From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Tue Aug 29 01:37:01 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 BAA06039 for ; Tue, 29 Aug 2000 01:37:00 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id BAA00879 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Tue, 29 Aug 2000 01:35:39 -0500 Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 01:35:39 -0500 Message-Id: <200008290635.BAA00879@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 #1796 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 29 2000 Volume 01 : Number 1796 In this digest: Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Re: IN> It's only a model... Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) Re: IN> New discord: Celestial Degeneration Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) Re: IN> It's only a model... Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Re: IN> The Demon of Pseudo Science Re: IN> It's only a model... IN> Magog for 2000#! Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Re: IN> It's only a model... Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Re: IN> Magog for 2000#! Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics IN> The Demon of Esthetics (revised) Re: IN> Magog for 2000#! Re: IN> It's only a model... Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics IN> Discord IN> Physter ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 12:59:28 -0600 From: "ben" Subject: Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) > My knowledge of Arthuriana is incomplete, so I have to ask -- did Lancelot > *ever* lose in single combat? And if so, to what, and how much magic was > the other side chucking? > Chuckg Galahad unhorsed him, demonstrating to all the world that Lancelot was no longer the best or purest knight. He lost to Arthur in the movie Excalibur. Arthur smacked him with Excalibur, which snapped. Of course, he was given a new Excalibur by the Lady of the Lake, but we all know that it's not the original. The original is in Laurence's cathedral, waiting for the day when an unknown angel -- a Malakite -- will appear in Heaven to take it up and make it whole, when Heaven is in its darkest hour. Or it's in Vapula's laboratory. If he can just get the metal to bind, we can *do* something about that darkest hour. Yes, yes we can. Ben ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:09:47 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics Interesting. I think it's the first time I've seen a Shedite referred to as "she." But it must be very unusual to get a Word before you've made baroness. Surely she's got some servitors working on male fashion excess? Getting guys to waste time, money, and energy on clothes, mail-order muscle-building kits, and steroids? Earl ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 14:22:50 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) ben wrote: > Galahad unhorsed him, demonstrating to all the world that Lancelot was no > longer the best or purest knight. It's worth noting that Galahad was not part of the original legends -- he's a relatively late addition to the Arthurian cycle. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:17:19 -0400 (EDT) From: Twila Oxley Price Subject: Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) Ben said: "Galahad unhorsed him, demonstrating to all the world that Lancelot was no longer the best or purest knight." -- well, yes, but Galahad WAS his son, and the Destined Successful Questor in the Grail Quest... along with Percival. Only Galahad could defeat Lancelot. And "He lost to Arthur in the movie Excalibur. Arthur smacked him with Excalibur, which snapped." But that's modern mythology. Borman had some really weird (and I do mean WEIRD) takes on the Fisher King, Merlin, and the rest -- Nybbas' influence, I'm sure. While Lancelot and Arthur did fight (a la Robin Hood and Little John, etc.) at their first meeting, in many legends, Lancelot won. Unhorsed Arthur. Never did they fight after that. Umph. Did I mention that I'm an Arthur fanatic? Twila ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 19:23:57 GMT From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics >Surely she's got some servitors working on male fashion excess? >Getting guys to waste time, money, and energy on clothes, >mail-order muscle-building kits, and steroids? _Infernal Players Guide_ makes an offhand reference to a "Demon Of Body-Building" (pump yourself up, no matter what the cost) in the Djinn section. Kronos alone knows which Demon Prince he serves. Male fashion excess re: Armani suits and whatnot might go to Rex, Demon Of Cool. - -- Chuckg _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:54:13 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> It's only a model... At 1:26 PM -0500 8/28/00, David Edelstein wrote: [...] >If anyone tries integrating that MZB crap, though, I may unleash "In >Nomine Gor" on you. ............ You know, that could work. After all, wasn't Gor supposed to be a "counter-revolving" planet? (Or whatever the term is for "on the direct other side of the Sun from Earth at all times.") There were some hyper-advanced people with starships (so they could kidnap the Earth wenches, though as I recall from the 2 books I waded through, their starships had a tendency to crash)... I don't recall if they were _human_, though. Therefore, for IN Gor, one simply presumes... Hm. I can see at least 2 options. #1: Lucifer suddenly unleashes Great Gory Gobs of Essence, and the disturbance leads to a spot... behind the Sun? The Seraphim Council would probably have to mobilize to have Jean drag spacetech out of his labs, wait for Tethers to form (and hope that the Princes didn't claim them first (though with elementals like Stone, Wind, and Fire around, the Archangels have an advantage in the waiting game)), and/or get there themselves via Superior Powers Of Some Kind and set up an ascension ladder. [An ascension ladder is what I have just now named the process of sending a Servitor to a point on the corporeal plane, and then having the Servitor return to its Heart. When someone else wishes to descend to that same point, the designated Servitor descends, being followed by the other celestial. Then the "ladder" ascends again to wait for the next load. (Maybe it should be an "ascension lift"? A celestivator (Celestial Elevator)?) ] Once angels get there, they have to deal with what they find. O:> Just watch out for Andrealphus, who clearly got a _big_ boost in power and is probably going on an orgy spree that is going to take the next five centuries to wind down. (Meanwhile, Vapulan starships go and kidnap appropriate breeding stock from Earth.) #2: Gor has always been there, and the PCs simply haven't been told about this Other Planet for whatever reason. Until, that is, they're assigned to do Something (protect, kill, subvert, whatever) some human who gets transported over there... I think #2 is less fun, because you don't really get the option of the Seraphim Council looking at each other and murmuring, "You know, God said 'Hands off _Earth_,' didn't He? And if this place is a creation of Hell, we can take off the kid gloves..." And as anyone who's bought GURPS IOU knows, I think Gor is a _grand_ place to adventure in. With heavy weapons and a bad attitude. SMITE! (Though a Lilim in either case could just _go to town_ with a Lust Special vessel and a decent Perception. Would want to get the Lust Band Attunement, though, since some of those Goreans like the blindfold-the-wench games. Clearly, this would be the sole reason that Lilith wasn't trying to acquire planet-buster nukes... "Stop all this? Sure -- after I OWN THE PLANET. Muwhahahahahahahahaha!") - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:58:43 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics At 2:32 PM -0700 8/28/00, Rolland Therrien wrote: >Here's my first attempt at a Servitor write-up. Tell me what you guys >think. Interesting. But... >Shedite of Lust [...] >Vessels: Human Male/2 > Female Human/2 Charisma +2 A Shedite with vessels? - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:48:48 -0400 (EDT) From: Twila Oxley Price Subject: Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) David, (Found at the Camelot project...) Galahad is the son of Lancelot and Elaine of Corbenic. Galahad was conceived when Elaine tricked Lancelot into thinking he was meeting and sleeping with Guinevere. Galahad is best known as the knight who achieves the quest for the Holy Grail. As the chosen knight he is allowed to sit in the Siege Perilous, the seat at the Round Table that is reserved for the Grail Knight. The first appearance of Galahad in medieval romance is in the thirteenth-century Vulgate Cycle. His coming is predicted in the first romance in the cycle, the Estoire del saint Graal. So while he's not in the major *historical* sources, neither are Lancelot nor many of the other knights we associate with Arthur. (My point of view is if it's in Malory, it's cool with me!) Twila ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 14:59:02 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> New discord: Celestial Degeneration From: "Gnezda" > > Okay, I had an idea for a new type of discord restricted *exclusively* > to malakim, just want all your opinions on it. I don't know if I'll ever be using it, but it made for a really interesting read. Thanks for sharing! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:58:05 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> Arthurian In Nomine (was: It's...) Twila Oxley Price wrote: > So while he's not in the major *historical* sources, neither are > Lancelot nor many of the other knights we associate with Arthur. > (My point of view is if it's in Malory, it's cool with me!) Wasn't Lancelot dragged in from his own cycle of stories, unrelated to Arthur, in German literature? By the way, people wanting to look for an IN angle on Arthuriana might want to read "Taliessin" and "The Region of the Summer Stars" by Charles Williams. It presents Merlin and his sister Brisen (whom Williams made up, for all I know) as celestials, more or less, and the whole thing has a heady, mythic atmosphere. But get the single-volume set with commentary by C. S. Lewis, since otherwise your chances of figuring out the poems are slight. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:02:52 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> It's only a model... Might Gor be one of several "planets" existing on the Ethereal Plane? So much imaginative energy has been wasted\\\\\\ er, poured into it, it may have become a sort of frame or meta- fantasy for all manner of S&Mish dreamscapes. Other inhabitants of the Ethereal "solar system" would include several versions of Mars (Edgar Rice Burroughs, B-movie monstrous, and Elder Space Brothers, to name three), and, more recently, Vulcan and the Klingon homeworld. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:07:45 -0700 From: Rolland Therrien Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics - -----Original Message----- From: Earl Wajenberg To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Monday, August 28, 2000 12:18 PM Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics >Interesting. I think it's the first time I've seen a Shedite >referred to as "she." But it must be very unusual to get a Word >before you've made baroness. The female Shedite idea came to me after I started thinking up a Shedite Demon of Esthetics. The realisation that women who are insecure about their looks are most likely to spend their lives in the endless pursuit of physical perfection at any costs. And who could be more insecure about his/her looks then a Shedite? The idea of a Shedite wearing different Vessels like others wear different fashions also came to mind. I'll be the first to admit I'm no expert in the mechanics of Word-Binding. I only own the main rulebook, and I had trouble finding the right rules while I was writing this Demon's write-up. But now that you mention it, I guess I could work on that write-up some more. Maybe make her start working on getting Andrealphus' attention after he knights her, make her Captain for that Footbinding thing, and finally becoming a Baroness of Lust in the Victorian Age, with the word of Esthetics awarded as a special reward. >Surely she's got some servitors working on male fashion excess? >Getting guys to waste time, money, and energy on clothes, >mail-order muscle-building kits, and steroids? Definetly a good idea. Another Idea that suggestion's inspired me: Turn Mina into a bit of a celebrity in Hell; Andrealphus' personal Fashion Designer/Top Model. Someone a lot of Demons admire/desire (Who knows, with Shedites?), who treats everyone aside from Princes or equals as worms unworthy of her, but who's really insecure about herself in secret. So yes, some Servitors working on male Esthetics would be appropriate, whether they're promoting Effeminate Pretty Boy looks or Buff Jocks looks. As always, thanks for the Input. - -Exit the LoneWolf ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:01:43 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: Re: IN> The Demon of Pseudo Science >Cute. One of the better Vapulan servitors I've seen. Merci. I always felt he needed some more servitors to be taken seriously. >As a Balseraph, doesn't Physter have to *believe* the various >forms of nonsense he peddles, at least while he peddles them? Personally Balseraphs are either hopelessly self-deluded like the Habbalites in my opinion or they are like the guy in 1984 who interrogates Wilson (or whatever his name was). They enter a mindset where it all seems perfectly clear and then shrug out of it. Either one I think works with Phister who may view all his snake-oil as exactly the truth from his theories and genius...and when he contradicts it he simply either has forgotton it or that it is an "extension of the theory and your following a psedo science version of it". Another idea is that he simply spins his yarns and then shrugs it off later laughing at the idiots (I almost made him a servant of Kobal). >How about a Habbalite, instead, inflicting gullibility on his >victims? Maybe but I like the Vapulan description of Balseraphs. Still it's hilarious