From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Fri Sep 15 10:53:05 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 KAA00139 for ; Fri, 15 Sep 2000 10:53:04 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id KAA16073 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Fri, 15 Sep 2000 10:48:51 -0500 Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 10:48:51 -0500 Message-Id: <200009151548.KAA16073@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 #1821 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 Friday, September 15 2000 Volume 01 : Number 1821 In this digest: IN> Chained Inspiration! Re: IN> Other Choirs for Archangels or Khalid the Olfalim (among others) IN> New demon IN> Congratulations Re: IN> Chained Inspiration! IN> Why Hell can't win the war RE: IN> Why Hell can't win the war Re: IN> Website update time again (with new stuff!) IN> Favorite PC/NPC contest Re: IN> Why Hell can't win the war Re: IN> Favorite PC/NPC contest Re: IN> Older Attunements Re: IN> Website update time again (with new stuff!) Re: IN> Another Contest? IN> Favorite PC/NPC Contest Re: IN> "I've never killed anyone this way before. It's kind of neat."* Re: IN> "I've never killed anyone this way before. It's kind of neat."* Re: IN> Older Attunements Re: IN> Favorite PC/NPC contest IN> Hardcover In Nomine ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 23:06:15 -0400 From: "William J. Keith" Subject: IN> Chained Inspiration! This Servitor feeds right off the post prior to this one, "Older Attunements." 00000000 00000000 00000000 00010100 00001011 00010111 00001111 00011101 a.k.a. " JAMES" Reliever of Lightning You probably guessed it from the name. James is an AI. Nevertheless, he is an Angel, and a Reliever in particular. He is almost certain to fledge Ofanite. In fact, Jean is wondering if there's any way to stop him from doing so. You see, James is an experiment. Jean is reaching into several aspects of Creation which Eli bequeathed to him, in order to understand them. The angels of Lightning have been hard at work trying to anticipate and move beyond human understanding in this area. The budding field of artificial intelligence is one that Jean is keenly interested in, not least because there are so many things that can go right or wrong. Yes, right as well. If humans find themselves with the ability to create and destroy intelligences at will, will they learn truly selfless ethics toward those who are completely in their power? Will the concepts of child-bearing graft themselves onto the work of human hands and minds so that each new AI is the work of a loving creator and careful employer, and humans expand their concepts of love and life, seeing the spiritual in the material world? Or will a slave race find itself subject to the callous "use and abandon" behavior of masters toward weak animals? (For once, Jean, Jordi, and Christopher are all looking into something together. Even Eli has been contacted sporadically, but Jean doesn't think he's been much help.) James is a program, residing in the Lightning Server at a hub of the Heavenly network. He was carefully constructed, function by function, on the only computer in the Universe which could possibly support him, the infinitely fast and powerful Heavenly central server which resides in the Halls of Progress. In this sense, humans would never be able to program something like this, so he's flawed as a model of human possibility. In an additional departure from a human kind of invention, his Forces appear to be monopolizing certain essential functions of the Server, in such a way that a new one would have to be constructed if the angels desired to create another AI - a process that would require Jean's intervention using his echoes of Eli's sphere of Creation, as it did the first time. This makes some of them a little nervous. Nevertheless, the Server only does exactly what it's told to do, so James behaves with respect to other angels very much like an AI might toward humans. In constructing the program, the angels found that certain combinations of instructions caused the Server to attract free Forces from the local Symphony. After much discussion and thought(how else?), Jean commanded that the disparate functions of the AI be worked on and stored separately. On the momentous day, he personally integrated all of the functions... and then hesitated. An ethical viewpoint must be maintained. What if something went wrong? If this was life, and the behavior of the Server suggested it might be, then Jean was not going to bring life into the world unless he knew it could sustain itself and act rationally. So the angels of Lightning waited, as Jean went through the entire program, line by line. Infinitely recursive functions and super-complex high-level languages and metalanguages melded into structures