll redeem anything it hits, up to and including a Prince. But on a 666, Lucifer is going to do something very, very horrible to make sure that this never gets used again. Doug M. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 18:09:51 -0700 From: "David Rodemaker" Subject: Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun > It began as a project of Vapula's. He wanted to design a weapon to > use against renegades that could soul kill a celestial even in a vessel, > and could be used without generating any disturbance. It wasn't a major > project, but every occasion he had some spare time he worked on it, and > eventually he had something ready to try out. Vaputech.... Great idea. The Other David ------------------------------ Date: 1 Aug 2000 23:27:55 -0000 From: "-=|horsefly|=-" Subject: Re: IN> IN Romance -- Opposites Attract On Mon, 31 Jul 2000 10:14:53 -0500 Prodigal wrote: >From: "Jo Hart" >> >From: "Prodigal" >> >From: "Jo Hart" >> > > But Novalis isn't Mother Nature, she's the Archangel of _Flowers_. >> >Venus Flytraps are flowers... >> Which are only dangerous if you are an insect. >But her writeup DOES state that she will show her thorns, if pressed too >far. and if you don't want to think in terms of Venus Flytraps, just think *blackberry bushes*--those have thorns aplenty and are full of nice, enticing sweet things. talk about insideous! -=|horsefly|=- (maker of blackberry pies every summer with the scratches to prove it) p.s.--Poison Oak also falls under Flowers and that's not popular NO WHERE! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 16:54:17 -0700 From: "Sean McCarthy" Subject: Re: IN> Artifact/McGuffin: The Redemption Gun If you intend to run a game where that's an option, sure. Myself, I like the idea that Vapula may occasionally make things that are Unique. It's like a powerful ray-gun, but it's also a crime against nature* ... and he couldn't make another one if he tried. Just find a reason why Jean wouldn't want it to proliferate...or perhaps a component required to make it that would make it as good as impossible to copy. (Uriel's codpiece? God's sandwich he left laying on the beach?) I think it's a heck of a McGuffin and if you let the PCs get and keep using it, you are probably doing something wrong. ;) Sean * Extra essence if you can place the reference. ____________NetZero Free Internet Access and Email_________ Download Now http://www.netzero.net/download/index.html Request a CDROM 1-800-333-3633 ___________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 20:46:07 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: IN> A Tether to Lust (intro) Here follows a writeup for a Tether of Lust. This was used in my "Soul of a New Machine" scenario a while back. IMC it was located in Champaign, IL, just off the campus of the University of Illinois; feel free to stick it in your campaign, and flavor to taste. My angelic PCs had an interesting time with this. They got badly distracted from their main mission (they were supposed to be investigating the baby AI at the University's special CS lab); when forced back on track, they then had to deal with all sorts of indirect attacks from Rahul, its Impudite Seneschal. They eventually came back, discovered the Marvin subplot, and came up with a *very* clever way to shut the whole thing down. Rahul survived, though, as an ongoing antagonist... Comments and feedback welcome, as always. Doug M. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2000 20:46:36 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: IN> A Tether to Lust West of the University campus, just across the railroad tracks, is Fraternity Row, where a dozen large Victorian homes have been expanded and converted into frat houses. By and large there's little to distinguish one from another... unless you're a demon. One of them is a Tether to Hell. Three years ago, in the basement of the fraternity (we'll call them the Sigs), there was an ugly episode of mass date rape. Neither the victims nor the assailants have ever come forward with the story, nor likely ever will... but the Symphony noticed, and a Tether to Lust was formed. A small and weak one, to be sure. In LC terms, it has 2 Tether Forces, a flow of 1 Essence every 3 hours, and the Rebound defect. It also shows continuing signs of instability. The Essence flow is irregular and may dry up for a day or more, and the Tether-locus expands and contracts; sometimes it's the entire basement plus the first floor, sometimes just the single room where the precipitating episode took place. Repeated applications of the Song of Tethers have not helped. Prince Andre is annoyed by this, and heisn't quite sure whether it's worth trying to keep the Sig Tether going. For the time being, though, he's