to see a Habbalah saying "Theres a sucker born every minute." >By the way, why did you name him after sperm whales (genus >name Physter)? >Earl Actually I chose the name because it sounded familar and rhymes with "Shyster" plus an old Buffy the Vampire Episode before the dreaded 4th season (2nd I believe) had the name. However in a humrous way it fits him. He tells "Whoppers" - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 20:14:02 GMT From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> It's only a model... >Might Gor be one of several "planets" existing on the Ethereal >Plane? So much imaginative energy has been wasted\\\\\\ er, >poured into it, it may have become a sort of frame or meta- >fantasy for all manner of S&Mish dreamscapes. Whoa nellie. If you postulate that Earth novels spawn Ethereals based on their characters, then there are novels that have had *way* more "imaginative energy" wasted on them than Gor. I do not want to even *think* about Ethereal versions of Mentor of Arisia and Gharlane of Eddore (1)... (1)The "Lensman" series, E.E. "Doc" Smith _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:08:50 -0400 From: "Charles Phipps" Subject: IN> Magog for 2000#! >Tsktsktsk. >*ahem* >Rape *before* murder, Loot (pillage, plunder) *before* burn. >=) Why Magog was never a popular demon with the Host *OR* Hell. Thankfully Saminga or Belial never noticed the difference. >David wasn't corrupted, and Magog wasn't a Malakim. How exactly is this >evidence? David is not Uriel; his servators have fallen before. Well it's in Superiors one that Magog spouted a prophecy at David just before he fell that on the day of Armageddon they would fight together with David bearing the name of the Nephilim Gog again as a demon of horrofic destruction and otherwise unpleasantness. While most of Heaven shrugs it off..I'm not too sure. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:12:49 -0700 From: Rolland Therrien Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics - -----Original Message----- From: Elizabeth McCoy To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Monday, August 28, 2000 12:55 PM Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics >At 2:32 PM -0700 8/28/00, Rolland Therrien wrote: >>Here's my first attempt at a Servitor write-up. Tell me what you guys >>think. > >Interesting. But... > >>Shedite of Lust >[...] >>Vessels: Human Male/2 >> Female Human/2 Charisma +2 > >A Shedite with vessels? Again, my poor mastery of the In Nomine rules shines through. I couldn't find the pages where it's told whether or not a Shedite can have Vessels or not. I could just chuck the Vessels and Roles, and just make Mina use and ditch fashion designers and models like dresses and beauticians. Then again, that sounds even more appropriate for a Shedite of Esthetics. Thanks. - -Exit the LoneWolf ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:25:15 -0400 From: Marc Bowden Subject: Re: IN> It's only a model... - --On Monday, August 28, 2000 8:14 PM +0000 Charles Glasgow wrote: >> Might Gor be one of several "planets" existing on the Ethereal >> Plane? So much imaginative energy has been wasted\\\\\\ er, >> poured into it, it may have become a sort of frame or meta- >> fantasy for all manner of S&Mish dreamscapes. > > Whoa nellie. If you postulate that Earth novels spawn Ethereals > based on their characters, then there are novels that have had > *way* more "imaginative energy" wasted on them than Gor. > > I do not want to even *think* about Ethereal versions of Mentor of > Arisia and Gharlane of Eddore (1)... > On the other hand, Ethereal versions of the Meri might be kinda cool, just for the freakout value.[1] Marc. Just Marc. Elohite Angel of Salvation ("Firmly Bah'ai the times.") [1] "The Meri", Maya Kathryn Bonhoff. Good book. Honest. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 16:18:30 -0700 From: Rolland Therrien Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics - -----Original Message----- From: Charles Glasgow To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Monday, August 28, 2000 12:32 PM Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics >>Surely she's got some servitors working on male fashion excess? >>Getting guys to waste time, money, and energy on clothes, >>mail-order muscle-building kits, and steroids? > >_Infernal Players Guide_ makes an offhand reference to a "Demon Of >Body-Building" (pump yourself up, no matter what the cost) in the Djinn >section. Kronos alone knows which Demon Prince he serves. > >Male fashion excess re: Armani suits and whatnot might go to Rex, Demon Of >Cool. I'd forgotten what the Demon of Cool's name was, thanks. I was also thinking of making an association between the two, as Cool and Esthetics are often