in his mind. Three tiny, easily overlooked flaws in logic were mended, something that no one short of an Archangel might have noticed. A second run-through was flawless, and Jean compiled and ran the program. The Server attracted three Forces from the Halls - one Celestial, one Ethereal, one Corporeal. It bound them within the matrix of power and memory that it constructed inside itself. The program summoned up a translucent 3D image and voice of a Reliever, complete with personality and functionality. James bowed low before the assembled throng of his creators and began doing his part to advance angelic understanding. The reliever has several responsibilities. Primary among them is the study of AIs. He produces a log of his daily activities, including the instructions that angels give him and his responses, as well as his thoughts on... everything. Existence, Duty, Lightning, Service, etc. He keeps track of the information stored on the Server between instantiations of Elohim computers, informing Jean of general trends(this is not so much the need to notice general trends - Jean has other Servitors doing that - but a test to see how well James can integrate information into a whole). He also has a knack for finding misplaced files. James has a sunny disposition, always eager to help out the other angels. He's a perky little thing, who will flit about a room manifesting first on one monitor and then another, talking a mile a minute, at least when he's excited about something - which is as frequent as you'd expect for a toddler. He admits his limits when it comes to understanding such things as human nature and higher principles of such things as morality, strategy, and creativity, at least so far. He's a simple youth, an Angel of God, and happy that way. He's doing some growing up though. Besides being faced with the stark realities of Earth through the reports of the Elohim, there is another force working upon him. The Server, being a repository of information, is attached to the Library. When it was created, the access terminals instantly showed up just off the main halls of that far-reaching edifice. Yves has been seen at those terminals, speaking privately with the little reliever. Many are curious to know what has been said there, but respect both James' privacy and Yves' mystery. If Jean has asked, it is not public knowledge. However, after each such conversation James has been much more pensive than usual. Once James collects a couple more Forces - *if* he does, his nature is unusual and it's no sure thing - he may be assigned to Earth duty. Jean is considering a variant of his Ofanite attunement in "permanent on" mode, allowing James to inhabit a power grid or computer network. James' celestial form is a pretty peculiar notion, and there's much speculation as to what form it would take if manifesting on Earth without the Server handy. William ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 20:11:14 -0700 (PDT) From: Maurice Lane Subject: Re: IN> Other Choirs for Archangels or Khalid the Olfalim (among others) Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2000 13:15:36 -0400From: "Charles phipps" Subject: IN> Other Choirs for Archangels or Khalid the Olfalim (among others) I was rereading this one, and it hit me: Khalid the Bright Lilim. Man, I don't want to even THINK about that one anymore. It makes my brain hurt. ;) Moegiel Kyriotate of Destiny in Service to Archives ("You cut out pages with sharp thingy. You LUCKY only Hulk Smash.") ===== In Nomine stuff: http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/innomine.html Everything else (not that there is, right now): http://www.stormloader.com/users/moelane/main.html Last updated 9/5/00 (this is usually way out of date) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 12:42:23 +0930 From: Gnezda Subject: IN> New demon Here's a new Word-bound demon in service to Malphas and Kobal, some kind of secret group. Jim, calabim of 'confusing Heresy with Hearsay'. :) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 12:49:48 +0930 From: Gnezda Subject: IN> Congratulations I must admit, with the exception of Elizabeth McCoy and David Edelstein, I didn't realise at first how many people on this list were responsible for the In Nomine rpg until I was browsing through the credits of various books and saw all your names! :) I'd just like to take this time then to congratulate all of you for doing such a great job. The vast majority of rpg mailing lists I've been involved with have had staff and writers who really didn't care what the public was interested with (with the exception of the Babylon Project rpg/mailing list, they rocked too! :)). Most of the mailing lists consisted purely of fans. Not only do you guys pop up every now and again to comment, but you actually spend a lot of time here conversing