assigned one of his Knights as Seneschal. Rahul, Impudite Knight of Lust 4 Corporeal Strength 10 Agility 6 3 Ethereal Intel 8 Precision 4 4 Celestial Perception 5 Will 11 Role (Grad Student) - 2 Status - 2 Vessel - 4 Charisma - +2 Area Knowledge (university) - 5 Knowledge (psychology) - 3 Fighting - 2 Computer Operation - 2 Lying - 3 Dodge - 4 Seduction - 5 Running - 2 Songs Corporeal Healing - 3 Corporeal Charm - 3 Celestial Charm - 4 Possession - 4 Corporeal Motion - 1 Ethereal Motion - 2 Celestial Motion - 3 Attunements: Impudite of Lust, Knight of Lust, Dark Desire, Seneschal of the Sig Tether. Rahul appears as a young man in his mid-20s. He's quite good-looking, in a way that manages to be boyish and slightly over-slick at the same time (think "Otter", from _Animal House_). He is attuned to the Tether, but not Word-bound to it; Prince Andre isn't going to risk a Distincted servitor on an unstable Tether that might dry up tomorrow. Rahul's Role is as a graduate student "big brother", a sort of resident advisor to the undergraduate frat boys (officially, he's working on a Ph.D. in psychology). His assignment is to hold the Tether and -- if possible -- expand and stabilize it. Since Tethers are ineffable, there's no hard and fast rule for doing this; experience has shown that the best tactic is to encourage the appropriate Word. Rahul is trying to set up another incident like the one that first created the Tether. It won't work if he does it directly, of course, so he's gently nudging the Sigs in the appropriate direction. So far he's produced several more date rapes and one more-or-less consensual orgy, but the Tether remains obstinately wobbly. Rahul's secondary assignments include keeping an eye out for potential Soldiers (he's found one so far), serving as a flophouse and way station for Demons of Lust and friendly Princes, monitoring campus for signs of Celestial activity... and, of course, promoting his Prince's Word as much as possible. He does this by encouraging the frat boys (and anyone else he can get his hooks into) to make Lust the center of their lives. Rahul's an experienced demon -- he got his distinction the hard way, through decades spent diligently seducing and corrupting -- and he has a firm grounding in human psychology, so he's had considerable success in this regard. Like most Imps of Lust, Rahul is omnivorously promiscuous. He's usually juggling half a dozen lovers at once, but always has room for one more (jealousy isn't usually an issue; the Impudite of Lust attunement means that anyone who sleeps with Rahul is very probably Charmed by him, and so willing to believe an appropriate line, from "those others don't mean anything" to "it was just one of those things"). Rahul will hit on anyone who seems like they could be useful, or potentially threatening, or who might have useful skills or knowledge, or who's just good looking. One of the benefits of his Role is that nobody notices that he doesn't actually sleep. Between seductions, working out at gym and dojo (great way to meet cute humans and slurp Essence), his various duties, and the occasional token term paper, Rahul is one busy little devil. Rahul is a cowardly and selfish creature who'll avoid direct conflict if at all possible... barring an outright attack on himself or his Tether, he'll prefer to harass potential enemies with his Charmed humans and Jimmy Mack (see below). If pushed to the wall, though, he'll fight like a cornered rat; he has lots of Body hits and several handy Songs, and is willing to burn Essence like a blowtorch. Rahul loves his job, fears his Prince, and is not a candidate for redemption. GMs should play him as cunning and crafty, preferring to confuse, manipulate, and strike through proxies whenever possible. Tether Layout and Security Sig House is a big three-story Victorian painted lady, long since chopped up into dorm rooms. About 20 Sigs live in it. Rahul has a nice apartment on the first floor; this floor also has a kitchen, dining room, and living room. There is a small, weedy backyard. The basement consists of a large "party room" and an adjacent TV room. The latter is where the group rape took place, and is the center of the Tether. Several stained, sprung couches sit around a television that is somehow always showing one of the nastier porn channels; the air is always a bit uncomfortably moist and clammy; a faint but distinctive odor lingers. Occasionally, for no clear reason, the Tether-locus will expand to fill the entire basement and first floor, and then subside again after minutes or days. Rahul tries to organize "impromptu" parties whenever this happens, in the hope of expanding and stabilizing his Tether. He's had no luck yet, but keeps trying. Rahul has quietly encouraged