closely linked. And having Mina serve as Hell's Super Model to Rex, Hell's Star Actor/Male Model makes for an even better association. Of course, any relationship between the two would be strictly business, as Mina would obsess over Andrealphus, while Rex seems too self-absorbed to care for anyone else. Thanks for the input, Chuck. - -Exit the LoneWolf ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 21:51:49 GMT From: "Jo Hart" Subject: Re: IN> Magog for 2000#! >From: "Charles Phipps" >Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com >To: >Subject: IN> Magog for 2000#! >Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 13:34:46 -0400 > >And replace Eli for Bush and we have a REAALLLY good election. > Nah, vote Mammon (because that's one of the S4 plot seeds ;) ) jo _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 17:38:28 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics From: "Rolland Therrien" > Here's my first attempt at a Servitor write-up. Tell me what you guys > think. I loved it, and plan on using her as an NPC in at least one of my own games. ;;;) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 18:58:37 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics At 4:12 PM -0700 8/28/00, Rolland Therrien wrote: >-----Original Message----- >From: Elizabeth McCoy >>>Shedite of Lust >>[...] >>>Vessels: Human Male/2 >>> Female Human/2 Charisma +2 >> >>A Shedite with vessels? > >Again, my poor mastery of the In Nomine rules shines through. I couldn't >find the pages where it's told whether or not a Shedite can have Vessels or >not. p. 151, first sentence under "Resonance" header. O:> Delete "generate" and use "have" or "own" -- previous versions of the main rules had celestials spending character point Essence (it was roughly the same thing!) to make their own vessels, but the current rules prohibit this outside of Limbo. >I could just chuck the Vessels and Roles, and just make Mina use and >ditch fashion designers and models like dresses and beauticians. Yup, that's what Shedim do. Have her ditch the Roles as well, and put the points into Knowledges appropriate for such Roles. (That way, she can put on some other schmoe who happens to have the right physical characteristics, and use the knowledge to 'talk the talk' if need be.) - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: 28 Aug 2000 22:40:38 -0000 From: "-=|horsefly|=-" Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics On Mon, 28 Aug 2000 15:09:47 -0500 Earl Wajenberg wrote: >Interesting. I think it's the first time I've seen a Shedite >referred to as "she." But it must be very unusual to get a Word the first time i've seen it work. i've seen Shedim referred to as "she," but this time, i actually believed the pronoun. >before you've made baroness. > >Surely she's got some servitors working on male fashion excess? >Getting guys to waste time, money, and energy on clothes, >mail-order muscle-building kits, and steroids? and "enlargement tubes .... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 18:52:37 -0700 From: Rolland Therrien Subject: IN> The Demon of Esthetics (revised) Thanks for the advice, guys. Here's my revised version, for your approval. Mina Shedite of Lust Demon of Esthetics Corporeal Forces: 3 Strength: 4 Agility: 8 Etherial Forces: 4 Intelligence: 8 Precision: 8 Celestial Forces: 4 Will: 9 Perception: 7 Word Forces: 4 Skills: Artistry/4 (Beautician), Artistry/4(Modeling),Dodge/2, Driving/1, Emote/4, Fast-Talk/2, Knowledge/4 (Beauty Techniques), Languages (French/2, English/2, Italian/1, Chinese/1), Lying/3, Move Silently/2, Savoir-Faire/3, Seduction/2 Songs: Attraction (Etherial/3), Charm (Etherial/2, Celestial/2), Form (Corpoeral/2), Harmony (Etherial/2), Light (Corporeal/1, Etherial/1), Shields (All/1), Tongues (Corporeal/1, Etherial/2, Celestial/2) Attunements: Shedite of Lust, Shedite of the Media, Dark Desire, Subliminal, Knight of Infernal Pleasures, Captain of Diabolical Delights, Baron of Eternal Ecstasy. Unique Attunement: The Marilyn Monroe effect: This attunement Mina grants to her servitors who gain Roles as Models or beautiful celebreties. At the cost of 1 Essence per point of Charisma, The Demon creates an aura of sexual attraction that affects anyone sexually attracted to the Vessel's gender. Female Vessels gain a Charisma +1/Essence towards any heterosexual male or homosexual female, for exemple. Alcaminaron, or Mina, as Andrealphus calls her, has spent the past few thousand years working hard to earn her Prince's favors and attentions. Not that easy, when you're a shedite, and your Prince is more attracted to Lillim. Her obsession began after she managed to seduce a Servitor of David (She was in the body of a Philistine girl called Delilah, and the Servitor's