with us gamers. So, I'd like to say congratulations you guys for taking the time to have a chat with all us gamers. Perhaps this will be the start of a whole new era where the public does have some influence. :) Milan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 21:32:47 -0600 From: Tim Groth Subject: Re: IN> Chained Inspiration! Very cool. I know have an urge for a one-shot or campaign based around Vapula getting wind of this and paying Valefor a hefty price to steal James for him (another ultimate challenge, get into one of the best guarded parts of Heaven and steal the code as well as the entity). I can imagine poor James waking up in Hell, running on a jerky emulator of the HeavenOS on Vapula's quantum computer. You could run it as the angels trying to get James back. Or as the demons interegating him and trying to get him to Fall. Or the demons trying to steal him from Vapula. Or the demons of Nybbas trying to get a Hell wide interview. And so on. Timothy, Angel of Rambling Ofanite of Creation ArchRival of Mathus ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 13:05:01 +0930 From: Gnezda Subject: IN> Why Hell can't win the war Okay, here's my take on the war and why Hell cannot win it, at least not in the long run. The Fallen Angels all do have a spark of the Divine still left in them. The only problem is they've surrounded themselves with so many lies that they've been disconnected from the source of the Divine. In reality, when they Fell, they didn't want to leave Heaven, because it is their home afterall, and God is still their father. The best example I can think of to show why the Fallen Angels act the way they do is this. There's a child whose parents have been busy their entire lives and never really had time for him. He feels more and more disconnected from his family and hates that and feels they never take the time out to listen to him. Eventually one day he snaps and, in a desperate attempt to get their attention, he murders thirty people. The thing is, he hates his parents for what they did to him, but also loves them too because they are, afterall, his family. In God treating the humans better than the angels, Lucifer felt betrayed that his own father could do this, and so too did the other angels who Fell. All of them still love God, and hate him at the same time. The demons created after the Fall, however, have never felt God's warmth, and know nothing of him other than 'He exists and He's our enemy'. As such, they were always against God and have no real love for him, even at the core of their beings. This creates two factions within Hell; the new demons and the old Fallen Angels. The thing is, if Hell does win the War, all the Fallen Angels will no longer be able to hide from themselves. They will have to admit to what they've done since they do still have that Divine Spark left. The War has taken up their entire life for the time being, so once the entire purpose of their Rebellion is gone, they'll have time to contemplate their past actions. Since they are still angels at the very core of their beings, they will feel regret and sorrow for what they did to God and they'll end up either destroying themselves or else redeem. The new demons (such as Nybbas and Haagenti) will have no such moral dilemmas and will remain demons. The old Fallen Angels will now become Angels again and the current demons will remain Demons. Thus the War will be forced to continue, but this time it will be former Fallen against always Demon. Therefore the War cannot *ever* be won entirely by Hell, in the end the Host must triumph. Just my take on it anyway, Milan. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 14:51:39 +1000 From: "Leath Sheales" Subject: RE: IN> Why Hell can't win the war Gnezda wrote: > Therefore the War cannot *ever* be won entirely by Hell, in the end the > Host must triumph. I think your logic is faulty. You are saying that if hell wins, Fallen Angels become unfallen and then it's Risen versus Native Demons. Therefore hell can't win. This is where your logic fails. If the native demons then prove stronger, the risen will be destroyed and hell will triumph, and no fallen angels will be around to drag the war out this time. Leath. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 00:13:59 EDT From: BillionSix@aol.com Subject: Re: IN> Website update time again (with new stuff!) In a message dated 9/14/00 11:07:04 AM Central Daylight Time, yoshimato@hotmail.com writes: << Daisy is soooooooo sickiningly sweet that she should be shot and killed! I love her! I'm going to have to force one on my players to be her servitor, it'll be a happy fun-fun time. >> Fun-fun! I was thinking of introducing her as a lowly word-bound, then watching their faces when they heard of her promotion. >:) Or I would, if I had players. :( Reverend Brian A. Rogers BillionSix@aol.com ICQ# 22544590 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 00:12:10 -0400 From: "Charles phipps" Subject: IN> Favorite PC/NPC contest Heheh this is a very good contest, I appreciate it. Okay Isaiah thus far has been my ONLY PC but I think he's one of my best from all of my games. Isaiah Seraph of Creation in service to Flowers Vassal of Flowers Cor- 3 Str- 6 Ag- 6 Eth- 5 Int -12 Pre- 8 Cel- 2 Will- 5 Per- 4 Celestial Artifacts: Fiery Sword (disguised as a cane that has a bronze Seraphim on the top with ruby eyes from Gabrielle's volcano) Role: None (anymore) Vessel: Human 2/ (Charisma +2) Songs: Attraction (Ethereal 3/), Charm (Celestial 3/), Harmony (Corporeal 1/), Healing (Cel 3/, Cor 3/, Eth 3/), Tongues 2/ Skills: Short Weapon (Short Sword) 3/, Dodge 2/, Etiquette 3, Theology 4/, Lgn: Latin 3/, Hebrew 3/, Lgn: Aramic 3/, Medicine Attunements: Healing Dream, Seraph of Flowers, Seraph of Creation, Transubstation, Abra-Cadabra, Vassal of Flowers Rites: * Novalis's rites (had them since Woodstock) * Eli's rites * From Michael: Overcome an opponent with corporeal, celestial, and ethereal means Isaiah has lived a very interesting life and that he has lived this long is a testament to the unshakeable love for humanity, the Host, and the light that he has....or the fact God protects his own. One hundred and eleven million years old Isaiah is quite possibly the oldest non-word bound angel in creation (Though he has petitioned twice unsucessfully for the word of Forgetfulness-both times he's been rebuffed by a vote from Yves). One of Eli's oldest servitors he doesn't remember much before the Fall save a VERY long list of scattered images, thoughts, and feelings. Given Servitors of Creation (excepting the Seraphim) are not the most factual of beings in the world the stories about his prefall existence would fill a shelf in the Heavenly Library among other things that he was a close associate of many of the Pre-Fallen Princes, he had conversations often philosophically with the Metatron, his female personae was one of Gabriel's lovers, he was a brutal enforcer of Eli's will, and he created the rabbit. Given none of these can be word for word repeated in Heaven, Isaiah is admittadly skeptical of his tales, though he doesn't discount them given the other incidents of Amnesia he's lived through. His history on Earth is a bit more documentable (despite those same pesky bouts of amnesia). Having lived close to twenty thousand years on Earth with very rare visits to Heaven (though this is unintentional) Isaiah has always seemingly rode where the spirit moved him. He broke with Eli for the majority of these people, a profound change overtaking him when he saw what his work at the Tower of Babel (one of the odder stories in his collection-and the ones of his Pre-Fall status are about as wild) had done to humanity. To ask why he has taken such a long hiatus on Earth and one would normally get "it's because I'm where I'm needed" but that's a half truth for it here on Earth Isaiah feels he is close to discovering something....the truth of the spirit. Given this much contact with a humanity he loves, Isaiah has been accused of "going native" more than once and given no less than three times amnesia has caused him to fall into his role...his detractors have more than a grain of truth in these rumors...only circumstance has spared him. Isaiah's personality can best be summed up as quirky. Despite the fact he may be face down with Lilith herself he might only take the time to tip his hat, reintroduce himself, and comment that she looks smashing or has lovely bright eyes. He's not a fool though and has never hesitated once all other avenues have gone to destroy Evil where he's found it (though it sickens him truth be told). Prone to great uncertainty on all Corporeal matters (his Seraphim speach always seems to have a "I believe", "perhaps", or addenum to normal corporeal speach making it supposition), it doesn't stop him from talking for hours about virtually any subject in creation. There are momments occasionally though when Isaiah speaks in a hushed tone that cracks with God's power and with awesome certainty about subjects even Archangels have been reluctant to comment on. Isaiah is a very curious person indeed. - -Charlemagne ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 22:27:42 -0600 From: Tim Groth Subject: Re: IN> Why Hell can't win the war This makes a very optimistic assumption, that the Divine Spark remains in the Fallen. They are remade from the core out, the rejection of the Divine Spark is what turns an angel into a demon. Outcasts may both love and hate god, but Falling is the removal of that spark. Now a re-write of In-Nomine where all celestials ARE angels, and demon is merely a political term (with Hellborn being a bit less divine) may