the Sigs to install state-of-the-art security, with reinforced windows, electronic locks on the front and back doors, and small video cameras discreetly watching all entrances and the back yard. The Tether's main security, though,is the frat boys themselves; Rahul has encouraged them to be suspicious of anyone asking questions or trying to enter their house unaccompanied. Nubile females, of course, excepted... Tether Resources Rahul can call upon a variety of resources to protect his Tether: the frat boys, his various lovers, a local Hellsworn, and other Servitors of Lust. Frat Boys -- There are about 30 frat boys, 20 living in the house and the rest in other housing nearby. They're in a variety of majors and can provide Raul with access to all sorts of skills... everything from the CS major with Computer Operations - 6, to the mechanical engineer with a knack for picking simple locks. The frat boys are perfectly ordinary mortals. Of course, living on top of a Tether of Lust, in close proximity to a demon, has done nothing for their characters; most of them have serious Lust-related issues of one sort or another, and several are guilty of Lust-related crimes, from dealing Roofies to running an Internet kiddie porn site to old-fashioned date rape. A Malakite, Mercurian or Lilim would quickly dig up all sorts of greasy secrets. Few of the boys are truly evil, though, and most could be rescued from Lust's clutches with a bit of effort. With one exception, Rahul has Charmed every one of them repeatedly, and they all consider him an exceedingly cool fellow and a close personal friend. They'd all -- with one exception -- be willing to do his bidding, up to and including committing minor felonies. They'd even follow him into a fight, at least up until the point where bullets or Songs started to fly. And, of course, they're an almost bottomless well of Essence; repeated exposure to the Impudite's resonance have worn away their resistance. Thus Rahul won't hesitate to burn Essence wholesale, since he'll be able to get it all back quite quickly. Rahul's lovers -- Rahul's lovers, past and present, include literally dozens of undergraduates and grad students, three professors, the Dean of Students (female), a local detective of police (male), the sensei of the dojo where he works out (male), and the wife of the Mayor (female). Given the nature of the Impudite of Lust attunement, almost all of these individuals have been quite thoroughly Charmed by Rahul, and would be willing to help him by any means short of major crime. Rahul can use the University and the police, in particular, to harass any would-be troublemakers. Hellsworn -- Rahul hadn't been Seneschal for six months when, purely by accident, he stumbled across a human with Soldier potential: the manager of a local student bar, who had just been arrested in connection with a very ugly incident of sexual assault. Given his Songs and attunements, it was the work of a weekend for the demon to cook the evidence, suborn the witnesses, and get the indictment thrown out. Soon thereafter the grateful human was inducted into the formal service of Prince Andre. Jimmy Mack, Hellsworn Soldier of Lust 2 Corporeal Strength 6 Agility 3 2 Ethereal Intel 2 Precision 7 2 Celestial Perception 2 Will 6 1 level of Toughness Charisma +1 Fighting - 2 Dodge - 2 Handgun - 5 Rifle - 4 Fast-talk - 3 Seduction - 2 Lying - 6 Songs Corporeal Healing - 2 Corporeal Charm - 3 Celestial Charm - 3 Jimmy Mack is in his middle '30s; he manages a popular downtown bar. He has a long criminal record of minor convictions (statutory rape, firearms possession, assault) , but has so far managed to avoid getting busted for anything big. He's been Hellsworn for about two and a half years now. The less said about Jimmy Mack's personal habits, the better. He's a sadist, a rapist, and a full-blown sociopath. A bad, bad person, he has cheerfully signed over his soul to Hell in order to better gratify his thoroughly repellent desires. He's guilty of murder, torture, rape,and half a dozen other major felonies, and most of that was before he became Hellsworn. Any Malakite who resonates him is going to light up like a jukebox; any but the most hardened Lilim is going to flinch. Jimmy's not the brightest bulb on the tree, but he's handsome, charming, and an absolutely smooth and accomplished liar. He's gotten away with murder before... it was pure bad luck that brought him into jail, and to Rahul. He's also an army vet (dishonourable discharge) with combat experience and a large arsenal of guns, rifles, and miscellaneous nastiness. Rahul has taught Jimmy several Songs. The Hellsworn uses Corporeal Charm to win bar fights and the occasional sporting bet (the mysterious collapse of the quarterback in last