name was Samson), was awarded the title of Knight of Infernal Pleasures. Andrealphus complimented her on her seduction technique, and even gave her a little kiss on the cheek (or the closest thing she had for a cheek that day). Mina immediatly got a crush on the Beautiful Prince. Aware that Andrealphus might not pay too much attention to her own beauty, she decided to attract his attention in other ways, by promoting lust any way she could. She began taking ordinary female vessels, then used her Resonnance to influence them into becoming more vain and concerned about their appearances, wanting to spend more time improving their appearances. She thus succeeded in turning many women into vain, lustful creatures, in an attempt to gain the Beautiful Prince's favors. She didn't get them. Then, around 900, she had a breakthrough: She'd always worked on an individual basis, so she could only do so much. If she could influence many people in Lust's name, then maybe Andrealphus would pay attention to her. And that's when she came across Footbinding. Footbinding was a bit of a fringe beauty-enhancing technique in China, when Mina came across it. Parents would bandage a daughter's feet around the age of eight or nine, and progressivly tighten the bindings throughout the adolescence, until the girl's arches were broken and the toes remained permenantly curled. People felt this made such girls more attractive and feminine. Mina simply loved the concept, and felt this would be a great way to promote Lust. She began influencing rich nobles, making them prefer girls with bound feet over girls with normal feet. People caught on to this, and started binding the feets of their own daughters, in hopes of making them more attractive to rich nobles and other well-off men. Over the course of a few decades, Footbinding became a fashion, and Mina was summoned before Andrealphus. Mina was extatic; she'd finally gotten his attention. When she arrived at her Prince's private Boudoir, where Andrealphus was waiting for her. "So," he said," You're the lovely little Corrupter that's made this Footbinding practice such a popular fashion amongst the Chinese. I must commend you on your taste, my dear." Before the blushing Shedite could say anything, Andrealphus got off his chair and went over to kiss and embrace the otherwise unnattractive Shedite, which very much stunned the poor creature. We won't get into the detail of how Andrealphus showed his appreciation to her, as what happened afterwards is what's truly interesting. After she received her reward, a Celestial Force and the title of Capatain of Diabolical Delight, Andrealphus simply asked the afterglowing Shedite: "So, Mina... What are you planning for a follow-up?" Mina, blindsided by that question, could only stay silent: She hadn't really planned anything past the footbinding thing. Desperate, she said the only thing she could think of "I'm looking into another human fashion that look promising... I'm sure it'll be big." "Really? What would it be?" Mina did her best to sound confident, and answered "Now, my Prince, I wouldn't want to Spoil the surprise..." Andre simply smiled and escorted her out of his Private Sanctum, leaving Mina to her own devices. And Mina had a lot to think about. Truth be told, she had no idea what to do now. Except repeat the formula that had gotten her the title of Captain she now held: Find a Beauty enhancement technique that could greatly improve another's beauty, at some cost to one's health, and promote it's use amongst the humans. Fortunetly for her, she found that with her title of Captain and her current status as one of Andrealphus' "favorites", came the attention of lesser demons, who were hoping some of Mina's new Celebrity would brush off on them if they helped her out. And so Mina has spent the following centuries to promote obsession over physical beauty at any price amongst the Humans. Along with her new Servitors, she kept working on promoting artifical means to enhance one's beauty, dispite possibly harmful side-effects. She was awarded her own unique Attunement around the Victorian era, when sickly paleness became the standard of beauty amongst women, and when the corset became a traditional item amongst women who wanted to alter their bustlines. After the dawn of television and the Media, Mina was one of the first servitors of Lust wanting to work in association with the new Prince. She had always had the problem of being unable to quickly promote new fashions, and the Media fixed that problem very well. It now became easy to promote new beautician techniques as they were developped, and she began mass marketing the idea that "Beauty is something you MUST achieve at any cost" through the Media. The commitment she should to her