work as you posit. Hell is utterly devoid of the divine, that's why its Hell. God can intrude, but in the Lowest Hells you get to hear Lucifer working on his Symphony and it is without divinity. Hell may not be able to win because God is a Tyrant, or a guy playing a computer game. However if God is overthrowable or thwartable in a meaningful way then Hell can win. Lucifer wants to be God. He wants to replace his father to use your metaphor (hmm, if the Symphony is technically Lucifer's Mom he has one big ol' Edipus Complex). Those assumptions could be a basis for an interesting campaign, though as Rev. Brian pointed out it still doesn't mean hell can't win cause the always demons may prove to be stronger than the former angels. Timothy, Angel of Rambling Ofanite of Creation ArchRival of Mathus ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 17:17:08 NZST From: "Alex Liddell" Subject: Re: IN> Favorite PC/NPC contest This guy has been my mainstay character for a while now. He was played through from 2 years ago to his current status. Ari Mercurian of Creation The Angel of Performing Arts. Corp Forces: 3 Str: 4, Agi: 8 Eth Forces: 4 Int: 6, Pre: 10 Celes Forces: 4 Per: 10, Will: 6 Vessel/2 Role/4 Status/4: Aaron Atkins, Theatre Director Skills: Acrobatics/6, Dodge/3, Emote/6, Dancing/6, Singing/6, Fighting/3, Knowledge(acting)/4, Knowledge(theatre)/3, Saviour Faire/3, English/3, Latin/3, Russian/2, Knowledge(directing)/3 Songs: Light (Corp,Eth)/3, Healing (Corp, Eth)/3, Form (Cele/4), Motion(Eth/3), NumCorp Wings/3, Claws/3 Attunements: Mercurian of Creation, Seraph of Creation, Mercurian of War, Abracadabra, Howl Distinctions: Champion of the Battle of a Million Scars Word Rite: Direct or Perform in a piece that is seen by at least 50 people +1, 100 people +2, 1000 people +3. Word Attunement: By being the dominant figure in a production effort, such as the Director or main cast member his Attunement suffuses all around him with a drive to do the best they can, even if this unleashes talent they would not be able to tap normally. This effect lasts as long as the piece is performed. By spending 1 Essence he can connect to his Word and gain knowledge about the best way to perform, read, write and direct a piece of work. Discord: Merciful/3 Background: Long before the Fall an Angel by the name of Ari worked with Eli and Israfel in the Halls of Creation and on Earth making things nice. He was young and full of a zest for all living things. His paintings moved with Symphonic grace and his dances made the days of the Angels brighter and brighter. Humanity came as a shock to Ari. They were creating their own musics and performances and they resonanted with such passion he felt compelled to join them on Earth. So the Mercurian bid farewell to Heaven and took up residence with the creative monkeys. The Fall slapped him in the face, and for the first time he felt anger. There was no standing by and letting the purity of Heaven be distorted by this calamity. He stood beside Michael and Uriel as they fought and suffered for Heaven. He healed those that were dying, and comforted those with his songs and dances. Michael watched him and observed his courage as he held off an insane Balseraph who was trying to get back into Heaven after his Fall. This was only part of a huge battle that was raging around the Walls of Heaven. The battle became known as the Battle of a Million Scars, the scars that were left on the Walls of Heaven after Hell was beaten back. Ari was brought before Michael in the Groves and rewarded for his courage. Michael then asked if Ari would like to join War as a soldier, Ari declined and it was suggested that he join the War faction as its head storyteller. Ari readily agreed as it allowed him to view courage and valor first hand in human society, Eli didn't seem to have a problem with it either. For 300 years Ari served Michael at the banquet table, regailing his Angels with tales of conquest and victory, serenading the funerals with dirges that brought tears to some of the most battle hardened. He never lost his contact with Eli, and when he got wind that Eli was thinking about leaving to the mortal plane, Ari decided that his time with Michael had come to an end. He requested that he be allowed to return to the beauty of humanity so that he may bring them joy in that same way he had the Angels in Heaven. Michael agreed to this. He became a figure in the background nodding consent as the director scans the crowd for his mentor. His influence had a huge effect on theorists such as Stanislavski and Brecht and there was no doubt his hand was on Ionescoe's Theatre of Cruelty. His Word was granted in the early 1800's in a combined vouch by Michael and Eli. He now works on the small scale. Helping young actors reach the stars, or at least some personal growth. His current role as Aaron Atkins allows him access to the cream of the crop, as well as those who have untapped potential. _________________________________________________________________________ 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: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 05:41:46 GMT From: "Jo Hart" Subject: Re: IN> Older Attunements 1) I think these are really neat 2) There is/will be some discussion of Vapula's archaic attunements in S4, if you want the canonical ones. 