week's opener against Tech was Jimmy's doing, and very profitable it was, too). He uses Celestial Charm and Corporeal Healing for his... hobbies. Jimmy Mack is not Rahul's servant in the formal sense, but he's deeply loyal to his demonic "patron" and will cheerfully kill at his command. Rahul, in turn, views Jimmy as a useful but ultimately expendable resource, and will betray him the instant it seems profitable. Other Servitors -- Prince Andre will commit at least two minor demons (7-8 Forces) to the defense of this Tether, if it comes to a straight-up fight. Beyond that, he'll cut his losses. Rahul will be able to summon this help on 8 hours notice or so. The Secret of the Sig Tether -- Rahul has Charmed every single member of the Sigs, except for one. The lone holdout is a 20-year-old English major named Marvin Diffenbacher... and although nobody knows it yet, Marvin is the key to the Sig Tether. You see, Marvin is a 20-year-old virgin. Furthermore, he's stayed that way by choice... he's no more ugly, clumsy or clueless than any other average English major. But he's deeply, sincerely religious. And while he doesn't think that premarital sex is _very_ wrong, he does believe that saving himself for That Special Someone is the highest and truest expression of unselfish love. Whether or not this is true, Marvin's *belief* in its truth -- and his self-sacrificing adherence to this unselfish and romantic belief -- has kept the Tether from stabilizing properly. As long as Marvin is living on the premises, the Tether will continue to fluctuate and will be in danger of disappearing completely. There are three clues to Marvin's importance. One is that Rahul has been unable to Charm Marvin, or steal Essence from him. The one time he tried, something bad happened... in game terms, he got either a "blowback" roll, or an Intervention. Deciding that Marvin was one of those rare high-Will humans, he decided to leave the boy alone and move on. At the GMs discretion, there are two possible explanations for this: either Marvin's faith has rendered him Blessed, or his peculiar status as Tether-spoiler has made him invulnerable to any direct attack from the Tether's Seneschal. The second clue is that the other Sigs are aware of Marvin's ideals, and (occasionally encouraged by Rahul) mock him mercilessly for them. "Starvin' Marvin" is just the kindest of the various nicknames. The third clue is that the fluctuations in the Tether are related to Marvin's comings and goings, and also to his moods. When he's home in his room, it shrinks; when he's away at classes, or home for the weekend, it's likely to grow. And when he's completely distracted from Lust (rare, in a 20 year old English major, but it does happen), the Tether's Essence flow dries up. Note that, other than his strong religious faith and his romantic belief that Love is far more important than Lust, Marvin is a perfectly normal 5-Force mundane human. Fixing (or breaking) the Tether -- If Marvin is removed from the premises, it will indeed become possible to fix the Tether. GM's discretion as to what this will involve, but any suitably large striking demonstration of Lust will do... a large orgy, another mass date rape, installing the servers for a major porn site, whateve (of course, Marvin will graduate in another year or so anyhow). If Marvin can be *corrupted*, better and better. If he once performs an act of selfish Lust on the premises, of his own free will (i.e., seduced or tricked but not possessed, threatened, or Geased), the Tether will promptly stabilize. The less direct Celestial involvement, the stronger it will be, up to a maximum of six Tether Forces. On the other hand, Marvin could be used to *break* the Tether. If Marvin were to perform some suitable symbolic act of either self-denial or Love on the premises -- getting married to his true love, say -- the Tether would pop on the spot. The GM should keep in mind, though, that too much direct celestial intervention will ruin Marvin as a tool, either to fix the Tether or destroy it. Marvin can be nudged but not shoved; seduced but not coerced; he must choose to act in his own right. or his actions will have no effect. Finally, closing down the Sig frat house, and keeping it closed for six months, would cause the Tether to dry up. If the Tether is shut down, Rahul will survive, but Prince Andre will slap him with a level or two of some suitably embarrassing Discord to teach him a lesson. If it's stabilized, Rahul will get either a Force or an attunment plus a Rite, and anyone else involved will be in Andre's good graces. Doug M. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1751 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2000 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.