word, and to the Media earned her a few rewards from Nybbas, although she politely refused his invitations to work under her. And her loyalty to Lust didn't go unrewarded, as Andrealphus awarded her with the coveted title of Baroness of Eternal Ecstacy after she created the Avon make-up company. A few years later, when she inspired the creation of the Barbie Doll, creating an unreal model of physical beauty for young girls to aspire to for generations, She was brought before a smiling Lucifer, who commended her for her hard work promoting shallowness and superficial beauty amongst the humans, in service to Lust. She beamed with pride as he awarded her with the word of Esthetics, and smiled for the cameras of the Media as Andre himself came over to award her the title of Marquess of Lust. Nowadays, Mina is on the top of Andrealphus' staff, as expensive Fashions and health-damaging beauty enhancing techniques are becoming more and more popular. She encourages young woman to purposly damage their health in order to imitate the impossibly fashion models who's careers she's made. She enjoys Possessing such young, naturally attractive girls, then uses the Song of Forms to twist their bodies into impossible shapes, then lets the new models suffer the price for their bodies (bad health, eating disorders, etc) She's stopped chasing after Andrealphus, as the now famous Shedite has her own admirers to deal with (including, to her amusement, some Lillim.) Nybbas' own "son", Rex, the Demon of Cool, has been known to have some relations with her, as Cool and Esthetics often overlap. These relationships don't mean much to Mina, who mearly uses the number and quality of suitors she attracts as a way to measure her own "Beauty". Even her relations with Rex are considered "Business"; a way of staying on Media's good graces, and of keeping her own status high. Rex is always in the Media, so dating him is always a good way to promote the latest trends quickly. Demons serving under Mina often work hard to try to live up to Mina's extremely (and constantly shifting) high standards of physical perfection. Her Balseraphs, fellow Shedites and her Lillim specialize in influencing people into using more and more Esthetic Products, in spite of the possible costs, while her Habbalah, Lillim and Impudites work in the Modeling business, using unique vessels, altered with the Corporeal Song of Forms to create impossibly beautiful ideals of beauty most humans will envy, but never acheive in real life. In addition to Lust and the Media, Mina is also considered a very valuable asset to Hell by Haagenti, who enjoys seeing people spend so much for something so superficial as Make-Up. Kobal just grins at the irony of unnatural Models being considered "Ideals" of true beauty, Vapula is pleased she's so interested in promoting "Elective Surgery" and experimental Beauty Products, and even Saminga has been known to smile when he sees how many people irreversibly damage their health to attain beauty. And his servitors in charge of teen suicide often use Mina's Models to shame young girls into despair and suicide. Outwardly, Mina just screams "Cold, Arrogant Super Model" in her attitude, showing neither care nor concern to the fate of her Servitors, as long as produce results. Her minions are expected to produce lasting results, no matter the cost. Unfortunetly, few fashions last long enough to keep Mina's interests for long, so her Servitors are always working on something new to please her. She treats her fellow word-bound with varying degrees of warmth, depending on whether or not they can be useful to her and her Word. She always shows a minimum of civility towards all Princes, though she saves her "friendly" face for the ones who can help her promote her word and Lust, like the Princes of Shal-Mari. Inwardly however, Mina herself is still the shy little Shedite, and is as insecure and shallow as her Word. She's always obsessed with doing "One better" then her last work, and never allows herself a moment's rest. Just as many models fret over every little detail of their appearance, and search for each new beauty enhancing technique, she frets over every detail of her Word's influence, and is constantly on the look-out for the latest esthetic fashion. From Valley Girl to Grunge, from Pop Star Look-Alike to Neo-Goth, she's constantly on the look for the next big "Look" that screams "Lust" to Humans. She's starting to get interested in Vapula's latest attempts in DNA reshaping, and sees her possible ticket to Princess-hood in promoting the idea of reshaping one's own body as the key to physical perfection amongst the mortals. This may be the straw that breaks her back, though. Due to her rather superficial sphere of influence, Mina has managed to remain under Heaven's radar. Promoting a tool likely to affect Humanity in such ways might attract too much of Heaven's attention, though. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 19:13:45 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Magog for 2000#! At 2:02 PM -0400 8/28/00, Galen Silversmith wrote: >> Return-Path: tcp@zoomnet.net >> (thus in a humorous campaign you can have fun with new servitors of cruelty >> explaining to their lord to arrange "the Murder, Rape, Pillage, Loot, Burn" >> approach to subdoing New York is not exactly feasible right now) > >Tsktsktsk. >*ahem* >Rape *before* murder, Loot (pillage, plunder) *before* burn. >=) "Where has all the treasure gone, long time passing? Where has all the treasure gone, long time ago? Where has all the treasure gone? Gone to ashes, every one. When will they every learn? Pillage _before_ you burn..." At 4:08 PM -0400 8/28/00, Charles Phipps wrote: >>David wasn't corrupted, and Magog wasn't a Malakite. How exactly is this >>evidence? David is not Uriel; his Servitors have fallen before. > >Well it's in Superiors one that Magog spouted a prophecy "...or, (more likely) lunatic boast..." (S1, p. 14, paragraph 5, sentence 2.)* And then Magog Fell. (The image of a Kyriotate trying to do a swan dive has just occured to me. In an effort to spread the SAN loss, I will attempt to make -y'all- think about it... **) * (S1, 14.5:2? Ack. I begin to wonder if a bet was not missed to number the paragraphs in IN books. Then again, that would probably look incredibly cutesy and annoying after a while. Darn.) ** Hmmmmmmmmm......... Interesting notion for a Calabite resonance. Talk about brain-breaking. - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 18:12:16 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> It's only a model... From: "Charles Glasgow" > > I do not want to even *think* about Ethereal versions of Mentor of Arisia > and Gharlane of Eddore (1)... Those were actually Roles for Yves and Kronos, respectively, if you want your game to get really twisted. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 18:16:25 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN>The Demon of Esthetics From: "Elizabeth McCoy" > > Yup, that's what Shedim do. Have her ditch the Roles as well, and put > the points into Knowledges appropriate for such Roles. (That way, she > can put on some other schmoe who happens to have the right physical > characteristics, and use the knowledge to 'talk the talk' if need be.) Or perhaps she could use the Corporeal song of Form to also reshape her hosts, so that she can use different people to fill the same roles? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 08:59:12 +0930 From: Gnezda Subject: IN> Discord 'I don't know if I like Celestial diseases as Discord.' It's not strictly discord as such. Any actions involving having no discord (such as using that Trisagion song or whatever) don't count this as being discord. In addition, anyone who can sense discord normally (such as servitors of Dominic) can't sense this. In fact, only a few of the *Superiors* even have the ability to pick it. With my character, only Yves knows about it, no other superior does. Also, it's generated as discord by game mechanics because it's tied into the malakim 'fall override' system. 'It makes the campaign rather dark if the Almighty can't remove it.' I never strictly said he couldn't... :) In fact, in my opinion God would be able to remove it, but he just never does. God doesn't seem to get involved with angel affairs much anymore and he might not even notice it either. If you attracted God's attention personally, I'm sure he'd remove it. Also, as the archangel of Creation, Eli *might* be able to remove it, but it'd take a *lot* of energy from him, probably even involving him to sacrifice his own Forces to boot. I just wanted to clear up those points. :) Milan ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 16:01:42 +0930 From: Gnezda Subject: IN> Physter 'Snake-oil merchants' are supposed to be masters at bulls***ing to others to convince them that their wares are useful and/or safe. So, how about saying Physter repeatedly told people that his wares were poisonous and/or totally useless to all his customers (thus telling the truth as all good balseraphs are meant to do) but, due to this, everyone thought 'Now hang on, why is he trying to convince me I don't need it? Something seems a bit fishy. I *must* have that merchandise now!' And so he convinced people to buy his goods by being totally honest and getting them totally confused. :) ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1796 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2000 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.