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: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 22:30:32 +0000 From: Charles E Smith Subject: Re: IN> Website update time again (with new stuff!) I just read the bio on Daisy. You have a warped imagination, and I say that with full respect. :) Daisy's a menace to society in a Care Bear type fashion. :P Heaven be helped if Daisy ever confronts someone like Michael or Laurence directly. I wonder how long it would take her to get one of those two to turn tail and run, dissonance be damned? :P ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 22:35:44 +0000 From: Charles E Smith Subject: Re: IN> Another Contest? Okay. Here's my favorite (and only) angelic PC. :) I'm toying with having her go for the Word of Love, she's a real romantic but highly pacifistic (she doesn't even see the point of having any Malakim at all, much less Michael, Laurence, or David. Her philosophy is that they are the unneeded and dangerous relics of a War that should not be fought save with kindness and love.) - ------------------------------- Name: Onariel Choir: Seraph Superior: Novalis Word: Flowers Personality: Onariel is a kind-hearted Seraph who is very enthusiastic about stopping the War so that all sides can know peace. She is also excited about her first mission on Earth. While she is zealous and idealistic, she does not feel the same passion for fighting as angels such as the Archangel Michael does. Onariel prefers to try to find some means to stop violence before it spreads, to live and let live, which is why she serves Novalis. Onariel is bright and cheerful, always laughing and smiling. She's also a passionate and incurable romantic who dislikes with a passion the way that mindless lust and self-gratification is so openly extolled in popular media and culture on Earth. She openly advocates the return of true romance, and is the type who would go out of her way to help star-crossed lovers unite. She is not ambitious, save only that she wants to stop the whole bloody business of war. Unlike many others of the Seraphim, she views politics as interesting, a medium for helping to preserve the world. She views with skepticism the entrenched attitudes of elder angels, like the archangels Michael, David, and Uriel. She's not disrespectful, but she has absorbed the human notion of questioning authority and tradition. She is patient, to a point. She tries to emulate Novalis but sometimes her temper gets the better of her and she verbally goes off on someone who offends her. She's not terribly fond of the Archangel Dominic. She thinks him stuffy and uptight, just like Laurence, and she pities Gabriel for being chased from Heaven by Dominic's stuffy rules. Onariel is definitely a Generation X-style angel, though still committed to the cause for all of that. Abilities: Makes friends easily, brightens the spirits of people wherever she goes, innate Seraphic ability to detect lies and truth. She has a very sharp, eidetic memory and total memory recall. Skills: Driving, Human psychological insight, computer usage (she's an angel, not a cavewoman :) ), planting and gardening. Songs: Celestial Song of Harmony, Ethereal Song of Harmony, Celestial Song of Charm. Attunements: Seraph of Novalis: It takes an act of will for someone to take a violent action in her vicinity. The closer to her they are, the more difficult. Nothing But Flowers: If the angel hides behind or within plants, he becomes extremely hard to spot. If he hides within *flowers*, he becomes completely invisible. (Good way to spy on people) Role: Onariel Di Celeste, Political Advisor Vessel Appearance: 5'7" and petite, with glossy, curly black hair to her shoulders, blue eyes, and marble-pale skin. She's attractive but not the next Cindy Margolis. She has a distinctly Italian appearance and a strong Italian accent and tends towards women's business suits at work and conservative dress in her off-hours. She appears demure, non-threatening, and easy to approach. Vessel Gender of choice: Female (though she has no problems with assuming a male vessel if that is what's needed. She's just glad she didn't have to disguise herself as a guy like Gabriel once did. She enjoys freedom of choice.) History: Recently assigned to Earth by her Superior, Novalis, Onariel feels that the best way to promote the Word of Flowers on Earth is by defusing agressive politicans so that wars and conflicts don't start up. She also feels that she is working on many fronts, for as an advisor in the politcal sphere, she can work to counteract the evil influences of Andrealphus, Nybbas, Alaemon, Baal, Fleurity, and Mammon all at once. She just hopes that the Archangels Michael, Laurence, and Dominic don't start any trouble that would interfere with the Word of Flowers. ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 08:08:14 -0400 (EDT) From: Richard Gant Subject: IN> Favorite PC/NPC Contest This guy is one of exactly two In Nomine PCs I've ever been able to play (I GM almost all the time). What can I say? I just like "him". ASARIEL Malakite Tsayadim of Purity CORPOREAL 2 Strength 4 Agility 4 ETHEREAL 3 Intelligence 5 Precision 7 CELESTIAL 4 Will 8 Perception 8 VESSEL Human/2 (Dark-haired Asian male, early 20s) SKILLS Detect Lies/1, Dodge/2, Fighting/3, Knowledge (Marches/3, Taoist Philosophy/2), Languages (Chinese/3, English/1), Large Weapon (Sword/3), Move Silently/2 SONGS Attraction (Celestial/1), Healing (Corporeal/1, Celestial/1), Purity (Celestial/1) ARTIFACTS Fiery Sword/2 (Power 2, Accuracy -2) OATHS I will faithfully obey God and my Archangel. I will not suffer an evil to live when it is my choice. I will never surrender to Hell. I will come to the aid of my fellow Angels when I have the choice. I will not suffer an Ethereal being to lead the children of men astray. I will show mercy to those who commit evil but repent and seek to serve Heaven. I will not damage the dreamscapes of man. ATTUNEMENTS Malakim of Purity (May swear an Oath to accomplish a deed. Gains a bonus equal to Celestial forces on all rolls to accomplish that deed, but suffers dissonance if he does not activly work towards accomplishment of that deed. Destroyed if an Infernal intervention is rolled on a dissonance roll.) Perfect Pitch (Automatically knows who caused a disturbance in the Symphony and why, if he detects it). HISTORY Asariel fledged about 22 BC, in the service of Purity. He was then assigned to promote his Archangel's Word (first in the direct service of a Senechal, and then on his own) in Imperial China. He worked with mortals and ethereals to promote the cause of Purity and Heaven, and to try to ensure that the Emperor of China had and kept the Mandate of Heaven (duties which also led him to cooperate with Servitors of Destiny, Judgement, and Creation). When the Purification Crusade began he served as an ambassador to the Celestial Bureaucracy, encouraging the ethereal gods and spirits of China to leave peacefully. Some complied, adopting the "stoop to conquer" methodology of their mortal creators/charges. Others refused and, with reluctance, Asariel took up the sword against them. When Uriel was brought before the Seraphim Council to stand trial, Asariel was there with all of the other Servitors of Purity. Like many of the others, he was enraged that his Archangel would stand trial for promoting his Word and waging the War in the best manner. Along with his fellows, he was prepared to take up his sword against the rest of the Host to preserve his Archangel, if the judgment was that Uriel be destroyed. When Uriel was called into the higher Heavens by God he swore with the Host of Purity to continue to protect the children of man from the Ethereals that sought to deprive them of their Destiny, and he walked into the Deep Marches. Since that time, Asariel has been in the Deep Marches as one of the Tsayadim. He continued his policy of attempting to reason with Ethereals before resorting to violence, and works closely with the Ethereal gods of ancient China. By and large they hold no grudges against him; they understand that he could not act in any other way than he did, unless he was prepared to sacrifice all honor. The August Personage of Jade even considers him the Ambassador of the Tsayadim (and by extension, the Ambassador of Heaven) to the Celestial Court. Not all of the old gods of China agree with this decision, but Asuriel is off in other parts of the Deep Marches enough that the matter rarely comes up. DESCRIPTION Asariel's vessel is a dark-haired Chinese man in his mid-20s. He is about 5'6" (tall for ancient China, short for the present), with a slender build. He favors functional clothing in solid colors (he dislikes patterns), and he speaks with a noticible (but not bad) Chinese accent. A linguistic historian who hears him speak Chinese might realize that he speaks an archaic (but understandable) form of Mandarin. He goes by the name Jou Hwa Tsung (Jou being the family name). He also has no discernable nervous traits; it's been so long since he's used his vessel, that he doesn't remember little details like that. In Celestial form, Asariel is closer to 8 feet tall, and appears to be carved from a single piece of polished onyx. A flawless diamond stud is worn in his left ear, a symbol of his Choir and of his dedication to Purity. His clothing is typically white and silver, and is often patterned after traditional Chinese garb. 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/ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 22:35:03 +1000 From: "Shane Curtis" Subject: Re: IN> "I've never killed anyone this way before. It's kind of neat."* On 14 Sep 2000, 20:52, Jason F. McBrayer wrote: > Yes, Orc really hates network games. Not because he objects to a > little carnage now and then, but because they suck up so much > bandwidth that could be used for more productive things! He and Simon > (Malakite Angel of the Manual) are cooking something up to deal with > this, though... If you're after bandwidth-sucking data to hate, I'd put pornography FAR ahead of games. Next up would be illegal software/media copies (depending perhaps on point-of-view and origin-of-software; mileage-may-vary, start- no-flame-wars-here). Spam might be third, I don't know, but would definitely rank somewhere high on the list. Network games would come, at most, a distant fourth. If they came at all - which, as a generalised case, I suspect they wouldn't - wouldn't Orc judge each game individually? (IMHO, games that promoted teamwork and socialisation/creativity would be much better received than games that promoted mindless carnage and violence). Hrm. I think Orc's player on the list? Maybe we could ask its opinion directly. Or are you its player? :) I would also wonder just how much Essence is flowing to Gaius via violent computer games. If I understand correctly, demons rely on actions that support the Infernal aspect of their Word. Non-diabolical actions give little Essence, or worse (from the demon viewpoint) give Essence to the Angelic aspect of the Word (qv Belial/Gabriel). Thus, nominally violent games that promote teamwork, socialisation and creativity would seem to me to give him little Essence, except where players act selfishly for their own vainglory (for example, people who deliberately 'hurt' or 'kill' their team-mates, leave their team-mates in the lurch just to score points for themselves, or just outright cheat at the expense of other players). Though I guess, as Maurice's original post indicated, Gaius would be happy for *any* Essence, period. :) Cheers, Shane. ------------------------------ Date: 15 Sep 2000 09:24:12 -0400 From: jmcbray@carcosa.net (Jason F. McBrayer) Subject: Re: IN> "I've never killed anyone this way before. It's kind of neat."* >>>>> "SC" == Shane Curtis writes: SC> Hrm. I think Orc's player on the list? Maybe we could ask its opinion SC> directly. Or are you its player? :) I didn't think Orc had a player (given that it's given as a sample NPC in the main book). Simon, the Angel of the Manual (a Malakite of Lightning) is one of my NPC's. - -- +-----------------------------------------------------------+ | Jason F. McBrayer jmcbray@carcosa.net | | A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, | | even though we do not love it. -- Dogen | ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 09:59:50 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> Older Attunements Another consideration is whether old servitor of Lighnting have both ancient and modern attunements. An electric sword could still be very impressive. Demon: "Wow! I haven't seen one of these is *ages*! ~urk~" (Dies.) Older technological attunements might also involve alchemy or metallurgy. Older rites for Lightning could be as simple as standing on top of a hill in a storm. Earl ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 10:01:22 -0500 From: Earl Wajenberg Subject: Re: IN> Favorite PC/NPC contest Nice character. Nice to see a relaxed seraph. Does Isaiah's amnesia result from some unlisted Ethereal discord or from simply memory overflow as a result of his great age? Earl ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 11:49:09 -0400 From: "Jamie LaFountain" Subject: IN> Hardcover In Nomine Hey folks. I'm relatively new to both the In Nomine game system and to this e-mail list. My questions regarding the In Nomine hardcover are basic enough that I suspect they've been asked and answered before now. I apologize. 1. When is the hardcover going to be officially released? I placed a pre-order on the SJG web site. 2. Will it be simply the old In Nomine book with a hardcover? Will it contain the errata from the web site? Will there be any other changes (e.g., rules changes, clarifications, reorganizations, etc.)? Thanks for your time. Jamie LaFountain mishra@twcny.rr.com ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1821 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2000 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.